Robert Frey has done proposal writers a great service by compiling in one volume the disparate information required to navigate the proposal process. Although the emphasis is on small business, most of the material applies equally well to "big" business and large proposals. He not only covers the usual topics of writing and production, but explains the myriad government regulations (it must have taken courage to attempt this!) and legal and financial issues proposal teams must address. Quibbles include the too-brief discussions of multiple-company proposal teams (becoming more and more common) and the respective roles and responsibilities of the acquisition manager, the proposal manager, and the proposed project manager (although for small companies they are just as likely to be one and the same). In addition to its usefulness as a reference, Frey has infused his book with many practical, real-world suggestions that are certain to improve any proposal. On that basis alone, I cannot recommend this book to any future competitor!

Successful Proposal Strategies for Small Businesses is a MUST-READ for anyone involved in the government contracting procurement cycle. Everyone from the technical level manager in business and government to the owners of businesses and top level government managers should have a working knowledge of the information presented in this book. Specific key people who should use this book as a technical reference are:
1. all business development staff in private industry
2. technical managers in both industry and government
3. all technical publications staff
4. all government buyers, and procurement staff: including technical officers, source selection officers and source selection board and committee members.

The business development principles illuminated in this book apply equally when businesses sell to and buy from other businesses.

Moreover, I would like to see a companion periodical publication, a CD-ROM or a newsletter, that updates the rapidly changing technological and regulatory aspects of the book. Subscribers to such a service would include all full-time business development and government procurement staff.

The book's style is that of a successful proposal. The book, as the successful proposals discussed by Mr. Frey, is an effective sales document as well as en extremely informative technical reference. The key strengths of this work are its completeness and depth. Mr. Frey provides us with a broad overview of the procurement process presented from the perspective of the business developer. The book clearly shows how the various members of a small business organization should interact to produce a successful business development effort.

At each stage of the business development process the book describes all of the necessary steps to a winning proposal. Detailed schedules, document templates, document samples and examples clearly illustrate every critical step required for planning and executing a successful proposal effort. The book presents all aspects of proposal writing including the development and use of themes, illustrations, style, and even the physical production and delivery of the proposal have in a "user friendly" manner. Mr. Frey's system of handling acronyms and his implementation of the glossary are extremely valuable to the reader. The completeness of the acronym list alone is, in my view, worth more than the price of the book.

Two key concepts developed throughout the book are: the concept of proposals as sales documents, and the critical requirement for solid and continuous upper management's support of the business and proposal development process.

Private companies, both small and large, will find this book invaluable as the blueprint for establishing, and implementing their business development infrastructures.

This book should be on the shelves of every small business competing for government contracts. Starting from the marketing process and continuing through submission of a Best and Final Offer (BAFO), Frey leads the business developer through every stage of the proposal life cycle. It is an invaluable reference for every proposal manager with its examples of proposal storyboards, resources for marketing information, review team checklists, and other nuggets

This book is so effective because it teaches us how to honestly evaluate our thoughts and behavior. It inspires us to want to change for our own happiness and for the sake of others, without self-condemnation. Tackling destructive thoughts and behavior becomes exciting work. It teaches us how to look to a higher power to do this. Because of the universal truths involved in spiritual battle as described by Grant Schnarr, we can use the book and still feel true to our personal religious faiths. It also will greatly appeal to readers for whom traditional religions haven't worked. Anyone who feels something is missing in their life, who feels disconnected from others by depression, anxiety, or boredom or who needs a fresh approach to personal growth will love this book. I see it as especially useful for young men because it engages the masculine mind to do spiritual battle in a way that inspires the best that is within them. This, in turn, brings a sense of connectedness to other people, fulfillment and a sense of peace. It can be very effective for everyone, but I think this book is ground breaking for men who have been looking for the right approach--creative and active--to personal growth.

A Guide to Inner Peace based on Sun Tzu's Art of War? Well think about it--this is a world of paradoxes. What is the biggest obstacle to achieving inner peace? Perhaps it is our own self. What if we waged a war against our inner negativity, our doubts and our fears? Could we use the optimal book on war to conquer our inner demons and establish a beachhead for a state of personal bliss? This book gives detailed advice on how to view your internal dialogues as potential enemies and allies and finding peace. Remaining always aware and alert to how we think and believe is great advice. The book realigned how I view my personal commitment to self improvement.

