Book Description

"SUGE KNIGHT: THE RISE, FALL & RISE OF DEATH ROW RECORDS - The Story of Marion "Suge" Knight - A Hard-Hitting Study of One Man, One Company That Changed the Course of American Music Forever" is the visionary entrepreneur's life story. This 210-page book is the most riveting and explosive up-to-date account of Marion "Suge" Knight and Death Row records ever written. The intense drama about some of Death Row Records biggest stars, including: Tupac, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre details a lifestyle that changed America forever. (Complete with photos). ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Literary Agent
...

Jake Brown has woven a web of interest and intrigue when penning this nonfiction masterpiece. Come one and all...you won't know what you're missing..until the last copy is gone.

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Best Story in Compton...
This book explained points of view that I never thought I'd consider. Thank you, Jake Brown, for writing an great book. I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone!

BD ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A lot of sycophancy
A lot of fluff here, a lot of celebrity worship, and a few tidbits of fascinating historical information. It is written like a much expanded version of People magazine.
I wanted more about these people--more of their dirt, really. Everybody has dirt. Rich folks especially. But, while you get a couple grains of sand in this volume, mostly you come away from reading it feeling as though somehow these people are not only gifted and shrewd, but also angelic, and that is the stuff of a People magazine.

Entertaining and Enchanting
This book takes me back to a magical time, when sovereign finance held potentates at bay, and when bankers were literally masters of the universe. In the absence of universal taxation by governments, raising funds for war and peace is the sole, nearly impenetrable domain of the sovereign banker. To say that the historiography of finance capital, or more appropriately, 'haute banque' is much, much better than Lord of the Rings and Rowling's tomes would be an unforgivable travesty.

Confusing Narrative and a Shame
Buried in this detailed narrative are colorful and interesting phrases like "In one day, he reduced the bank's gold reserves by almost 100,000 pounds." This deals with an enraged Nathan Rothschild almost sinking the Bank of England by cashing hundreds of small notes, because the bank would not cash his notes which would be, uh checks. Ok, confused? The whole book is like this. Dramatic stories covering Mayer Rothschild from a German Jewish ghetto creating success and amazing good fortune. Sons and strong family power continue the legacy-financing princes during war, to controlling Brazil. Accounts describing Napoleon to Hitler.
Counting houses and branches in England, Germany and throughout Europe. You want to read these stories but the script is flawed OR at the extreme height of high intellect. I think the former. I am employed in finance and banking-and I cannot follow the threads!
And yet there are descripive, powerful passages that keep you turning the pages. The fact that the House of Rothschild is credited to Mayer having sons, as Morton starts off, is a telling statment but he buries you in all these individual accounts as decades roll by and the dynasty becomes mythic. The pictorial section is wonderful and perhaps paints a clearer picture than the text of a book, whose paperback cover claims to be a "Number One Best Seller."

Celebrity Worship
I enjoy some of the conspiracy theories involving the Rothschilds.Of course I stop well short of anti-Semitism.Just fun coffee shop conspiracy talk give me a break.I bought this book for a buck at a used book store hoping to find a little more dirt on the famous family.There was some dirt but it is glossed over with phrases like "but he was the black sheep of the family" and "a ruthless but brilliant business maneuver" etc. etc.
I am usually reading more challenging material so I was surprised how fast a read it was.There is important history here but it is so steeped in blatant flattery and celebrity worship that I felt a little ashamed for having read it - kind of like how one feels after watching Entertainment Tonight.Well that is an exaggeration.There has to be a better history of the Rothschild's out there but if you see this one for a dollar at a used bookstore I won't recommend against picking it up.

Rothschilds Lite
There are very few families in history that have managed to maintain a tradition of excellence over several generations -- "Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations" is the rule. The two notable exceptions to the rule are the Medici and the Rothschilds.

I purchased this book thinking that the author would provide some insight into how the Rothschilds achieved their long-standing record of success. Unfortunately, Mr. Morton is merely a sycophant, apparently incapable of providing the kind of detailed analysis the question calls for. Instead, he constantly marvels at how this family of rag merchants from Jew Street in Frankfurt ended up hobnobbing with the crowned heads of Europe. That is certainly an accomplishment of sorts, but absent any kind of descriptive analysis, it is little more than fodder for People magazine. Indeed, one can argue that the recent decline in the family's fortunes is due to their emulation of European aristocracy.

A far better book on the same topic is the two-volume set, "The House of Rothschild" by Niall Ferguson. After reading Mr. Morton, it is both refreshing and illuminating. ... Read more

Book Description

Larry Ellison started the high-flying tech company Oracle with $1,200 in 1977 and turned it into a billion-dollar Silicon Valley giant. If Bill Gates is the tech world's nerd king, Ellison is its Warren Beatty: racing yachts, buying jets, and romancing beautiful women. His rise to fame and fortune is a tale of entrepreneurial brilliance, ruthless tactics, and a constant stream of half-truths and outright fabrications for which the man and his company are notorious.

Investigative reporter Mike Wilson, with access to Ellison himself and more than 125 of his friends, enemies, and former Oracle employees, has created an eye-opening, utterly fascinating portrayal of a Silicon Valley success story ... filled with the stuff that dreams and cultural icons are made of.

Reviews (1)

Insightful view
The book flows well, is interesting to read, and gives good insight into Larry Ellison himself as well as Oracle. There is considerable background material that all seems relevant as the book progresses. Ellison was interviewed 4 times for this book, and while the book reflects overall a favorable opinion of him, it also seems very truthful and frank. I gained a better insight of the software and database industry from reading the book. Was also helpful in analyzing Ellison and his leadership strategies. ... Read more

