Let me start by going backwards. In the appendix, the authors testify that this book is about the "greenest" on the market. With soy-based inks and nearly 100 percent of the paper content comprised of post- and pre-consumer waste, the book is a monument to sustainable production. Although they bemoan the "well traveled pulp" cover, no dioxins were co-produced alongside the book. To prove the book really is this cool, they painstaking tracked the web of connections involved in its production as far back as possible.

After discussing every facet of the book, from guts and cover to printing, the only thing they were unable to determine was where half the cover's paper was produced. In all, this post-production analysis was stunning. The delicate web of causes and effects that entered into the books production should serve as a model to all those who would conceive the production of any product. Ideally, we should strive for this kind holistic understanding of production, consumption, and disposal before products every leave the design table.

The actual content of the book is just as salient. What happens when millions of ordinary people like you and me go about our ordinary business, using lots of stuff? What ecological "wakes" do they leave behind, rippling outward across the world? This is the premise of the book, which is rather unassuming and commonsensical. The answers, however, are anything but mundane and commonsensical. The true stories of how things are made might leave you feeling overwhelmed or depressed. You might think twice about throwing that lump of sugar into your coffee -- and not only because it could add a few extra pounds and put you at greater risk of heart disease. You do so also in efforts to help restore the habitat of the Florida Everglades.

Did the profound disconnect sink in yet? Not to worry, another 9 generic commodities with their own unique global "ripples" await you after picking up this book. They include you morning coffee, the newspaper, your T-shirts, shoes, that computer, the bike (and the car), those French fries, the hamburger that preceded them, and also the cola which will wash it all down. Although the imaginary North American whose daily consumptive routine this book tracks might not be you, do not then assume that these issues do not therefore concern you. The fact is, the consolidated effects of this consumption are harming much more than the Florida Everglades. They could potentially end all human reproduction. Perhaps you should read that last sentence again.

We need to educate ourselves about this net ecological "wake" before the rooster tail of acid rain, rainforest destruction, ozone depletion, water depletion, air pollution, forest annihilation, energy exhaustion, pesticide inundation, sweatshop labor promotion, species extinction, waste production, monoculturalization, spiritual declination, heavy metal pollution creation, VOC smog accretion, and desertification leave us all wet and shivering in the cold.

"Well, what am I supposed to do bury my car?" you wonder. The book also offers hope. Consumption, whether we like it or not, is in end inescapable. Thus by understanding our impacts, seeking alternative solutions, educating the friends and the general public, and at the same time altering some our most unhealthy consumer habits, we can help move things in the right direction. If you are looking for more in-depth suggestions along these lines, check out "The Better World Handbook" (2001). It is my personal eco-bible. You can also get further eco-tips from the Northwest Environmental Watch website.

~A Top 10 glObal Eye-Opener~

I didn't know this book would be such a nice read...
After receiving it, I read it all in one sitting. The book chronicles a day in the life of a typical person (an American). Although it is about an American, I believe there is not much difference between any ordinary person in any developed country on earth. The impacts of this person's consumption of products, her actions are all examined from an environment viewpoint. Some people may think that the book is too amateur but that's precisely why it's such a good read. It's easy to understand but leaves a lasting impression on you. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in knowing more about how our everyday actions affect the world we live in.

I've never found another book like this one. It makes it extremely easy to understand, breathtakingly clear, how our choices to consume various products cause a chain of events which harm the environment. Do you know what was done to a river in Canada to produce the six-pack of aluminum cans you just bought? What part of the earth did your coffee come from, and what scary things were done to produce it? The authors never hector or nag, they just describe the origin of things you probably use every day, and let you contemplate them for yourself. The book is a quick and easy read, suitable for adults and teens alike. If I were a high school teacher or college instructor, this book would be mandatory reading for my classes.

This is a very well written book on advertising. It is nice for a change to have heard of the authors! Usually when I read a review in another publication, such as Adweek, I am curious about the book but never buy it-this time I went ahead and bought it and I am most pleased. I am looking even more forward to the publisher's book entitled Inside the Minds: Leading Marketers - with the Chief Marketing Officers from Coke, GE, FedEx, American Express and other big names. It will be a very interesting contrast to the advertising side of the business.

