Variation is inherent in many processes common in companies and societies. Edwards Deming, one of the architects of Japan's industrial success, regarded the understanding of variation as one of the most important managerial skills. Unfortunately only few books on management treat that subject at all, and these that do, most frequently give it only a very superficial coverage.
The reviewed book is the only one I know that gives a full explanation of both the practice and the theory of statistical process control (SPC) - the way to understand variation. As a manager and TQM coach I fully recommend the book to managers and management students, as a mathematician I recommend it to students and researchers in statistics.
Readers without mathematical background should not be scared by many mathematical formulas in the book that explain why SPC works. They may very well skip the reading of equations without any loss in understanding of how SPC works and how to use it in practice.
In my opinion the book of James R. Thompson and Jacek Koronacki should be regarded as a must for any business school library and the bookshelf of any manager.

Andrzej Blikle
Professor in mathematics and computer science
Member of Academia Europaea
President of "A.Blikle Ltd."

This book saved my mother's life! She was plagued with ill-health in which a countless number of doctors either attempted to cure with drugs or even worse, they claimed it was all in her head! Upon reading Dr. Braly's new book, we immediately ordered the food allergy testing Dr. Braly recommends and my mother was back on her feet within a week. For the first time in 10 years, her headaches and fatigue have been cure! Thank you Dr. Braly for this life saving book!

This book was published by The Medals of America Press, so it's not surprising that its main emphasis is on decorations, medals and awards. But it also intends, as the author writes, to be a "definitive" reference covering badges and rank insignia, and in this area it falls short. It's more of an overview than a definitive reference. The illustrations look piecemeal, as if borrowed from many different sources. Some look a little amateurish, for instance a hand line drawing combined with a computer graphic of a totally different style. There are many omissions and errors, and very few dates for when various insignia were authorized or changed.

The color plates are very nice, and the information for current insignia and medals is nice to have. But if an historian is looking for information for World War II, which is supposed to be within the book's scope, I'm afraid they might be disappointed.

Still, the book is worth the price for the medal information alone.

this book is an extremely long overdue reference guide. It is one of the most complete and helpful books i have ever seen on awards and decorations. For someone who is looking for information concerning dates, places and reasons for an award or medal, this is the place to come.

The author has done great job bringing together a wealth of information previously not available in print. The sections on decorations and medals are outstanding and include full color pages on all medals and ribbons. The section on specialty marks is the most complete I have seen, with descriptions, drawings and historical background. The specialty marks not only include those in use today, but detail marks back as far as 1939. The sections on insignia are also good. The author has obviously drawn from many sources and has even gone to the trouble of utilizing line drawings on obsolete badges no longer in existence. There are also color pages clearly showing most of the badges and insignia used since World War II. This is an excellent book for current naval personnel and veterans.

As this posthumous collection of essays suggests, Weaver felt most at home writing about the old South, which was his birthplace, the topic of his dissertation, and the subject for which he reserved his highest praise.

To Weaver the evils of the world were rooted in modernism, industrialism, materialism, and nationalism, all of which he blamed on Union victory. At one point Weaver even asserted that total war -- war unrestrained by chivalry or other ethical restraints -- was a northern custom which had led to the rise of National Socialism in Germany.

The stark line Weaver drew between South and North, with divergent and logical worldviews ascribed to each, was for him the line between good and evil. In reducing every issue to either-or, Weaver oversimplified his subjects, so that his essays resemble legal arguments: Haynes v. Webster, Thoreau v. Randolph, Lee v. Sherman, Emerson v. Warren. In each case, Weaver's preference is obvious.

I found the strongest essays to be in section one, about southern literature and the Agrarian writers. Here are many useful and profound insights that time has not diminished. When Weaver leaves his specialty, however, his comments are less persuasive, amounting to sweeping sociological observations and cheerleading for the old South.

The converse of Weaver's feeling at home in an imagined South is feeling alienated in an imagined North. Although he spent most of his career teaching literature at the University of Chicago, he isolated himself from the city both physically and intellectually. Perhaps if Weaver had made more effort to adapt, he would have left us a richer legacy, one less marked by decline and defeat.

