Export Issues for Entrepreneurs (Entrepreneurship series)

Book Description

Young entrepreneurs preparing to compete in a global business marketplace are given practical advice in this comprehensive text. Fundamental techniques and strategies exporters need to succeed are explained and combined with a blend of theoretical and real-world examples. In one exercise, aspiring entrepreneurs are encouraged to "adopt" a real company interested in improving its exporting business and are provided with the tools and tips for determining that company's chances for success. The basic elements of the exporting process, the art of export pricing, and country and currency codes are also discussed.

Customer Reviews:

Topo maps yes, but hard to use and outdated........2001-08-07

This is a useful volume for back roads and trails, but I was very disapointed with the "topo maps for the entire state".

First, while they are topo maps, there is little altitude information on the actual contours- you can only determine altitude by finding a peak or opther point with a stated altitude, and count the contours to your point of interest.

Second, these topo maps have NO lat/long information. In todays world, where many folks have GPS units in their car, RV, or backpacks, this makes no sense at all. This is a serious failing and why I feel the book is outdated.

great for hikers, fishermen, hunters, 4-wheelers.......1999-07-27

if you can afford 100 geological survey maps, get those. You can get all you need for approaching a trailhead or finding a lake or a jeep road out in the backcountry. The only drawback is that the graphical notation does not differentiate a paved from a non-paved road. This book is a must if you are relying on the text-only description of Colorado hiking trails and backcountry locations.

Average customer rating:

...zzzzzz

Disappointing.

Want to learn about negotiation with sports world examples?

Awesome Framework for Negotiating!

Good

Winning With Integrity: Getting What You Want Without Selling Your Soul
Leigh Steinberg , and Michael D'Orso
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Motivational | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Negotiating | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Ethics | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Business of Sports Agents

A Shark Never Sleeps

How to Be a Sports Agent (Pocket Essentials: Sports)

License to Deal: A Season on the Run with a Maverick Baseball Agent

An Athlete's Guide to Agents, Fourth Edition

ASIN: 0812932439
Release Date: 1999-10-18

Amazon.com

Since entering the nascent field of sports law 25 years ago--before athletes were guaranteed the right of legal representation--Leigh Steinberg has epitomized the high-profile sports agent, successfully negotiating over $2 billion in contracts for superstars like Troy Aikman, Steve Young, and Ryan Leaf. Just as importantly, he has done so with honor and was (according to director Cameron Crowe) a prime inspiration for the agent with a heart in the film Jerry Maguire. Now, arguing that value-driven negotiating techniques can prove equally productive in other settings, Steinberg lays out his step-by-step process in Winning with Integrity: Getting What You're Worth Without Selling Your Soul. Steinberg takes a holistic view on the art of negotiation. In the introduction, he writes:

This is a book about the process of negotiation--which means that this is a book about life.... Too many people would rather simply give up what they want. They would rather avoid the discomfort of possible conflict by accepting a situation or terms without discussion, even when it means accepting less than they rightfully deserve or desire.

Steinberg analyzes the entire negotiating process--from preparation and positioning through the actual negotiation and celebratory handshake. And not surprisingly, he enlivens his advice with colorful and entertaining stories taken from his dealings with notable adversaries ranging from the NFL's Jerry Jones to the NBA's Larry Bird. Suggestions for crafting an initial offer with different types of opponents are exceptionally insightful, but the real heart of the material concerns the period between counteroffer and deal signing, where Steinberg candidly explains how he realizes his goals without violating his principles. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

"There really is a Jerry Maguire. Only he's not some schlumpf struggling to make it on a wing and a prayer like Tom Cruise in the movie. . . . His name is Leigh Steinberg, and he's been cultivating a choirboy image for twenty years. He also happens to be the pre-eminent sports agent of our time."

--San Francisco Examiner Magazine

"This is a book about the process of negotiation.   Which means that this is a book about life."

Leigh Steinberg is the premier agent in sports. He has negotiated over $2 billion in contracts for the athletes he represents--who include Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Drew Bledsoe, Kordell Stewart, and Warren Moon--but he has also spent twenty-four years as a sports agent living by a strict personal and professional code of ethics. Steinberg's philosophy of ethical dealings and responsibility is well known in the sports world--and well known to moviegoers as well, because Steinberg's way of doing business was a model for Cameron Crowe's wildly successful film Jerry Maguire and the "manifesto" of business ethics that was the premise of the film.