Michael Peter Langevin Publisher of Magical Blend Magazine Issue # 73 through Nov. 2000

I've read a lot of spiritual warfare books, and also Eastern warrior philosophy. What is different about this book is that it draws from all sides of the issue. The Eastern discipline is here, and the best of Sun Tzu, Lao Tzu, Buddha, and the others, but you can definitely see Schnarr's Christian leanings about the battle against the "dark forces" and about the conflict between devils and angels. What this does is instead of alienating one side or the other, the book appeals to the best in all. Whether it's the Holy War of Islam, the conquering of self of Eastern philosophy, or the bold fight against the forces of evil in Judeo-Christian terms, it's all there, and all are called to battle. I also like that the battle starts with the individual, and is not some sort of call to change the world and forget about your own problems. He says if you want to change the world, begin with yourself. It's the best book on spiritual warfare I have ever read.

The most comprehensive, single source, small business strategy guidebook I have read and applied.
The tactical processes Robert Frey recommends gets you focused early by crystallizing your business strategy, mentoring you step by step, establishing knowledge-based decision points and executing a successful proposal.
The CD is a great plus with schedules, proposal templates, and more to get you started for your next contract award!

In this blue-ribbon edition, Robert Frey provides enough valuable proposal management detail to establish your proposal department, to write your proposal manager's job description, to outline your proposal team's functions, to produce topflight and winning proposals, and to measure the proposal team's success. And if that were not enough, Frey offers his bravura insights into knowledge management and how this wonderful concept can be realistically and incrementally applied to the proposal development process.

Frey mentors you to success with regard to every aspect of proposal management. Frey's style is not staid and wooden. To the contrary, his love for his audience and his desire for their proposal management success shines forth. I would pay twice as much for the book. My company's proposal win rate this year alone proves the worth of the material in these pages. Invest in it, do what it says, and prepare for the reward.

Bob Frey has again created a valuable source of information that should be on every Business Development professional's desk. It presents a clear and concise approach to properly managing the proposal business acquisition process, including creating a winning proposal. The use of Knowledge Management approach to leveraging intellectual property provides an excellent approach to crafting a winning strategy and incorporating it in the proposal. I highly recommend this book.

I'm surprised this book doesn't get more press. I found it very informative regarding Grant's and Lee's personal and professional lives, but I also learned a lot about 1800's American culture as well...and I'm hardly a novice when it comes to the Civil War-era. Seeing as one Anderson is a college professor and the other is a journalist, "The Generals" is immaculately written, an all-too-often rarity concerning history books nowadays. The fact that the book is such a smooth read puts it ahead of the other Grant/Lee bios out. The Andersons' are economical writers, communicating in a few hundred pages what other long-winded folks take volumes to say. As far as the mildly negative Library Journal review goes, I wonder if that has anything to do with the Andersons' refusal to pull punches when speaking of the frailties of both Grant and Lee. These long since dead men are idealized to such an extent today that it's hard to get a feel for the people they really were. After reading "The Generals," I feel that I know both Ulysses Grant and Robert Lee, triumphs failures and draws, as well as I'm ever going to. If you're tired of reading the same old stories about Honorable Lee or Stubborn Grant, and want to get a deeper understanding of two of the most important men in American Civil War, give "The Generals" a shot. Happy reading!

I'm a bit of a history buff, but would never have read this book without the prompting of a friend whom I respect. I struggled to get throught the first 50 pages, but after that I was hooked. Not only do I understand Grant and Lee better, but I feel I understand the USA better. A great story and a window on our nation. Recommended for anyone with the patience and time to peel back the layers of our past.

This book takes you through the lives of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Often, it acts like a timeline, paralleling the two lives at a particular date and recreating the events that were occurring to each at that time. Many of the personal letters from both Grant and Lee are used to tell the story of their lives. These letters are surrounded with superb insights of the day and brings with it the 'feeling' of 1800's America. It is interesting to see how vastly different these two men were only to be thrust together at such a difficult time in our nations history. I strongly recommend The Generals to anyone interested in the Civil War or American History in general.