I admire Weaver's work a great deal. He should be praised for showing, from a conservative perspective, the limitations of capitalism, industrialism, and modernism, limitations which are more often the outcry of the radical left and dismissed as anti American. He would have been wise to consider also the limitations of the old South. I am less willing to blame today's discontents on Union victory. In Weaver's rigid arguments, moreover, there is little to be learned about the vital American principles of acceptance, pluralism, and compromise.

Sometimes it is difficult to sort out the contradictions in Weaver's work, but I prefer to keep in mind his comments from Ideas Have Consequences: Piety accepts the right of others to exist, and it affirms an objective order, not created by man, that is independent of the human ego.

In short, if you are a friend of the South, or would like to read the words of a man who can explain the conservative axiology, this book is for you. The contents are essential for anyone seeking a neoclassical education. For me, reading Richard Weaver's Southern Essays brings together the final sentences of Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily."

"Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair."

The book is a monument to Lee and Jackson. Anyone who wants to understand Picket's charge needs to read this excellent book.

This is a marvelous book, and a marvelous collection of essays, written by a clear and conscientious southern conservative. Richard Weaver was heir to the Southern Agrarian tradition of protest and opposition to the directions modern American society and politics was taking, particularly in the New Deal and post WW II eras. Writers like John Crowe Ransom, Donald Davidson, Allan Tate, Caroline Gordon and Robert Penn Warren, were caustic critics of modernity, of the decline in community, and a sense of the common good. Weaver, an english professor who might better be described as an intellectual, lived, learned, and worked in this tradition. Of all the essays in this collection, all of which are well written and thoughtful, two stand out in my mind. His essay on 'Lee the Philosopher' captures the pragmatic and common-sense spirit of southern political and social thought. Southerners felt little need for abstract theorizing, or great theoretical and philosophical models. Simple, everyday ideas, the ideals of common sense and everyday life, were more than enough for the down-to-earth farmers and planters of the American South. Weaver does a brilliant job of portraying Genl Lee as the epitome of the southern ideal of both gentlemanly duty and social thought. The second wonderful piece is 'The Two Types of American Individualism'. Weaver contrasts the individualism of a character like John Randolph of Roanoke, a fixture on the Virginia political scene in the early 1800's, with the individualism of Thoreau (and by implication the North). Randolph was a supreme example of an eccentric indivdual. He had bouts of insanity throughout his like, fought duels, appeared on the floor of Congress with his hunting dogs, jug of hard cider and his slave attendant, and refused to toe the party line. Yet, when the needs of his community demanded, or the society in which he lived was threatened, he was willing- even eager- to rally to the cause and defend it, despite his personal believes and misgivings. Weaver felt that Thoreau, on the other hand, with is notions of civil disobedience and voluntary taxation, put the individual ahead of the community, and would refuse to defend anything that was not justified according to his principles and beliefs. This was recipe for chaos and disorder, and disintegration. Weaver leaves no doubt as to which he preferes. The division between community and tradition, and individual liberty is a fault line that continues to run through American political and social ideas. Weaver, in powerfully defending tradition and community, has been one of the men shaping current political discourse, particularly among the social conservatives and in the religious right. He deserves to be read.

Well, "book is a reminder." I guess that's the most that comes to mind about this book. Whether you should purchase this book depends on what you're looking for. I purchased it in preparation for a vacation to Thailand, because I was going to be shopping for Thai style household items and wanted to get informed. Plus, I'm a sucker for a decorating coffee table book that everyone else doesn't already have. I visited the Jim Thompson House while in Bangkok, and so that's why the only thing that now comes to my mind is: the book is a reminder of what I saw.

Tepid impression now, I suppose. The book gives some background on Jim Thompson and how he revived the Thai silk industry, as well as information about the rare antique Thai treasures that he collected in his home, which is now a museum. If you're really interested in this aspect, in particular, this book may be for you. If you're interested in Thai style, I'm not sure I would recommend this book as a starting point. There are other Thai style books that I reach for again and again, while this book sits on a shelf, untouched. It's a nice book, but more of an expensive souvenir.

This is a noir classic. The whole town of Verdon in Nebraska is filled with conflicts, and everyone has a vendetta.This book is also horrific as well, as Thompson at times tries his hand at horrifying the reader. I don't believe this novel is for everyone, but as the back cover suggests, everyone who enters this town should carry a .45.

