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Reviews (3)

The Best Book in the World. And I mean it.
A 10? Can't we go any higher? This book is definatley a 12. I cannot even explain how entertaining this book was, I have read it at least 6 times since I was given this book last March. I will only say that this is definatley one of those books that should be on the required reading lists for all schools. Overall I should say that this book is an all time best. Definate 12

Almost as good as the Necromennon
What can we say, obviously this is a book that any full-blodded American can relate to. I consider this book the finest example of pure literary skill at its finest. I especially enjoyed the chapter describing the fair as "rambunctiously Christian" with "people praising the lord at all corners". Chapter 9 says it all about the book in the 3 little words of "I love God", well, I love this book. The only reason I gave this book a 9 is because the forward by Paul Cruchow was not the best example of grammar that I would expect, even from my 3rd grade class, such phrases as "Yuck yuck, you'll love this book." and "Why if I knew how to write as good as Mr Amato I'd be a pure literary star, chuck full of star stuff, yup I wanna be like Amato, or as I like to call him, TAmato." I mean what kind of a run on no sense sentance is this? Well, I guess the rest of this book makes up for Paul's illiteracy. I would encourage the reading of this book to any person of any age. "The Great Jerusalem Artichoke Circus" is also makes a great gift. I thank Mr. Joseph A. Amato for this wonderful literary treat.

Sometimes wanting to do the "right thing" isn't right.
For a review of this book go to the Website http://www.serve.com/stevie2/artichoke.htm ... Read more

Amazon.com

These days, if it isn't a dot-com venture, it's no adventure at all. But in early 1996, when Tom Ashbrook jumped from the world of ink and paper to that of computer screen and mouse, Internet start-ups were largely the domain of computer geeks and 18-year-old whiz kids--not exactly the most obvious place for a journalist with a family to support. But with big dreams and a midcareer itch, Ashbrook took The Leap. The result is a look back at those adrenalin-pumped years that's filled with honesty, humor, and a healthy dose of introspection.

Neither a geek nor a whiz kid, Ashbrook was an award-winning writer for the The Boston Globe, where he had worked for 15 years. Shortly after winning a coveted one-year sabbatical in Harvard's Neiman Fellowship program, Ashbrook began talking Net dreams with an old college friend, Rolly Rouse. Their vision was to launch a Web site that would present home-design information and images and enable users to create online idea portfolios and buy quality products for their dream homes. Ashbrook soon quit his job and plunged into the project full time, endlessly revising business plans, tapping anyone and everyone for advice, courting venture capitalists, hoarding free credit cards for backup "security", and forever trying to convince a sane and worried wife that he wasn't zooming headlong over a cliff. As a case study of HomePortfolio.com, it's a story of manic speed and energy. As the story of one man's midlife adventure, it's a tale of trepidation, fear, ambition, love, and wonderment.

Ashbrook writes with eloquence. His descriptions are imaginative, juicy, and always dead-on. For example, Harvard Business School "was a gleaming, vitamin-enriched, brick and marble and white-trimmed monument to economic steroids," and its old buildings "always looked next-to-new, like rich, pampered matrons on full-dose nip-and-tuck regimens of estrogen and plastic surgery." And he remembers the Myers-Briggs personality test "smelled a little like horoscopes for eggheads to me, with its big gumbo of letters and pat descriptions." Occasionally, Ashbrook's tendency to spice up his descriptions gets a bit much as he throws in too many metaphors; it's as if his brain is on hyperlink overdrive. Overall, though, his graceful prose flows with alacrity, and the pace is infectious. Forget the quiet comfort of your favorite reading chair; you'll be stomping down the sidelines, hoarsely shouting, "Yes, yes, you're almost there, go, one more push!" For that's what this is, a breathless tale of giving birth, an exhausting, exhilarating play-by-play of sweaty labor and life-changing success. Beware... it'll give you the itch. --S. Ketchum ... Read more

Reviews (26)

A Passionate Adventure Story
I started this book at 8pm and finished at 4 the next morning. Could not put it down. An absolutely wonderful, compelling story and storyteller. Beautifully written. The Leap reads almost like poetry sometimes, then slams you into passages of incredibly gripping action. I opened it doubtful that the Internet startup setting would capture me, but the Internet world is only the beginning with this book. It is really about having the courage to grow and change. And to take risks even when it's not convenient. If you have ever thought about turning your life upside down for a fresh start, read this book. It's a challenging, passionate adventure story that will keep you thinking long after you've gulped it down. Highly recommended.