This is a very good book on the Overland Campaign of 1864. It is the story of the great campaign between Lee and Grant. The author writes very good character sketches of Lee, Longstreet, Ewell, and Hill. He also tells about the lower level officers of the Army of Northern Virginia. He does show bias against Longstreet who he does not think very highly of. Grant fans will not be too happy with some of the narrative. But it is a book about Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia not Grant and the Army of the Potomac. For the flip side of the coin I highly recommend Bruce Catton's "Surrender at Appomattox" which is an excellent account of the Army of the Potomac in these campaigns.

An excellent work that in my opinion captures the essence of the Confederate failure. Dowdy debunks the myths of Grant the butcher and the subsequent "Lost Cause" explaination that the South lost the war due to the overwhelming superiority of Northern numbers, industry, weaponry and supply. Dowdy places the blame with Jefferson Davis, Braxton Bragg, the CSA War Department and to some extent on P.G.T. Beauregard. The decentralized defensive strategy adopted by Davis, led to the inability by General Lee and other CSA field commanders to sufficiently concentrate the forces necessary to defeat the Union armies.

The author writes a simply marvelous history of the great generalship of an almost god-like Robert E. Lee.
Read how sheer numbers, not superior leadership, allowed U.S. Grant final victory.
Although I think this book is out of print, I would highly recommend any history or Civil War buff to search hard for it. They will not be dissapointed.

I found this book when looking for supplemental materials for elementary school science units. This book is a good introduction to the concept of atoms. My sons (7 & 9) enjoyed it immensely; and it provided a good basis for a further discussion of what atoms and elements are.

I have had a very hard time finding high-quality children's books in the area of the sciences. (You know... books that are interesting and beautiful in addition to being educational). Thus, when I found this book I was so excited! My 8 yr old and 5 yr old boys were mesmerized by the story line... the author introduces a pygmy shrew that thinks he's small (at three inches long) and then progressively introduces smaller and smaller things (you're not so small, pygmy shrew!) until he delves into the world of one-celled animals and then molecules, atoms, and finally protons, neutrons, electrons and quarks!

Needless to say, this is an amazing introduction into one-celled animals, elements, molecules, protons/neutrons/electrons/quarks (and even the use of microscopes, both optical and electron)... and all delivered at the level of 5 yr old and 8 yr old boys (with very interesting and beautiful illustrations!) and above. I usually try to raid our library for books, but this book is very much worth owning, so as to be able to refresh your child's recollection of the material. I wish I could give it more than five stars!

From a pygmy shrew, the smallest mammal, to a ladybug, to an amoeba, to an atom, and even smaller (protons and neutrons, quarks...) this book takes a look at the miniature universe. It is a great book for kids with boundless curiosity, and it does not talk down to kids. The concepts are illustrated through comparisons; how small each thing is compared with something else. The illustrations are breezy and cartoon-ish.

Robert Grant (emeritus, U. Chicago) and David Tracy (U. Chicago) have come together in this small book to give perhaps the finest concise history of biblical interpretation that you can find for the money ... Yes, it leaves out some theologians and interpreters, maybe your favorite ones, but the book is not meant to be exhaustive. Nevertheless it almost manages even this, since I cannot think of someone you NEED to know about that you won't have studied after having read this little tome. There is a very nice biblography, a good index (includeing references in the notes as well), though no scriptural index. This is not a real problem, however, since this is not a book of exegesis per se, but the history of exegetical problems and traditions.

The book is divided into two parts, historical and theological. That may not be an exact divide in a book on biblical interpretations, but it serves. Grant writes part one, and manages to give a good overview of all (and excellent investigation of others) of the various readings of the text, Old and New. In 150 pages of non-technical language, Grant leads the reader from Jesus and first-century Jewish readings of the Bible, and the development of Christian texts into a "testament," all the way to modern (20th century) Protestant ways of reading, without leaving out anyone who figures largely or less-largely in the history of interpretation. Quite a feat, but he is successful, at least within the scope that this book sets for itself. It is not for the specialist, but the specialist can certainly benefit from it as a reference book and quick look-up tool (and who doesn't need that from time to time?) David Tracy's contribution is part two, a theological and hermeneutical look at biblical interpretation, interpretaiton theory, critical theory, and prospects for the future. As in Grant's earlier chapters, Tracy gives just enough information to be helpful, but not enough to be daunting.

