Book Description

The Cinema of John Marshall explores the life and art of the pioneering ethnographic filmmaker. Its centerpiece is an autobiographical essay in which Marshall assesses his forty-year involvement with the San peoples (Bushmen) of South Africa and his films, from the 1957 award winning ''The Hunters'' to his current work in progress, ''Death by Myth.'' The book weaves together the political economy of San dispossession, history and ethnography, personal narratives of historical importance, and expositions of film techniques and film language. The first English language study of the man and his work, The Cinema of John Marshall conveys the complex unity of Marshall's life: the filmic, the intellectual, the political, and the human. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Poet, playwright, and translator Daniel Mark Epstein certainly has the right background to understand and evaluate poet, playwright, and translator Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950)--though Millay didn't write biographies. Readers of Epstein's Sister Aimee and Nat King Cole will recognize the intense personal engagement the author brings to his task. He's not afraid to express an almost physical fascination for his subjects, which is especially appropriate for the flamboyant Millay, who insisted on the right to take as many lovers as she pleased and to write about them in some of the greatest erotic poetry in American verse. Epstein focuses on that poetry, deciphering the affairs that fueled it and elucidating the boldly iconoclastic, almost cynical acceptance of love's fleeting nature that informs it. (Of the last sonnet in A Few Figs from Thistles, with its notorious putdown, "I shall forget you presently, my dear / So make the most of this, your little day," he remarks: "For a woman, not yet thirty, to compose and market such a poem... was a scandal, an alarm, and a red flag to censors.") While the Edna St. Vincent Millay who emerges in Nancy Milford's Savage Beauty is indelibly shaped by her upbringing, particularly her relationship with her mother and sisters, Epstein's Millay is a self-created goddess of love and literature. It's fascinating to compare these two biographies, published nearly simultaneously and each with considerable merits. Milford's lengthy book, the product of three decades of research, is lavish with details and comprehensive in scope. Epstein's more selective work excels in cogent summaries and forcefully stated opinions. Either book will satisfy readers with an interest in Millay or American literature; really passionate aficionados of the art of biography will want to read both. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Reviews (6)

What Lips My Lips Have Kissed.....
Mr. Epstein's passion for his subject was the first attractor for me upon reading this well written, intriguing biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay, specifically focusing on her very tumultuous love life and the poetry which was birthed due to her romantic and [physical relations].

The prose reads like Mr. Epstein has fallen in love with Edna just as the many men in her path fell in love with her.

I also found the diversions which came later (like the horse Chaladon) and her well known descent into alcoholism and drug addiction were very compelling to dive into: I would have appreciated more of these times, although the limited documentation available would explain why there isn't more information here.

This book does its job well: makes me more curious about Edna St. Vincent Millay: from her poetry, her plays and her life outside the written word.

Terrific reading
Daniel Mark Epstein brings a special understanding to Edna St Vincent Millay's biography by virtue of being a poet himself. I think that's why this book is in many ways superior to the Nancy Mitford book.

Edna St Vincent Millay was not only a great person of words, but a great seductress and everyone, male and female alike, fell under her spell. Apparently, accordingly to this book, she managed to live up to their expectations quite well. Mr Epstein matches the love poems to the folks they were written for and gives the details of the various affairs. It may not sound interesting, but it is quite interesting - especially since M's Millay seemed to have a weakness for men who were not quite as talented as she was. The background behind "Fatal Interview" and the story of her (apparently) one love she lost before_she_ was ready to is quite an interesting read by itself.

Mr Epstein focuses on M's Millay as sort of a self made goddess and how her various affairs shaped her writing. M's Mitford focuses on how M's Millay's relationship with her mother shaped her life. Both of these are very interesting and I'd advise reading them consecutively and draw your own conclusions. In some respects, I think Mr Epstein is correct in what he presumes, but the same can be said of M's Mitford.

Throw yourself into the words and life of Edna St Vincent Millay - you'll find yourself awash with her beautiful poetry and prose and this book will help you make sense out of it.

enamored of Millay
Daniel Mark Epstein, like so many men of her own time, is obviously enamored of Edna St. Vincent Millay. He urges that she be restored to the "canon",although her work has not been lauded in recent years.

The intense, highly emotional poet comes alive in the pages of his well-researched book. She comes to us as a rebel, determined to live on her own terms, to make love with the freedom of a man,to explore the ecstatic heights of feeling. (Shelley, the author tells us, was her idol.)

A central point that I feel Epstein misses is that, although she may have escaped the feminine role dictated by conventions of her time, she did not escape her own compulsion to make the search for love the driving force of her actions. Her poetry also has as its overriding theme, romantic and sexual love. For this reason she missed achieving stature as a great poet. Even though she possessed a great facility for language, her works are too limited in scope.

Her eventual descent into alcoholism and drug addiction can serve as a cautionary tale against the wild self-indulgence and perpetual adolescence that plagued Millay. It must be said, however, that her verbal gifts were so great that even in the midst of her addled despair in later life, she was able still to produce, although the work then was of lesser quality.

Kudoes for Epstein's carefully researched, comprehensive biography.

Comprehensive Survey of This Poet's Life
This biography was a fast and furious read, due to the great anecdotes as well as the tightly-written analysis. Ms. Millay's life was a whirlwind and many heretofore unknown facts and episodes are revealed, adding richness to the typical chronological description of this writer's life. Ms. Millay was more than a writer, she was a full-blown creative personality, in a time when to do so as a woman from a modest background was virtually unheard of. Even for those who do not know her poems or do not usually read literary biography, this book documents a fascinating woman's life and is well worth picking up.

