This 'easy to read' book is great! It should be the bible for SME companies and entrepreneurs who want to excel in real-life business. It's full of great insights and a 'must have' for anybody who cares about practical business management.

I'm not surprised why this book have 5 stars...it deserves 10.

This book not only explains which are the key success drivers for an organization to become great, but also lets us know what to do in order to achieve results on each of these drivers. I work in the Planning division of a major insurance company...I have read lots of stuff about strategic planning, and I find the content of this book to be the one that captures the essence of successful planning.

According to the authors, any person involved in leading or transforming a business, should focus on 5 dimensions. In order to become truly successful, you should achieve a great performance on each dimension.These dimensions are:

1. Leadership Style 2. Vision, values and corporate culture 3. Strategy 4. Innovation 5. Tactical Excellence

There is a chapter for each point which are full of practical examples and stories about successes and failures.

I also recommend "Built to Last", from the same author.

I have read a number of books on strategic planning. They all generally follow a very similar approach. However, Jim Collins has done a masterful job putting the theory into a format that is easily understood and easily applied to solve real problems. I initially used the book to lead the strategic planning process for the technical support department of a major software company. The results were astounding. I have since used the book to help many other organizations and have found the book equally appropriate for each engagement. Using the concepts in this book will dramatically help your organization.

For many years it has been the practice of critics and art aficionados to relegate "popular artists" the likes of Norman Rockwell and the Wyeth clan to the bin of kitsch. Time heals and alters and distance is kind as the current resurgence of appreciation of these and other artists of the land testifies. Norman Rockwell now is considered an important American artist, sensitive to basic issues of what makes America the land of the common man's dream. With this beautifully designed and written tome the same adulation should follow for the Wyeth clan. The authors (Betsy Wyeth among them) had the good idea to show the seeds of the very familiar Wyeth imagery in the work of Howard Pyle, an artist known primarily as an illustrator along the lines of over the edge fantasy adventure books. His pupil N.C. Wyeth took up the torch, primarily emulating Pyle's style but taking it to a new level. His works of isolation, thwarted desire, and simple American traditions are absorbed by his son Andrew Wyeth who won favor among collectors of realist art during the time the country was running after Modernism, Expresionism, Abstraction. And finally Jaime Wyeth, son of Andrew, has been a constant presence with his quasi-surreal take on many of the same subjects as his progenitors. The circle comes round with Pyle and Jaime Wyeth embracing the more perverse subjects - an interesting century wheel turning round and round.

The color reproductions are generous and well selected. Many of the well know Wyeth images are excluded, but in their place we are treated to images we have never seen. This is a beautiful volume and a tender one, a memento of what our childhood in the 20th Century was like before the madness currently painted hit.

The images floor me. If a picture is worth a thousand words.... then this collection speaks incalculable volumes.

For the non-art initiated, the book is a feast for the imagination as well as the eyes. I bought the book because I come from the mid-coast of Maine, like the Wyeths. But when I took the time to look at the book on a night we lost power due to a snow storm, I found the views conjured stories up in my mind to match the Wondrously Strange images. I've driven by the Wyeth Center a thousand times, but made a point to visit to see for my self. I'm also fortunate to have a copy signed by Jamie Wyeth, and hope to keep as a treasure for a long time.

I agree with Bill Murray (in the Editorial Reviews section) that not enough people will read this book. It is priced moderately enough that there should be no excuse for any collector not to buy one. As one who collects both coins and banknotes, I find very often too much emphasis is given to coins; very little to banknotes. Fortunately, the book does not omit banknotes. (Just a prejudice of mine!).

My name is Lee Martin and I am the founder of the Numismatic Literary Guild. I have been privileged to review many books and usually they are most satisfactory, however few are regarded by me as N.L.G. Book of the Year material. This book, in my view, merits that thought. It is for everyone in numismatics and is even a "must have" for those who may become heirs, but lack the know-how of what to do next. Senior citizens, like myself, will be especially happy with the interesting stories of estates, etc. I had intended to just scan the book but it was so interesting I stayed with it until I had read it all. EVERYONE should own it if coins are involved in their activities. I highly recommend this book and wish to congratulate all involved in its production.