Book Description

For more than forty years, Clark Clifford was Washington's consummate Democratic power broker - attorney and adviser to the nation's most influential leaders. His 1991 memoir, Counsel to the President, looked back on a remarkable career of public service. But the very year his autobiography was published, the Clifford legend began to crumble. Caught up in the scandal that destroyed the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, the eighty-five-year-old Clifford was arrested on charges relating to his law firm's involvement with the outlaw bank. Though his case never went to trial, and his protege, Robert Altman, was found not guilty, Clifford's reputation was in ruins. How could such a man come to such an end? What happened? And why? In Friends in High Places, a noted investigative reporter and a chief investigator in the Senate inquiry on BCCI provide the answers. Drawing on original documents, more than a hundred interviews with Clifford's friends and adversaries, and fifty hours of interviews with Clifford himself, the authors reveal the drive and shrewdness that led Clifford to the pinnacle of power - and demonstrate convincingly that his involvement with BCCI was no aberration, but the bitter fruit of seeds planted at the beginning. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good read but...
Good read but not necessarily accurate. Nikola Tesla was ripped off by Edison after Tesla created the AC system of power distribution. This contradicts the title and purpose of the book. Better titled "Profiles of Brilliance". Overall though a facinating book with insight into some very smart people. ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com

Not many financial figures develop reputations that outlast their lifetimes, but the subject of James Grant's comprehensive 1983 biography is one of them. Re-released with a new foreword, Bernard Baruch: The Adventures Of A Wall Street Legend tells the inspiring story of an extraordinary financier who made his first million at the turn of the century and was eventually asked to share his knowledge with every U.S. president from Woodrow Wilson to John F. Kennedy. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A GOOD BOOK BUT TOO MUCH PADDING
This books gives a history of U.S. politics more than it tells you about Baruch's involvements in Wall Street. It is nice to know of his achievemnts in helping President Wilson run the government but too much details and chapters spent on this sort of distort the meaning of the book's title! Sometimes a story sets on a sideline and then the amount of details given on the sideline event actually trips you off the original story. Its a good enough read if you have the time and patience.

An Interesting Biography
James Grant does a fair job. Baruch does come across as a likeable personality. The author perhaps could have been a little more critical in his analysis and also focussed on Baruch's private life and public years after 1945 a bit more.

Great Story
The story is fascinating and you can't help but like Baruch despite his ego. Grant does a nice job although more because he was truly interested in the man rather than because he's a great biographer. ... Read more

Book Description

In this tell-all biography, journalist Richard Speer gives readers an all-access pass into the uproarious, uplifting life of Matt Lamb, a highly successful businessman turned world-famous painter. A rich and inspirational story, Matt Lamb: The Art of Success captures the essence of this flamboyant yet enigmatic figure and details how he transformed from his first success as CEO of a multi-million-dollar business to become one of the art world's most celebrated and controversial painters. Through candid interviews with Lamb, his family members, friends, detractors, and critics, readers will discover how Lamb came to run a family-owned funeral business with all the drama and pathos of the hit TV show, Six Feet Under only to be told by doctors he was dying of a grave illness and should begin planning his own funeral. Page after engaging page, Matt Lamb: The Art of Success moves on to reveal how Lamb beat the illness and lived to become a spiritually driven painter hailed as an heir to Pablo Picasso, all the while thumbing his nose at critics who dismissed him and his millions as the antithesis of starving-artist chic. Now in his 70s, Lamb is still moving and shaking, redefining the art world, and tackling his toughest challenge ever: painting for world peace. This book will uncover the secrets to Lamb's success in business and art and leave readers asking: What new adventures are around the corner for this maverick entrepreneur/philosopher? And what can we learn from his life? ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Brilliant, Important, Inspiring Read
Richard Speer,journalist and art critic extraordinairehas crafted a masterpiece that does justice to an artist who has reached the pinnacles of creative success, achieving what even the most jaded observer would have to applaud.In Speer's own words, artist Matt Lamb "...has converted the passion and energy that made him a powerhouse in the business world and translated it directly into a successful, if controversial, art career.He has searched for and found his strengths as a painter and capitalized on them, deploying his every spiritual and material resource to widen the audience of his art and philosophy.He has, in other words, devoted everything he possesses to his life's highest mission.Can a man do any more?".I would say not, but more importantly,the reader is treated to a fascinating, first hand look at how he did it.All the human drama from the beginning of Lamb's life to the present,is captured with exquisite attention to detail and a faithful presentation of the ingredients to Lamb's success.We witness the tireless work, the failures,the spiritual vision,setbacks,principles and players involved with an ascent to the peak of artistic achievement.Regardless of the complex issues raised in the process, we are left inspired and awed by what can be accomplished against all odds.

By any standard, this is an amazing story told with marvelous wit, profound psychological insight, and journalistic expertise of the highest calibre.The issues involved with Lamb's career are offered with rigorous scholarship, clarity and objectivity, leaving the reader to decide the merits of the case, but in the end, it hardly matters.We have been taken along on an odyssey, a rich, colorful,creative journey so unlikey that it engenders faith in the impossible.Only the most embittered cynic could read this book and not feel buoyed up and encouraged to reach for the stars.And this is exactly as Lamb would have it.He is in the end, a motivator, a man of tremendous inner strength who is capable of generating hope even during the darkest of times.And yes, like many of us, Lamb appears flawed, self questioning and conflicted by the challenges of life.But through a very real compassion for the human tragedies we all face (no doubt from decades in the funeral business),and with a transcendent vision expressed through painting, he embodies the true spirit of a great artist.

You will marvel, laugh out loud, be challenged, inspired, and entertained.When finished, we are left with the feeling, no the conviction that one can make a difference, not only in our own small life but for the world at large.

Yes,this is an important book.It is a story that needed to be told and should be read by anyone who doubts if daily life can be transformed into a magnificent experience, or that the world is too far gone to bother with.Lamb and Speer are a dynamic duo in this rare literary endeavor full of heart, integrity and world class fun.

THE ART OF SUCCESS BY RICHARD SPEER
THE ART OF SUCCESS BY RICHARD SPEER

Richard Speer has completed a well conceived and well written global view of Matt Lamb that cleverly incorporates and blends his personal and artistic life. The fascinating vignettes concerning Lamb's interludes with the mafia, his seething wit, and his membership in a boyhood gang are retold with clarity and humor. The reader is not just introduced to Matt Lamb's world, s/he is engulfed by it, living through generations of Lambs before seeing pictures in her/his head of a cherubic baby Lamb, a boisterous boy living with a strict conservative Catholic father, an ambitious young man's goals, the successful entrepeneur, and the anticlimatic change of the adult Matt Lamb to art.