Steinberg has always believed that negotiation is about more than the bottom line: the most successful business dealings are not always the ones that pay the most; they are about balance, perspective, objectivity, and values. A success in business must also be a success in one's own life. And in his book, Steinberg shares the secrets of successful negotiation, breaking the process down into the essential steps, from "Orientation" through "Making the Deal," and giving step-by-step practical and inspirational advice that will get any two people or parties, in any situation, to come to terms.

Full of great inside sports stories and characters, Winning with Integrity is an intelligent, insightful, and inspiring guide to the art of negotiation in business and in life--from the most successful businessman in sports.

"It's fashionable now, after the movie, for a lot of agents to talk about heart, but Leigh was the only one talking like that in 1993, when I began research."

--Cameron Crowe, director of Jerry Maguire

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

...zzzzzz.......2003-12-19

Winning with Integrity is a great self help guide for the Jerry Maguire to be. The author helps the reader to realize that it is all in negotiating. Whether it is how successful you are in life to life in general if you cannot negotiates well, you'll go nowhere.
Even though the author does seem a bit self absorbed the reader is able to see how negotiating well will help you get ahead. Leigh Steinberg has negotiated more than 1 billion dollars in contracts for the athletes he represents famous athletes such as, Troy Aikman and Kordell Stewart he also spent 24 years as a sports agent living by his own strict moral rules. Mostly everyone in the "sports world" knows of Steinberg and they follow his moral standards. He was the inspiration for the film Jerry Maguire, "SSHHHOOOWWW MMEEEEE TTHHHEEEE MMMOOONNNEEEYYYY!!!!!''

Disappointing........2003-05-08

This book is pretty much a joke. There are some useful points on negotiating, but by and large the author goes out of his way to pat himself on the back for his career success. Obviously Leigh Steinberg has plenty of lessons to teach aspiring negotiators, agents, etc., but a more even approach--i.e. listing actually conflicts or problems (as opposed to those that amazingly Leigh resolved through sheer brilliance and perseverance)--would have made for much better reading.

Want to learn about negotiation with sports world examples?.......2002-07-25

For a recently college graduate and moderate sports world observer with little experience negotiating in a business environment, this book was a pleasure to read. The concepts in this book are on or above par with my textbook on negotiation. However, I specifically enjoyed how Steinberg illustrates important concepts with stories involving the ever interesting personalities of professional sports. From establishing values to finalizing the contract, this book is efficiently organized to lead through the negotiation process. Also, at the end of each sub-chapter is a summary of the key points of the reading. Winning with integrity isn't easy in general, let alone in the ruthless world of sports agents. Leigh shares his experiences that have lead to his success in this fun and insightful book.

Awesome Framework for Negotiating!.......2001-10-13

I found this book to be a real treasure and entertaining at the same time. And best of all, you don't need to be a sports fan to appreciate the examples Steinberg uses.

It is a shame that some readers have found this book shallow and only written to brag about his exploits. They are missing the real point of the book and the positive outcomes that can happen from true negotiating, not just getting what you want. If you are looking for a book on 'How to be Persuasive and Always get What you Want', this is not your book.

Rather, it helped me build a solid mental foundation and framework when I enter negotiations. Also, you need to have the right attitude when you enter negotiations. This book will help you.

There are some remarkable examples that provided me with some real insights on perceptions. It opened my eyes that the world I see is not what everyone else sees. With his examples, I began to see how that applies to the business world as well.

I own a company that provides HR and OD consulting and I get emails EVERY day about hostile work environments. In many cases I refer them to this book to make sure their perception of the problem is on track with the problematic person.

If you are looking at this book for ANY reason, I suggest you buy it. Also, because of all the famous people involved in the negotiations, it was an easy read.

Good.......2000-02-07

This is a refreshing book, that counters WINNING THROUGH INTIMIDATION type books, that portray the business world as a jungle, where you have to negotiate with knives drawn. Steinberg practices integrity in his business life, and in his personal life. Steinberg actually lives down the street from me (although I don't know him), and he does wonderful things for the local community, that seem to come from the heart, rather than from a chance to be seen publicly as a benefactor, and pat himself on the back. He is in inspiration. And a nice guy who finished first!