A wealth of sound and practical information, written in a clear and concise manner. Leroy Van Allen, numismatic author

At the end of the book, is offered to buy the floppy disks with the code.

I like to buy them, but I like to contact the author first. I need his E-mail.

Regards,

Valentin

Excellent Book. But, I need to contact with the author

I brought a second hand copy of this collection and i regret it. It should have been brand new and in hardback- it's that good. And the money would have gone to the author, for he surely deserves it. I'd never read any of his stuff before, only Bradbury, Dick, Wells Sheckley, Asimov, Bester and Knight. Having finished it, i'd have to place him up their among the legends of sf.
This collection is worth it, if only for one story. But their are many that belong among the all time great masterpieces of the short story; 'The Liberation of Earth'- about an devastating future war in which mankind can be no more than a witness to ir's own extinction, 'Down Among the Dead Men'- zombies reconstituted from the remains of the dead help out the human troops on the front againsts an insect race in a interstellar war, 'The Tenants'- a subtle and fragile fantasy, 'The Sevant Problem'- an astounding and frighteningly funny tale of power manipulation among tha powerful elite of a totalitarin society top strata, 'Time in Advance' has criminals do time for commiting the crime, seven years in this case for murder, who find themselves in demand by people who'd like them to snub out somebody for them and held in fear by those that've wronged them int he past. Other classics include the famous 'Brooklyn Project', the horrorifying 'Wednesday's Child' ( a supperior sequel to the much anthologised 'Child's Play'). Others to note are 'The Generation of Noah''Winthrop was Stubborn' , 'Null-P'and his personal favourite 'The Custodian'. 'Lisborn Cubed' may remind some of the film 'Men in Black' but is vastly more rewarding. A master craftmans, most of his stories seem to have been painstakling put together and the general opinion is of a humanitarian (he almost always sides with the underdog or minorities) taking a aceberic look at the sheer blinding egotistical hyprocrisy of human kind. A blissful way to be entertained. It's companion volume is also a must.

A few years ago I searched the used book stalls and dealer's rooms and slowly assembled the complete sf works (all out of print) of William Tenn, and proceeded to read and review them. You can find these reviews on the Web. The stories were great fun, but what struck me most was that the satires had not lost their edge despite the passage of time. Why? Because Tenn addressed his satire to the underlying conflicts, which are timeless, rather than to the transitory phenomena that tend to be the focus of most humorists, satirists, and social critics. Just as important, Tenn's satirical sword usually has two edges, and will, to mix a metaphor, have gored everybody's ox before he's finished with his tale. First rate stuff. So the question I kept asking myself was: why isn't this guy's stuff in print?? Well now it is, in a handsome volume with an introduction by Connie Willis, and comments on each story by the Author himself. What's not to love?

Soldiers of Misfortune, covering World War II, the Korean war, and Vietnam, is a profoundly shocking insight as to what has become of thousands of U.S. POW's during these wars. According to the authors, years of investigative work went into the formulation of the book and it is clearly evident in the text.

Painstaking attention has been given and recorded to remove anyone's doubts of this books authenticity. The authors list a staggering record of POW's forever lost to our enemies, the names of prison camps and gulags where they were held, intricate dates and timelines of events, and eyewitness accounts of vital information pertaining to U.S. soldiers forgotten by our govenment.

In the years following World War II, the Korean war, and Vietnam, the actions by our govenment to conceal data concerning our POW's and it's campaigns to silence anyone investigating the issue is absolutely apalling. This book will define for the reader the gross misuses of power, illegal tactics to manipulate and humiliate citizens seeking honest answers, and the use of outright threats and intimidation to bury the subject forever.

Great credit is due to the authors of this book for their courage and perseverance to expose the plight of our lost U.S. servicemen. This book is very highly recommended to everyone who would like an untainted and factual look into the heartbreaking saga of missing U.S. soldiers.

Readers may also be interested in "Kiss the Boys Goodbye: How the United States betrayed its own POW's in Vietnam" by Monica Jensen-Stevenson and William Stevenson. Excellent source material here that reiterates much information found in Soldiers of Misfortune.