Speer plays with words in the re-telling the way Lamb played the business world - with outward charm and inner irony. For instance, Lamb's innovative interpretation of the word "conversation" and one of his primary ideas in painting, is clearly explained by Speer as he portrays how "conversation" is applied and shown through multitudes of Lamb's paintings. Speer aptly uses the term "paradox" to define Matt Lamb - his life, his works and his politics; the contrast between Lamb's strong political beliefs and adventurous business nature with his conservative and cautious father; or his "ready, fire, aim" policy that helped him build an empire of thirty-six successful businesses.

Introductions are made to the primary people that surround Lamb - who they are, their relationships, and how his life seems to be ordained with the people around him, each uniquely gifted to enhance and enable Lamb's vision; to help him "gravitate toward that which [he] secretly most love[s]" (p. 36).

Lamb's eclectic life is reflected in the diverse people with whom he has associated himself as an artist - from well-known established gallerists to Joe Cerqua and Wilfredo Rivera, from universities to hospitals, nuns to 20-something modern day hippies, from fashion designers to the Pope. Matt Lamb's network evokes a deep emotional response lying at the core of every human being.

Many of Lamb's works, perhaps especially Ghands, The Ascent of Man, The Civil War, Dachau and An Gorta Mor, are described by Speer as a "progression from oppression to crisis to liberation" (p. 135). The same formula could also easily be used to describe Lamb's life, beginning with his autocratic father, then a demanding business, to the crisis of facing death, and finally to the self liberation Lamb found in art.

The author of The Art of Success does not simply retell an amazing life, he also uses descriptive terminology and defines artistic terms, thus making the book an entertaining and educational read for the lay person, while still maintaining the necessary detail and interesting tidbits a Matt Lamb scholar would desire.

PROF. DR. ENRIQUE MALLEN
ON-LINE PICASSO PROJECT
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

... Read more

Book Description

Hayek's Journey is a philosophical, intellectual exploration of Hayek's comprehensive life work. Tracing Hayek's intellectual journey from Vienna at the turn of the 20th century through London, Chicago, and Freiburg, Hayek's Journey provides a deeper understanding and exploration of Hayek's thought than previously attempted. Special attention is given to Hayek's intellectual relationships with Carl Menger, Ludwig von Mises, John Maynard Keynes, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Karl Popper, and Milton Friedman. Hayek's Journey presents Hayek as an economist, political philosopher, and pure philosopher. Particular consideration is given also to development of Hayek's final work, The Fatal Conceit. In Hayek's Journey, Hayek emerges as a thinker and writer of the greatest depth and importance.
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Reviews (4)

A valuable thematic supplement
In this readable volume, Ebenstein offers an overview of Hayek's thought organized thematically rather than chronologically. It is meant as a companion volume to Ebenstein's biography of Hayek, but I read it as a supplement to Caldwell's intellectual biography, Hayek's Challenge.

Being only modestly acquainted with 20th century history, and even less so on economic and political theories, I strongly endorse reading a historical account of Hayek prior to considering this thematic presentation. Hayek was a man of his time, passionately contending with political ideologies and economic centralization that he felt threatened individual liberties. In my view, a historical approach can more aptly express the interplay of social, cultural, and personal influences that shaped Hayek's life and thought.

Be that as it may, Ebenstein has done a fine job in this book. Each chapter is devoted to a specific idea of, or a major influence on, Hayek. Foundational ideas incorporated into Hayek's thought are discussed (Darwinianism, German historicism, Austrian school economics) as are significant works that denoted major changes in his thought. Individual chapters deal with Mises, Keynes, Friedman and Popper, and another contrasts Hayek's thought with Marx, Mill, and Freud. Hayek's major economic thought is address in chapters devoted to both his early years and his later work.

I recommend this book primarily as a ready and current reference for the ongoing debates and interpretations of Hayek. Ebenstein's Bibliographical Essay on the collected works of Hayek may be an essential source for those studying this man.

Another disppointing treatment of Hayek
I read Ebenstein's biography of Hayek with high expectations, only to find the work disjointed, inadequate, and incomplete, and I was left with the feeling that either the author did not understand Hayek, had problems expressing himself or did not do adequate research.

When this title hit the bookshops, I immediately purchased a copy thinking that this volume would make up for the inadequacies of the first. But again, I am left with the feeling that a better work on the life and writings of the great Von Hayek is still to be written!

Recommended.
A very good starting point for those who have heard about Hayek and his ideas, but are not ready to jump into the details of his other works. A few well known traders say that to do well in the stock market, one must have a good understanding of the thinking of the Austrian School.

This book summarizes the ideas and discusses his many books, most of which are currently in print. It is written in an easy to read style. It may help you decide which of Hayek's works to read first.

I enjoyed it.

Only goes so far in explaining the genius
Frederich Hayek was a genius who happened upon his brilliance by both nature and nurture. He lived in an era which thought it not unusual to work in both the physical and social sciences. In Hayek's case it was most important that his first love was biology since the evolutionary underpinnings of society were fundamental to his approach to the social sciences.

He is today remembered for such classics as THE FATAL CONCEIT, THE CONSTITUTION OF LIBERTY and especially THE ROAD TO SERFDOM. He excelled in many categories and it was this fusion of various fields that made his work so unique and so vital. Starting as a scientist in the tradition of Ernest Mach, he soon began studies in economics, particularly value. From semi-Socialist leanings he became convinced of the link between economic and political freedom. This was the subtext of THE ROAD TO SERFDOM.

His argument against collectivism and central-run economies are as valid today as they were in the early part of last century. Central economies fail because 1) Society has too much knowledge to be centrally commanded (2) all economic decisions become political and thus authoritarian and noncreative and (3) there is no way to set value (price) under Socialism.

THE SENSORY ORDER dealt with epistomology, then he branched out to philosophy and politics. As an example of how Socialist we have become, Hayek's views were called ""liberal" and are now called "conservative" despite the fact that they're unchanged. He wrote one piece "WHY I AM NOT A CONSERVATIVE" which is a clarion call for libertarianism and classical liberalism.

The book examines the clashes between intellectual giants - von Mises, Popper, Mach, Wittgenstein (his cousin) and others. He was a secularist, a capitalist and a political liberal in the classical sense. His work on monetary policy still affects us (adjusting interest rates to increase or decrease the money supply, "floating" currencies externally). His influence with Western politicians and intellectual leaders was and is huge. He won the Nobel Prize for Economics in appreciation for his many contributions.

