After listening to this series and applying what I've learned I have a few reasons why master copywriter and business consultant Drew Eric Whitman selected the title.

Maybe it relates to the fact that I would have paid $50,000 to him and the 10 other experts that have literally super-charged my business and increased profits. And at that price, it would have been a steal.

Or maybe the $50,000 references what average business owners can add to their annual profits after listening. I know in my case, $50,000 would be a low estimate for the increase in business I expect over the course of the next year as a direct result of listening to this course.

Whatever the reasoning behind the title, in my opinion this is material that every person running or thinking of starting a business should own. It delivers essential business and marketing information (some of which I've never heard before but works almost like magic), and it spoon feeds it to you in such a way that you not only completely understand it, but you're excited and can't wait to start applying it to your business immediately.

I've had many nights where I've only grabbed a few eyefuls of sleep since owning this. But I want to thank Drew Eric for giving me the information and motivation to get in and do something that's responsible for literally putting more money in my pocket while making it fun.

Grady Smith

Who is this Drew Eric Whitman? And how can he help me?

Those were my thoughts as I read his captivating ad for The $50,000 Business Makeover Marathon. I was spell bound. And you will be too.

Being an adventureous sort, as all entrepeneurs are, I decided to take the plunge and purchase it. You know what? It was everything he said it would be, and more!

Drew, if you read this, thank you. We may never meet but you have changed my life and business.

After listening and putting into action many of the tips(lessons, really) I have seen an amazing change in my professional and personal affairs.

I own six other tape programs on sales and marketing and this one is unique. Get it now. While you're thinking about it.

Better hurry. Your competition may already have this.

Yours in Success,
...

I confess to buying too many business tapes. I am also too often disappointed by the quality of the production as well the content.

THESE tapes, however, are fantastic. The speakers are all interesting to listen to - not boring. No fluff. Recorded in a studio, so you can ALWAYS hear the speakers. The topics will be valuable to any small to medium size busines owner or marketing executive who wants to expand and grow their business.

You may have heard SOME of this material before, but you haven't heard ALL of it -- and it's all in one powerful package.

IMHO, it's worth a listen -- again and again.

-Keith Price
Developer of The Magic Bullet
Software to help you write sales letters that really sell.

I bought the DC book Agents of Change because DC is my favourite company that sells skateboarding appearal. I was very interesting in how DC began and had many other question. Every know and wears DC, but no one really knows about the company and this book answered every question I had about the company that I dearly love to support. I now wear DC clothing with pride, read the book and you'll understand that the company is full of "america pride". Plus,the pictures are so fantastic. Everything from a young Colin McKay and Danny Way and old advertisements. Plus awesome stories and biographies. This book is recommend for every from skater and CEO. This books shows guys that started something because they loved and believed in what they were doing!

Finally someone takes the initiative to tell the story of a company that's corporate, but not really corporate. Not Microsoft or Enron or Nike or any of the Big Money companies but instead a down to earth story about a tiny little 100 million dollar company that has a story that's actually interesting. And if the story itself got boring (it never did) I could still just look at all the great photos. This is an important book for a number of reasons. It documents an era when sports in America are changing. It documents a company that stayed true to those sports. It is inspiring in a way that will show kids to follow their heart, and success will follow. Finally, it isn't a big marketing scam hidden under false pretenses. What you see with AGENTS OF CHANGE is what you get, and what you get is a great book for a book shelf or coffee table; skate park or corporate meeting room of any company who targets the youth demographic.

I was able to pick up Agents of Change and I was blown away by what I saw. Not only are the pictures up-to-date and unbelievable, but the spectrum of sports presented, from skateboarding, to snowboarding, surfing, and motocross, presents a compelling argument as to why this book is relevent at all.

The story of DC shoes, from it's start in a garage with kids with a dream, is as much a part of the world of extreme sports as the athletes who drop from helicopters onto halfpipes or launch themselves off of snow-covered cliffs.