This book is a must read for every advertiser-fantastic insight into the future of the advertising world. Adweek was right-this is a must read.

I have read close to 50 books on advertising throughout my career and this was by far the most innovative and thought provoking book I have read to date. I especially liked the chapter by Tim Love at Saatchi & Saatchi-but the entire book is full of insightful thoughts on where the future of the advertising industry is going. This is THE book to read if you are in the advertising, marketing or public relations industries.

This book covers a comprehensive range of topics regarding international finance and economics. A good deal of the material covers macroeconomic issues that a country will face but there is even more infomration relevant to decisions and situations that companies must deal with when entering foreign markets. The breadth of information makes this book appropriate whether you want a blueprint for doing business overseas or just want to better understand the impact of global trade.

Shapiro is very well respected as an economist and this book is a good example why. I was fortunate enough to have him as a professor in an MBA program and can say he has an amazing command of the issues as well as the ability to communicate his knowledge very effectively. The writing in this book is clear and concise with a ton of info packed into each chapter. Buy it, you won't find a better text on this subject.

Excellent book for anybody that want to have an introduction to understand international finance

The first couple of stories are the least fun. After that, it's a great compilation. The five-page diary of V. Swanson is worth the price of the book - and as affecting as any Robert Service poem. The compilation is good enough that I have tried to find some of the excerpted books, and will look for more of them. (John Haines's book was pretty good. A co-worker enjoyed it, too.) The acknowledgments at the end are useful.

This is a marvelous collection of essays written about life and travel in Alaska during the past 100 years. It has lots of well-known contributors: John McPhee, Ann Morrow Lindburgh, John Muir, Charles Kuralt, et al. But almost every piece, even from the most obscure writer, had me mesmerized. Perhaps the most haunting tale was a reprint of the diary entries from a man known only as "V. Swanson," who perished in a cabin in the wilderness in 1917.

I was fascinated by the stories of daredevils doing unbelievably brave and crazy things: climbing through ice caves buried within glaciers where the climbers literally had to inhale in order to squeeze through, knowing a shift in the ice could kill them all at any moment...climbing the face of Denali in winter, losing toes to frostbite...coming face to face with a grizzly who smashed in the window of a tiny cabin. Being decidedly NOT a daredevil myself, I would get most of the way through each of these stories scratching my head as to the motivation of these people. Generally, by the end of each story, I understood what made them tick. Reading these essays has made me feel life in Suburbia is just a little too boring, too timid, too soft.

This is the best book in statistical quality control. A very good start for undergraduates. However, problems are not suitable for mathematicians because they are very very simple. The logic behind quality control is best presented in this book. I wish the author can increase the number of problems in this book by adding some difficult excercises.

Well written book within 500 pages. Dr. Ryan has done a great job in presenting the material without much mathematical details. A good reference for any one from industry and can be good text for University.

This story of a talented pitcher's rise to stardom contains plenty of charm at its beginning. From throwing rocks at water moccasins in Mustang Bayou to lying ''in bed on those hot summer nights listening to [ baseball on ] the radio,'' the young Nolan Ryan was part of the natural world of Alvin, Tex., his hometown, with its simple pleasures and clear truths. Traded from the Mets to the California Angels in 1971 while still relatively unknown, Mr. Ryan has since become a legend with a lightning fastball that has struck out over 4,500 batters, more than any other pitcher in history. With the Houston Astros last year, at the age of 40, he had the most strikeouts and enjoyed the lowest earned run average in the major leagues. But his success dissolves his charm as his account degenerates into a list of record-breaking statistics. Further, he is too eager to blame his teammates for his unimpressive lifetime record of victories and defeats, glossing over the fact that in eight of 21 years in the majors he walked more batters than anyone else in his league. Passages by people such as Whitey Herzog, Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson occasionally give ''Throwing Heat'' the narrative quality of a novel. The co-author, Harvey Frommer, who wrote ''New York City Baseball,'' deserves credit for retaining Mr. Ryan's country boy style and self-absorbed perspective, allowing us to see both the pitcher and the person.