Almost as an afterward Hayek issued a brilliant statement. The aim of all economists is the increase in material wealth. He wanted this accomplished through an increase in wealth (capitalism) rather than a confiscation / redistribution of wealth (socialism / central run economies). The battle between these two points of view are with us today. ... Read more

Book Description

What do you get when you put twelve lively kids together with a father -- a famous efficiency expert -- who believes families can run like factories, and a mother who is his partner in everything except discipline? You get a hilarious tale of growing up that has made generations of kids and adults alike laugh along with the Gilbreths in Cheaper by the Dozen.

Translated into more than fifty-three languages and made into a classic film starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy, Cheaper by the Dozen is a delightfully enduring story of family life at the turn of the 20th century.

Reviews (120)

Cheaper by the Dozen
Overall the book was good.I thought Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth was a funny book.I would highly recommend it to everybody bacause it is a good book.The reason I would recommend it to everybody is because it doesn't set a bad influence on little kids. This book is a very good book.

Great family fun
I had seen the film version many years ago but had no idea that it was based on a real family.
I really enjoyed this book and was fascinated and impressed by the parents.The book is realistic and amusing and by the end your find yourselves so involved with the family that you'll have a lump in your throat or tears in your eyes.

My favourite scene is the birth control advocate meeting the family in all its glory.Brilliant.

A young adult classic that cries out for rereading
First the confession: I had a role in the Roosevelt Middle School production of Cheaper by the Dozen in 1972. Rereading this young adult classic, I was struck by three things. One was the amount of stagecraft that any parent puts into his parenting, whether conscious or not. To our children, we are larger than life, even when we are embarrassingly insignificant. Two, modern management was invented by ambitious engineers like Frederick Taylor and Frank Gilbreth. And three, the technological changes that happened a hundred years ago were at least as significant as the ones of the last decade. There was one technology that the book mentions that didn't survive the Darwinism of the marketplace. Who knew that you could put whistle on the exhaust pipe of a car, the same way you do on a teakettle?

Excellent!
Cheaper by the Dozen is the epitome of belly-laugh reading. It'll make you roll on the floor laughing. From the Therbligs on the ceiling to Dad being tricked into staying for the late-night movie, you'll love it! I highly recommend this book and I hope that you will read it.

A review from a 6th grade reader
I would definitely recommend this book to readers. It is very funny and clever because of the colorful conversations of a family of 12 kids and two adults. What I really liked about it was how they were always trying to find new ways to make their lives more efficient, by doing two things at once like brushing their teeth while learning a language or shaving with two razors. The only thing I didn't like was how their father died in the end.
I also liked the family's car, the Silver Arrow, which managed to seat the kids and the adults. Another thing I liked (the most) was the family's father who was constantly making jokes and trying to manage the family.
Overall, it's one of the best books I've ever read. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Henry Frick, remembered by art lovers today for his splendid collection of old-master paintings by Rembrandt, Bellini, and others that make up New York's Frick Museum, was one of the 19th century's worst robber barons.Brutal with workers, he never hesitated to hire mercenary armies to kill railway and mine strikers. Frick's was such a bloody and vicious climb to a pot of gold that his descendents have been understandably reluctant to allow historians full access to his papers. Finally, his great-granddaughter, Martha Sanger, a noted steeplechase and hunting enthusiast, decided to write about the life of her ancestor, and was allowed full use of the archives.

Sanger's publisher, Abbeville, has done her proud with a luxuriously produced volume in which Sanger offers many theories about why Frick bought certain works of art. And although art historians may dismiss her black-and-white analyses of a collector's motivations--based, as she admits, on her own years in psychoanalysis--they at least reflect how Frick's own family saw him. Among the reproductions are famous pictures by Goya, Greco, and Gainsborough, but also many others rarely reproduced, perhaps because they are typically bad-taste 19th-century art, showing that even Frick bought some duds. Whether or not he acquired paintings, as Sanger asserts, because they reminded him of a daughter who died in early childhood, Frick was still a major historical figure, and his life needs this kind of voluminous treatment in order to complement harsher portraits by professional historians like Samuel Schreiner, who subtitled his own 1995 book from St. Martins Press The Gospel of Greed. --Benjamin Ivry ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Biography, History, And Art
"Henry Clay Frick: An Intimate Portrait" is an excellent work of history, biography, and a stunning visual presentation of art. The result of a decade long effort by a Great Granddaughter of Mr. Frick, Martha Frick Symington Sanger, the book is a beautiful volume from its construction, to what is displayed and written within.

This is not as scholarly a book as Simon Schama's "Rembrandt's Eyes", and so it should be judged with distinct criteria. This is a family history as related by one of its members, so in exchange for the objective view of the Historian, we trade a certain objective detachment for an intimate portrait of the man, his family, and the legacy of art he collected. I was amused to read that one person thought that some of the works bought by Mr. Frick were "Duds". I would agree that when your collection includes multiple paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Renoir, Veronese, El Greco, and Van Dyck, to name a few, some are perhaps "better" than others. I would also suggest no one would take a pass if offered a work for their own.

Mr. Frick was a very tough businessman, at times brutal, and he never hesitated to employ these tactics when he perceived his business interests were threatened. This does not make him unique among the major Capitalists that built this Country, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Fisk, and many other were also notorious by today's standards, or were they? Private armies may no longer be used, but public welfare, and the fate of employees is not always at the top of the list today either. I do not attempt to justify what they did, rather to suggest a more dispassionate view is in order. Our "Robber Barons" are often compared to the Kleptocrats of today's Russia, and that truly is absurd.

Fortunately many of these men amassed great collections of art whether rare books, paintings, historical documents, or something else that caught their interest, and we are the beneficiaries of their collections. The Morgan Library or The Frick Collection simply could not be duplicated today. Theoretically Mr. Bill Gates could pay the price, but where would you find a brace of Vermeer's offered for sale?

The book is not perfect in it's history as others have pointed out, however on balance I believe the work to be excellent, and certainly the most personal insight into the life of Mr. Frick.