Told in a compelling narrative with interviews, bios, and a history of the company's inception. This book reads like the story of the American dream. Three guys, no money just an idea, and how they turn that idea into a hundred million dollar-a-year company.

This book is not just for people who love extreme sports. It's also for those of us who have dreams of one day changing the world--and making a killing at it.

Reading this book is like floating down a river with a little whitewater, glorious scenery and intelligent company--it's a joy! The two perspectives add depth to the forward movement.

This is one of those books whose real storytelling power sneaks up on you. It's a case study in Americana, in the guise of a travelogue. Dudley and Seaborg met a remarkable group of characters on their journey -- a cast few novelists could dream up -- and they share their new friends with us in a delightfully readable way. The writing is so crisp and the imagery so vivid that you can practically hear the crickets chirping as you read!

Seaborg and Dudley have made an incredible journey, and done a great service to the hiking community. They had an audacious mission, to link the nation's great long-distance trails with the cities in between and lay out a way to get from coast to coast under one's own power.

To many of us, this sounds like a dream assignment. But Eric and Ellen faced many challenges-finding a route through a maze of mountain ranges, urban parks, farm roads, rail trails and river crossings; securing the cooperation of local hiking clubs and wary landowners, enduring a cold winter, networking with the media, writing a guidebook, and taking their case to Washington to gain designation as a National Scenic Trail. It was hard, often frustrating work, yet their good humor, physical strength, and boundless enthusiasm saw them through and got the job done.

We're all the richer for it. The book is a real page-turner. Eric and Ellen take turns telling their story, and they make you feel you're right there with them. Especially compelling are the times they get separated. You'll experience first-hand the fear of a woman alone in the wilderness, and the grim determination of her partner to find her. In the end, they'll have you cheering as they accomplish their task.

An adventure for the ages. Don't miss this book!

Anne Boleyn was accused of essentially the same catalog of crimes used against every powerful woman since (and probably before) Jezebel - sexual infidelity, witchcraft, heresy, capriciousness and foul temper. As Ives explains, she may not have been physically the most beautiful woman at court, but her intellect, sophistication and worldliness (she had served at the Austrian and French courts) made her by far the most attractive. What is incredible about her courtship with Henry is the sheer number of missed chances to get a proper annulment of Hal's earlier marriage to Katharine - which, of course, would have removed the impetus for the English Reformation, and all the carnage that followed. What makes this a great read is Ives' ability to translate renaissance history into modern terms: Anne's rise and fall were inextricably linked to larger political and religious forces in Henry's court: her demise was the direct product of a temporary court alliance between the hard line crypto-Protestants (Thomas Cromwell et. al.) and the equally hard line Catholic sympathizers (Norfolk, plus the former followers of Thomas More). Once Anne was off the scene, they happily returned to their ideological trenches and resumed ploting against each other. Anne's was a vibrant life in a world which punished the vibrant and the intelligent.

I found this an excellent read when I was studying Anne Boleyn. While never becoming too bogged down in details, it tells her story compellingly and with the necessary human touch which makes Anne's story so engrossing.

Focusing on faction as one of the major causes of Anne's downfall, we are taken from her contested date of birth to her final end, through the whims of the king, life at court and her dubious romances. Ives gives the legends a brisk working over and gives the facts clearly with all the available evidence. This is THE book on Anne to read and I strongly recommend it to anyone studying her life.

Scholarly but not stuffy, Eric Ives' book is the best biography by far I have read of Anne Boleyn. It is packed with original research and serious scholarship but at the same time is readable and easy to follow. The average intelligent layperson would enjoy reading this. Ives, Antonia Fraser and Alison Weir are all MUST READS for Tudor scholars and history buffs.

So, having seen the Disney movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks, you know the whole story, right? Wrong! Being a fan of that movie, I picked up this book expecting some minor discrepancies, but was amazed to find a story that had practically nothing in common with the movie.