My husband and his family are among the Swedes of Greater Brockton. It was wonderful to find this book as few are aware of the contribution and connection of Swedish folk to the Brockton area. I recommend it to any one with an interest in Brockton or the history of Swedes in Massachusetts

I purchased this book expecting it to cater to someone beyond University level. However, the contents clearly cater for high school level learning and therefore provided little value to me. If you are looking to strengthen your technical and analytical skills look somewhere else. If you want basic training, give it a try.

This insightful book proved worth its weight in gold. A must read for any entrepreneur looking for serious funding.

Looking with the other reviews written, I do see their sense of frustration in wanting more practical ways to decorate a home, however I felt it needed to be seen in a postive light as well. It is a very artful book, and I don't believe the author intended it to be a "How To" as much as it was intended to be lively, inspiring, "get-you-to-think" type of book. It has beautifully tipped-in pages, and is a very high quality book. I am a graphic artist, and I bought it for the book's design as I did for its content. If you would like a wonderful coffee-table type book, as well as some inspiration for decorating, you should enjoy this book!

I bought "White Hot" almost the minute it came out, after seeing it on display at the Pottery Barn. I should say at the outset that my taste in color and decor coincides with that of the author, so I was thrilled to finally find a decorator who spoke to my aesthetic sensibility.

As a watercolor painter, I adore Tricia Guild's romance with color and her exploration of beauty in simple, natural objects. I frequently keep her book open and find that each time I study the photographs of rooms, I get new ideas. The author quite deliberately chose to avoid making a "how to" guidebook. This book is not designed to give ideas for projects, or tell you what to put with what, but rather is designed to inspire and to trigger the reader's imagination and empower a person to tap their own subconscious creativity and come up with solutions for their living spaces. To me, decorating and design are processes that grow and cumulate organically, at different paces for different individuals. In my opinion, Guild is something of a decorating midwife, helping the reader tune into their own design vocabulary and re-imagine their space by being able to perceive space, color and objects in different ways.

Unlike many other books which I have tired of, I regularly look through the pages, which are meditative and relaxing in their beauty and tranquility. If you like Cirque du Soleil, you are going to love Ms. Guild's work. There is a magical quality to all of her work. I view her book much as I view "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron, because this is ultimately a visual workbook. Many of her ideas are democratic and easily accessible- the placement of plants, the use of pillows, fabric, wood, ceramics, and the rhythm of color combination. It is a far more right-brained approach, and one that enabled me to look at my space and get past the "stuckness" I had in seeing the same objects in the same way. As a result of using her books and getting a feng shui consultation, I redid my entire apartment, which I veiw as my work-in-progress. My inspriation came in spurts, sometimes in 14-hour long passionate bouts of rearranging. I had many ideas for re-imagining my space, and also was better able to conceptualize room arrangement.

I was able to edit and groom my belongings in ways I never thought previously possible, and found that I had far greater confidence in making purchases of new things for my apartment. Guild's book trains you to see your space as a living, breathing, mutable canvas to which ordinary objects are orchestrated into a symphony of color, form and texture.

The spiritual component of this approach to decorating is that one does not envy what Ms. Guild has or uses. Guild's approach is not to aim for perfection, or to motivate the reader to do the same. If there is a perfection in style embodied in her book, its goal is to coach, to challenge, and to inspire the user to groom his or her belongings, much as one treats oneself to a spa, to appreciate the simple beauty of nature, of flowers, plants, organic forms, and to use these elements - air, light, water, fire - in decorating to achieve a greater sense of balance and harmony in one's being.

My main source of disappointment is that there was not enough information on where to purchase some of the quirky pieces of furniture featured in the photos, and the difficulty in obtaining fabric shown in the book. I wish she had a store in New York City!

Carol Lipton

From the moment I received this book I have loved it, as it is. For me it is a beautiful artwork about how your home can look and be, it is very inspiring and shows a lot of what you can do with light and nuances in your home. I think it is a bit unfare to say it doesn't tell you 'how to' - it is not a how to book, it is intended as inspiration, not that I know Tricia Guild but it is usually the purpose of books of this kind. It does tell you, however that color works different ways in different light and that I see as a definite 'how to' hint..
As inspiration and setting your mind to work it is assume!