Mr. Frick and others like him make easy targets, that they were flawed is not the issue, they were. They also gave back in a variety of forms a great deal of the wealth they accumulated. This may not be enough for some or even for many, but to have left no legacy other than that of brutal businessmen, I suggest, would be a great deal more disappointing.

Intimate indeed. A book that finally portrays him as human.
Do not be fooled by the size of this book. Once you open the book you will not find it easy to close it.

This book satisfies on many levels. If you are an art lover, you are amazed at the artwork and how beautifully the publisher reproduced it. It's the next best thing to being in Frick's art collections yourself.

If you are interested in Frick or the post Civil-War industrial era, you will at last find a revealing biography of the man that finally acknowledges that he was a human being, albeit flawed in some ways. This book should shatter some commonly held myths about Henry Frick.

My only complaint is some incomplete research. I have discovered several historical errors that a good editor should have caught. For example, and perhaps most blatant, many figures and stated facts relating to the 1889 Johnstown Flood are incorrect. But Frick's reaction to the Flood is an insight not known to many until now.

Mrs. Sanger should be proud of her book. This will serve as a definitive history of both the man and his legacy. This will be a valuable addition to your library.

A book that satisfies on many levels
The book is amazing in so many ways. When I had finished it, I felt as if I'd experienced something far more important than a mere biography; her legacy or her life's masterpiece, perhaps. If so, then in my opinion, and with all due respect, she's outdone her forebearers.

The Humanization of an Industrial Baron...
This was an excellent book! Being a Pittsburgh boy, I grew up surrounded with the donations of Frick and Carnegie, and was always curious about their story. The portrait painted by Ms. Sanger about her ancestor is realistic yet gentle and full of understanding. The physical characteristics of the book are also fine, with heavy stock paper and marvelous illustrations. This is the definitive biography of Henry Clay Frick.

An engrossing, yet flawed, portrait of a fascinating man.
The illustrations alone almost make this book worth the price. Yet there are quite a few historical errors that need to be corrected. There are, for example, a few mistakes in the section dealing with the 1889 Johnstown Flood. But the reader can tell that this book was a passion for her, and she should be commended for tackling a difficult subject. It's rarely easy writing objectively about one's ancestors. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Does the world really need another book by or about Donald Trump? Surely his previous tomes about getting to the top, surviving at the top, and falling from the top--not to mention the innumerable magazine covers and tabloid stories detailing his rather sordid personal life--have sated the public's taste for "The Donald." Just in case this isn't so, however, Trump has given us yet another paean to himself: Trump: The Art of the Comeback. If you really care to know what Trump thinks about Howard Stern, Geraldo Rivera, or Carl Icahn--or his deep understanding of women--he's happy to tell you. If you thrill to accounts of financial takeovers and mano a mano encounters in boardrooms and on golf courses, this is the book for you. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Part New York Post, part dealmaking action
Whatever you think of Trump, its his combination of managed egomania, stories from his experiences, and willingness to tell all that make this a work of art. While not intended to be a textbook on dealmaking, The Donald offers up much insight into how he came back from oblivion. It's important to understand that, in Manhattan, in the real estate industry, and in life generally, sheer ability does not determine one's business success. Trump realizes that and offers a broad view of his life for the six years since he last wrote a bestseller, during which he spent most of the time in magnate Siberia. While not for the faint at heart, anyone with an interest in Trump's unique method of making a buck will enjoy this book.

The Art of Donald Trump's Accomplishments
This book fails to live up to its title "The Art of the Comeback." Having devoting only one full chapter on how he came back from near bankruptcy, Donald Trump fails to give his audience a proper perspective on the ingredients of coming back. His theme, like his other two books, is basically about all his acquisitions. If you truly are looking for a book about the inside secrets of negotiations, business practices, and real estate finance, don't buy this book. Instead, try to get his first book "The Art of the Deal." Now, that's a book you can learn a thing or two from.

Drivel
Save your time and skip this one. Page after page of name dropping and boasting. Who cares?! I was interested in some factual info about how he does business. Unfortunately that only amounts to about 10%. You're Fired!

Keep The Facts Straight
Let us give him his due. He has style and tenacity and the nerve.

But let us not forget it is not as hard as one might think to become a billionaire if you start off with 250 million. He had a great start with his father including his father's business acumen and a development base and finances. His father gave him a lot of responsibility and the young Trump responded and went from Queens to Manhattan.

He got carried away, got over extended and dropped the ball, all on his own and driven by his own nerve and ego. The guy knows how to hire and manage, something he learned from his father and he has taken all that to the next level. He managed the casinos and generated great cash flows. He is always trying to get involved in projects adding mainly the name not much cash. But that is his way. He knows how to keep what he makes, and certainly has learned this hard lesson.

I have read and enjoyed all of Trump's books but he leaves out the practical aspects of dealing with unions and the mob and shady lawyers. They are books with a certain façade just like his buildings, so enjoy the book but it is just part of the story. The books are short and bolster his PR.

Jack in Toronto

The Art of Hyperbole
I think Trump is a phony and an egomaniac. But I gave him credit for "coming back." But he doesn't really elaborate on his comeback nearly to the extent the title suggests. So I was disappointed in that. I'm from L.A. where even the average burger-flipper runs into celebrities with frequency, so his name dropping of celebrites meant nothing to me. I really would have liked a more introspective analysis of his comeback, but didn't find it here. He's an overgrown boy, which is no sin, but also doesn't make for great reading. One thing he says that a very very wealthy friend of mine told me is to "not depend on one source of income." So that's decent advice. Too bad more wasn't included. ... Read more

Book Description

On Easter Day, 1967, American businessmen and founder of the modern Thai silk industry James H.W. Thompson disappeared while supposedly on a stroll in the jungle-clad Cameron Highlands in Central Malaysia. Neither Jim Thompson nor his remains has ever been found.

Some twenty years earlier Jim Thompson had abandoned his former life to embark on an exotic business career in Southeast Asia. After establishing the Thai Silk Company, Thompson built a house and an art collection which are among Bangkok's top tourist attractions today. After vanishing, he became the subject of a massive search and investigation, and a mystery that has never been solved. This definitive account of the life of Jim Thompson, written by a man who knew him well, gives the reader a first-hand glance into his private affairs and his alleged role as an agent for the CIA .