What a GREAT READ!!!
This compellingly readable, lushly evocative biography focuses on the lovers and the love affairs that inspired Millay's best-known poetry. While Millay capitalized on her public image as a jazz-age "free spirit"--reckless, heedless and enjoying every minute-- her life story reads like a great, tragic Romantic novel.
Millay's hardscrabble childhood in turn-of-the(20th)-century Maine is so vividly conjured in Epstein's story, you can just about smell the smoke from the cast iron stove as she careens between the crushing responsibility of caring for her younger sisters and the imaginative escape she forged through music, theater and poetry. Through a combination of sly manipulation, talent and sheer luck, Millay went from being an arty local eccentric to a national celebrity--the cynosure of the Manhattan literary scene--at the age of 20, virtually overnight. The seemingly incongruous combination of her porcelain-doll looks and unabashedly passionate (yet formally rigorous) poetry acted like catnip for her contemporaries, men and women alike: she looked like an angel, behaved like a libertine, and packed an intellectual wallop equal to that of any man. Epstein describes the compulsive pace at which, during the height of her poetic production, Millay conducted many, often simultaneous, love affairs, lavishing indifference on the legions who worshipped her image and reputation, and suffering agonizing unrequited passion for the (relatively few) others.
By focusing on the most significant affairs and linking them (with impressive use of both painstaking scholarship and critical insight)to specific poems, Epstein incisively portrays the emotional pitch of the time without getting bogged down in endless lists of names, dates and locations. By crafting the narrative in this way, Epstein selects and contextualizes Millay's own words and documented actions to show--not tell-- how both physical illness and a likely manic-depressive disorder spiralled under the pressure to live up to her own legend. This is masterful storytelling, through and through.
Much as she was rescued, "deus ex machina" from an small-time life in Maine by a dowager patroness, Millay was rescued again in 1923, this time from life-threatening illness and despondency by a real-life Romantic hero (a Belgian Mr. Darcy?), whom she had the good sense to marry. While he set aside his own business to support her work and to shelter her from the strain of public and critical scrutiny, their idyllic rural marriage scenario stultified her creativity. Millay's dogged pursuit (with her husband's active consent) of an affair with a reluctant younger man is affectingly portrayed as a desperate, unconsciously delusional act of self-abasement in the service of her own (fading) sexual persona and the poetry which that persona had always sponsored so reliably. And it worked: great sonnets happened, albeit at no small cost. The waning of this affair, plus a series of illnesses and accidents, provided a host of pretexts for Millay's descent into astoundingly heavy-duty drug addiction and alcoholism. Epstein conveys the wrenching pathos of her repeated struggles to overcome these addictions, with--and, later, without-- her husband's devoted help. Set into this context, excerpts from her journals and letters illuminate a more richly layered, genuine and fragile Millay than other biographies even begin to approach.
Epstein--a highly accomplished poet himself--thankfully resists the temptation to psychoanalyze, sensationalize or turn Millay's life story into a morality tale. Instead, this beautifully-written, insightful and engaging feat of storytelling captures the essence of a real-life Romantic spirit who made poetry the only way she knew how--by living it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Introducing young readers to the music genius of Mozart
By the time Mozart was 20 he was one of the most exciting composers in Europe. He had already accomplished more than 99.9% of us do in an entire lifetime. Mozart's true musical genius was not recognized until after he died, but the extent of is talent is detailed in this juvenile biography of Roland Vernon. This story begins with a recognition of his genius and the more than 600 musical works he composed, then tells the story of the child genius who became a famous musical prodigy and then the darling of Vienna. The book is comprised of two page spreads, illustrated mostly with historic paintings and drawings along with contemporary art by Ian Andrew. The back of the book contains a Time Chart and a Glossary, which covers not only vocabulary terms like "concerto" and "libertine". For those young readers who have seen the film "Amadeus," Vernon provides a final sidebar that pointedly separates fact from fiction. Introducing Mozart is part of a series that looks at the influences and historical events that shaped the lives of the great composers from Bach and Beethoven to Stravinsky and Gershwin. This volume does indeed put the composer's life in the context of the revolutionary times in which he lived and composed his music. Final suggestion: while reading this biography of Mozart listening to his music is a good idea. There are several decent "hits" collection of Mozart's music readily available and you will find that most of those tracks on such albums are specifically mentioned in the pages of this volume. ... Read more

Book Description

MAXnotes offer a fresh look at masterpieces of literature, presented in a lively and interesting fashion.Written by literary experts who currently teach the subject, MAXnotes will enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the work. MAXnotes are designed to stimulate independent thought about the literary work by raising various issues and thought-provoking ideas and questions.MAXnotes cover the essentials of what one should know about each work, including an overall summary, character lists, an explanation and discussion of the plot, the work's historical context, illustrations to convey the mood of the work, and a biography of the author.Each chapter is individually summarized and analyzed, and has study questions and answers. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (6)

good sketch of macdonald, but he deserves more than a sketch
As a longtime fan of the Travis McGee novels, I was eager to learn more about the writer who created him.

"The Red Hot Typewriter" gives a brief glimpse of the man but doesn't go into enough detail. There's not a very strong sense of chronology, particularly with the McGee series, and the details that are there are cut short just when they were getting interesting.

"Red Hot" contains just enough odd facts to make it worthwhile -- MacDonald's strange battle of wills with American Express, the origin of Travis as Dallas McGee (changed shortly after the Kennedy assassination), a strange sad feud between John D. and a close friend, and the conception of Meyer -- but a better, richer and more complete bio of MacDonald should (hopefully) appear soon.

rather bland and superficial
I am a long time MacDonald fan, and have read most everything he wrote. I once made the pilgrimage to Bahia Mar to see the 'Busted Flush' plaque mounted there.

I was delighted when I learned of Hugh Merrill's biography, and curious to know more about MacDonald, the man who created Travis McGee, and wrote so eloquently about the Florida environment.

The Red Hot Typewriter is a disappointment.

It is worth reading if you are a die-hard fan. It includes bits of interesting trivia. What was McGee's first name and why was it changed to Travis? Why the reference to a color in the Magee mystery series?

However, you finish the book feeling as if you don't know John D. MacDonald much better than you did when you began. The author obviously did a lot of research. Unfortunately he presents it in a rather bland and superficial manner. It's as if the author's primary reference source was MacDonald's correspondence, and he didn't go much beyond that. The thoughts and personal anecdotes of friends and family are, for the most part, missing.