With a top scholar in biblical studies and a top scholar in theological studies coming together in this book, it makes it a volume hard to avoid owning, especially for the student or educated layman. Here is a suggestion, as a matter of fact: this would be an excellent adult study book for churches--pastors and vestries take note! If you are in the position to need a history of how the biblical texts have developed and been interpreted (the multifariousness of interpretations might well shock you), this is a great little book to own. I highly recommend it without reservation.

This short, concise book gives a clear and easily understood history of the interpretation of Scripture. The author examines the way the Bible has traditonally been interpreted and then shows how these historical approaches have contributed to our contemporary understanding. While this book may be of particular interest to clergy, teachers, preachers and students, it is free of specialized theological and exegetical terminology and is a valuable resource for anyone who reads the Bible. Highly recommended

This is a lavishly illustrated abridgement of Grant's wonderful "Personal Memoirs" and of Confederate Officer Armistead Long's "Memoirs of Robert E. Lee", two of the major works of the Civil War (Lee never did get around to writing his own memoirs).

While it must be stressed that this is an abridgement, and the actual volumes themselves are worth purchasing on their own, especially Grant's, the clear text and the extraordinary and realistic illustrations makes this volume a perfect gift for the Civil War buff this holiday season, or a worthy addition to one's own Civil War Library even if you already have the separate volumes - as I do.

Wow! This was a great book! It is a story about baseball, and a man who takes profound steps to get back into the game. It will take you some effort to get a copy but it is so worth it. Trust me stick with it to the end, and you won't be dissapointed. :)

I consider myself a connosieur of the classics, so when I heard of an ancient novel concerned with sex, illicit sex, and illicit donkey sex, I decided to take a closer look.

And I'm glad that I did. At the back end of the classical Western literary tradition of silliness, which includes such hallowed humorists as Chaucer, Bocaccio, Rabelais, Cervantes, and, in its divine form, Shakespeare, we find the one tale that may have excited them all--Lucius Apuleius's Golden Ass.

The Golden Ass is filled with adventure, suspense, humor, and nonsense. I had a grin on my face most of the way through, and I got the feeling that the author did too. Tip o' the hat to Robert Graves for delivering an authentic translation that brings us Apuleius in his bawdy best.

The only thing I found occasionally irritating was that, like Cervantes, Apuleius has a tendency to digress. Big time. He inserts the entire myth of Cupid and Psyche right into the middle of the narrative, for example. Does this add to the mythological message of the whole? Probably, but it subtracts from the fantastic flow of the story. My urgent plea to Apuleius, were he alive today, would be, "Stick to the ass!"

There are a number of reasons that traditionally bring people to this book: to study Classical Rome, classic literature, mythology, psychology... maybe you're curious about the intimate lives of donkeys. Whatever has brought you to this novel, now that you're going to read it, perhaps the best thing to do is to take the advice of the author himself, who says, "Read on and enjoy yourself!"

I thought only cats were supposed to have nine lives, but this donkey has at least that many. This book is great fun, I couldn't put it down for too long, and it is incredible that something written so long ago (18 centuries?) can be so accessible, captivating, and hilarious to a modern reader. The events in The Golden Ass resemble the ribald, bawdy exuberance of the Decameron, and no doubt Boccaccio was somewhat inspired by the writings of Apuleius. According to the introduction, the adjective "golden" in the title implies "the ass par excellence" or "the best of all stories about an ass." The story follows the misadventures of Lucius, an enterprising young man who gets far too close to the world of magic, is transformed into a donkey and is constantly thwarted in his attempt to procure the antidote to his assness. It's human mind trapped in donkey bawdy! Totally imaginative, classically written, hilarious fun. As a writer, Apuleius was MILLENNIUMS ahead of his time! (Note: my review is based on the Robert Graves translation, rather than the William Adlington).

I read The Golden Ass for a Classic art course I took while at university I loved it! It is fun, entertaining and comical- not your typical dry Roman read. It is a great story and a great look into history.I highly recommend this tale to anyone who not wants to laugh but is interested in an important text from antiquity.