This true-life mystery will keep you turning the pages to the final chapter. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

One of the most fascinating missing persons cases on record!
James H.W. Thompson was a legend. Born in 1906, he served during WWII in the O.S.S which later became the C.I.A. His real claims to fame however were first as the 'Thai Silk King' and secondly as a missing person rivaling Judge Crater and Jimmy Hoffa for mystery. This book should have inspired several others on Thompson since he lived such a legendary and fascinating life. Sadly, this is really the only authoritative book out there on him. Nearly 36 years have done nothing to dispel the myths and rumors about what may have happened to him during a fateful weekend in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia (Easter weekend of 1967). For those who love a real-life mystery, tantalizing clues, possibilities, and innuendos keep the reader guessing as to his possible fate. You won't find any definitive answers here, but what you will find is an extraordinary life laid out in the most entertaining of biographical narratives.

Curiouser and curiouser
Bought this book on a recent trip to Thailand. Have known of the many stories surrounding Jim Thompson and wanted to read the definitive book on the subject. Unfortunately, I'm no further ahead in learning the solution but the book is fascinating and a page turner.

And since the author is a true fan of Jim Thompson, is what HE wrote the truth or is there still more out there?

This book will just make the reader want to know more.

Thailand's Colorful Mystery Man
I began this book on Christmas day while visiting Singapore after having spent a few days in Thailand. My son wouldn't give up possession of this book as he was also reading it. It just was made available this Spring in the U.S. I can't wait to get a copy and finish it! It is a great mystery story and also a fascinating account of a man who was instrumental in revitalizing Thailand's silk industry. ... Read more

Book Description

The Last Good Time is a richly layered epic that brings to life a fascinating place, its politics, people, and culture, through the portrait of one of Atlantic City’s most famous families—the powerful, flamboyant, and ultimately tragic D’Amatos. Paul “Skinny” D’Amato created and presided over the 500 Club, the celebrated supper club that entertained thousands of Americans and helped guide the careers of the great Rat Pack performers—Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra. Skinny was at the center of it all, hovering behind the scenes during the zenith of one of the world’s most notorious playgrounds.

Veteran magazine writer Jonathan Van Meter captures the volatile history of twentieth-century Atlantic City—from the days of Prohibition and smoky speakeasies to the city’s heyday of imported Hollywood glamour and glitz after World War II; from the near demise of the resort in the 1970s to the city’s current era of legal “gaming” and dazzling high-tech hotel/casinos.

Skinny D’Amato avoided the public eye whenever possible, though he was perhaps the most important person in the history of Atlantic City, where his nightclub served as the ultimate backroom for the big players of entertainment, politics, sports, and the Mob. Skinny is rarely acknowledged as part of the Rat Pack, but he was at the center of its creation, its mentor. It was Skinny who taught Sinatra how to hold a cigarette, tip big, be cool. He paired Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin for the first time at his 500 Club, and on any given night back in the 1950s and 1960s, you’d find Elizabeth Taylor, Toots Shor, the Gabor sisters, Joe DiMaggio, Milton Berle, Liberace, Grace Kelly, Nat King Cole, and just about every big player in the underworld hanging out by the bar or in the back rooms. Skinny was a link between politicians—including John F. Kennedy—entertainers, and the Mob and was the subject of constant surveillance by the FBI and tax investigators. Whether he was in the Mob or not, Skinny was the ultimate connected guy, a gentleman’s gentleman, a passionate gambler who had a special touch that brought bigpeople together so that they could have a good time.

As Van Meter evokes the ever-evolving landscape of Atlantic City, he shows us how the D’Amato family, like other larger-than-life American families during the last century, experienced a changing wheel of fortune, seeing great moments of wealth, power, and personal attainment, as well as all manner of human tragedy. In the space of a few years, Skinny’s beloved wife, Bettyjane, died of a brain aneurysm at a relatively young age; the 500 Club burned to the ground; and, perhaps most devastating of all, his son, Angelo, was convicted of brutally murdering two people. With the last of the good times behind him, Skinny retreated to his Ventnor, New Jersey, mansion, taking his card game with him, emerging to see his Rat Pack friends, and, in the process, becoming a living symbol of how cool it all was once upon a time in America.

Van Meter expertly renders one of the great untold tales of modern America, a character portrait of both an extraordinary time and place, and the Zelig-like man who hovered over it all. The Last Good Time is a classic tale of the whiskey-soaked dark side of America’s mid-century popular culture. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Great Read
You won't be disapointed with this book!!!! The author integrates all of the interesting details of AC in the past 100 years without boring the reader. Any casual reader or historian will love the clever writing style and attention to detail and context of AC - a town with a dynamic history. The tale of Skinny's life and the 500 should be made into a movie!!!!

After reading The Last Good Time, I was prompted to making a trip, now knowing the history of the town that can't really be what it was and is still struggling with where it needs to be in the future (author's forward).

Save your money!
A Very disappointed read! I grew up in NYC (Manhattan) and had heard about the 500 Club from my Father, friends and relatives. This book did not do it justice. I could not even stay focused on this it was soooooo boring at times. Unlike Atlantic City should have been in those times. To give the book some credit there were a few interesting tidbits about Joe Di Maggio, Toots Shor, and Sinatra and Crew! It was nothing I could not have learned watching Biography.

Can't put it down!
This book does an excellent job of telling the "story" of Atlantic City (& Skinny D'Amato) in a fascinating way! Anyone interested in gambling, nightclubs and Atlantic City.."The Naughty Queen" quote taken from another book on Atlantic City..it's a must read!

A GREAT TIME
Jonathan Van Meter's book is a COMPELLING story,
rich with Atlantic City history, about a man and
a time gone by. I am not old enough to have ex-
perienced that time, but Van Meter's words
catapulted me into an era that seemed thrilling.
I highly recommend this book.