What really surprises and disappoints me is that this book has no photographs, none, nada, zero. Pictures would have saved this book for me. I am at a loss to understand why any publisher would produce a biography without including pictures that complement the prose. One of many examples was Hugh Merrill's description of MacDonald's visit to the set where a Travis McGee mystery was being made into a movie. Surely, Warner Brothers publicity took pictures, but you won't find them in this biography.

Phone it in next time...
How do you write a biography of a man and not talk to anyone who knew him, not visit anyplace he lived, and not include any photographs of the man or his family? It's easy: you write brief introductions to letters and passages from the writer's books, and call it a biography. The Red Hot Typewriter isn't red or hot. It is a color-by-numbers biography that is in the end colorless. A massive disappointment if you're a John D. fan, or a fan of good biography.

Educational and entertaining.
Having grown up reading the Travis McGee series and more recently reading the rest of the vast library of John D. MacDonald, I found this book personalized the late pulp master for me, as I hoped and expected. You get a feel for the intellect of both John D. and his wife; the influence of his romance and relationship with his wife comes through in his life's work. My only complaint about the book is that I wanted more...but, then again, that is the feeling that I have as I re-read all of John D. MacDonald's books.

Informative, but incomplete
As a diehard John D. MacDonald fan, I felt the book left much to be desired. MacDonald's pre-Travis McGee work, from l950-1960 most notably, was barely mentioned, or dismissed as unimportant. The author never took the time to interview the many people who worked with or knew MacDonald, relying only on correspondance. Overall, the book was a disappointment. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Quality comparison
The late Louis E. Lomax (1922-1970) wrote this book shortly after Dr. King's assassination. He traces the path of both leaders. He shows the forces that brought the 2 leaders together on many issues. He also show the opposition forces to these men that materialized into assassins. I recommend that you read this book. ... Read more

Book Description

A biography of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to be named to the U.S. Supreme Court, discussing his childhood and family, his college years and marriage, his career as a lawyer and Civil Rights champion, his appointment to the Court, and his legacy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A book that does justice to the life of Thurgood Marshall
Carla Williams' juvenile biography of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American justice on the U.S. Supreme Court is one of the best volumes in the Journey to Freedom series, a excellent collection of reference books committed to educating children about the achievements and contributions of noted African Americans. We learn that Marshall had shortened his first name from Thoroughgood, his paternal grandfather who had been born a slave, while his maternal grandfather, Isaiah Williams, had been born free. A pivotal moment in Marshall's life comes when he attends Lincoln University, the first American university for black students, where he was a classmate fo the poet Langston Hughes. The students voted to determine if they wanted to add black teachers to the faculty; Marshall voted against the idea until Hughes convinced him that black students needed black teachers as role models. Students will find it instructive that such a major figure in the Civil Rights movement as Thurgood Marshall could have taken such a position once upon a time.

Young readers of this biography will come away with a very clear appreciation of Marshall's impressive body of work as a lawyer and a jurist. There was even a song called "Thurgood Marshall, Mr. Civil Rights" that was sung to the tune of "The Ballad of Davy Crockett." Marshall won 29 of 32 cases he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and never had any decisions overturned or reversed when he was appointed by President Kennedy as the first African American to serve on the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. As Solicitor General Marshall continued his record of arguing and winning more cases before the Supreme Court than anybody else. Consequently, when President Johnson appointed Marshall to the nation's highest court, there could be no doubt about his qualifications. Williams reminds us that as a young student at Howard University, Marshall had often come to the Supreme Court to listen to the cases being argued.

This book deals with Marshall's strong beliefs throughout, such as his disapproval of Civil Right protests and "sit-ins," because he feared they would become violent and unsafe. Williams makes a point of explaining why Marshall used the words "Negro" and "colored" rather than "African American" or "black." She relates how Marshall did appreciate the University of Maryland naming its Law School after him, since the school had refused to admit him as a student. Nor did Marshall approve of Clarence Thomas, the conservative African-American judge appointed to replace him on the Court when he retired. Thomas is effectively dismissed with the declaration that he thought Brown vs. Board of Education, Marshall's most famous landmark decision overturning the farcical doctrine of "separate but equal," was decided incorrectly (I am not surprised to note there is not a Clarence Thomas volume in this series, which does include contemporary figures like Colin Powell and Maya Angelou).

This volume does justice to the life and memory of Thurgood Marshall. Young students who have never read about his inspiring life are going to discover that it will be hard for them not to consider Marshall a hero. During Black History Month, or any class unit that covers the Civil Rights movement or the U.S. Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall is someone students need to learn about and remember. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

nothing like the master's own words
very helpful to read Mozart's own words, & correspondence w/his father & others. would be helpful to have more footnotes, & more of the texts. what is there is tantalizing. ... Read more

Book Description

In this first full-scale biography since the 1950s, esteemed biographer Maynard Solomon draws on a half-century of new information to provide an in-depth account of Mozart's family life, his passions, and his personality. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A compelling look at a life of creativity and of pain
It's hard to fathom the sheer genius that was Mozart, a musician and composer capable of playing and writing music that will never be forgotten. This book goes a long way to helping to understand a complex and talented man whod ied at a young age but left such an astounding legacy. The difficult relationship with his father, his loving relationship with his mother and sister, his breakaway to Vienna, his marriage, all receive attention in this masterful volume. The Freudian jargon does detract at times from the story (and occasionally mystifies the reader with odd sentences and abstractions that seem meant for psychotherapists to argue about: was his use of an occasional nickname for himself of "Adam" in place of "Amadeus" really another way for him to see himself reborn with his mother as Eve??...well, I don't know or care, really). Solomon's extensive attention to Mozart's relationship with his father does have a nice way of bringing the story all together. Leopold comes across as nearly insane, a man who never comes to accept his son's obvious genius, pushing his son to consider lowly postings in Strasbourg in deference to his family, rather than go to Vienna to assume his place among the musical elite of Europe. Mozart's split with his father and sister comes through brilliantly. The reader can share his pain and ambivalence in moving to Vienna, knowing that his art and talent demanded it but suffering as a result. I have not read other Mozart biographies, but I am hard-pressed to imagine what I may be missing. This is a masterly and fascinating look at one of the millenium's most prodigious talents.