This is the story of Carey, Charles and Paul Wilson who, while staying with their aunt in Bedfordshire, suddenly discover that a neighbor, Miss Price is a witch! Not your stereotypical witch, Miss Price is a prim and proper lady who is willing to buy the children's silence with the gift of a magic bed knob that will allow the children to travel through space and time. Seeking to visit their mother, the children find themselves scooped up by the London police. Next, Miss Price takes them to an isolated tropical island, only to discover that cannibals inhabit the island. Their final adventure takes them to Restoration England, where they meet a forlorn (and inept) necromancer, Emelius Jones.

This story (actually two books combined into one) is quite charming. In a gentle and freewheeling fashion, Mary Norton draws the reader along on a fantastic adventure. This book is just right for the young reader, with a few nice illustrations, and a wonderful storyline.

Our class enjoyed hearing our teacher read this story. She thought we might like it because we enjoyed "Harry Potter" last year. We liked it when the children travelled back into the past. It was good when Miss Price and Emelius fell in love and travelled back to Emelius's time

I first read this book as a child, and it was one that I read again and again. Using a magical bedknob, the children in this story travel through time and space to ancient England, a desert island and more. I just bought this for my nine year old niece, who is a "Harry Potter" fan, but too young for most of the scarier titles that are sometimes suggested for fans of the series. Like all of the author's books, this one is exciting, but not scary, and is clearly the product of a gentler time.

Got this after a desire to collect the 9-11 comics as my ending run in comic collecting, and I must say I am impressed with not only the size of it, but the consitent and diverse work inside. Loads of unfamiliar work that perhaps wouldn't be seen on such a public level with such quality, and at 200 pages for the price its at, its damn good.

The stories themselves? Some make you think. Some make you wonder. All make you remember.

There's really not much I can say about this book. The stories contained in it are poignant and touching and heartbreaking and hopeful all at once, and each and every contributor has given not only their time and talent to the project, but clearly they've also given a piece of their hearts. Being born and raised in New York City, the events of September 11th are especially painful to me, but I came away from reading this book feeling just a little more hopeful than I did when I started it. Kudos to all involved for a magnificent effort. (And all of the money goes to a good cause, too!)

The power of the comic book medium is that, by using drawings, they express emotions and reactions that are difficult to put down in words. Due to the extreme nature of this event, this is an excellent way to express what we have all been through.

The most impact is provided by the independent, i.e. non-superhero, writers who express what they went through with pictures and words. From the initial shock to the lingering malaise, the complete cycle is expressed. Reading this book brought back those feelings in me and, even though my emotions were swelling up, I kept reading. This event is now part of our collective experience and we are forever affected by it.

I recommend reading through when you need some perspective on what's important in life. Enjoy life, tell your friends and family that you love them because you never know when it may end.

This review doesn't get too into the content of the book but the impact that it had. As for me, that's the sign of a good read.

Maisel is one of my favorite authors writing for artists. As in his other books, he shows here great sensitivity to artists' challenges. In his typical style, he doesn't pull punches with these affirmations -- it's clear an artist will never be fulfilled unless s/he gets up and WORKS. These affirmations support that process, without gluing up the works with the mystical overtones (mumbo-jumbo?) often associated with affirmations.

Arranged alphabetically by subject (Failure, Success, Fear, Anxiety, Inspiration, Day Jobs, Depression, Joy, etc.), each page is devoted to one subject. The page includes quotes from famous artists, a short paragraph to consider, and an affirmation to overcome the challenges and reinforce the positives.

One thing I stumble on each time I use this book is the wordiness of the affirmations. These aren't pithy sayings to be glanced at and remembered all day. Most are fairly involved paragraphs in their own right (On Inspiration: "I believe I create for myself when I honor my artist's nature and diligently practice my craft. I will work whether I feel inspired or not: I know that if I labor with an open heart and an open mind, inspiration will come. I am ready to create it, receive it, and be swept away by it."). I tend to shorten them, pulling out just those points that resonate with me ("I honor my artist's nature and embrace inspiration"). This can be an advantage, though, since it means there can be different affirmations for each person or each situation. It also involves the artist in the creation of the affirmation, making each one uniquely that person's.