A time to be missed
As often I am call "old school" it was new and refreshing for me to read of the old Atlantic City. I thought Jon Van Meter brought back to life a time that has been dead far too long. I would strongly recomend it to anyone who loves the golden area in American history. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In conjunction with its 100th anniversary, the Ford Motor Company opened its monumental archives to the unfettered research of author/historian Douglas Brinkley. And while the 800-page history that resulted from that work (as well as Brinkley's tireless, amply footnoted source work elsewhere) is comprehensive to a fault, the scope and enduring impact of the industrial colossus wrought by Henry Ford make it often seem like mere introduction. Brinkley's meticulous, enlightened work can't help but find endless fascination with the company's founder, whose presence resonates through every phase of the company's history, from its fitful start (FMC was the third company to bear the Ford name), through the rise of the Model T (still one of the most ubiquitous and revolutionary mechanical contrivances of the last millennia), to its cycles of corporate decay and rebirth (variously via Iacocca's Mustang in the 60's and the technical innovations and potent retrenchment of trans-nationalism in the 90's). Henry Ford remains one of the greatest human paradoxes in a century filled with them: a largely self-taught engineer who couldn't read a blueprint, yet became a mass-production visionary; an employer whose social conscience (and no small amount of shrewd business acumen) doubled the salary of his employees one era, employed thugs to crush their union organizing efforts the next; a world figure who read little, yet published much, including anti-war editorials and vile, anti-Semitic tracts--despite the fact that his monumental manufacturing facilities were designed by Jews whose friendship and professional relationships he cultivated. The enviro-social impact of Ford's industrial innovations continues to loom, and Brinkley hardly ignores them. But his research is largely focused on the rich players (and their often perplexing psychology) of the Ford saga, all-too-human characters whose ambitious empire will continue to cast its long shadows over many a generation to come. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (14)

An Admirable Attempt at the History of an Enigma
Henry Ford was an enigma, and he remains one despite more than 850 pages of text in this fine history of the man and his company. Douglas Brinkley offers a court history of breadth and scope, relying on the rarely accessible Ford Motor Company archives to flesh out stories of the birth of the assembly line, the Model T, union busting in the 1930s, anti-Semitism, and successes with the Mustang, LTD, and Taurus.

Throughout "Wheels for the World" Henry Ford is the force that creates and holds a corporate empire together. Brinkley devotes the first two-thirds of the book to him, exploring the paradoxes in his psyche: a self-taught engineer who created a corporate empire, a high minded entrepreneur in the mold of Robert Owen at one time and an anti-union zealot at another, and a man who used his wealth and power to spout ill-informed and sometimes demagogic ideas. Brinkley's final assessment is well-reasoned and enigmatic.

Get to know the true history of Ford
It takes a true master author to write an 800-page biography of a well-documented and known history while keeping the reader fully engaged like a mystery novel.

I was at first intimated by the size of the book but then pleasantly surprised at how well it was written.

The author takes us through the journey of Henry Ford's life from birth to the creation of Ford Motor all the way to the arrival of the 3rd Ford family member to take over the company in 2002.

What makes this book so good is the fact that the author strikes a perfect balance between giving the reader intimate details of the Henry Ford's day to day life as well as moving the story along.

In the end I believe the author did a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of Ford Motor Company, its struggles, its success, its failures, and its challenges through the life of its leader.

This book is highly recommended as the first car history book you give a young reader.

Wheels for the World
Wheels for the World by Douglas Brinkley is a lengthy, but well written book that details the Ford Motor Company's epic history and many accomplishments. Brinkley offers the reader plenty of information on Henry Ford, the pioneer of mass produced auto manufacturing. He details everything from Ford's instabilities and contradicting behavior to his impeccable business savvy. A major downfall for Wheels for the World is Brinkley's inability to make clean transitions from one idea to the next. The reader gets attached to one idea, and the next thing you know Brinkley has begun an entirely new concept. But, in the end I believe the author did a great job of capturing the struggles and successes of the Ford Motor Company, while also taking us through an interesting journey into the life of an extremely intelligent man in our nation's history. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the nation and the auto-making industry.

Packed with Knowledge!
It would be difficult to conceive of a more detailed corporate history. Author Douglas Brinkley offers an interesting, lucid narrative of Henry Ford's early experiments with the automobile, and his first, unsuccessful companies. He promises and delivers a "warts and all" picture of Ford's history. Brinkley is at his strongest discussing Ford's origins. But the book is also sprawling, diffuse and unfocused, with a somewhat confusing tendency to jump back and forth along the twentieth century timeline. It is more than a biography of Henry Ford, but less than a thorough history of the Ford Motor Company. The author nods in the direction of the technological, managerial and financial forces that have shaped Ford since the 1950s, though he presents Ford's (both man and company) earlier history in vivid detail. The impact of what Henry Ford did and how he did it still shapes industry in the United States. We recommend Brinkley's book for its revealing picture of one of the twentieth century's most influential industrialists.

A Disappointment
I found no mention of Harry Ferguson, the Ford-Ferguson tractor(perhaps the most significant agricultural tractor of the Twentieth Century), or subsequent tractor work by Ford. There was no mention of Dearborn Motors, nor its significance to the Company. ... Read more

Book Description

Now back in print, this is the only biography devoted to the life and career of Roy D. Chapin—one of the foremost figures in the history of Detroit's independent automotive industry. ... Read more

Book Description

The story of how one young couple gave up their professional jobs in a major city in California to move to the woods in Northern Wisconsin after buying a resort and opening a disc golf course. Anyone considering owning and operating a resort or bed-and-breakfast needs to read this informative and well-written book. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

I'm Living Your Dream Life
The book by Michele Cozzens, "I'm Living Your Dream Life", gives the reader a look at how one family combines their core values, personal strengths, and long term objectives, to provide a way of life that successfully blends 'making a living' with 'making a life'. Written with humor, warmth, and wisdom, the book is an informative, quick, and enjoyable read about what it takes to develop, operate, and maintain a northwoods resort. Cozzens presents her experiences and observations with warmth and giggle out loud humor. Both entertaining and enlightening, this book will offer behind the scenes insight to anyone who has enjoyed vacationing at a northwoods resort, as well as to those considering a career in Bed and Breakfast/Resort management.

