PR Visionaries is a remarkable piece of work! It provides you with the techniques and secrets of the best and leading members of the industry, from Ketchum, Porter Novelli, Brodeur Worldwide, and other leading players.

While strong on the strategic side, PR Visionaries is a bit weaker on the tactical side. I don't hold the editors responsible for this, however, as this is not a how-to manual, per se. For the tactical side, I found Guerrilla PR: Wired by Michael Levine to be a more than adequate resource.

PR Visionaries, as the title says, has the giants of the public relations industry tell you how to get noticed, build a brand, develop and protect a reputation, and how to be effective with key opinion-leaders, including the CEO. While it might be overly dramatic to say the book spills their secrets, PR Visionaries covers the various facets on how to successfully manage a powerful public relations campaign on all levels, one that clearly resonates with key stakeholders and publics.

Simon-Smithburg-Thompson: Public Admninistration was my first text book in English - year 1968 at the University of Tampere, Finland. I have beeen professor of Public Administration since 1980. Still, it a classic.

Edward Waters worked for years researching the life of Victor Herbert(1859-1924)and wrote a thorough and beautifully written biography of one of America's greatest composers (and one who needs to be better remembered today). This work covers Victor Herbert's life as a child in Ireland and a young musician in Germany, his marriage to Therese Forester (a young singer at the Vienna Opera), their move to the United States in 1886, his early years as a cello solist and leader of Gilmore's Band, and his six years as the conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and composer of classical and march music. Most of the book concentrates on the many years he worked as a composer of music for the 41 operettas and Broadway shows and the two operas for which he is best remembered. This biography is the best record of Herbert's life and should be read by anyone with an interest in Victor Herbert or Broadway shows and comic opera during the 1894-1924 period.

It's rare to read an involving account of a business leader who managed to keep his dignity and idealism intact whilst being phenomenally successful, but that's exactly what this book is.
The book not only covers Edwin Land's major technological achievements in thorough detail, but gives one a vivid feel for his visionary and practical genius that is more affirming and motivating than a dozen Robbins and Covey tomes. Land was not only prodigiously creative but also persuasively, passionately articulate with almost a Victorian missionary zeal about everything he did, and Victor McElheny's ability to balance prose and technical detail does his subject justice.
The organisation of the book into sections concentrating upon aspects of Land's work, rather than a strict historical narrative, does make sense considering the depth with which McElheny covers each topic, whether it's the political maneuverings behind the U2 project, negotiations with Detroit carmakers about polarized headlights, or colour film chemistry. It may not be considered good journalism to do it this way, but then again a "good journalist" would probably have jettisoned much of the detail so crucial to Land's work and concentrated on petty foibles, frustrations and conflicts far more than McElheny has-and McElheny's approach is ultimately more effective.
Where the book could have been better is in editing and rounding off some of the sections-for example, while there is excellent coverage of Land's involvement with classified intelligence projects under President Eisenhower, there is nothing about his subsequent working relationships with Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, let alone his falling out with Nixon. Likewise there is poor coverage of Polaroid's innovations after the introduction of colour film and before the development of the SX-70 system, such as the introduction of packfilm and the world's first transistor-controlled shutter. Yet McElheny inexplicably finds room for a whole page listing the genealogy of Land's cousins!
Nonetheless, the criticisms above are strictly of the variety once described by P. J. O'Rourke as "Sharon Stone has ugly toes"-unless you are unhealthily pedantic about such things, the overall package is still well worth checking out.

This book contains the most detailed information I have seen assembled
in one volume about the life of Dr. Edwin "Din" Land, founder of
Polaroid Corporation. Although I long have read public accounts of
Dr. Land's work, this book greatly added to my knowledge.

For
those who would like to understand the rise and fall of Polaroid and
its stock price over several decades from 1937 through 1980, this book
makes fascinating reading about some of the do's and don't's of
running a high technology company that depends on developing new
technologies and an on-going stream of innovative products.

If you
want to understand the techniques employed by Dr. Land to make
scientific breakthroughs, there are many insights here into his method
of goal-oriented empiricism. Interestingly, it parallels the
approaches used by Thomas Edison, the most prolific inventor of the
20th century. Unfortunately, Dr. Land left little in the way of
writings to draw on other than patent applications and speeches, so
these insights are limited primarily to recollections by colleagues.
On the other hand, the empirical approach is often guided by instinct
based on experience, which is hard to capture. Most scientific
thinkers dislike empiricism, so those who use this method can expect
many rebukes . . . as Dr. Land received in his work on the nature of
color perception.