* Throwing Heat: The Autobiography of Nolan Ryan Nolan Ryan and Harvey Frommer -- A home run by the greatest strikeout artist ever

This book contains some of the greatest vampire short stories of all time. Stories by John Polidori, Bram Stoker F. Marion Crawford,M. R. James, and R. Chetwynd-Hayes. Includes an except from Varney the Vampire, Carmilla, the Mysterious Stanger, the Room in the Tower, Revelations in Black, and the Girl with the Hungry Eyes. If you're a horror reader, a fang fanatic, or just apreciate great stories, read this book!

This collection edited by Alan Ryan is as good a collection of vampire stories as you are going to find. The book begins with a the story fragment by Lord Byron on which John Polidori based 1819 story "The Vampyre" and ends with contemporary works by Tanith Lee and Chelsea Quinn Yarbo. In between you will find works by Bram Stoker, Algernon Blackwood, Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, Fritz Leiber, Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, Robert Block and Chelse Quinn Yabro. There is even an excerpt from the infamous "Varney the Vampyre, or, the Feast of Blood." Consequently, while there is not a lot of depth, the breadth of vampire literature is more than adequately covered.

Images of America: Hopedale is another winner in this delightful series. It depicts Hopedale from its utopian inception through the Draper heydays. Rich in black and white photographs of excellent quality, this work gives the reader a glimpse into the history of this small experimental commune turned company town. The book is well organized with the beginning chapters devoted to history and subsequent chapters dealing with other aspects of the town including architecture, employment and more. While not a comprehensive history of Hopedale, this volume will give the reader an excellent overview of life in Hopedale through the years. A must read for anyone interested in developing a feel for small town America.

John Stuart Mill sets the stage for all liberal political thought. He discusses such topics as the role of society over the individual, the role of the individual over society, the death penalty, the importance of the individual, the ideal voter, the ideal citizen, the role of women in society, and the importance of personal liberty. Alan Ryan superbly organizes this edition by also including some constructive criticisms of Mill's thought in the last partition. This book is an excellent edition for any student of political philosophy.

This is actually a presentation on de Tocqueville's life and times, centered on a general analysis of Democracy in America, but including much background on his family's history, his political career and accomplishments and a look at the historical context of France, Europe and the US in the mid 19th Century. The themes of DiA are reviewed with many quotes from the book and from commentaries by de Tocqueville's contemporaries. He is presented in all his glory: his hits (the brilliant insights into social character, the nature of democracy and his devastatingly astute, timeless analysis of our American identity) and his misses (his advocacy of war and his surprisingly traditionalist views of society's class structure). An occasional cheesy French accent in some of the characterizations is the only flaw. This is a _great_ commute tape, I look forward to "reading" more in this series on other great writers!

Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville is by far an in depth view of America as seen by the traveling Frenchman. It is written so well that even today almost one hundred and fifty years later it is still apropos.

The translation flows very easily and is not distracting. De Tocqueville has a wonderful writing style that could pass today even though it was written long ago... so well readable and quotable that you get the picture of American life, morals, and an astute view of politics all rolled into one.

You get a view and meaning of American civilization, for America herself, and also for Europe. You can tell from reading. that this view is ever-present in De Tocqueville's mind as if he is a comparative sociologist. Yet reading this book you get the impression that De Tocqueville had generations of readers in mind.

As De Tocqueville noted, "It is not force alone, but rather good laws, which make a new govenment secure. After the battle comes the lawgiver. The one destroys; the other builds up. Each has its function." So true even for todays war. After you defeat your enemy you have to build up the infratructure just as Marshall and Truman both realized.

Reading this book you see the skillful eye of the author noticing and recording what he sees and he is impressed. I found this book to be of great import for the observations of America and hope that our educators use this book for teaching our children about the great country we live in.

De Tocqueville is every bit as brilliant and insightful as he has been said to be. The book is as relevant now as when written and is a must read for every american who is serious about understanding his country. What one realizes in reading the book is how novel and radical was the american experiment in creating a state that was both a republic and a democracy. De Toqueville's research was amazing, as well, he read the laws and constitutions of the various states, he didn't just observe the manifestation of american government and society. His assessments of the plusses and minuses of our government forms was incredibly astute and it is interesting to reflect on the changes that took place in the government after his time and how accurately he foresaw the advantages and disadvantages of those changes, as well. Given the short period of time that he spent in this country and the distances that he travelled one stands in awe of his work. His writing style is, of course, dated but one gets accustomed to it and learns to follow the rhythm.