Looking for a great book--You gotta read this one!
Although it has never been my dream to operate a lake resort or bed and breakfast, I found "I'm Living Your Dream Life" to be a delightful book and read it in one sitting. I grew up in the midwest and found much of the story very familiar as I had spent many times up at the lakes of Wisconsin and Michigan. The nostagia alone kept me turning page after page. Michele Van Ort Cozzens is a gifted writer who uses her experiences from her trip to Africa, her college years and her life on the west coast to intrigue and educate her readers. I purchased several copies of this book because I knew it would appeal to almost everyone on my gift list. It provides a pragmatic and comprehensive look at the realities of undertaking the proprietorship of a lake resort and I know a few people considering that venture. Anyone remotely interested in purchasing a resort or B&B must read this this BEFORE they do so. Also, if you already own one this book will make you realize that you aren't the only one to go through all the difficulties that you have probably experienced. Michele did a great job of telling it like it really is. She presented her experiences in an interesting, fun to read manner; not dwelling on her difficulties but allowing her readers to know that it was hard work. Michele also presented the satisfying aspects of business ownership. I especially enjoyed the question and answer chapter and I recognized many as ones I myself have asked during my stays at resorts across the U.S.. I love this book and recommend it to everyone. It is absolutely mandatory reading for anyone seriously considering opening a B&B or a resort. Carol J. Craig - Wakefield, Rhode Island

Candid look at business ownership is refreshing
Wow, the minute I finished the Dream Life book, I e-mailed a note to Michele VanOrt Cozzens to thank her. I read a lot and have never felt that compelled before. I'm happy I wrote, as she wrote back and told me she has another book coming out in June. I can't wait!

This book is a candid look at how hard it is to start a small business, and what it takes to receive positive results. She does not sugar coat life, and only talk about the good things.
Difficult and rude customers are a fact of life in any business and it was comforting to hear stories of this reality and how they dealt with these everday challenges. Also, that employee turnover is normal and how they coped. The most important information I gained was on the legal liabilities involved in servicing the public. She writes with a bubbly excitement that made the book hard to put down, so I just read it straight through.

My husband and I are just opening a vacation rental property in Oceanside, California this weekend. Thank you to my brother for sending me this book. He actually ordered it on Amazon.com and had it sent to us. It makes a great gift!

Grumpy
I dont think Mrs.Cozzens is living her dream life. She comes across as too miserable to be happy. Maybe she is just a chronic complainer. Anyway, I would not feel comfortable being around her or staying at Sandy Point for the mere fact you are sure to be judged and talked about. Really, if people bother her so much, why did she get into a job that requires her to interact with them at this level?

I'm living your Northwoods dream life
Ms. Cozzens writes a fun and informative read on the ups and downs of running a small Northwoods resort after choosing to leave the 9 to 5 grind of city life. Michele focuses on the business dealings as well as the family and health aspects. It's not just about running a resort -it's also about choosing a different lifestyle and taking a chance on happiness and contentment in your life. Good insight and a quick and fun read.Tell me more! ... Read more

Book Description

Before there was Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling at Enron, before Bernie Ebbers at WorldCom, or Dennis Kozlowski at Tyco, there was Al Dunlap -- the notorious business executive whose actions foreshadowed a ruinous period in business when illusion seemed to matter more than reality.

Al Dunlap -- a.k.a. "Chainsaw Al" -- was ruthless in downsizing corporations for short-term shareholder profit. While reviled on Main Street, Dunlap was loved on Wall Street for bringing huge returns to investors and shareholders ... until the dark side of his actions began to emerge. With a new afterword by the author -- Business Week writer John A. Byrne -- Chainsaw dramatically documents the rise and fall of Dunlap, the havoc he wreaked on companies and people's lives, and how he came to power in the first place.

Reviews (30)

You reap what you sow. Does this apply to business?
"Chainsaw Al" is a wonderfully written book. John Byrne manages to pull off an amazing double with this effort. First, the story of how Al Dunlap was permitted to bully, excuse me, I mean manage, a company for two years should be required reading for all CEO's and those who aspire to such positions. Secondly, it is a genuinely gripping drama that pulls you in and makes you root against Mr.Dunlap and his valets, aka top executives.

I have an enormous amount of respect for the level of effort and research that Mr. Byrne obviuosly has placed into this book. It shows up on every page. From the mayor of one of the small towns that Mr. Dunlap callously affected, to a low-level accounting department auditor who seemed to be one of the few people with any self-respect in the corporate offices, to the Board of Directors at Sunbeam, you are permitted inside their heads and find out what they thought and did as the company first rose, then spiraled into near oblivion under the care of Mr Dunlap. Incredible.

I found myself amazed at the courage and morality that some showed; and disgusted at the amorality and cowardice of others. How could any "professional" put up with the continual abuse that Mr. Dunlap heaped on them? How could any "professional" have taken his impossible fiscal goals and objectives seriously? For the promise of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that "Chainsaw" had delivered before at Scott Paper,and several other companies.

I think ultimately the importance of this book will be that it will serve as a warning to all those in business who feel that everything,including one's decency, should be sacrificed to maximize profit, stockprice, and one's coffers when it comes time to cash in the options.

Mr.Dunlap got what many felt he had coming. What you will get if you read John Byrne's book is one hell of a story.

Insightful and accurate - I too lived it!
Through in-depth interviews with insiders, John Byrne has accurately depicted the pressure-cooker environment inside a company in the midst of a melt-down. He recreates the bizarre chain of events that began with Al's highly publicized appointment as CEO and ended with his ignominious dismissal. By juxtaposing the external PR spin with the internal chaos, he illustrates the two faces of Al: the charming, ebullient darling of Wall Street and the media, and the ranting, irrational CEO who seemed to enjoy firing people.

The book also depicts how Wall Street analysts, otherwise savvy reporters, individual investors, and even Sunbeam's own Board of Directors were duped into believing Al's fairy tales far longer than I would have imagined possible. They seemed to want to continue to believe, even in the face of growing evidence of his duplicity. The author captures all these events and offers comments and perspective from many of the individuals involved.

Just like one of Aesop's fables, this story highlights the ethical dillemas faced in the business world; the bad choices of an arrogant, unfeeling egomaniac, and the moral of the story: you'll eventually pay the price for profit at any price.

A difference between tough and cruel
If John Byrne's "Chainsaw" were a work of fiction, it would likely be considered unpublishable beca