Absolutely, this is the most riveting and explosive book I have ever read. I served 2 tours of combat duty in the Korean WAR; futhermore, had I been privy to this read, you could never have gotten me back to Korea- never -. The Big Lie, spawned out of the Beltway since 1945 to the present, is inconcievable, that the DoD, State Dept, Pentagon and Joint Chiefs of Staff [all], deny the existense of American GI"s languishing in Siberia, Red China, North Korea and North Vietnam . Imagine, former POW"s readily admit, they had seen American POW"s herded off to the Soviet Union and to Red China. Whose hearts go out to our MIA/POW families whom have been grossly and deliberately LIED to by government officials ?? Whereas, our Presidents [all] since 1945, turned their backs on all captured American POW"s. I pray, from this hurt, that one American staggers out of the Soviet Union to corroborate all, in this vale of tears- maybe, just maybe - the apathetic American populace will wake up to being had by a devious lot in our nation"s capital, as they go about THEIR business as usual. If this read doesn"t make your blood boil, then you aren"t alive; however, the assertions, send an ambigious message to any teenager who may be thinking about enlisting: "I wonder, will my President and countrymen come to my rescue if I am captured by the enemy"?? It is your call youngsters. Sayonara.

With all the books published on the Civil War, it's hard to
find something NEW, but this book brings to light a collection of soldiers' letters unpublished since the Civil War. Not only are the letters themselves new and fresh to
Civil War scholars and enthusiasts, but Bill Styple has done
an excellent job of editing them. The Civil War is presented
in a new light. One of the best Civil War books in many years; if you like to read about the Civil War, buy this book!

This book is a great addition to the serious Civil War reader's library. Being able to read the battle descriptions, thoughts and feelings of those who actually participated in the war is always enlightening, bringing the reader a different reality than that of the historian who writes about the Civil War with the benefit of hindsight and without the benefit of personal experience. The compilation of letters in this book - in chronological and logical order - brings alive the crucial battles in the Eastern theatre of the Civil War. The only slight deficiency is that very few letters from the Eastern soldiers fighting in Western armies are included. My suggestion: have this book at hand and read what the soldiers had to say about a specific event or battle immediately after reading narrative descriptions of the same event or battle by today's leading historians, for a complete view. Overall, a wonderful book and highly recommendable to the "advanced" Civil War reader.

As many observers have pointed out, California surpasses many of the world's nations in the size and scope of its economy. A crucial element of California's economic growth has been its production and use of a variety of energy sources. Energy and the Making of Modern California provides us with the definitive study of the pivotal role played by energy in the history of the Golden State. The book provides a comprehensive narrative of the history of energy in California, along with an analysis of the economic, political, and cultural forces that have driven it. As with many aspects of California history, energy production and use has departed substantially from patterns established in other parts of the United States, and the reasons for this divergent path constitutes on of the key themes of the book. Energy and the Making of Modern California is clearly written, and filled with fascinating details like the rise and fall of solar water heating in the early 20th century, the re-emergence of wind power in the 1970s, and the development of oil as a fuel for steam locomotives in the late 19th century. Abundantly supplied with maps, graphs, charts, tables, and photographs, this book will be of interest to anyone interested in energy, the environment, or the history of California.

What an inexpensive treat to be able to get inside advice on book writing and publishing from 40 people in the business.

As the author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and over 500 magazine articles, I highly recommend this book to writers. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com.

Written by medical research consultant Virginia Burham in collaboration with psychiatrist William H. Hampton), Knowing Yourself is a self-help book that focuses on learning more about oneself, and using that knowledge and wisdom to improve both one's own lot and that of others. Individual chapters address distinctions in the self between men and women; aspects of sexuality; the workings of the brain; the makeup of personality, and more. A fascinating and involving read that embraces the classic wisdom of Socrates himself when he said, "Know thyself, for once we know ourselves, we may learn how to care for ourselves, but otherwise we never shall.", Knowing Yourself is an especially commended addition to Self-Help/Self-Improvement reading lists.