Book Description

Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting, Revised Sixth Edition provides a better balance between theory and practice than other texts, with the most up-to-date coverage. It provides readers with a thorough basis for understanding the logic for and nature of all of the funds and account groups of a government, with a unique approach that enables readers to grasp the entire accounting and reporting framework for a government before focusing on specific individual fund types and account groups. Includes coverage of the new reporting model standard: GASB Statement 34. Includes illustrations of government-wide financial statements and fund-based financial statements presented using the major fund approach. Points out the major changes required from the current guidance and explains and illustrates the requirements of the new model. Explains and illustrates the GASB Statement 31. Contains the latest revision of OMB Circular A-133 on single audits. Appropriate for undergraduate Accounting courses, such as Governmental Accounting, Public Sector accounting, Government and Nonprofit Accounting, and Fund Accounting.

Customer Reviews:

Please *read* this review.......2005-05-17

This textbook does not cause me any frustration due to its inherent lack of color or boring tedious material. As the professor who wrote a review above said, those people should have majored in something that is interesting to them (although, accounting, by definition, can definitely become boring and tedious at times). It is up to the student to instead decide whether working through the material is worth the reward (i.e. an Accounting degree) and if it is what they want to do as a career afterward... anyways, on to the book review:

This book gives me problems in one **major** area, which is that it is simply edited poorly. By this I mean that it is not presented logically, instead in a jumbled-together fashion that makes it difficult to read.

One big issue is that the chapters are not arranged in a logical order to where chapter 1 builds to chapter 2, and so on. We skipped chapters 2-4 and came back to them so we would be able to understand what the book was talking about...

Another problem with this book's organization is its use of references: it tells the reader, within the paragraph, to "refer to examples 1-4, 1-5, and 1-6" to gain further insight on a subject. This sort of reference would be fine, except that the examples it refers to are usually on different pages, often 7-10 pages apart from one another. Any insight that might have been gained from loking up the examples is lost in the process of flipping pages back and forth, over and over.

In conclusion, the main problem with this textbook is the shoddy job of editing that was done. This is partly due to the fact that subsequent revisions chose to keep certain parts, add others, and delete some more, while the author's original intent was most likely to give the student an encompassing view of the subject through the detail and order of the content.

Prentice Hall is notorious for putting out textbooks just like this one. I remember teaching myself Tax due to many of these same reasons, and it too was published by Prentice Hall. Many of their texts are highly technical and do contain good information, but the poor organization of the book itself just plain ruins it. It can be compared to trying to read a newspaper article without the intro or conclusion paragraphs. Sometimes you get lost trying to figure it all out on your own.

In short, try to gain as much knowledge as you can from your instructor in class, because it won't help you one bit to try to read this book. Don't take notes in class, just listen to what the professor says and copy down the problems in class for study later on.

While it is possible to scrape by in class by spending hours on end trying to read *&* comprehend this book, one should not have to. That is not the purpose of education. If this book was written and edited like it should have been, students should be able to open up the chapter and find an easy reference to concepts that they may not understand completely. This book does not provide such references.

Customer review.......2005-01-28

I am also a Master level student. I read this book and it is a great shame to the profession and a great insult to the public at large, let alone students who have to pay dearly for this textbook with a low rate of return. When discussing Accounting, Ethics should be close at heart to these experts. Unfortunately, it shows none here whatsoever. In general, I find it is a great disturbance for these self-pronounced" experts in Accounting to write such a low quality textbook with a great violation of the technical writing 's ethical category, ie, repetitive, clustered, hard to understand, contradictory sometimes; but most of all the English language used in certain introductory chapters, ie, chapters one and two, full of grammatical errors, punctuations, paragraphs and sentences are ambiguous, vague, and copied directly from the code law book. etc... We have zillions law in the USA, one more to make these authors accountable for their writings and so-called expertise in the field would NOT hurt too much. We, the students are YOUR customers, not the Professors who force your book in our throats! Be ethical, be responsible so we can avoid FRAUD, UNETHICAL practices in the real world. After all, we learn from your textbook for God's sake. Treat us with decency, and kindness, and the world shall be better if not in this generation. And remember when you die, you do not take the earthly paper of award or recognition with you. Leave your good name with a good morality instead. In the commercial world of Capitalism, the customers thrive the demand and supply. Think about it....