Still the best Mozart biography I have found
An enjoyable read but not without some rather large flaws. Much easier to digest than Guttman's biography of Mozart in this regard. Certainly a readable and sometimes exciting chronology of Mozart's life. One gets a feeling of what Mozarts life was like but something in Solomon's psychological and cultural portraint seems to be missing. When I was finished I was left with as many questions about the life and times of Mozart as I had when I begun.

A very dissapointing discussion of Mozarts works, in fact there is no systemic evaluation on his output. Nothing on the piano concertos, chamber music, symphonies, or operas. Instead we are left with a few chapters superimposed into the text (Solomon admits they where used earlier as lecture material) that try to relate some adagio and concerti to outdated and apsychological theories of aesthetics. One should refer to Swafford's biograpy of Brahms as a model for an integrated discussion of a composers life and works.

Most annoying of all is Solomons incessant need to Psychoanalyze. More time is spent trying to pigeonhole Mozart's relation with his father into a Freudian model than is discussing the musical culture of Viena, or for that matter Mozarts sources of creativity. Dare I say, most of Solomons charachter analysis amounts to little more than psychobabble. This takes special crecedence when one considers how dubous and now abandoned Freudian theory is today in general.

Mostly Mozart
I was looking forward to reading Maynard Solomon's biography of Mozart, since I've wanted to know more about him, especially after reading and seeing "Amadeus". I know Shaffer's play is largely based on speculation, and I wanted some facts. Since this biography was generally well reviewed and praised, I believed I would be of the same opinion. However, Solomon has taken perhaps the most outrageous character of classical music and placed him in the most tame and boring of tales.

Solomon's biography is thoroughly researched. He is profoundly adept at analyzing Mozart's music and the various shifts as the composer searches for his own unique style. Even if you are not familiar with the pieces mentioned, you can still recognize the genius of the notes on the page, provided for you. And even his analyses of Mozart's character, although mere speculation, are well-written and thought-provoking.

However, Solomon spends too much time on the seemingly insignificant. Yes, Mozart's relationship with his father is important in the course of Mozart's development, but do we really need the speculation as to what Leopold Mozart "may have earned" on their musical travels? Too often Solomon's research reads like a laundry list of gifts, events, and musical compositions. The reader hardly knows what to make of Mozart by the end of this biography; since Solomon himself never presents this mythic character in a clear light. Upon finishing, I felt I had learned more about Mozart's father than I had about the composer himself. In wanting to give us the entire "life" story of Mozart, he ironically gives us a biography that is lacking exactly that - life.

Excellent
This is a wonderful biography of the great musician. It really dispelles all the false truths and paints Mozart as a living breathing person. There is quite a bit of phycho anaylses some of it was a bit boring but I really enjoyed the anaylises of his relationship with his father. It is a little heavy at times but most of the time reads like a good novel. Wonderful.

should be Mozart ¿ A Psychoanalysis
This book should be titled "Mozart - A Psychoanalysis"

The book has some strong points - a good analysis of musical style with many examples (if you can't play them on a piano at least tap out the rhythms to get an idea of what he was trying to do) and details about Mozart's dirty letters and fondness for writing backwards. He also makes a good case for Mozart having good earnings. Some of these things are probably difficult to find elsewhere.

However it leaves out some extraordinary things, including Mozart's attitude toward Salieri - and vice-versa, meeting Voltaire and Beethoven, and much of the political climate.

The author drones on with page after page of psychobabble that serves to over-exhaust both the subject and the reader. For example, the following run-on sentence (one of many in the book) occurs five (!) pages into a continuous set of statements about musical imagery:

"An argument can be made, however, that in the last analysis we bring to the entire continuum of such (anxious mental) states derivatives of feelings having their origin in early stages of our lives, and in particular the preverbal state of symbiotic fusion of infant and mother, a matrix that constitutes an infancy-Eden of unsurpassable beauty but also a state completely vulnerable to terrors of separation, loss, and even fears of potential annihilation, a state that inevitably terminates in parting, which even under the most favorable circumstances leaves a residue of grief and melancholy, engendering a desire - wrapped in the likelihood of further disillusionment - to rediscover anew the sensations of undifferentiated fusion with a nurturing caretaker."

That was just ONE sentence! The author then appears to summarize the argument, at which point the reader emits a sigh of relief then turns the page: only to be confronted by two more pages of psychology before the author then spends several more pages applying the argument to several musical works.

The reader gets treated to several whole chapters of analysis of Mozart's emotional mind, emotional relationships with relatives, physical attributes - and what emotions they cause. There is a WHOLE chapter devoted to the fact that Mozart temporarily altered his middle name to "Adam" when he signed his marriage documents! I'm not kidding. The Chapter is entitled, "Adam" and it analyzes the emotional states that caused Mozart to change Amade(us) to Adam. Then, when the reader finally arrives at a chapter that actually describes historical events in Mozart's life (and their emotions), the events are often not played out in chronological order.

The names of Mozart's major works are most often NEVER written in English and the author often uses German, French, or Italian to make major points without bothering to let the reader in on the English translation: Mozart said of his pet starling "Das war schon." The motto of some riddlers was "Honi soit qui mal y pense." It's frustrating not knowing what those sentences mean in English.

I faithfully read the first 344 pages of this book then could no longer bear it - I skimmed the rest, then started reading Gutman's "Mozart - a cultural biography" which appears to present Mozart more idealistically than was the case, but at least I'm getting a feel for what was happening around Mozart during his lifetime.

I hope I wasn't too emotional. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Real Good Start on Malcolm X's Life
if you haven't read Malcolm X's Autobio with Alex Hailey then this is a Must read to starting out with His work.this Book goes over different details of His Life,upbringing&outlook on the world at the time.a Real Good Book on a Very Important&Influential American Figure that Forever Changed the Way History would be mentioned&go Down.