The Leap: A Guaranteed Blockbuster
I can't remember the last time I read such an extraordinary book!

The Leap is the story of a successful journalist who risks everything he holds dear to follow an Internet dream. Tom Ashbrook allows you to live vicariously through the eyes of someone who dares to do what so many of us merely dream about. This richly crafted book is both a thrilling page turner and a beautifully written story where each chapter, each sentence is treasured.

I guarantee you will love The Leap! Don't miss out on the first book by the best American author to come along in a generation.

Before You Decide to Leap....
In an article which appeared in FSB magazine, Ashbrook explains "There is a game I call startup solitaire. It doesn't have a rule book. It just comes to you, late at night. It goes like this: You're alone in your bedroom with a tall stack of credit cards. You're slowly spreading them out on the bed, turning the cards over and over, checking them against your monthly statements, looking for a few more dollars to borrow."

As he observes in the book, Ashbrook had dreams his life wasn't touching. He heard a clock ticking. He knew the world was changing in ways that obliterated his old assumptions. "Something huge was happening, something on a scale so large that I was lucky to see it even once in my lifetime. It was stirring economies and imaginations and possibilities like nothing I had ever known. And the more I looked at it, the more desperately I wanted to be a part of it."

For those who are tempted to make a leap into High Risk/High Reward Entrepreneurship, this is "must reading" because the game to be played -- startup solitaire -- is not for the timid nor for the incompetent. Ashbrook enables his reader to accompany him each step up to his "leap", while he is airborne, and then....The book's subtitle correctly suggests that this is "a memoir of love and madness in the internet gold rush." Like so many others, Ashbrook was caught up in what was the apparently irresistible "fever" of it. What happened to him, to his family members, his friends, and his business associates? What did he learn from his experiences? It's all here, waiting for you to share it...albeit vicariously and perhaps from a position of relative security.

Fun and Easy Read for An E-Commerce Blank Slate
"The Leap" is a fun, accessible and page turning foray into the world of e-commerce wannabes, especially if you happen to be clueless but intrigued by the phenomena of web start-ups and the preternatural sums of money required for so many of them. A friend lent me this book unsolicited. More out of courtesy than curiosity, I thought I'd skim the first few pages and return it. Wrong! Until I read it, I didn't think I was particulary interested in e-commerce matters, especially yuppie-sounding ones. But I found instead that Tom Ashbrook's book resonates on multiple levels, so that someone like me who'se not likely to be interested in what goes into starting 'just one more cyber company' is in for a big suprise. "The Leap" is an edgy mixture of personalities, relationships, families, mid-life crises, risk taking, and lots more. It's a quick and suspenseful read. Given the fickle nature of these companies, there's no final ending. Since completing this book, I've found that I pick up on media stories about other similar ventures undertaken by people with little or no capital and have a more fully informed (albeit of a 'cyber start-up 101' nature) idea and appreciation for what's involved. While people like Tom and his partner, Rolly Rouse (the obsessed and original brains behind the entire Homeportfolio venture) may not be entirely like you and me (they are after all Yale educated and know lots of people with potential deep pockets) they and their families are enough like lots of us that their story is simultaneously exciting and frightening. Enjoy your leap into their leap!