Found it to be quite informative.......2003-09-04

I am not sure why the other reviewers had problems with this book. I actually found it to be quite easy to read and understandble in its explanations of terminology. I work for a software company which sells a budgeting tool. Since realigning over to our public sector division, I decided to buy this book in order to hone my governmental accounting skills. My accounting degree certainly helped and this books assumes a minimal set of accounting skills. The problems were quite helpful in reinforcing the concepts.

Certainly not the book to use.......2003-03-06

In general, this is the worst accounting book I have EVER been forced to decipher (didn't like our cost accounting book either). At my school, and probably elsewhere, ,everybody seems to think Acct 405 (Financial Acct 2) is the "hard" course, but Fin Acct 2, at least to me, has NOTHING on trying to learn governmental accounting from using this awful book.

Dazed and Confused..........2003-01-31

I am currently a Masters level student who is taking a Governmental Accounting course. I have found this text to be somewhat confusing. The chapters and the information are very detailed however, the study questions introduce new terms and are hard to follow. This makes for a complicated and frustrating process for anyone who has not had a previous accounting course. I understand that there are not many books out there on this topic. However, a study guide or even the assistance of a glossary and some consistency in phrasing questions to be similar to the text would help. If I can't understand what the question is asking how am I to know if I understand what I thought I just read. The lack of pictures and graphics does not bother me and the blue ink while hard to get used to is easier on my eyes. The Powerpoint presentations were also helpful.

Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting: Theory and Practice (Hbj Accounting Series)

Average customer rating:

Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting: Theory and Practice (Hbj Accounting Series)
Patricia P. Douglas
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Finance | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0155296485

Testbank to Accompany Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting theory and practice 1991 Edition

Average customer rating:

Testbank to Accompany Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting theory and practice 1991 Edition
Patricia Douglas
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S1FMGI

Average customer rating:

Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting: Theory and Practice
Robert J Freeman
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OISV0Y

Average customer rating:

Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting: Theory and Practice
Robert J. Freeman
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OI5HV0

Average customer rating:

Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting: Theory and Practice (Hbj Accounting Series)
Patricia P. Douglas
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OK17TY

Amazon.com

Working from a small apartment in Hollywood, Matt Drudge became one of the country's most notorious journalists when he reported that Newsweek had spiked a story about a sexual relationship between President Clinton and a certain White House intern. Of course, there are many (mostly professional reporters) who argue that Drudge should not be labeled a journalist at all, and it is upon this issue that the Drudge Manifesto is based. As Drudge notes, he has "no budget, no bosses, no deadline," and as a result of this independence he is both feared and reviled, admired and respected. Ostracized by the establishment he may be, but his popular appeal is undeniable: the Drudge Report Web site received over 240 million hits in 1999, and the numbers are rising. Members of the White House staff check in daily, as do many of the media elite who viciously denounce Drudge in public. Like it or not, he has become a force in Internet journalism.

Drudge collaborated with Julia "You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again" Phillips to produce a writing style that reads like a breathless and often disjointed e-mail. But the book is a vehicle for ideas, not sparkling prose, and its value lies in Drudge's assessment of the current state of the media as well as his take on its future. One of the most interesting (and certainly the clearest) parts is a transcript of a Q&A session conducted at the National Press Club on June 2, 1998, which lays out Drudge's manifesto better than the book itself. The NPC is hostile territory for Drudge, and, unsurprisingly, he is grilled by moderator Doug Harbrecht. In the end, Drudge makes a strong and thoughtful case for his methods and his right to be a reporter. And he gets in plenty of zingers of his own: "You know, these questions are pretty tough, and I think if you directed this type of tough questioning to the White House, there'd be no need for someone like me, quite frankly."