Those who want to understand the scientific
breakthroughs that Polaroid made will probably come away confused
unless they already have a great knowledge of optics and chemistry
related to photography. I learned a great deal from the book, but
would have liked to learn more. I graded the book down one star for
this weakness.

If you want a fascinating, new look into the
emerging arms race with the Soviet Union in the 1950s, there is much
interesting material here about Dr. Land's role as a national advisor
on defense surveillance.

I was a guest at a dinner hosted by
Dr. Land in the mid 1960s during which he demonstrated his new
technology of instant color photography...His good humor,
generous attitude toward his guests, and his sincere desire to
transform the world, however, left me with a more profound lesson --
seeing much more potential for what a company can be than I would
otherwise have had. Dr. Land explained his vision that night in terms
of releasing the human spirit and encouraging all of us to create and
appreciate more beauty. Although glimpses of this side of Dr. Land
come through in the book, they are overshadowed by the overall theme
of a flawed genius.

I dislike books that argue for flaws in
geniuses. That approach serves to make them more human, but not in a
way that makes us appreciate them or their good points. Geniuses are
by their nature obsessed by their work, and their personal quirks can
be quite negative. ... By the standards of 20th century geniuses,
Dr. Land was a regular guy. In fact, the extent to which he retained
his humanity is part of his greatness.

I think an alternative
explanation to the one in this book of Dr. Land's limitations as a
leader is entirely possible and appropriate. Whenever he was engaged
in endeavors where strong leaders were involved as colleagues or
partners (such as on national defense issues), he was astonishingly
effective. Whenever he was totally given his head, he sometimes
strayed into areas where his vision exceeded the true opportunity.
Clearly, his talent as a technical problem solver vastly exceeded his
talent as an evaluator of product potential.

The story of
Polaroid's rise and fall as depicted here could just as easily be
rewritten as the story of a board of directors and financiers who did
not do their job of providing limits. For example, when Polaroid was
originally taken public in 1937, the investment bankers granted
Dr. Land a 10 year period of total control through a voting trust.
Although every company founder would like such control, that's simply
a bad idea. Management has to be and feel accountable...His authority
seems to me to have been much greater than that normally granted to a
CEO in taking a new product forward....Hopefully, a future book will
look at the fascinating governance challenges and issues related to
being on the board of a company led by a scientific genius who has
provided most of the company's historic value added.

After you
have finished reading and thinking about the fascinating issues in
this book, I suggest that you consider what you would like your legacy
to be. Then, consider what mistakes you will have to avoid in order
to accomplish that legacy. How can others help you overcome your
weaknesses to accomplish more?

Be willing to insist on the
impossible, when it's the right thing to do. You can do it!

I found Insisting on the Impossible to reflect the authors dedication to producing a biography that provides both inspiration, and rigourous historical treatment of one of most innovative scientists, and business leaders of the century. This book required a profound understanding of Edwin Land and his times, as well as what would make it a fascinating read for anyone interested in building a business based on radical innovation today. It was clearly written as a labor or love

As a student earning my master's degree in public health, I have taken a special interest in nutrition books that are on the market. It often frightens me when I read the things that are getting published. This is an excellent book that provides the basics that one might need to improve health. I only gave it four stars because I felt it lacked some specifics that a person might look for. For instance, how much one should exercise to lose or maintain weight. If you want specifics you may have to supplement with another book.

This is an excellent reference source for anyone wanting to obtain information for a school paper or learn more about nutrition. I tend to agree and disagree with the previous reviewers. Don't expect this book to have an exhausting amount of information on a specific subject you are looking for. This book is a broad and total reference on the subject of nutrition. At times I have had to search the index to find a subject located in multiple places in the book. Not uncommon for a large reference book. This book is one of the best for general, quick information on nutrition. I sometimes use it exclusively to research a paper for school. But at times find myself using several books to get all the information. Overall, AN EXCELLENT BOOK!

I completely disagree with the review of October 25, 1998. Total Nutrition is a serious medical text about nutrition that supports its claims with scientific studies. I have a serious medical condition (a kidney transplant), and have had to learn a considerable amount about nutrition in order to keep my transplant healthy. I have over 60 books on nutrition, and this is the ONLY text that I reccommend to fellow transplant patients to understand nutrition.

The book is in three parts: Part I: Nutrition is explained in detail so that the reader understands what a macronutrient (fat, protein and carbohydrates) and micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) is. Part II: Nutrition and its importance to aging and gender is explained, everything from infants to geriatrics. Part III: Nutrition as it relates to chronic and acute illnesses is explained. Every manner of illness is covered (I learned the most from the section on kidney ailments).