OK, but not as good as Burn Rate
If you are going to read one book on internet startups read "Burn Rate". This book was interesting in its own way - focusing more on the impact to one's family of doing an internet startup. But I found that story fairly predictable - of course you have to work hard and miss many hours away from home. I found myself wishing the author would get past deciding to commit himself to the venture and tell us more about mechanics of starting the company. ... Read more

Book Description

"The Political Economy of Protection" explains why countries, especially developing countries, change their trade policies over the course of history.It does so through an interdisciplinary approach, which borrows analyses from both political science and economics.While the central focus of this book is to explain historical changes in trade policy in one country, Chile, it is broadly relevant for students, scholars, and trade specialists interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the politics and economics of international trade.Given the intensifying public debates about the benefits of globalization, the author provides a uniquely rigorous yet interdisciplinary analysis of the forces that shape trade policy decisions, not just in Chile, but throughout the world. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Packed with Useful Information!
If you can get your book into traditional bookstores, great. But don't overlook the many other lucrative markets out there. Brian Jud's "Beyond The Bookstore" does an excellent job of describing these markets. But he doesn't stop there. Brian explains exactly how to break into special markets and provides detailed, useful contact information.

Ever wonder how to sell your book directly to libraries? On page 159, Brian points out there are at least 117,418 libraries (including public, academic, and school) across the United States. In the pages that follow, he explains exactly how to market to libraries, and he includes contact information for library wholesalers you may want to work with. He ends this section with a true story of an author's successful library book tour.

In addition to explaining how to approach places like Target & Safeway, airport shops & museum stores, Brian gives practical pointers on everything from promoting perpetually to getting book reviews.

A valuable resource which I'm benefitting from immensely in my ever-growing search for new markets for my book. I highly recommend this book to every author. Don't limit yourself -- think outside the box! Beyond The Bookstore will open your eyes to greater opportunities and point you in the right direction.

-- Graciela Sholander, http://dreamitdoit.net

Buy This Book and Sell More Books
Every page of this well-researched book has ideas that can help you sell more books--from a few to a few hundred thousand.

It doesn't take long for a publisher to learn that bookstores are not the best places to sell books. Huge discounts, long waits for payment (often six months or more), and the dreaded returns make bookstores less than attractive markets. So what's a publisher to do? Find other places that will buy your books.

'Beyond the Bookstore' is your map to finding sales opportunities. The 79 strategies give specific information that will help you identify special markets for your books, locate the people who will buy from you, and make the sale. Some of the special markets identified include warehouse clubs, supermarkets, corporations, book fairs, airport stores, catalogs, museum stores, book clubs and home shopping networks. Strategies include lots of how-to, with success stories, detailed tips and contact information.

These strategies will work for large publishers, small presses, self-published authors, and (in many cases) Print on Demand titles. There are even strategies for leveraging your content to create new products, in addition to books. The CD-ROM included with the book walks you through the process of creating a detailed marketing plan and timeline.

I had high expectations for 'Beyond the Bookstore,' and those expectations were exceeded. If you want an easy to follow, step-by-step plan to open new markets for your books, you need 'Beyond the Bookstore.'

Cathy Stucker
Special Interests Publishing ... Read more

Book Description

Rice Bowl & Chips explains how Asian countries are using the Silicon Valley model to develop technology startups. Author Dennis Posadas enumerates the unwritten rules of innovation that have worked in Silicon Valley since the 1930’s, based on the works of scholars and other seminal works on technology entrepreneurship. Using these concepts as a benchmark, Mr. Posadas points out similarities and differences between Silicon Valley and Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, Singapore and Korea. He discusses concepts like proximity and creative destruction, intellectual property, the importance of universities, publications and patents, and the role of stock markets in encouraging venture capital.

Rice Bowl & Chips tackles the research capabilities and venture capital infrastructure of the major Asian countries. The book as a whole gives the reader a holistic picture of Asian innovation at large. At the end of the book, Mr. Posadas suggests how Asian countries can use the Silicon Valley model in ways different from how the United States and other developed countries use it.

Rice Bowl & Chips will be of particular interest to researchers, innovators, venture capitalists, policy makers, and those interested in Asian technology entrepreneurship. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

The Unknown History behind your Patrologia Graeca!
I came upon this book a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. As an armchair reader of Patristic texts I often use some of Minge's works. I was delighted by the story behind the publishing of these and so many other books in such a short amount of time. Using rather questionable business practices, Minge put out both the Patrologia Latina and the Patrologia Graeca (almost 400 vols). Moreover, he published ten newspapers and over 1000 volumes in just 30 years.

I am not sure that the end justifies the means, but Minge's odd and entertaining saga is a good tale, esp is you are interestind in patristics.