This is also a chance for Drudge to sound off. He boasts of beating CNN (by eight minutes) to the announcement of Princess Diana's death; of being the first to report Bob Dole's selection of Jack Kemp as his running mate; of his scoop of the Microsoft-NBC merger. He replays the events surrounding his decision to release the Lewinsky information on January 17, 1998 (the book is dedicated to Linda R. Tripp), and volunteers his favorite Web sites and sources. His book is not only a manifesto but a manual for anyone interested in following his lead. "With a modem, a phone jack, and an inexpensive computer, your newsroom can be your living room, your bedroom... your bathroom, if you're so inclined," he writes. In today's media climate, that's the way it is. --Shawn Carkonen

Book Description

Everyone's talking about Matt Drudge and Drudge Manifesto:
"In this wave of scandal, deceit, and hypocrisy hitting Washington and the world of politics, who can help the public divide 'the truth' from 'the spin'? His name is Matt Drudge. He is feared and reviled...cheered and celebrated. He's a hero and a visionary-or enemy No. 1. Drudge Manifesto further cements his reputation on both sides." (Sunday News [Lancaster, PA])

"The buzz of the media-industrial complex."(The Washington Post)

Customer Reviews:

An Inventively Funny Book by One of the Pioneers of Internet News.......2005-08-13

Matt Drudge has challenged the mainstream media for over a decade now with his website and he gives a fresh take on what the internet will become in future years.
He's a guy who claims he barely graduated high school, has no college and happened to stumble upon, what was at the time, a niche concept: internet news. Drudge will go down in history as one of the most influential men in 21st century news, because he single handedly has challenged politicians, media big-shots, and corporate conglomerates.
This book gives a recount of his escapades with the Lewinsky scandal, among other experiences up until mid-2000 when it was published. Just as Drudge predicts, the internet is replacing contemporary media faster than expected.
Drudge's writing style is quick and in-your-face. A fun, fast read, I strongly recommend this book to anyone getting involved in web-blogging or who simply wants to find a different source for news than the sour Old Grey Lady and her bratty grandchildren imitators.

One Of The Worst Books I Ever Read.......2005-05-14

Matt Drudge will be remembered for the role he played in popularizing the revolution brought about by the advent of Internet news. However, when it comes to the world of publishing, he better not quit his day job.

As one of the pioneers of a new form of mass communication, one would expect Drudge Manifesto to be an insightful tome as to his medium's possibilities and strategies on how others might replicate his success. However, on this count Drudge Manifesto falls as short as the New York Times in fulfilling its civic obligation of supplying useful information.

The reader comes away from Drudge Manifesto with the impression that Mr. Drudge is an individual --- not unlike his nemesis Bill Clinton --- too aware of his own place in history. The extent of Drudge's own self-awareness is to such a radical degree that it has led him to use a number of McCluhanesque literary devices bordering on the bizarre and that, ultimately, detract from the text.

For example, there are a number of pages scattered throughout the work filled with nothing but oversized "0"'s or a "1"s. On another is nothing but a single declaration in smaller-than-average size type in the center of the page reading "You're boring".

The only thing boring is wading through Drudge's inane gimmicks. However, those with the stamina to meander through will be rewarded for their troubles with a transcript of the Q & A of Drudge's 1998 address at the National Press Club in which the famed Internet muckraker provides perspective into the nature of this new medium and deflects criticisms of elitist mainstream journalists jealous about sharing the media spotlight with insightful outsiders.

In reading Drudge Manifesto, one is forced to conclude that Matt Drudge has become so intertwined with the medium synonymous with his name that he is nearly unable to rise above its limitations or to provide much of an analytical perspective capable of making the information revolution an even more effective venue for further expanding the freedoms of all mankind.

by Frederick Meekins

Journalism renewed.......2005-03-02

Yep, this book needs to be required reading for those Journalism majors/minors. Folks, this is the future of Journalism... the internet, blogging, and digging up dirt before the big networks get to it. Drudge knew the risk when he was going to post the Newsweek/Lewinsky scandal deal. Now, look at him.

Gotta love Drudge's Sludge.......2005-02-12

I gave this book 3 stars although I could've gave it four. If you're a fan of his site you'll really like this book. The unconventional email style this text follows is really clever.

The thing I like about the author is he is the biggest sh#t stirrer ever and he's devoted to news, dirt, and breaking down the walls of communication. In his book, he details his rise from mediocrity to shaking the walls of the white house. His story is very good. I do enjoy his work though because he shows how lazy and clickish the "real" media is.