The Black Prince
This book by Bernard Aquina Doctor gives a nice history of Malcom X, a black leader of the 60's. A leader of the Black Muslims as well as the Black Rights movement alongside (and many times seemingly against) MartinKLuther King Jr. Aquinas lays the ground work by discussing Malcomschildhood, who his father was which would prove to be pivotal later inMalcom's life. Growing up poor and oppressed by the WW2 and the KKK amongothers, Malcom fought his way to the top and demanded to be heard by all.He was shot and killed at one of his lectures by one of the Black Muslimsin 1965. Reccomended for those interested in Malcom X's ideas, as well asthose curious about the black movement and some philosophies that went withit. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In Brand New, Harvard Business School professor Nancy Koehn looks at six entrepreneurs and the extraordinary brands they built. The entrepreneurs include Josiah Wedgwood, Henry Heinz, Marshall Field, Estee Lauder, and Michael Dell. What interests Koehn is not so much the success that these brands enjoyed as much as the trust these household names were able to inspire in consumers. Koehn makes her study especially relevant to today's marketers in that each of the entrepreneurs she looks at developed their brand during a period of tumultuous change. For example, Wedgewood's tableware became popular during the Industrial Revolution and the emergence of the middle class; Schultz's coffee empire blossomed in the 1990s and the present-day information revolution. Part business history, part marketing manual, Brand New is a valuable study of brand development that belongs on every thoughtful marketer's bookshelf. --Harry C. Edwards ... Read more

Reviews (18)

"Brand New"-- A fresh look at branding and entrepreneurship!
Brand New is a brilliantly written book about entrepreneurs, brands, consumers, business history, and socioeconomic change. The book explores these subjects through the examples of six entrepreneurs-Josiah Wedgwood, H. J. Heinz, Marshall Field, Estée Lauder, Howard Schultz of Starbucks, and Michael Dell-and the brands and companies they created during times of economic and social change: Wedgwood during the Industrial Revolution, Heinz and Field during the Transportation and Communication Revolution of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and Lauder, Schultz, and Dell in our time.

Koehn is a perceptive historian and biographer as well as an astute analyst of brand creation, entrepreneurship, and organization-building. She explains how the entrepreneurs in her book were able to understand the economic and social change of their times and anticipate and respond to demand-side shifts. This understanding, she argues convincingly, enabled these entrepreneurs to bring to market products that consumers needed and wanted and to create meaningful, lasting connections with consumers through their brands. Koehn also focuses on the importance of these entrepreneurs as organization builders who understood that their success depended on developing organizational capabilities that supported their products and brands. Her book is very well-researched throughout, and uses primary archival documents extensively in the historical chapters on Josiah Wedgwood, H. J. Heinz, and Marshall Field. Koehn also brings her entrepreneurs and the stories of how each built his or her company and brand to life with her talent as a biographer and historian.

The book's emphasis on drawing lessons from both past and present offers many valuable insights for those interested in coming to a better understanding of brand creation, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial management, and organization-building. Koehn's emphasis on the demand side of the economy and on entrepreneurs and companies making connections with consumers through the brand distinguishes her book as an important work of business scholarship on brands and entrepreneurship. A lively, interesting, and engaging read, Brand New is also valuable reading for anyone interested in business, economic, or social history or biography of business leaders. I highly recommend it!

Building Trust by Being Dependable When Others Aren't
Stories are the way that we all learn best. Professor Koehn has provided six meticulously detailed ones about brand development by 18th and 19th century entrepreneurs (Josiah Wedgwood, H.J. Heinz, Marshall Field) as well as 20th century ones (Estee Lauder, Howard Schultz, and Michael Dell). Almost any reader will learn details new to her or him from these cases. Each example focuses on how important brands got started on a shoestring. The book has a major weakness in that the financial details of the six businesses are too sketchy to really help understand the economics of what the entrepreneurs did.

Wedgwood improved the quality of earthenware, and changed the way that the products were used by the wealthy and the aspiring. He courted the visible elites and royalty to inspire emulation by those who could afford the products.

H.J. Heinz offered quality and convenience at a time when most preserved food products were shoddy and women did most of their own preserving.

Marshall Field courted the carriage trade who could afford to pay top dollar for top quality goods and service.

Estee Lauder provided high quality cosmetics at more affordable prices.

Howard Schultz introduced most Americans to the latte, taking coffee from being a source of caffeine to a tasteful experience.

Michael Dell changed the business model for how corporations got their computing equipment, customizing for each one just-in-time.

Having been educated in both history and in business, it is clear that Professor Koehn comes at the problem more from the historical discipline than from the business one. As a result, the book will be most appealing to those who are interested in the origins of one or more of these brands, companies, or entrepreneurs. At this level, the book is five-star entertainment.

Business readers will find that relevant details are often missing. For example, Wedgwood staged very expensive exhibitions of his wares. You wonder how he could afford to do this, and finally learn near the end of the study that the company had enormous profit margins. H.J. Heinz is described as being very successful in a predecessor company, yet he goes bankrupt. Some information about his margins would probably have revealed that he had low margins. The information is not included. There are bits and pieces of ratios and annual revenue numbers, but the financial side of these examples is clearly underdeveloped. That's a shame, since they all built up important enterprises on a shoestring.

The choice of cases seems flawed from a business perspective. Five of the six are consumer products and services. Of the five, all appealed initially to high income people when good products and services were largely unavailable. Forming brands in such an environment is no great trick. Readers would have learned more about brand building from cases where the competition was fierce from people who were providing exactly the same choices.

As a result, from a business perspective, this is a three star book. I averaged the five and the three star ratings out to reach my four star conclusion.

After you read this book, you should think about how you decide which brands to trust, and how you go about establishing the trustworthiness of brands that you represent. What else is important before trust can be earned? In particular, pay attention to the significance of establishing improved business models (something that all six entrepreneurs had in common).