I highly reccommend this book. If you have very little or no understanding of nutrition, Understanding Nutrition (by Ziff Davis press) is a very good introduction to nutrition and explains it in very easy terms. I read that book first and nutrition became very easy to comprehend. Stay healty!!

I've read the "Disadvantages of Castration" as well as the author's two other books, "A Brief History of Castration", and "The Advantages of Castration". The Author's focus in "The Disadvantages of Castration" is similar to his focus in his other books, namely that Castration is a treatment (not a punishment) that should be used on multiple sex offenders. The data he quotes about rates of repeat offenses is convincing on that point. However he seems to be unwilling to discuss in a very real way what the disadvantages of castration are. They are mentioned, but only in a statistical way. 70% get hot flashes, 34% have diabetic conditions improved, 22% have fewer brushes with the law, etc. Loss of sexuality, energy and ambition are not adequately discussed.

There may be some extreme views about vitamins, but there has been much documented scientific evidence that illustrates that prescription drugs do far more harm than good to the liver, and many other organs of the body. Your body is made up of vitamins and minerals, and it makes sense that if you supply it with the vitamins and minerals that it needs that it will be in much better health. We are bombarded on every side by carcinogens and preservatives in our food. Since 1938 it has been known even by Congress that our food is lacking in mineral content because of the depletion of the soils. It makes sense that we need to get these minerals in our diet somehow. Prescription drugs are synthetic substances that are foreign to the body. They may help with one problem, but they often create other bad side effects. If we were created to use prescription drugs, then we would have been born with a prescription in our hands. There have also been many doctors that have hundreds of cases to attest to the value of vitamin and mineral supplementation, and their role in the treatment and prevention of disease.

This book was written in part to make sure there is a nice long line of sick customers at the doctors office to maintain cash flow. The medical industry is a business, just like any business, that depends on people being sick for their money. Same story for the pharmacutical industry.

Is it not strange that their are so few doctors practicing preventative medicine? Why - because there is NO MONEY in it!

Is is not strange that the medical industry has been working on curing cancer for almost 70 years, using billions and billions of taxpayer dollars, and the problem just keeps getting worse. The cure rate is no better than it was in 1935, despite what you may read in the newspaper.

The info in Barrett's book is pure garbage. If you wish to prove that to yourself, look at the many fine books Amazon sells on Vitamins, written by MD's and PHD's. People like Lester Packer, a top biochemist, he does his own research - see "The Antioxidant Miracle". Look at any of the many books Amazon sells on Biochemistry. For example, "Harper's Biochemisry". It is not light reading, but a quick scan thru it will show the most casual observer just what those vitamins and minerals actually do to preserve your health, and why the body needs them. You would die fairly quickly if certain vitamins were removed completely from your diet.

Vitamins and minerals alone will not cure disease but it is very clear from reading any biochemistry book that they will help prevent it from occuring in the first place.

Check it out for your self and don't believe Mr. Barretts lies.

No helpful information. Much of the quackery characterizations are literally decades old. Justifies the phrase 'the greatest fanaticism is always seen in those who are challenged by changes to the status quo.'

A hate book if I ever read one..

Don't let any of today's youngsters know that this book exists--they would hoot in derision! Yet this is a luxury edition of the 1903 musical operetta by Victor Herbert, including some music. Accompanied by wonderful illustrations by Victoria Lisi, this volume has preserved the script and even lists the turn-of-the-century cast.

Sugary tale about a stereotyped rich and hateful villain trying to force a sweet young thing to marry him. Many children and even some toys help foil the miser, when he invades the sanctity and threatens the innocence of Toyland itself. The script abounds in terrible puns and a simplistic plot--virtually impossible for kids of the 90's to appreciate.

Toys and dolls plus a kindly toymaker come to the rescue, as the youngsters from Mother Goose Land flee to Toyland to further their dreams and escape their nightmares. The little old Toymaker speaks as the true spirit of Christmas about the importance of bringing joy to young children. Browse this lovely edition whenever you want to return to those ingenuos days of yore--Childhood!

Interestingly enough, I got this book as a gift. I don't expect great things from a compilation of quotations - a cull of "Reader's Digest" pabulum, in most cases. This one took the cake for being a compendium of 1940s almanacs and sentiments dear to Phyllis Schlafly.

I don't expect every quote book to hold some words from great thinkers from around the world, but this book is one-dimensional in its insular approach. This is the kind of book that shows how multiculturalism is needed.

And PS : how come Prochnow quotes himself and other people named Prochnow so much?

A throughly avoidable read.