Highly recommended for living more fully with your artistic self, or as a gift for the artist in your life.

I believe that making affirmations really help us to achieve our creative goals. Eric Maisel's book is full of affirmations that really work if we work them! I make this book part of my daily reading, and it makes every day start on a positive note.

This book is crammed with affirmations related to the fears and horrors every artist ends up going through at some point. Whereas I am not too keen in affirmations, I found Mr Maisel's words extremely conforting and intelligent. Although the affirmations are inspiring, this is a book with practical advice as well, unlike so many others that adress similar questions. It also contains a lot of quotations from famous artists who apparently went through similar ordeals. "Affirmations for artists" adresses many different kinds of disciplines and is definitely a great gift for an artistically inclined person. If it ever gets translated into Spanish I'm definitely giving it out to my friends.

I read this book just after reading the Odyssey and while I started reading the Iliad. It was a nice way to help me understand who's who in those books and what exactly happened when Homer flashes back! All those Greek names can get a bit mixed up after a while and putting a picture in my mind really helped me.
Did I mention that this is a neat book? :)

"A Thousands Ships" is the first volume in a projected seven part series titled "Age of Bronze," in which Eric Shanower intends to tell the entire story of the Trojan War. Volume 1 collects the first nine issues of the comic book saga, beginning with Paris herding cattle on the slopes of Mount Ida and ending with the thousand ships of the Achean fleet supposedly sailing off to Troy to fetch back the face that launched them, namely Helen. The first part of the volume tells of how Paris learned that he was really Alexander, Prince of Troy, and after he abducts Helen the second half tells of how the Achean host was assembled, including wily Odysseus and the young Achilles.

As a person who still collects comic books and teaches Classical Greek & Roman Mythology I can appreciate the problems that Shanower has to deal with in telling this timeless tale. In the past I have taught a giant unit on the Trojan War in which students had to read the stories about the Judgment of Paris and the Abduction of Helen from Edith Hamilton's "Mythology," the Euripides play "Iphigenia at Aulis," Homer's "Iliad," the Fall of Troy from Virgil's "Aeneid" and then continued with the story of Agamemnon in the "Orestia" by Aeschylus. Greek mythology is, as Shanower notes, hopelessly convoluted and contradictory, which means making all the stories fit together impossible. Shanower solves this Gordian knot by establishing ages for his characters with an eye towards how old they will be at the end of the Trojan War. Yes, this still presents problems (Helen, with her eight-year old daughter, seems much older than Paris, Achilles seems too young to be outraged in the next volume by the scheme by which Agamemnon dupes Iphigenia into coming to Aulis, and Neoptolemus will be 10 when he comes to Troy to take part in the slaughter at the end), but in each and every instance I understand exactly what contradiction Shanower is trying to resolve in the wealth of classical mythology from which he draws his tale. I find Paris to be too much the hot-headed brat, but since Shanower has decided that Helen submits to the abduction because she believes it to be her fate rather than out of love the characterization does not work against the story at this point (Paris is always the most problematic character in the story, in the same way that dealing with Judas forces authors to make hard choices in telling the story of Jesus).

The most significant difference in Shanower's version is that the supernatural elements are downplayed in order to emaphsize the human element. There are dreams and visions, "But no gods i nthe flesh" (Shanower proves he has fully done his research when he points out that Dares of Phrygia had Paris dream the judgment in his "History of the Destruction of Troy"). What matters here is not so much the abduction of Helen, but the fact that Troy controls the Hellespont and commerce by ships between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Still, prophecies and portents prove themselves accurate time and time again.

I also want to note Shanower's accuracy in showing the city and throne room of Mycenae, which I visited this spring. Helen's dress and idols bespeak the Minoan civilization more than the Mycenaean to my eye, but that is not too much of a stretch. The artwork is certainly competent enough and since it works in service to the story there is nothing to complain about on that score (although I thought the decision to do the recap of the sack of Troy by Herakles in a more cartoonish style counterproductive). What I especially appreciate is the way that Shanower provides lots of details in the vast majority of his panels. Consequently, I would not be especially interested in see this volume in color because the artwork is clearly more effective in black & white.