Make your brand stand alone in its desirability in the eyes of all who see it!

a very useful and interesting business history book
Did you know that in 1859 Americans consumed about eight pounds of coffee per year, per capita? Or that by 1939 it was fourteen pounds? If this is your cup of tea, then I think you will like this book. This is not a criticism, I liked the book because it looks at the growth in demand which was supplied by the entrepreneurs who formed the brands described in the book. Indeed this demand-side view is part of the book that made the biggest impact on me.
Some of this is obvious, but somewhat in the backround of our knowledge - "between 1860 and 1920 the population of the US grew from 31.5 to 107 million" - and some of this is well extracted in this book - e.g. "in 1844 (when Henry J. Heinz was born)less than 10% of American's lived in towns of greater than 2,500 population, 75 years later (when he died) 50% were urban dwellers and 20% lived in cities of greater than 250,000 people". Koehn builds up this demand side very well in each of the six cases she uses to illustrate who entrepreneurs build up branded business - Wedgwood , Heinz, Marshall-Fields, Estee Lauder, Starbucks and Dell.
Koehn, a Harvard business historian, is also quite good at showing how developing technology is put to use to serve this demand (or does it create it?) - "In 1830 it took three weeks to get calico from New York to Chicago, in 1860 it took three days, by 1880 ... less than 24 hours"
Again we all knew the importance of the railroad, but here its phrased in a way that makes sense of the dynamic growth and gentrification of the Mid West. She illustrates well the need that urbanisation created for prepared food that could be trusted and describes very well the increasing sophistication of industrial level food preparation - " by the 1860;s the introduction of calcium chloride to boiling water cut sterilization times from five hours to 25 minutes". She can even make innovations in canning technology sound exciting.

So much for the good stuff, I did find the tone of the descriptions of each entrepreneurs a bit fawning. Each had the feel of a business case, with the usual tone of awe and deference to the wit and wisdom of the main characters. With the exception of the Starbucks case - where Howard Shultz openly tells of his mistakes and wrong turnings - each case seems to highlight the wisdom of the main character, whereas it seems to me its their determination that marks them out, more than anything else. Henry Heinz went bankrupt three times in food products, before he became successful, Michael Dell was still seen as a cloner into the late 1980's.
Koehn makes no judgements about the more unpleasant side of this determination - Estee Lauder staged a meeting with the Duke of Windsor, which she had photographed and publicised, in order to make it appear she had high-society connections, Josiah Wedgwood supplied free gifts to royalty in the certain knowledge that the aspirations of the middle classes to emulate royalty would drive demand for this his products.
There are good insights into how these individuals drove modern marketing techniques - Wedgwood emphasized showrooms, Estee Lauder the free gift. And all had tremendous energy for customer service and production detail. However in each of the early cases we are told that 20th Century techniques were unknown to the industry " Brand marketing was virtually unheard of in the 18th Century" [ Wedgwood]; " Between 1869 and 1899, real per capita income increased at an annual compound rate of 2.1%. Henry Heinz had no access to these statistics. These numbers are based on economic concepts developed in the 20th Century". This kind of clumsiness crops up in each case, ok we get the point that these pioneers instinctively did something which is now solidified into great theory, but surely this point could be illustrated with more deftness.

This apart, a very useful and interesting book, a book for anyone interested in the general history of business. Some excellent details, too much fawning and praise too little criticism of the central characters who built the brands. A fascinating story.
If you liked this book, check out books by Arthur Chandler and John Drewer.

One final fact, Charles Darwin had the time and money to devote to his famous voyage on the Beagle - which laid the basis for the theory of Evolution - because his wife's grandfather was Joshua Wedgwood. Was this financial evolution at work?

Overview of successful entrepreneurial approaches to brands
Koehn has produced a weighty and informative look at the way successful entrepreneurs have used brands to achieve a number of goals. These goals include long-term differentiation from competitors, internal quality control, profit margin protection, and facilitation of additional product introduciton.

To make her case, she chose three cases from the past (Wedgwood, Heinz, and Marshall Field) and three cases from the present (Estee Lauder, Starbucks, and Dell Computers). Finally, she concludes the book with a chapter which addresses the issue of historical forces and entrepreneurial agency.

I particularly found the cases from the past persuasive in their argumentation for a long-term differentiating factor in brand. The newer cases are obviously harder to make in that (particularly with Starbucks and Dell) how long-term the success will be remains to be seen. One of the best features of the book is the depth with which she treats each case-- she provides enough information to build her thesis (and often entertain with the anecdotes) but not so much that the book becomes bogged down. The excellent footnotes provide whatever's necessary to someone looking for further information.

One minor quarrel is that I would have liked to see the further reading pulled out into a better organized bibliography. There were obviously quite a few good sources scattered amongst the footnotes and if you were interested in a particular subject matter it required some patience to pull all of the citations out.

Brands Old: Inspiration for Brands Yet to Be
As she completed her research and then began to write this book, Nancy Koehn made several important decisions. First, she placed her primary objective in clear focus: to explain "how entrepreneurs earned customers' trust." Next, she limited her attention to only six. Finally, she then examined them within an historical context from the late-18th century until the present time. As Koehn observes, "Before 1750,...most Britons ate off wood or pewter plates. Then came Josiah Wedgwood. In antebellum America, the majority of women made their own pickles. Then came Henry Heinz. Until the Civil War, urban retailing was a specialized activity with a wide variety of small shops offering particular kinds of goods. Then came department store entrepreneurs such as Marshall Field." It is important to stress that Koehn is a biographer and cultural historian only to the extent that the material she provides helps to advance the narrative of her core themes: how six individual entrepreneurs dealt with the "imperatives" to quality goods at reasonable prices, communicate the virtues of her or his products to potential buyers in effective ways and thereby maintain and grow a viable customer base, and, how to develop organizational capabilities to learn about their respective customers and then earn their trust.