You may also find A Tactful God interesting if you have an interest in liturgical studies. It is the story of Gregory Dom Dix, the litrugical scholar who published the massive Shape of the LIturgy. Enjoy! ... Read more

Book Description

Thoroughly updated, the Third Edition of this highly respected text explores each component of the travel industry from a global perspective. New topics include: ecotourism, tourism marketing, yield management, adventure travel, travel agency mergers, and the impact of new technology on the travel industry. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Michael Cunningham believes online alliances are one of the most effective tools for developing the power and leverage needed to prosper in today's business world. An avid practitioner of such arrangements in his own Harvard Computing Group consulting firm, Cunningham presents a strong argument for these affiliations, along with a comprehensive guide to their creation in Partners.com. "Today, it is no longer possible for firms to do it all alone," he writes. "Whether it is hardware for a computer system, a hosting service to provide e-commerce capabilities, or a distribution partner that will sell and service products, partners are essential." Showing precisely why these associations are particularly potent in areas like sales, finance, and distribution, Cunningham details the steps involved in their formation and implementation, beginning with the partnership he considers most essential: the one that must be forged between organizations and their employees before any of these others can even hope to succeed. Drawing upon winning coalitions created by B2B and B2C endeavors such as eBay, GoFish.com and Convistint, Cunningham then delves into everything from the technology involved to the contracts required. The result is a thorough examination aimed at those serious about finding innovative ways to improve their operations. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A REAL WORLD GUIDE TO PARTNERSHIPS
Complex topics such as partnerships tend to be covered in a very fragmented manner. Partners.com does not have this problem. Cunningham ably deals with the people, process, technology and market issues that forge partnerships, but also how to manage, measure and change them.Rarely are these areas covered in sufficient detail, but here there is a roadmap with milestones and strategies that are working in the marketplace. Partners.com does for partnerships what Patti Seybold's Customers.com did for customer relationships. A classic!

Don't be fooled by the .com in the title- this is for all
This book is a prize! For those that are looking for the details behind partnerships the information here is not only relevant, but very comprehensive. The mixture of technology, strategy and culture required to pull of good partnerships is difficult for organizations trying to make it happen. Cunningham provides not only a great roadmap, but illustrated with real world examples of what has and has not worked. Do not be fooled by the .com in the title, this book is targeted at all businesses. I particularly liked the sections on self-service Partnerships and the "most important partners, your staff". A practical piece with great strategic insight. Organizations will be able to use this to hone their competitiveness, internal and external consultants will buy to emulate all that has been learned on this topic. ... Read more

Book Description

Just as "spin" has taken over politics in America, so too has it come to define the long bull market on Wall Street. The booming trade in stocks, which has become a national obsession, has produced an insatiable demand for financial intelligence--and plenty of new, highly paid players eager to supply it. On television and the Internet, commentators and analysts are not merely reporting the news, they are making news in ways that provide huge windfalls for some investors and crushing losses for others. And they often traffic in rumor, speculation, and misinformation that hit the market at warp speed.

Howard Kurtz, widely recognized as America's best media reporter, and the man who revealed the inner workings of the Clinton administration's press operation in the national bestseller Spin Cycle, here turns his skeptical eye on the business-media revolution that has transformed the American economy. He uncovers the backstage pressures at television shows like CNBC's Squawk Box and CNN's Moneyline; at old-media bastions like The Wall Street Journal and Business Week, which are racing to keep up with the twenty-four-hour news cycle; and at Internet start-ups like TheStreet.com and JagNotes, real-time operations in the very arena where fortunes are made and lost with stunning swiftness.

Bombarded by all this white noise, who among the fortune tellers can investors really trust? Kurtz provides an indispensable guide with this eye-opening account of an unseen world, based on eighteen months of shadowing the most influential, colorful, and egotistical people in business and journalism. Among the people we meet in its pages are:

Book Description

Photographer Nance Trueworthy and commercial-fishing journalist MikeCrowley paint a handsome--and accurate--portrait of the men and women who earn a living in commercial fisheries along the coast of Maine, where inshore fishing is more than just a business. It's a lifestyle, one that defines each day not only for those who fish, but for their families. Thanks to Trueworthy's thoughtful color images and Crowley's easily digested descriptions, this is a magical world of alewives, softshell clams, lobsters, sea urchins, and northern shrimp, to mention just a few. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The perfect book for everyone who loves Maine.
The pictures are breathtaking and the scenery pure Maine. Nance Truworthy is a wonderful photographer who has captured the true essence of Maine and the people who make a living on the water. I savored every page of this wonderful book. It is the perfect book for anyone who lives in or has visited Maine.