I look forward to the next volumes in the series, especially when Shanower has to deal with the monumental gap that exists between the arrival of the Acheans on the shores of Troy (the story that the first man ashore would die is fairly well known) and the refusal of Agamemnon to give up Chryseis to her father that begins Homer's "Iliad." I will be interested to see if Shanower glosses over that nine-year period or meets the challenge of finding some sense of drama and characterization to what happened during the period. All things considered, this is a fine beginning which should impress those who know the original stories as well as those who were seduced by the recent television mini-series abomination "Helen of Troy."

This book is absolutely marvelous, a rewarding example of just how good a graphic novel can be and what a fine medium it is. Shanower's research is meticulous, his storytelling is very fine and his draughtsmenship makes him among the best illustrators working today. Shanower is wonderful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who does, or doesn't read comics. This faithful and beautiful retelling of the Trojan War would not only delight teen readers, it would also be of great interest to adults. It brings life and energy to the tale of Paris and Helen and presented the story to me in a way that made me appreciate it as never before. Don't pass up a chance to get this terrific book. This is not hype. This is a very fine piece of work!

Eric A Kimmel cleverly retells the an story Anansi folk tale in his book Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock, which is illustrated by Janet Stevens. It is a clever story based on the folk tradition of West Africa with Anasi the spider as a trickster hero. Anansi is a true mischief maker and after finding a magic moss-covered rock decides to use it to his friends disadvantage. In the end it is Anasi who is taught a lesson, maybe.

Anasi books and tales are a wonderful way of exploring the rich traditions from West Africa. He is derived from the Ashante who are skilled weavers and story tellers. Anansi is associated with both the Ashante traditions of story telling and weaving. He is an intriguing character whether he is spinning a web with words or with thread.

For parents and teachers introducing this story to children it is important to consider your own beliefs and views on violence and teaching lessons through violence. The trick of the moss-covered rock is that it hits animals on the head and knocks them unconscious. While children frequently delight in this kind of slapstick humor and may not take the use of violence as condoning it, the adult should consider their own conscience in introducing this book.

Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock is a staple in my storytelling repetoire. Small children appreciate the repetition; older children appreciate the humor; adults enjoy the pure playfulness of the tale. In short, this is another example of folktales being excellent (or not surviving).

The book is well written and well illustrated - I hope it becomes a children's classic as it deserves to be

I find this book useful in teaching teachers about the folk lore of Africa. It also is useful in showing teachers an interesting way to introduce and discuss values with young children.

The transcriptions of some of the greatest barrelhouse and blues pianists such as Jelly Roll Morton, Meade Lux Lewis, Memphis Slim, along with their history are in this music book.

There is also a tantalizing CD of samples of the pieces in the book as played by the great blues pianists. This gives essential information as to how the syncopation and rubato sounds in the hands of the masters. The only problem is that as the snippet gets going, you really want to hear the entire piece and whammo! It's only a few seconds per piece, 12 minutes in all. Why oh why couldn't they put at least a few complete works on the CD?

Other than that quibble, this is a great book for blues piano, though greats such as Roosevelt Sykes are to be found in a companion volume, not in this one.

A must for blues lovers who play keyboard.

I am thrilled with this book/sheet music. They took the time to include a CD of the original piano players/writers playing about 20 seconds of each tune. I'm new to playing bookie piano, so I need to hear it as well as read it. Not to mention, it's fun to get a sense of the history involved in this style.

A fantastic book. It gives you history, transcriptions and tips. It's not a great method book though, so between this and a good blues method book you can learn a lot about blues piano. You need to get recordings of the transciptions though to really get the feel for the differnt styles, and really understand the subtleties of the rythms that the notation really cannot fully show. Its fun to just listen and look through the transcriptions at times. I've tried playing as close as I can to the recordings then once the feel is there used it as a springboard for my own explorations. This book helps you both learn the music and appreciate it more.