Before 1945, Koehn observes, "few American women wore premium lipstick or facial creams, and those who did [when they could] bought them in beauty shops along with elaborate treatments administered by trained cosmeticians. Then came Estee Lauder. Prior to the late 1970s, Americans bought ground coffee mostly in one-pound cans sold in supermarkets and supplied by large food processors. Then came [Howard Schultz and] Starbucks. Before 1980, most businesses used only typewriters and copy machines for paperwork. Large companies relied on mainframe and midsize computers to handle extensive calculations and data processing. Only a small number of households owned a personal computer or printer. Few if any of these users expected to be able to specify a particular computer's configuration. Then came Apple, IBM, Compaq, and Michael Dell." It is also important to stress that each of the six entrepreneurs whom Koehn discusses fully understood what rapid social and economic change in their respective era meant for consumers' needs and desires. Moreover, as she carefully explains, all six used their knowledge of both the supply and demand sides of the prevailing economy to create high-quality goods,, meaningful brands, and other connections with customers..." and they built elite organizations that worked to [in italics] satisfy and then [in italics] anticipate buyers' changing preferences."

In Chapter 1, Koehn provides a brilliant overview on "Entrepreneurs and Consumers," then devotes an entire chapter to each of the six entrepreneurs. In her final chapter, she shifts her attention to "Historical Forces and Entrepreneurial Agency," followed by 104 pages of notes. In that final chapter, Koehn points out that the six entrepreneurs "lived and worked in different contexts. Yet they all shared a powerful gift: the ability to discern how economic and social change affected consumer needs and wants. They also understood that these demand-side shifts presented critical business opportunities -- opportunities that each exploited by creating new, best-of-class goods and strong brands." She goes on to suggest that they were "institution builders who were not interested in riding the wave of a short-lived trend or forcing their young brands on buyers. They wanted to [in italics] earn consumers' trust and keep it."

It remains to seen which entrepreneurs emerge during the next few years but it seems certain that they will also encounter "economic and social change affected consumer needs and wants" and in a global marketplace yet to be developed. There is much that they -- and we -- can learn from Josiah Wedgwood, H.J. Heinz, Marshall Field, Estee Lauder, Howard Schultz, and Michael Dell. Thanks to Nancy Koehn, those "lessons" are provided in a single volume, one which will continue to be of interest and value for decades to come.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to read Wolf's The Entertainment Economy, Schmitt's Experiential Marketing, Gobe's Emotional Branding, Gilmore and Pine's The Experience Economy, and Brands: The New Wealth Creators co-edited by Hart and Murphy. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

On the Side of My People: A Religious Life of Malcolm X.
Contrary to Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X has won more than his due share of attention. But he gained renown mostly for reasons having to do with his personal odyssey from petty thief to political figure of international stature, his black nationalism, and his scintillating rhetoric-not because he was a key figure in the growth of Islam in the United States. DeCaro fills this gap with an intelligent focus on his "religious life." Like Clegg, he relies on extensive research of primary documents; he finds much that is new about the man he terms a "religiously driven revolutionist." 5 In particular, he shows where Malcolm X's famous Autobiography is either lacking important information or slanted to make a point; what Malcolm X actually did during his last year (after leaving the NOI and becoming a mainstream Muslim); and the parallels in Malcolm X's dual conversion (to the NOI, to Islam). From an Islamic viewpoint, On the Side of My People is of special interest for the way DeCaro pulls apart the myth Malcolm X had propagated about having learned of mainstream Islam only on reaching Mecca in April 1964; in fact, we find out here, he had for many months, even years, been tending in that direction. Reaching Mecca for Malcolm X was less a revelation than an opportunity to come out of the religious closet.

Middl East Quarterly, December 1998

Nice focus on the Religious side of Malcolm X
It was fantastic to read a religious biography of Malcolm X. Although DeCaro does go over Malcolm X's political activities (it would be rediculous to do otherwise!), he presents Malcolm X's life in its religious context, for example outlining the ongoing tension between the Nation and Orthodox Islam and how this affected Malcolm, whereas most biographies do the exact opposite. His book focusses primarily around Malcolms two conversions - firstly to the Nation, and the second to orthodox Islam. He also outlines the religious melting pot that Malcolm X came out of, and shows how these influences helped mold and shape him throughout his life. In doing this, he gives Malcolm a lot more religious credit than past biographers have done, and points out some probable biases in "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" (remember, in this book Malcolm originally intended to show how Elijah Muhammad had miraculously and single-handedly saved him, and therefore probably didn't give himself due credit). DeCaro goes on to explain how Malcolms second conversion was not an instantaneous transformation that occurred when he set foot in Mecca, but rather the climax of a change that had been building for some time. For me, DeCaro's book was thorough and well balanced. He didn't try to portray Malcolm as a hero or a villian or anything else, but rather just presented his life from the point of view of his 'religousness'. The book is written from DeCaros PhD dissertation, so is very well referenced, and he is careful to point out his own biases. The only qualm I had was that DeCaro did not have a huge number of interviews with people who knew Malcolm, but he admits this himself in the introduction, and he more than makes up for it with his use of other primary sources such as FBI files, prison records etc. So yeah. I loved it. Read it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Braunbehrens' Mozart etc.
Braunbehrens' book is a well written account of Mozart and the intellectual, political, economic and cultural milieu that existed during the ascendant part of his creativity. Braunbehrens' is not the first Mozart biography I have read that explores these aspects of Mozart, nor is this book as lavishly illustrated as others. However, for my amatuer self, it the best written and most accessible; scholarly, but not academically dry or pedantic.

Braunbehrens dispelled for me the myth which has come down to amateurs since his death that Mozart was an unrelentingly tragic, Romantic and impoverished figure. Certainly that myth is not descernible in his music. Braunbehrens erudite insights have enhanced my listening experience, and have given me greater appreciation of this man of the Enlightenment. ... Read more

Book Description

Following on Making Civil Rights Law, which covered Thurgood Marshall's career from 1936-1961, this book focuses on Marshall's career on the Supreme Court from 1961-1991, where he was the first Afro-American Justice.Based on thorough research in the Supreme Court papers of Justice Marshall and others, this book describes Marshall's approach to constitutional law in areas ranging from civil rights and the death penalty to abortion and poverty.It locates the Supreme Court from 1967 to 1991 in a broader political and historical context, showing how the nation's drift toward conservatism affected the Court. ... Read more

Book Description

In this stunning memoir, veteran Washington Post correspondent Lynne Duke takes readers on a wrenching but riveting journey through Africa during the pivotal 1990s and brilliantly illuminates a continent where hope and humanity thrive amid unimaginable depredation and horrors.