Giving a review of this book is kind fruitless - either you get Drudge's vibe or you don't. If you do pick this tome up.

Love him, hate him, but you can't ignore him.......2005-01-05

Matt Drudge redefined what it means to be a journalist. Before there were bloggers, before there was Dan Rather versus Powerline, there was the Drudge Report. This book is the story of Drudge as he battled corrupt politicians, arrogant journalists, and apathy. It might be difficult to understand this book at times, it might be cryptic, but that's just how Matt Drudge is. For anyone interested in the new face of politics, journalism, and the internet, this book is a must read.

DRUDGE MANIFESTO: THE INTERNET'S STAR REPORTER VS. POLITICS, BIG BUSINESS, AND THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM.(Review) (book review): An article from: Columbia Journalism Review

Average customer rating:

DRUDGE MANIFESTO: THE INTERNET'S STAR REPORTER VS. POLITICS, BIG BUSINESS, AND THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM.(Review) (book review): An article from: Columbia Journalism Review
Tom Goldstein
Manufacturer: Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Columbia Journalism Review, published by Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism on January 1, 2001. The length of the article is 1579 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: DRUDGE MANIFESTO: THE INTERNET'S STAR REPORTER VS. POLITICS, BIG BUSINESS, AND THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM.(Review) (book review)
Author: Tom Goldstein
Publication: Columbia Journalism Review (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2001
Publisher: Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism
Volume: 39 Issue: 5 Page: 76

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

Marynia, Don't Cry : Memoirs of Two Polish Canadian.......2000-02-09

I strongly recommend this book for anyone with Polish ancestry who would like to grasp a phase in the history of their nationality, as well as anyone who liked the storyline of Angela's Ashes. Part I is an amazing and shocking account of a family's endurance of dreadful hardships in the early 1900s in Poland and their eventual migration to Canada. Were the story embellished with more prose, it would be a Polish counterpart of Angela's Ashes! (and easily go on as a box office hit). I was constantly in awe of the determination and comradery of the women in overcoming astonishing obstacles in order to simply survive.

Book Description

This book consists of 18 charming, incidental essays--some serious, some light--that recount hitherto unknown anecdotes of Franklin's life and Ms. Lopez's experiences of unearthing them. Though a few of the pieces have been previously published or presented as speeches, most are new. Ms. Lopez has included brief personal introductions to each of the essays, relating her reasons for writing them and in the process threading the various pieces together. This well-written book should be altogether appealing to the general reader interested in Franklin and American history.

Customer Reviews:

The personal side of an extraordinary man.......2001-02-02

The group of men who wrote the constitution of the United States comprised the greatest collection of political geniuses the world has ever seen. With incredible insight into the weaknesses of human political structures, the checks and balances in the constitution provide a system of counterweights that make up a very stable government. While not generally considered among the leading tier of the founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin was present at the creation and made significant contributions.
In many ways he is also a model for the American ideal of the self-made man. He rose from poverty to become a writer, editor, publisher, inventor, scientist and diplomat. He charmed many of the leading figures of France so much that it entered the war of independence on the side of the colonies. Granted that there were many reasons for France to come to the aid of America in its war with Britain. However, it is quite possible that it would not have happened without the expert diplomacy of Franklin.
This book is the result of a search through his private correspondence. Therefore, it is a description of his personality as he communicates with friends, business and diplomatic colleagues; relatives and acquaintances. It appears that Franklin was quite a ladies man as well. There are hints that he had numerous affairs, although given the style of his letters, it is possible that his high degree of politeness could be mistaken for something deeper. The results depict a man very much of the world, one where life was slower and personal relationships were more significant.
It is unfortunate that political rivalries and geopolitical realities combined to lower his standing after the military victory that led to independence. Disputes arose with George Washington and John Adams that were no doubt political in origin. Franklin had both the domestic and international prestige to be considered presidential material, with only his advanced age as a hindrance.
The real problems were the geopolitical and geosocial realities. America was an offshoot of British culture, so once the severance was complete the natural affinity reasserted itself. Britain was also the supreme maritime power and America was a small nation consisting mostly of seacoast and the Canadian colony was on the northern border. Therefore, friendship with Britain was essential to the survival of the new nation. Franklin represented an alliance that was no longer critical, so as the political wind shifted, he found himself pushed aside. Until I read this book, I was unaware of the animosities that existed between Franklin and some of the other founders of the new nation.
Benjamin Franklin is the American model of the Renaissance man and his contributions to the success of the revolution are not to be underestimated. In reading the summaries of his personal correspondence, I found it clear that he is a person that you would have liked very much to converse with and would have considered yourself graced to have been his friend.