Down the Shore
I just LOVED this book! The photographer captured the actual life of a Maine coast fisherman and the work is just brilliant.
If you never knew anything about fishing, you would have learned alot of information about the industry from the writer plus some very interesting and amusing tales. And the point of the book is to call some appreciation to the men and women who brave the elements to bring food to our tables....a great cause and so beautifully portrayed. I would highly recommend everyone see this book! ... Read more

Book Description

Illustrated catalog for an exhibit traces the exchange of North American furs for European manufactured goods. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

an oppressed group confronts the capitalist market
Professor Weems details and analyzes the history of advertising to black consumers and black consumer behavior from the beginning until the end of the twentieth century. This book is a quick read, but you can tell the author put substantial amount of time researching each paragraph and page. In his introductory chapter, Weems sums up the book. This will be helpful to overburdened undergraduate students. However, those who complete the text will be satisfied by it.

The best chapter is the one on African-American consumer action. In that chapter, he discusses how black folk often fought racism economically. For example, he stated that black customers caused the store closing of the family of Emmitt Till's murderers. This chapter illustrates the fresh studies and perspectives still left for African-American scholars to bring forth in their (some woudl say) already crowded field.

This book would be an important tool for ethnic studies majors, business professionals, and historians. It's a wonderful text that should make the author worthy of tenure anywhere. I love the way that he refuses to think of the African-American community as a monolithic blob: differences in class, gender, and living environment are addressed here.

The book is not perfect. It never mentions Madame C.J. Walker, the first black millionaire. It never discusses how white business people often fail to advertise their products in black publications for fear that the product will be perceived as "a black thing." Further, topics are introduced, but their history is often not elaborated upon. For example, in the chapters on the 1970s, black film is brought up. However, black films go back to Oscar Michaux and others. It makes little sense that the topic was not brought up in the beginning, rather than the end, of the book.

Still, this book is worthy of a read from many, black and non-black, inside academia and outside of it. ... Read more

Book Description

The study traces the economic and demographic history of a corner of China's southeast coast from the third to the thirteenth centuries, looking at the relationship between changes in the agrarian and urban economies of the area and their connections to the expanding role of domestic and foreign trade.It provides a previously unexplored perspective on the role of commercialized production and trade in a regional economy in the premodern era and demonstrates that trade was able to drive change in a premodern economy in a way that has not generally been recognized. ... Read more

Book Description

"Forget romance," writes Alicia Drake, "Paris is for shoppers."Written in an upbeat and accessible style and beautifully illustrated throughout, this book is an ideal shopping guide for every visitor determined to seek out the best and latest styles-opening the doors to chic boutiques and elegant department stores, and even the best places to buy half-price designer clothes.

Broken down by arrondissement, A Shopper's Guide to Paris Fashion covers all the key shopping areas (with detailed maps) and gives information on everything from opening times to price range and even where to break for coffee. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Alicia Drake Really Knows What She's Talking About
I'm impressed. As someone who often shops in Paris, I was amazed that Alicia Drake tells it like it is. Her descriptions of the merchandise at particular stores is dead-on and lively; she's not afraid to call a store overrated (& she's right!) This book makes it easy to plan a shopping trip to Paris since she goes by neighborhoods and describes each store as though you were walking down the street with her. Her recommendations also include descriptions of Parisian neighborhoods and some interesting eating options - mostly for lighter meals, with a strong emphasis on tea houses. Unlike the Born to Shop series (w/ its annoying, snobby/cloying cuteness), she discusses shops in all price ranges, in a clear writing style that allows you to decide if a particular shop is for you.

I hope she turns this into a series. ... Read more