For four years as her newspaper's Johannesburg bureau chief, Lynne Duke cut a rare figure as a black American woman foreign correspondent as she raced from story to story in numerous countries of central and southern Africa. From the battle zones of Congo-Zaire to the quest for truth and reconciliation in South Africa; from the teeming displaced person’s camps of Angola and the killing field of the Rwanda genocide to the calming Indian Ocean shores of Mozambique. She interviewed heads of state, captains of industry, activists, tribal leaders, medicine men and women, mercenaries, rebels, refugees, and ordinary, hardworking people.And it is they, the ordinary people of Africa, who fueled the hope and affection that drove Duke’s reporting.The nobility of the ordinary African struggles, so often absent from accounts of the continent, is at the heart of Duke’s searing story.

MANDELA, MOBUTU, AND ME is a richly detailed, clear-eyed account of the hard realities Duke discovered, including the devastation wrought by ruthless, rapacious dictators like Mobutu Sese Seko and his successor, Laurent Kabila, in the Congo, and appalling indifference of Europeans and Americans to the legacy of their own exploitation of the continent and its people.But Duke also records with admiration the visionary leadership and personal style of Nelson Mandela in south Africa as he led his country’s inspiring transition from apartheid in the twilight of his incredible life.

Whether it was touring underground gold and copper mines, learning to carry water on her head, filing stories by flashlight or dodging gunmen, Duke’s tour of Africa reveals not only the spirit and travails of an amazing but troubled continent -- it also explores the heart and fearlessness of a dedicated journalist. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Me and Mobuto and Me and Mandela and especially ME
I was hoping to read about what has happened in Africa in the last few years. Instead I found a tome about a very self-absorbed woman. This really is a terrible book. Don't look for any insight into Mubuto Sese Seko or Nelson Mandela. I did a Google search on Lynn Duke because I couldn't--and still can't--fathom that the Washington Post would hire a person who wrote a book this bad.

A unique viewpoint of a much misconceived Africa
Do not be fooled by Mike Dowling's assessment of the book. Had he bothered to look beyond the title before purchasing, he might have realized that "Mandela, Mobutu and Me" was not a history book.

This book allows you to view Africa within the specific frame of reference of a distinguished WashPost journalist, at the top of her game. Readers visit the front lines with Duke, laugh, cry and pontificate as the author describes her struggle to reconcile the many conflicting realities of South Africa, as well as the continent. She weaves her own personal reactions together with informational cues, to give even less informed readers a well rounded, balanced sub-text of the Africa we see daily in the news and within pop-culture, but know so little about. Avid readers will fly through it, but it also reads easily for those who take their time.

I know Ms Duke personally and can safely say that she put a lot of care into crafting what has resulted in a highly entertaining, enlightening memoire from her experiences abroad. Her understanding of race-relations and Afro-politics are unparalleled. Duke is certainly a power player at the Washington Post - for those interested, she currently writes for WP Style.

This book is a must-read!

Me & Mandela & Me & Mobuto, & mostly ME, ME, ME
What a horrible book! It took a Google search to prove that Ms. Duke actually wrote for the Washington Post. If you read this book, you might have the same doubts . . . but the Post did accept her byline. I hoped to read about recent trends in Africa. The title suggested I would get insight into Nelson Mandela, who overlooked 27 years in prison to rebuild South Africa, and Mobutu Sese Seko (Kuku wa za Banga), a ruthless despot whose plutocracy bled the resource rich nation of Congo dry. Instead it was a self-serving, egocentric view of an African-American woman as she tried to fit the paradigm of Africa politics into her own narrow prejudices. I hoped to learn more about the history of post-colonial Africa, but this book was a waste of time.

This book is phenomenal!
Mandela, Mobutu, And Me is a phenomenal book. Lynne Dukes is an excellent journalist. I regret that I missed her at the Harlem Book Fair this past July because I would have personally told her how much this book has meant to me. The book made me laugh and cry and helped me catch up on some important history on Africa. I find myself referring back to the book quite frequently especially when I hear a report on any of the countries discussed in the book including South Africa, Congo-Zaire, Angola and Rwanda. This book offers an incredible wealth of knowledge and a fresh prospective on these countries as well as important events that have occurred in recent times. It also discusses Africa leaders whom we all should have some knowledge of and America's "only when we can profit" policy toward Africa. I was especially impressed with Dukes candid thoughts on Africa as African-American woman. I thought there were very few African-American women like myself who still have a love and connection to Africa in spite of all the negative reports we hear about Africa. This book has allowed me travel to a place that I have yet to visit but is so much a part of who I am today. Thank you Mrs. Dukes for making this journey possible.

Fascinating Eyewitness Account of Africa in the 90's
Lynne Duke has written an engaging account of her first-hand observations in Africa during the years she served there as a Washington Post foreign correspondent. Her discussion of the evolution of South Africa and the personalities of Nelson and Winnie Mandela are probably the most fascinating parts of the book, and her work is also deeply touching and informative when it describes the impact of revolutions and war in central Africa (the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda). The book is detailed enough to suit the African scholar, but also accessible and personal enough to engage and inform non-scholastic readers. While detailed and well-documented, it goes beyond dry facts to bring home the rich African culture and the dramatic, sometimes shocking and heartbreaking realities of life on a war-torn continent. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the story of a man who lived several distinct chapters of a great American life. From petty criminal to defiant race rights fighter to leader of the Black Muslim movement, his life story is provocative and engrossing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent book about the life/metamorphises of Malcolm X
As was the life of Malxolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X will prove to many readers to be many things. It tells of his troubled upbringing to his life in Boston. It also deals with his incarceration and conversion to Islam. This book will be glued to the readers hand with its thought provoking words. A must for anyone who enjoys ensightful literature. ... Read more