Average customer rating:

My Life with Benjamin Franklin
Claude-Anne Lopez (au)
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORQKR6

Book Description

If America had a heart, one might call it Brooklyn. This story is a small piece of that heart, told with verve by a young girl who dreams of becoming a writer. In these pages, she records her travel from fourteen through "sweet sixteen" (1929-1930), mixing the routines of her neighborhood life in Flatbush with poems, radio song lyrics, her love of books, regular trips to the theater to watch the latest "pictures," illustrations of her Jazz Age clothes, and her romantic notions about boys. Here, at the beginning of the Depression, she reluctantly shortens her education to learn marketable skills at a business school—typing, shorthand, letter-writing—and finds her first job in Manhattan at a fan manufacturing firm for $15/week. Though the novel she is co-writing with her girl friend is ultimately burned in the winter woods, this, the truer, fuller story, survives. It is, at heart, a coming-of-ages narrative. Posthumously published, this book finally fulfills her girlhood dream.

WHAT CLOUDS THERE WERE WERE WHITE: JOURNALS OF A BROOKLYN GIRL, 1929-1930

Average customer rating:

WHAT CLOUDS THERE WERE WERE WHITE: JOURNALS OF A BROOKLYN GIRL, 1929-1930
Josephine Fincker
Manufacturer: Xlibris Philadelphia, PA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IX2KVQ

Average customer rating:
YOUR CHEATIN HEART BIOGRAPHY OF HANK WILLIAMS
FLIppo Chet
Manufacturer: SIMON AND SCHUSTER,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Williams, Hank | ( W ) | People, A-Z | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000MN10ZO

Average customer rating:

Uncanny research! You can finally understand Hank!

"Based on" a true story

A gritty, non-flattering look at the life of this pioneer

Your Cheatin' Heart: A Biography of Hank Williams
Chet Flippo
Manufacturer: St Martins Mass Market Paper
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Composers & Musicians | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Williams, Hank | ( W ) | People, A-Z | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0312951035

Customer Reviews:

Uncanny research! You can finally understand Hank!.......2004-05-15

While Chet Flippo's work is easy to dismiss as "fictionalized," Flippo is by no means flippant! His research is astounding. Flippo was the
(1) first to visit sanitariums where Hank was committed for alcoholism to examine old records;
(2) first to research and diagnose Hank as spina bifida;
(3) first to reveal and publish Hank's final song lyrics which were found on the floor of his Cadillac;
(4) first to reveal Hank's meeting with a Catholic priest on July 15, 1951, in which Hank was advised of his fatal and ultimately crippling condition;
(5) first to reveal the co-author of Hank's "Cold, Cold Heart";
(6) first to print extensive dialogue from Hank's "Health and Happiness Shows" which was not released to the public until 1993.

Try as you may to find contradictions in Flippo's facts, you can't. Is there any doubt that, with Flippo's research, he was able to get inside the man as no one else has been able or willing to? Yes, I've read SING A SAD SONG and HANK WILLIAMS: THE BIOGRAPHY many times, but neither is as entertaining, informative, or satisfying as this work. This book is a
must-read.

"Based on" a true story.......1999-12-24

Too much speculation and dramatic detail of conjectured events. The Escott book is MUCH better.

A gritty, non-flattering look at the life of this pioneer.......1998-11-25

An almost pathetic view of a country "super-star," and his reliance to alcohol, narcotics, and women. A picture of an illierate "hill-billy" and his tyranic first wife. Hiram Williams was a man of great talent and personal appeal who let his life spin out of control, resulting in his death at the age of 29.

Your Cheatin' Heart: A Biography of Hank Williams

Average customer rating:

Your Cheatin' Heart: A Biography of Hank Williams
Chet Flippo
Manufacturer: Simon & Shuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books