ALFRED A. KNOPF

The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

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Exceptionally Multi-Dimensional View of the Man and His Times, 2009-06-24

"For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safely?" -- 1 Samuel 24:19

Cornelius Vanderbilt was driven by a desire to best his commercial rivals while realizing that he might in the future need to ally with them. As a result, he was a tough competitor while being careful to develop a reputation as someone who was trustworthy. You'll learn the consequences of this compulsion in The First Tycoon. And I'm sure many will pick up this book wanting to pick up tips on how to accumulate a great fortune.

If you are like me, you'll find many pleasant surprises in this book as many unexpected perspectives and dimensions emerge. This book could just easily serve as a primer on continuing business model innovation, an expertise that Vanderbilt seems to have had to an extraordinary degree. In addition, the book is a marvelous look into the dynamics of unregulated markets with relatively few competitors and how quickly monopolies and cozy oligopolies emerge that fleece the public. Further, the work does great justice to explaining how to gain cost and competitive advantages in transportation businesses (reduce the price, the hassle, and the costs). Beyond that, The First Tycoon is a definite primer on how to outmaneuver competitors in business and on the stock market. You'll also learn how to rig an unregulated stock market or to corner the market. Those who are interested in leadership will see many good models of how to go from doing to leading.

If that's not enough, you'll also learn about how a great success in business wasn't such a good father . . . and how he coped with the failings of his youngsters.

Those who like social history will find that the book is filled with much good information about the times and what it was like to live then. You'll never look at certain parts of New York and New England in the same way after reading about their origins.

Some may complain that they wanted more of a particular aspect of the story. Those who wanted just a biography, an ever deeper look into the man, may be somewhat disappointed. Much of the book doesn't get below the surface of Vanderbilt's psyche. But perhaps there wasn't very much to reveal about someone whom others had reason to avoid annoying.

I thought this book was so revealing that I spent a lot of time studying it, the first time I can say that about any book in recent years. I learned a lot and you will, too!

The Brand You 50: Reinventing Work

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Guide for the Free Agent Employee (Contractor) Universe-Wow!, 2004-05-29
There has been a lot written and said about how white collar employees will start acting like free agents in sports. This trend is already well advanced with software writers and other scarce professionals. Tom Peters has moved well beyond what has already happened to create a useful portrait of how to play this new role in order to have the most satisfaction and success. Further, he asserts that those in the non-scarce areas like human resources, purchasing, and so forth had better do the same thing . . . because 90% of these jobs will be gone in 10 years. I sometimes think that Tom Peters overstates things, but in this one area I think he is understating what needs to be done. Whether you are an employee, want to start your own firm, have friends and children who want good careers, or have just lost your job, this is an extremely important book on how to take charge of your own career (and to help those you care about do the same) to create the most benefit for those you serve (your clients, in Peters parlance)and yourself. Although you will recognize all of the ideas from having seen them elsewhere before, you will find the way he has woven them together to be practical, mutually-supportive and thought-provoking. I know that I got several good ideas from this book. As a business book author who helps people get a lot more with less ... and in less time, I found an additional benefit. This book is a great profile of how to be Tom Peters, the world's most successful business guru. I found this to be his most self-revealing book, and although I have always liked his work, I found that liked him personally a lot better as a result of what he shows about himself. If you are a Tom Peters fan, be sure to add this book to your reading list! You'll be glad you did. You'll live a much more interesting, meaningful, productive life as a result. This book is part of his 3 book series: Reinventing Work. I also recommend his book, Professional Service Firm 50, and you can read my comments about that book on that book's page on Amazon.com.

Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain

"Tapas" has been a staple in our house for years!, 1999-04-19
Tapas are always a hit with guests. For parties, I usually choose a few tapas that can be make beforehand (ie, the maninated tapas) and then serve a couple of hot tapas that require last-minute preparation. Nothing could be easier! Favorite recipes include garlic shrimp, tortilla, those delicious bite-sized meatballls and marinated shrimp. I enthusiastically recommend this book!

The Complete Manual of Woodworking

"Bend me, shape me, anyway you want me.", 2005-07-04
This book is more than just veneer. It has the look and feel of a coffee table book. There are glossy pictures and plenty of diagrams. However after the shock and awe, you will find this a great overview of many wood working disciplines. This book has information on everything from the history and makeup of various woods to tools used in various types of wood working.
My interest is mostly in turning and turning tools. There a tab in the margin of the book page that leads you to similar information on the subject. This is the in print version of a Hyper Link.

After absorbing this book you will have a better feel for what how you want to proceed. Then the book is still useful for a reference. If you do not actually indulge, at lease you can hold an intelligent conversation.

Asterios Polyp

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Impressive "debut", 2009-09-24
It's hard to believe that Asterios Polyp is in fact David Mazzucchelli's first graphic novel, such is the artist's reputation as artist on the groundbreaking Batman: Year One with Frank Miller, his dazzling graphic adaptation of Paul Auster's City of Glass and his acclaimed work on his solo work on his Rubber Blankets series, but Asterios Polyp is indeed his first sustained narrative storyline as both writer and artist.

A brilliant and highly respected architect, albeit only being demonstrated on paper and in a lecturing capacity, Asterios Polyp comes to the realisation that his life and failed marriage has ultimately been unsatisfying. When his apartment building is destroyed in an accidental fire, Asterios is presented with an opportunity to start his life anew, even at this late stage, and disappears, taking up work as a car mechanic at the destination where fate takes him.

Not quite as linear as it sounds, Mazzucchelli depicts episodes from Asterios's past life in alternate chapters from his new life. The artwork is quite spectacular - clean and vibrantly dynamic, reminiscent of Will Eisner layouts but with the distinctly modern edge of Chris Ware's sense of design (one that extends to the beautiful format of the hardcover book itself). Mazzucchelli's forte however is in his expression of emotional states, using a minimal but distinct colour schemes and geometric shapes and patterns to mark contrasts and complements in the moods and sensibilities of each of the characters in a way that only a true artist of the graphic medium can achieve. The storyline however is somewhat episodic, and Asterios Polyp remains something of an enigma even by the end of the book, but this is an ambitious and impressive "debut".

Frederick

A delightful read-together book for the whole family, 1998-04-21
Leo Lionni is the masterful grandfather of children's books. FREDRICK is the most recent of his fine tales which are destined to become children's classics. He weaves a moral throughout his tales that the entire family can learn from. The illustrations are simple, yet poignant. (A fun project for little ones is to take construction paper and make their very own "Fredrick" mouse.)

Having a Leo Lionni book in the house is the next best thing to have your grandpa right there reading to you. Outstanding!

A Field Guide to African Wildlife

Amazing, 2008-03-25
This book is an up to date field guide, I took it out to Kenya with me when volunteering with the Kenya Wildlife Service. It is the exact book all the vets and researchers use in the KWS. Brilliant Book

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Courtesy of Teens Read Too, 2006-10-14
Before I start the story that is Nick and Norah, I decided we needed to get some misconceptions out of the way first.

1) I don't live in Manhattan, so I won't understand what the characters are talking about. Wrong! I don't live in Manhattan--actually, I've never been farther East than Ohio, but I still got the gist of the story quite easily. Sure, I might never have visited Times Square, but I've been on the Square in my hometown (population 3,400), and the same types of things went on there that go on in New York.

2) This book is full of cursing. Right! And if you haven't heard a lot of curse words (do I really need to spell them out?), especially from the mouths of teens, in the last twenty years or so, I'm guessing you live on a commune somewhere in the middle of Utah.

3) This book only covers one night. Right again! And oh, what a night it is! One night, filled with all the ups, downs, and sideways that being a teen in todays world brings.

Now that we've got that out of the way, we can concentrate on the story. It's about Nick, a bassist for a band with an ever-changing name, who recently had his heart broken by a b***h named Tris. It's about Norah, an uber-complicated girl with more issues than The National Enquirer, who not too long ago had her virginity broken by Tal. And then there's Caroline, and Jessie, and Uncle Lou, not to mention Dev and Thom, and Randy from Are You Randy?, and Hunter from Hunter. There's beer, and
there's drugs, and there's sex, although none of it is Nick or Norah's.

There's heartbreak, and devastation, and lust, and forgiveness, and acceptance. There's parents to deal with, and friends to attempt to deal with, and a boy and a girl who wish that, just once, they could be themselves and not deal at all. There's a love story, and a song about a girl on a street in the middle of the night, and a band that just might make it big, and a car that won't start, and a subway ride that requires jumping the turnstyle.

There's love, and anger, and disappointment, and desperation, and redemption. There's life, and then there's Nick and Norah. There's a story here, and you need to read it.

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Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

The Essential Classic Italian, 2009-08-25
This is the book I have been looking for,for a long time. It is as the title promises "The essential Italian". The recipies are inviting and easy to follow and are the essence of the Italian "Taste:

Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids' Own Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun