| Search | About | Preferences | Interact | Help | |
| 150 million books. 1 search engine. | ||
books tagged “Failure”
books tagged “Failure”
›› Find signed collectible books by ''
English
-
Amsterdamby Ian McEwanISBN 3257232845 (3-257-23284-5)
Softcover, Diogenes Verlage
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Amsterdam' -
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perilsby David Bayles, Ted OrlandISBN 0884963799 (0-88496-379-9)
Softcover, Consortium Book Sales & Dist
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils'Book summary:[via]"This is a book about making art. Ordinary art. Ordinary art means something like: all art not made by Mozart. After all, art is rarely made by Mozart-like people; essentiallystatistically speakingthere aren't any people like that. Geniuses get made once-a-century or so, yet good art gets made all the time, so to equate the making of art with the workings of genius removes this intimately human activity to a strangely unreachable and unknowable place. For all practical purposes making art can be examined in great detail without ever getting entangled in the very remote problems of genius."
-from the IntroductionArt & Fear explores the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn't get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way. The book's co-authors, David Bayles and Ted Orland, are themselves both working artists, grappling daily with the problems of making art in the real world. Their insights and observations, drawn from personal experience, provide an incisive view into the world of art as it is expeienced by artmakers themselves.
This is not your typical self-help book. This is a book written by artists, for artists - it's about what it feels like when artists sit down at their easel or keyboard, in their studio or performance space, trying to do the work they need to do. First published in 1994, Art & Fear quickly became an underground classic. Word-of-mouth response alonenow enhanced by internet postinghas placed it among the best-selling books on artmaking and creativity nationally.
Art & Fear has attracted a remarkably diverse audience, ranging from beginning to accomplished artists in every medium, and including an exceptional concentration among students and teachers. The original Capra Press edition of Art & Fear sold 80,000 copies.
An excerpt:
Today, more than it was however many years ago, art is hard because you have to keep after it so consistently. On so many different fronts. For so little external reward. Artists become veteran artists only by making peace not just with themselves, but with a huge range of issues. You have to find your work...
More editions of Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils:
-
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (And Rewards) of Artmakingby David Bayles, Ted OrlandISBN 0961454733 (0-9614547-3-3)
Softcover, Image Continuum Pr
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (And Rewards) of Artmaking'Book summary:Observations on the perils and rewards of artmaking. [via]
More editions of Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (And Rewards) of Artmaking:
-
Ask Him Anythingby Lloyd John OgilvieISBN 0849929822 (0-8499-2982-2)
Softcover, W Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Ask Him Anything'More editions of Ask Him Anything:
-
Black Hawk Downby Mark BowdenISBN 0871137380 (0-87113-738-0)
Hardcover, Atlantic Monthly Pr
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Black Hawk Down'Book summary:Journalist Mark Bowden delivers a strikingly detailed account of the 1993 nightmare operation in Mogadishu that left 18 American soldiers dead and many more wounded. This early foreign-policy disaster for the Clinton administration led to the resignation of Secretary of Defense Les Aspin and a total troop withdrawal from Somalia. Bowden does not spend much time considering the context; instead he provides a moment-by-moment chronicle of what happened in the air and on the ground. His gritty narrative tells of how Rangers and elite Delta Force troops embarked on a mission to capture a pair of high-ranking deputies to warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid only to find themselves surrounded in a hostile African city. Their high-tech MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters had been shot down and a number of other miscues left them trapped through the night. Bowden describes Mogadishu as a place of Mad Max-like anarchy--implying strongly that there was never any peace for the supposed peacekeepers to keep. He makes full use of the defense bureaucracy's extensive paper trail--which includes official reports, investigations, and even radio transcripts--to describe the combat with great accuracy, right down to the actual dialogue. He supplements this with hundreds of his own interviews, turning Black Hawk Down into a completely authentic nonfiction novel, a lively page-turner that will make readers feel like they're standing beside the embattled troops. This will quickly be realized as a modern military classic. --John J. Miller [via]
More editions of Black Hawk Down:
Boy Detective Failsby Joe MenoISBN 1933354100 (1-933354-10-0)
Softcover, Akashic Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Boy Detective Fails'More editions of Boy Detective Fails:
-
Complete & Utter Failure: A Celebration of Also-Rans, Runners-Up, Never-Weres and Total Flopsby Neil SteinbergISBN 0385479700 (0-385-47970-0)
Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Complete & Utter Failure: A Celebration of Also-Rans, Runners-Up, Never-Weres and Total Flops'Book summary:A cheery exploration of the many fascinating facets of failure includes all kinds of disasters, from the National Spelling Bee with 8,999,999 failures to corporate debacles like Reddi-Bacon, plus a humorous look at the author's own disappointments. [via]
More editions of Complete & Utter Failure: A Celebration of Also-Rans, Runners-Up, Never-Weres and Total Flops:
- Complete & Utter Failure: A Celebration of Also-Rans, Runners-Up, Never-Weres and Total Flops: ISBN 0385472919 (0-385-47291-9)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group - Complete & Utter Failure: A Celebration of Also-Rans, Runners-Up, Never-Weres and Total Flops: ISBN 0385479700 (0-385-47970-0)
Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
- Complete & Utter Failure: A Celebration of Also-Rans, Runners-Up, Never-Weres and Total Flops: ISBN 0385472919 (0-385-47291-9)
Contract with America : The Bold Plan by Rep. Newt Gingrich, Rep. Dick Armey, and the House Republicans to Change the Nationby Newt Gingrich, Dick Armey, Republican National CommitteeISBN 0812925866 (0-8129-2586-6)
Softcover, Crown Publishing Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Contract with America : The Bold Plan by Rep. Newt Gingrich, Rep. Dick Armey, and the House Republicans to Change the Nation'More editions of Contract with America : The Bold Plan by Rep. Newt Gingrich, Rep. Dick Armey, and the House Republicans to Change the Nation:
Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Withinby Robert E. QuinnISBN 0787902446 (0-7879-0244-6)
Hardcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within'More editions of Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within:
-
Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, And One Quest for Transcendent Softwareby Scott RosenbergISBN 1400082463 (1-4000-8246-3)
Hardcover, Random House Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, And One Quest for Transcendent Software'Book summary:Their story takes us through a maze of dead ends and exhilarating breakthroughs as they and their colleagues wrestle not only with the abstraction of code but with the unpredictability of human behavior, especially their own. Along the way, we encounter black holes, turtles, snakes, dragons, axe-sharpening, and yak-shaving-and take a guided tour through the theories and methods, both brilliant and misguided, that litter the history of software development, from the famous "mythical man-month" to extreme programming. Not just for technophiles but for anyone captivated by the drama of invention, dreaming in code offers a window into both the information age and the workings of the human mind [via]
More editions of Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, And One Quest for Transcendent Software:
-
Failing Forward: How to Make the Most of Your Mistakesby John C. MaxwellISBN 0785268154 (0-7852-6815-4)
Softcover, Thomas Nelson Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Failing Forward: How to Make the Most of Your Mistakes'Book summary:The author of 24 books on maximizing personal and leadership potential, John C. Maxwell believes "the difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure." In Failing Forward, he offers inspirational advice for turning the difficulties that inevitably arise in life into stepping stones that help you reach the top. Noting that star performers are often those who aggressively push forward after encountering adversity, Maxwell shows how a variety of well-known and not-so-well-known people have forged ahead despite obstacles that could have derailed them. They include: Mary Kay Ash, who founded her cosmetics firm against enormous odds when the direct-sales company she toiled in for 25 years resisted her continued corporate climb; Truett Cathy, who lost two brothers (and business partners) in an airplane crash and experienced his own serious medical problems before establishing the Chick-fil-A fast-food chain; Greg Horn, who reopened his Kentucky grocery store just 21 days after it suffered $1 million in flood damage; and Beck Weathers, who lost his nose, half of one arm, and the fingers on his other in the infamous 1996 Into Thin Air Mt. Everest tragedy, but now takes a positive message of survival and conquest to audiences around the world. --Howard Rothman [via]
More editions of Failing Forward: How to Make the Most of Your Mistakes:
Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Successby John C. MaxwellISBN 0785274308 (0-7852-7430-8)
Hardcover, Thomas Nelson Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success'More editions of Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success:
A Fan's Notesby ExleyISBN 0679720766 (0-679-72076-6)
Softcover, Random House Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Fan's Notes'Book summary:Frederick Exley recounts his life as the son of a hero-worshipped high school athlete who is doomed to be a spectator not only of sports, but of life. From irresponsible drifter, to dreamer of impossible dreams, to drunkard, to frequent patient at an insane asylum, Exley carried baggage from his childhood through much of his adult life, never feeling he could escape the dark cloud of expectation that hung over him. When Frank Gifford, former New York Giants backfield star, is injured, Exley is jolted into painful realizations about his life, and a confession. [via]
More editions of A Fan's Notes:
- A Fan's Notes: ISBN 0394729153 (0-394-72915-3)
Softcover, Vintage Books - A Fan's Notes: ISBN 0394496418 (0-394-49641-8)
Hardcover, Random House - A Fan's Notes: ISBN 0679602712 (0-679-60271-2)
Hardcover, Random House Publishing Group - A Fan's Notes: ISBN 0679720766 (0-679-72076-6)
Softcover, Random House Inc
- A Fan's Notes: ISBN 0394729153 (0-394-72915-3)
-
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraqby Thomas E. RicksISBN 159420103X (1-59420-103-X)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq'Book summary:Fiasco is a more strongly worded title than you might expect a seasoned military reporter such as Thomas E. Ricks to use, accustomed as he is to the even-handed style of daily newspaper journalism. But Ricks, the Pentagon correspondent for the Washington Post and the author of the acclaimed account of Marine Corps boot camp, Making the Corps, has written a thorough and devastating history of the war in Iraq from the planning stages through the continued insurgency in early 2006, and he does not shy away from naming those he finds responsible. His tragic story is divided in two. The first part--the runup to the war and the invasion in 2003--is familiar from books like Cobra II and Plan of Attack, although Ricks uses his many military sources to portray an officer class that was far more skeptical of the war beforehand than generally reported. But the heart of his book is the second half, beginning in August 2003, when, as he writes, the war really began, with the bombing of the Jordanian embassy and the emergence of the insurgency. His strongest critique is that the U.S. military failed to anticipate--and then failed to recognize--the insurgency, and tried to fight it with conventional methods that only fanned its flames. What makes his portrait particularly damning are the dozens of military sources--most of them on record--who join in his critique, and the thousands of pages of internal documents he uses to make his case for a war poorly planned and bravely but blindly fought. --Tom Nissley
Making a Fiasco
Thomas Ricks spent five tours in Iraq during the war, reporting for the Washington Post and researching and writing Fiasco. Like many of the officers he most admires, when he wanted to understand what was happening as American troops encountered stronger and longer-lived resistance to the occupation than expected, he turned to recent and classic accounts of insurgencies and counterinsurgencies, from the U.S. occupation of the Philippines through the lessons of Vietnam, and he reports on his favorites for us in his list of the 10 books for understanding Iraq that aren't about Iraq. You can also get a glimpse into his writing process with a much different list he has prepared for us: the music he listened to while writing and researching the book, from Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell to Ryan Adams and Josh Ritter. And he took the time to answer a few questions about Fiasco: Amazon.com: As military correspondent for the Post, you have made five trips to Iraq over the last four years. How has it changed over that time?
Thomas E. Ricks: It has been markedly worse each time, in terms of security. On my first trip, in April-May 2003, we would walk out on the streets of Baghdad at night, albeit with caution. Even on my second trip, in the summer of 2003, I would feel comfortable hopping in a car and driving 100 miles north from Baghdad to Tikrit. To do either of those things now would be suicidal. In January and February of this year, Baghdad felt worse to me Mogadishu did when I was there in 1993 or Sarajevo did when I was there a few years later. It appeared to me that there was no security, except what you provided for yourself with armed men and careful planning. One Army major described the city to me as being in "the pure Hobbesian state" in which everybody is fighting everybody.
By the way, contrary to what I see asserted occasionally, most reporters don't live in the Green Zone, the walled-off area in central Baghdad that is the headquarters of the American effort in Iraq. Reporters live out in the city, and I think generally have a better feel for what is going on than do people living in the Zone or on big American military bases. In the area of Baghdad I stayed in, I constantly heard gunfire and explosions. Yet an American colonel told me that my neighborhood was deemed "secure." I think that really meant that U.S. troops could drive through it while heavily armed--say, with a .50 caliber machine gun atop a Humvee--and usually not be attacked.
I worry that what the Americans measure are threats to U.S. troops and the killings of Iraqis. That neglects a huge spectrum of other significant activities--rapes, robberies, kidnappings, acts of extortion, and, most importantly, acts of violent intimidation.
Amazon.com: You cite many strategic errors in the planning and execution of the war, but perhaps the central one is that the U.S. military leadership failed to recognize that they were fighting an insurgency, and their methods of fighting in fact helped to create that insurgency. Can you explain those methods, and their effects?
Ricks: The U.S. military that went into Iraq in 2003 was the best military in the world for fighting another military. But it was woefully unprepared for the task at hand. For example, U.S. military culture believes in bringing overwhelming force to bear. Yet classic counterinsurgency doctrine calls for using only the minimal amount of force necessary to get the job done. U.S. soldiers and their commanders, untrained and unschooled in the difficult art of counterinsurgency, tended to improvise. So in the summer of 2003, some soldiers in Baghdad decided that the best way to deter looters was to make them cry--and they sometimes did this by threatening to shoot the children of looters, and even conducting mock executions.
More broadly, the Army in the fall of 2003 fell back on what it knew how to do, which was conduct large-scale "cordon-and-sweep" operations. These missions scarfed up thousands of Iraqis, most of them fence-sitting neutrals, and detained them. U.S. military intelligence officials later concluded that 85% of those detained were of no intelligence value. The detention experience frequently was humiliating for Iraqis, a violation of another key counterinsurgency principle: Treat your prisoners well. (Your readers who want to know more about this should read a terrific little book by David Galula titled Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice.)
Not every unit was ineffective or counterproductive. I was struck at how successful the 101st Airborne was in Mosul in 2003-04. And some units showed remarkable improvement--the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment had a mediocre first tour of duty in Iraq, but when it went back in 2005 for a second tour, it did extremely well. Col. H.R. McMaster, the regimental commander (and author of a very good book about the Vietnam War, Dereliction of Duty) told his troops that, "Every time you disrespect an Iraqi, you are working for the enemy." I was especially struck by how his regiment handled its prisoners--it even had a program called "Ask the Customer" that quizzed detainees when they were released about whether they felt treated well. This recognized the lesson of past wars that the best way to end an insurgency is to get its leaders to put down their guns and enter the political system, and to get the rank-and-file to desert or switch sides. But it will be harder to discuss the sewage system with the new mayor next year if your troops beat him in his cell when he was your prisoner last year.
Amazon.com: But today's military leadership was formed in Vietnam, when all of those lessons of counterinsurgency were supposedly learned before. Why didn't that experience translate into a preparation for the current conflict?
Ricks: Military experts, such at Andrew Krepinevich (The Army and Vietnam) and Lt. Col. John Nagl (Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife) say that after that war ended, the Army washed its hands of the entire experience and essentially concluded that it was never going to do anything like that again. It was almost as if the very word "counterinsurgency" was banned from official Army discourse.
In Iraq, there was a tiny minority of American soldiers early on who understood how to win the occupation. These generally were civil affairs officers and other Special Forces types. But their wisdom often was disregarded. "What you are seeing here is an unconventional war being fought conventionally," one Special Forces lieutenant colonel glumly commented one day in Baghdad.
Amazon.com: You've been writing about the military for the Post and the Wall Street Journal for years now, and Fiasco is built from the testimony of a remarkable array of sources up and down the chain of command, some off the record but many more on the record. Can you talk about your sources? Is this level of public criticism of a war from within the military precedented??
Ricks: Yeah, reporting the book was a pretty emotional experience. Even having covered this war as it unfolded, I was taken aback by the rage that some officers felt toward the Bush Administration, and especially toward Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. And also toward Paul Wolfowitz, who was then the no. 2 guy at the Pentagon. I think the rage is probably like what the military felt about Robert McNamara during the Vietnam War. What is unprecedented, I think, is that many officers had doubts about the wisdom of invading Iraq, especially in the way we did it.
The emotions also hit me pretty hard at times, especially when I was writing my chapter 13, about how widespread abuse was by American soldiers in 2003-04, often because they hadn't been trained for the mission they faced. I have spent more than 15 years covering the military. I tend to like and admire these people. So when I learned about a 4th Infantry Division soldier shooting an unarmed, handcuffed Iraqi detainee in the stomach, and the investigating MPs saying the soldier should be charged with homicide, and instead the commander simply discharged the soldier from the Army--well, that bothered me.
Another thing that struck me with sources was the mountain of information that was available. I read over 30,000 pages of documents for this book. At the end of one interview a guy gave me a CD-ROM with every e-mail he had sent to Ambassador Bremer, who ran the civilian end of the first year of the occupation. Other people showed me diaries, unit logs, official briefings, and such. Also the ACLU did a great job of obtaining and releasing piles of official U.S. military documents related to abuse--so I could see the time stamp on an e-mail in which an intelligence officer stated that "the gloves are coming off" in interrogations, and one soldier recommended blows to the chest while another wrote back recommending low-level electrocution.
Unfortunately the Army wouldn't release the details of citations for valorous acts by soldiers, which means that the Pentagon made it easier for me to learn about the sins of soldiers than about their acts of bravery. The Marine Corps did give me those "narratives" that support the bestowing of medals, which I really appreciated. Those documents really brought home to me the fierceness of the two Battles of Fallujah, in April and November 2004--probably the toughest fighting American troops have seen since Hue and Khe Sanh in the Vietnam War.
Amazon.com: In the last section of the book, you project a variety of possible scenarios for the next 10 years in the Middle East, mostly grim ones, and just in the past two weeks the sudden violence between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is leading to talk of a wider regional conflict. Where do you think those events are leading us?
Ricks: We are really in unexplored territory. We are carrying out the first-ever U.S. occupation of an Arab nation. This is also almost the first time we have engaged in sustained combat ground war with an all-volunteer force. (I think the suppression of the Philippines insurrection might count as a small precedent.)
Even more significantly, I think the Bush Administration doesn't really like "stability" in the Middle East. In its view, "stability" has been the goal of previous administrations, but pursuing it led to 9/11. It is not the goal, it is the target. So they are for rolling the dice, both in Iraq and in Lebanon. I think the big worry is those wars spilling over borders. Fasten your seat belts.
[via]More editions of Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq:
-
Forgotten Fads and Fabulous Flops : An Amazing Collection of Goofy Stuff That Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Timeby Paul Kirchner, Harold Bronson, Colby AllertonISBN 188164944X (1-881649-44-X)
Softcover, General Publishing Group, Incorporated
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Forgotten Fads and Fabulous Flops : An Amazing Collection of Goofy Stuff That Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time'Book summary:Rhino records, repository of cultural detritus, turns away from '60s garage rock and sleazy lounge recordings for this collection of Things That Were Meant to Succeed ... but Didn't. Entertaining tidbits profile such mega-flops as nasty-tasting, difficult-to-light smokeless cigarettes from RJ Reynolds; Colgate's chewable toothpaste (no kidding); and Kraft's precooked toaster bacon. Obscure failures, such as The Belly Bongo (a toy/musical instrument that was supposed to be the next hula-hoop) and comic book superhero Paranex the Fighting Fetus, receive their fair share of ridicule as well. Not to be missed is the section on product names that didn't translate well, such as Asian beverages Pipi and Mucos, and the American sports car Pinto, which faced difficulty when sold in Brazil where "pinto" is slang for "tiny penis." [via]
More editions of Forgotten Fads and Fabulous Flops : An Amazing Collection of Goofy Stuff That Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time:
-
The German Lessonby Siegfried LenzISBN 0811209822 (0-8112-0982-2)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The German Lesson' -
Growing Painsby Charles SwindollISBN 0849984092 (0-8499-8409-2)
Softcover, W Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Growing Pains'Book summary:Eight of the most difficult and frustrating tests in life are addressed in this series.... You will dicover there are ways to cope (and even grow!) through tough times of trouble. [via]
More editions of Growing Pains:
Growing Wise in Family Lifeby SwindollISBN 0880702923 (0-88070-292-3)
Softcover, Zondervan
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Growing Wise in Family Life'More editions of Growing Wise in Family Life:
-
The Heart of the Matterby Graham GreeneISBN 0884116549 (0-88411-654-9)
Hardcover, Amereon Ltd
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Heart of the Matter'Book summary:In this widely acclaimed modern classic, Graham Greene delves deep into character to tell the dramatic, suspenseful story of a good man's conflict between passion and faith. The Heart of the Matter is one of Graham Greene's most enduring and tragic novels.
A police commissioner in a British-governed, war-torn West African state, Scobie is bound by the strictest integrity and sense of duty both for his colonial responsibilities and for his wife, whom he deeply pities but no longer loves. Passed over for a promotion, he is forced to borrow money in order to send his despairing wife away on a holiday. When in her absence he develops a passion for a young widow, the scrupulously honest Catholic finds himself giving way to deceit and dishonor. Enmeshed in love and intrigue, he will betray everything he believes in, with tragic consequences. [via]More editions of The Heart of the Matter:
The Heart of the Matter: Stamboul Train ; A Burnt-Out Case ; The Third Man ; The Quiet American ; Loser Takes All ; The Power and the Gloryby Graham GreeneISBN 0905712013 (0-905712-01-3)
Hardcover, Heinemann/Octopus
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Heart of the Matter: Stamboul Train ; A Burnt-Out Case ; The Third Man ; The Quiet American ; Loser Takes All ; The Power and the Glory'More editions of The Heart of the Matter: Stamboul Train ; A Burnt-Out Case ; The Third Man ; The Quiet American ; Loser Takes All ; The Power and the Glory:
Hellblazerby Garth Ennis, John Higgins, James SinclairISBN 1401202020 (1-4012-0202-0)
Softcover, Vertigo
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Hellblazer'-
High Fidelityby Nick HornbyISBN 1573228214 (1-57322-821-4)
Softcover, Riverhead Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'High Fidelity'Book summary:It has been said often enough that baby boomers are a television generation, but the very funny novel High Fidelity reminds that in a way they are the record-album generation as well. This funny novel is obsessed with music; Hornby's narrator is an early-thirtysomething English guy who runs a London record store. He sells albums recorded the old-fashioned way--on vinyl--and is having a tough time making other transitions as well, specifically adulthood. The book is in one sense a love story, both sweet and interesting; most entertaining, though, are the hilarious arguments over arcane matters of pop music. [via]
More editions of High Fidelity:
-
How Children Failby John Caldwell HoltISBN 0201484021 (0-201-48402-1)
Softcover, Perseus Books Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'How Children Fail'Book summary:First published in the mid 1960s, How Children Fail began an education reform movement that continues today. In his 1982 edition, John Holt added new insights into how children investigate the world, into the perennial problems of classroom learning, grading, testing, and into the role of the trust and authority in every learning situation. His understanding of children, the clarity of his thought, and his deep affection for children have made both How Children Fail and its companion volume, How Children Learn, enduring classics.[via]More editions of How Children Fail:
- How Children Fail: ISBN 0385284233 (0-385-28423-3)
Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group - How Children Fail: ISBN 0440538378 (0-440-53837-8)
Softcover, Delta/Seymour Lawrence - How Children Fail: ISBN 0440038340 (0-440-03834-0)
Hardcover, Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence - How Children Fail: ISBN 0201484021 (0-201-48402-1)
Softcover, Perseus Books Group
- How Children Fail: ISBN 0385284233 (0-385-28423-3)
-
An Illustrated Short History of Progressby Ronald WrightISBN 0887842062 (0-88784-206-2)
Hardcover, House of Anansi Pr
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'An Illustrated Short History of Progress'Book summary:Ronald Wright argues that humankind has been repeating the same mistakes over and over. What's more, each time history repeats itself, the price goes up. Starting from the recognized truth that the 20th centurys runaway growth in population, consumption, and technology placed a colossal load on all natural systems, Wright demonstrates that this seemingly modern predicament is as old as civilization itself a 10,000-year experiment humans have participated in but seldom controlled. Only by understanding the patterns of human triumph and disaster, he says, can the experiments inherent dangers be recognized and its outcome altered. In this handsome new edition, illuminating illustrations and sidebars complement Wrights arguments, offering further evidence to support his cautionary tale. His trenchant text evokes striking images across time and space, starting with Paul Gauguins painting DOù Venons Nous? Que Sommes Nous? Où Allons Nous? Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? three questions that perfectly summarize this thought-provoking book.[via]More editions of An Illustrated Short History of Progress:
-
Inviting Disaster: Lessons from the Edge of Technologyby James R. ChilesISBN 0066620813 (0-06-662081-3)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Inviting Disaster: Lessons from the Edge of Technology'Book summary:Inviting Disaster, by technology and history writer James R Chiles, is an unusual book: it appeals to the prurient desires that keep us riveted to highway accidents, while knowledgeably discoursing on the often preventable mistakes that caused them. At its heart are the colourful stories behind more than 50 of the most infamous catastrophes that periodically chilled the advance of the industrial age, both those well remembered (the 1986 Challenger explosion, for example) and those now largely forgotten (a 1937 gas explosion at a Texas school that killed 298). But along with lively depictions of these deadly devastations and white-knuckle calamities--the Maine battleship, Apollo 13 and Three Mile Island among them--Chiles offers an informed analysis of the unfortunate chain of events that brought them about. And by grouping like incidents to show how fatal "system fractures" eventually developed through a combination of human error and mechanical malfunction, he also suggests how we might sidestep such tragedies in the future. In so doing he fashions these spectacular accounts of failed planes, trains, ships, bridges, dam s, factories and other conveyances and facilities, into a cautionary tale about the progress we are making to "learn the way of the machine (and) act before an otherwise routine day rises to disaster". --Howard Rothman [via]
More editions of Inviting Disaster: Lessons from the Edge of Technology:
-
Inviting Disaster: Lessons from the Edge of Technology An Inside Look at Catastrophes and Why They Happenby James R. ChilesISBN 0066620821 (0-06-662082-1)
Softcover, Harpercollins
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Inviting Disaster: Lessons from the Edge of Technology An Inside Look at Catastrophes and Why They Happen'Book summary:Inviting Disaster, by technology and history writer James R Chiles, is an unusual book: it appeals to the prurient desires that keep us riveted to highway accidents, while knowledgeably discoursing on the often preventable mistakes that caused them. At its heart are the colourful stories behind more than 50 of the most infamous catastrophes that periodically chilled the advance of the industrial age, both those well remembered (the 1986 Challenger explosion, for example) and those now largely forgotten (a 1937 gas explosion at a Texas school that killed 298). But along with lively depictions of these deadly devastations and white-knuckle calamities--the Maine battleship, Apollo 13 and Three Mile Island among them--Chiles offers an informed analysis of the unfortunate chain of events that brought them about. And by grouping like incidents to show how fatal "system fractures" eventually developed through a combination of human error and mechanical malfunction, he also suggests how we might sidestep such tragedies in the future. In so doing he fashions these spectacular accounts of failed planes, trains, ships, bridges, dam s, factories and other conveyances and facilities, into a cautionary tale about the progress we are making to "learn the way of the machine (and) act before an otherwise routine day rises to disaster". --Howard Rothman [via]
More editions of Inviting Disaster: Lessons from the Edge of Technology An Inside Look at Catastrophes and Why They Happen:
-
John Constantine, Hellblazerby Brian AzzerelloISBN 156389971X (1-56389-971-X)
Softcover, Dc Comics
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'John Constantine, Hellblazer'Book summary:Written by Brian Azzarello; ART by Marcelo Frusin, Guy Davis, and Steve Dillon; COVER by Tim Bradstreet In stores May 14. Reprinting issues #157-163 of the series, HELLBLAZER: FREEZES OVER collects the "...Freezes Over" storyline illustrated by Marcelo Frusin (HELLBLAZER: GOOD INTENTIONS) as well as the one-shot "...And Buried?" illustrated by Steve Dillon (PREACHER) and the 2-part "Lapdogs and Englishmen" illustrated by Guy Davis (SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE). In these three episodes, after another unwelcome meeting with FBI Agent Turro, Constantine continues his journey through America's back roads. For more information, see the feature article. (STAR MATURE READERS SC, 7x10, 168pg, FC [via]
More editions of John Constantine, Hellblazer:
John Constantine, Hellblazerby Cameron Stewart, Brian Azzerello, Marcelo Frusin, Giuseppe CamuncoliISBN 1401202233 (1-4012-0223-3)
Softcover, Vertigo
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'John Constantine, Hellblazer'More editions of John Constantine, Hellblazer:
A Listening Ear: Reflection on Christian Caringby Paul TournierISBN 0806622660 (0-8066-2266-0)
Softcover, Augsburg Fortress Pub
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Listening Ear: Reflection on Christian Caring'More editions of A Listening Ear: Reflection on Christian Caring:
-
The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situationsby Dietrich Dorner, Robert Kimber, Rita KimberISBN 0201479486 (0-201-47948-6)
Softcover, Perseus Books Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations'Book summary:Why do we make mistakes? Are there certain errors common to failure, whether in a complex enterprise or daily life? In this truly indispensable book, Dietrich Dörner identifies what he calls the logic of failure certain tendencies in our patterns of thought that, while appropriate to an older, simpler world, prove disastrous for the complex world we live in now. Working with imaginative and often hilarious computer simulations, he analyzes the roots of catastrophe, showing city planners in the very act of creating gridlock and disaster, or public health authorities setting the scene for starvation. The Logic of Failure is a compass for intelligent planning and decision-making that can sharpen the skills of managers, policymakers and everyone involved in the daily challenge of getting from point A to point B.[via]More editions of The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations:
The Logic of Failure : Why Things Go Wrong and What We Can Do to Make Them Rightby Dietrich Dorner, Robert Kimber, Rita KimberISBN 0805041605 (0-8050-4160-5)
Hardcover, Holt & Company, Henry
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Logic of Failure : Why Things Go Wrong and What We Can Do to Make Them Right'More editions of The Logic of Failure : Why Things Go Wrong and What We Can Do to Make Them Right:
Measuring Upby Kevin LamanISBN 0800785983 (0-8007-8598-3)
Softcover, Baker Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Measuring Up'
Music of Failureby HolmISBN 0918461049 (0-918461-04-9)
Softcover, Plains Pr
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Music of Failure'More editions of Music of Failure:
Normal Accidents: Living With High-Risk Technologiesby Charles PerrowISBN 0691004129 (0-691-00412-9)
Softcover, Princeton University Press
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Normal Accidents - Living with High Risk Technologies'More editions of Normal Accidents: Living With High-Risk Technologies:
- Normal Accidents: Living With High-Risk Technologies: ISBN 0465051421 (0-465-05142-1)
Softcover, Perseus Books - Normal Accidents: Living With High-Risk Technologies: ISBN 046505143X (0-465-05143-X)
Hardcover, Perseus Books Group - Normal Accidents - Living with High Risk Technologies: ISBN 0691004129 (0-691-00412-9)
Softcover, Princeton University Press
- Normal Accidents: Living With High-Risk Technologies: ISBN 0465051421 (0-465-05142-1)
-
Pearl Harbor: Warning and Decisionby Roberta WohlstetterISBN 0804705984 (0-8047-0598-4)
Softcover, Stanford Univ Pr
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Pearl Harbor: Warning and Decision'Book summary:This account of the Pearl Harbor attack denies that the lack of preparation resulted from military negligence or a political plot. [via]
More editions of Pearl Harbor: Warning and Decision:
-
Predictable Surprises: The Disasters You Should Have Seen Coming, and How to Prevent Themby Max Bazerman, Michael D. WatkinsISBN 1591391784 (1-59139-178-4)
Hardcover, Perseus Distribution Services
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Predictable Surprises: The Disasters You Should Have Seen Coming, and How to Prevent Them'Book summary:Most events that catch us by surprise are both predictable and preventable, but we consistently miss (or ignore) the warning signs. This book shows why such "predictable surprises" put us all at risk, and shows how we can understand, anticipate, and prevent them before disaster strikes. There is a universal fear factor surrounding this subject: that society and the workplace are filled with disasters in the making that we could prevent if we only knew what to look for. This book plays on that fear and offers a positive, proactive resolution to it. [via]
More editions of Predictable Surprises: The Disasters You Should Have Seen Coming, and How to Prevent Them:
-
Prozac Nationby Elizabeth WurtzelISBN 1573225126 (1-57322-512-6)
Softcover, Riverhead Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Prozac Nation'Book summary:Elizabeth Wertzel writes with her finger in the faint pulse of a generation whose ruling icons are Kurt Cobain, Xanax, and pierced tongues. A memoir of her bouts with depression and skirmishes with drugs, Prozac Nation still manages to be a witty and sharp account of the psychopharmacology of an era. [via]
Readings on the Principles and Applications of Decision Analysisby Ronald A. Howard, James E. MathesonISBN 0962307408 (0-9623074-0-8)
Hardcover, Sdg Decision Systems
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Readings on the Principles and Applications of Decision Analysis'More editions of Readings on the Principles and Applications of Decision Analysis:
The Search for Significance: Book and Workbookby Robert S. McGeeISBN 0849940923 (0-8499-4092-3)
Softcover, Thomas Nelson Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Search for Significance: Book and Workbook'More editions of The Search for Significance: Book and Workbook:
The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyesby Robert S. McGeeISBN 0849944244 (0-8499-4424-4)
Softcover, Thomas Nelson Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes'Book summary:WE CAN BUILD OUR SELF-WORTH ON OUR ABILITY TO PLEASE OTHERS, OR ON THE LOVE AND FORGIVENESS OF JESUS CHRIST
In The Search for Significance, Robert McGee shows readers how to find true self-worth, based on the love, acceptance and forgiveness of Christ, and how to get off the performance treadmill. This classic best-selling book has changed the lives of millions of people by showing them the key to lasting significance.
[via]More editions of The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes:
- The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes: ISBN 0849940915 (0-8499-4091-5)
Softcover, Thomas Nelson Inc - The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes: ISBN 0945276079 (0-945276-07-9)
Softcover, Thomas Nelson Inc - The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes: ISBN 0945276117 (0-945276-11-7)
Softcover, W Pub Group - The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes: ISBN 0849944244 (0-8499-4424-4)
Softcover, Thomas Nelson Inc
- The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes: ISBN 0849940915 (0-8499-4091-5)
-
Seize the Dayby Saul Bellow, Cynthia OzickISBN 0140189378 (0-14-018937-8)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Seize the Day'Book summary:[This is the MP3CD audiobook format.]
Can one man come to terms with his past in one of the greatest short novels ever written?
Fading charmer Tommy Wilhelm has reached his day of reckoning and is scared. In his forties, he still retains a boyish impetuousness that has brought him to the brink of chaos: he is separated from his wife and children; at odds with his vain, successful father; failed in his acting career (a Hollywood agent once placed him as ''the type that loses the girl''); and in a financial mess. In the course of one climactic day he reviews his past mistakes and spiritual malaise, until a mysterious, philosophizing con man grants him a glorious, illuminating moment of truth and understanding and offers him one last hope. [via]More editions of Seize the Day:
- Seize the Day: ISBN 0142437611 (0-14-243761-1)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA - Seize the Day: ISBN 0140072853 (0-14-007285-3)
Softcover, Penguin USA - Seize the Day: ISBN 0380016494 (0-380-01649-4)
Softcover, Harpercollins - Seize The Day: ISBN 0606310924 (0-606-31092-4)
Hardcover, Demco Media - Seize the Day: ISBN 0140189378 (0-14-018937-8)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
- Seize the Day: ISBN 0142437611 (0-14-243761-1)
Seize the Day, With Three Short Stories and a One-Act Play.by Saul BellowISBN 0670000914 (0-670-00091-4)
Softcover, Viking Pr
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Seize the Day, With Three Short Stories and a One-Act Play.'More editions of Seize the Day, With Three Short Stories and a One-Act Play.:
-
The Sexual Manby Archibald D. HartISBN 0849936845 (0-8499-3684-5)
Softcover, Thomas Nelson Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Sexual Man'Book summary:Based of groundbreaking nationwide research, The Sexual Man refutes the current myths surrounding male sexuality, providing a psychologically sound, biblically respectful view of what men secretly think and feel about important sexual issues. Learn what satisfies men sexually and what the limits should be, how to ensure healthy sexual development throughout life and how to have a fulfilled and guilt-free sex life.
[via] -
Shake Hands With The Devil: The Failure Of Humanity In Rwandaby Romeo Dallaire, Brent BeardsleyISBN 0786715103 (0-7867-1510-3)
Softcover, Carroll & Graf Pub
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Shake Hands With The Devil: The Failure Of Humanity In Rwanda'Book summary:For the first time in the United States comes the tragic and profoundly important story of the legendary Canadian general who "watched as the devil took control of paradise on earth and fed on the blood of the people we were supposed to protect." When Roméo Dallaire was called on to serve as force commander of the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda, he believed that his assignment was to help two warring parties achieve the peace they both wanted. Instead, he was exposed to the most barbarous and chaotic display of civil war and genocide in the past decade, observing in just one hundred days the killings of more than eight hundred thousand Rwandans. With only a few troops, his own ingenuity and courage to direct his efforts, Dallaire rescued thousands, but his call for more support from the world body fell on deaf ears. In Shake Hands with the Devil, General Dallaire recreates the awful history the world community chose to ignore. He also chronicles his own progression from confident Cold Warrior to devastated UN commander, and finally to retired general struggling painfully, and publicly, to overcome posttraumatic stress disorderthe highest-ranking officer ever to share such experiences with readers.[via]More editions of Shake Hands With The Devil: The Failure Of Humanity In Rwanda:
-
A Short History Of Progressby Ronald WrightISBN 1841957119 (1-84195-711-9)
Hardcover, Canongate
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Short History Of Progress'Book summary:No hope, just an awareness of what's being done now and what's been done in the past, is what Ronald Wright will permit in A Short History of Progress, his grim, ammoniacal Massey Lectures, the 43rd in the series. In five lucid, meticulously documented essays, Wright traces the rise and plummet of four regional civilizations--those of Sumer, Rome, Easter Island, and the Maya--and judges that most, perhaps all, of humanity is making and will continue to make mistakes equally disastrous as theirs. He gives general reasons first for not reckoning we'll pull back from the brink. Important among them is an anthropological observation. As individuals, we live long lives. We evolve more slowly than we should, given our lack of vision and our aggressive, selfish nature. We seem to lack the collective wisdom and the insight into cause and effect to realize the limits to what Wright calls the "experiment" of civilization. What Wright calls natural "subsidies" underwrite civilizations' successes. The squandering of those gifts presages inevitable failure, but with careful, canny stewardship, a civilization can manage to muddle through eons. Wright cites Egypt's submission to the limits set by the Nile's annual floods and China's windblown "lump-sum deposit" of topsoil, used for hillside paddies instead of being put to the plough. Wright observes with unrelenting eloquence that our planetary civilization lives precariously, far beyond its means. "Hope drives us to invent new fixes for old messes," he acknowledges, neither claiming nor wanting to be a prophet. We certainly have the tools for change and remediation; we also know what our ancestors did wrong and what happened to them. We're faced, our author observes, with two choices: either do nothing--what he calls "one of the biggest mistakes"--or try to effect "the transition from short-term to long-term thinking." His evidence suggests we're taking the first alternative, which will include a swift, final ride into the dark future on the runaway train of progress. Wright's account tempts one to bet on the rats and roaches. --Ted Whittaker [via]
-
Small Things Considered: Why There is No Perfect Designby Henry PetroskiISBN 1400032938 (1-4000-3293-8)
Softcover, Random House Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Small Things Considered: Why There is No Perfect Design'Book summary:Henry Petroski, Americas poet laureate of technology (Kirkus Reviews)author of The Pencil and The Evolution of Useful Thingsnow gives us an entertaining and perceptive study of design in everyday life, while revealing the checkered pasts, and some possible futures, of familiar objects.
Chairs, lightbulbs, cup holders, toothbrushes, doorknobs, light switches, potato peelers, paper bags, duct tapeas ubiquitous as these may be, they are still works in progress. The design of such ordinary items demonstrates the simple brilliance of human creativity, while at the same time showing the frustration of getting anything completely right. Nothings perfect, and so the quest for perfection continues to continue.
In this engrossing and insightful book, Petroski takes us inside the creative process by which common objects are invented and improved upon in pursuit of the ever-elusive perfect thing. He shows us, for instance, how the disposable paper cup became a popular commercial success only after the public learned that shared water glasses could carry germs; how it took years, an abundance of business panache, and many discarded modelsfrom cups that opened like paper bags to those that came with pleatsfor the inventor of the paper cup to arrive at what we now use and toss away without so much as a thought for its fascinating history.
A trenchant, surprising evaluation of why some designs succeed and others dont, Small Things Considered is also an utterly delightful study of human nature.
Henry Petroski, the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering and a professor of history at Duke University, lives in Durham, North Carolina. He is the author of ten previous books. [via]More editions of Small Things Considered: Why There is No Perfect Design:
-
Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enronby Peter Elkind, Bethany McLeanISBN 1591840538 (1-59184-053-8)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Smartest Guys In The Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron'Book summary:Like its subject, The Smartest Guys in the Room is ambitious, grand in scope, and ruthless in its dealings. Unlike Enron, the Texas-based energy giant that has come to represent the post-millennium collapse of 1990s go-go corporate culture, it's also ultimately successful. Penned by Fortune scribes Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, the 400-page-plus chronicle of the scandal digs deep inside the numbers while, wisely, maintaining focus on the "smart guys" deep-frying the books. The likes of paternal but disengaged CEO Ken Lay (dubbed "Kenny Boy" by George W. Bush, one of many prominent public figures with whom he rubbed shoulders), cutthroat man-behind-the-curtain Jeff Skilling, and ethically blind numbers whiz Andy Fastow vividly come to life as they make a mockery of conventional accounting practices and grow increasingly arrogant and bind to their collective hubris. They're not a likable lot, and the writers find it difficult to suppress their astonishment and revulsion with the crew who rapidly went from golden boys and girls of the financial world to pariahs when the bill finally came due. The authors' unrepressed sarcasms are more than often unnecessarily given the scope of the outrage. Enron's leading lights were or a time celebrated for their ability to concoct nearly unfathomable business schemes to hide mounting shortfalls and keeping track on their machinations can be a chore, but, by sticking hard to the story behind the fall, McLean and Elkind have reported and written the definitive account of the Enron debacle. --Steven Stolder [via]
More editions of Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron:
-
South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyageby Ernest ShackletonISBN 1421901005 (1-4219-0100-5)
Softcover, Indypublish.Com
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917'Book summary:This annotated edition of Shackleton's legendary, ill-fated Antarctic expedition features highly revealing side notes to the explorer's vivid narrative as well as dramatic archival photographs.[via]More editions of South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage:
- South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-17: ISBN 1570761310 (1-57076-131-0)
Softcover, Trafalgar Square - South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage: ISBN 0786705973 (0-7867-0597-3)
Softcover, Carroll & Graf Pub - South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917: ISBN 1421901005 (1-4219-0100-5)
Softcover, Indypublish.Com
- South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-17: ISBN 1570761310 (1-57076-131-0)
-
South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-1917by Ernest Henry ShackletonISBN 1841581186 (1-84158-118-6)
Softcover, Interlink Pub Group Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-1917'Book summary:This is Shackleton's account of one of the most famous voyages of all time. In 1914, a journey began with the hopes of a first in exploration, but after the expedition's ship, Endurance, is trapped, then crushed by ice, a desperate struggle for survival begins. Shackleton, with a few men, brave the fury of the South Atlantic Ocean in a 20-ft boat, hinging the entire expedition on this last gamble.... [via]
More editions of South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-1917:
South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-17by Peter King, Ernest ShackletonISBN 0943955505 (0-943955-50-5)
Hardcover, Trafalgar Square
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-17'More editions of South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-17:
South: The Last Antarctic Expedition of Shackleton and the Endurnanceby Ernest Henry ShackletonISBN 1558217835 (1-55821-783-5)
Softcover, Globe Pequot Pr
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'South: The Last Antarctic Expedition of Shackleton and the Endurnance'More editions of South: The Last Antarctic Expedition of Shackleton and the Endurnance:
The Struggle Against Fascism in Germanyby Leon TrotskyISBN 0873481364 (0-87348-136-4)
Softcover, Pathfinder Pr
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Struggle Against Fascism in Germany'More editions of The Struggle Against Fascism in Germany:
-
Too Great a Temptation: The Seductive Power of America's Super Churchby Joel C. GregoryISBN 1565301412 (1-56530-141-2)
Hardcover, Summit Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Too Great a Temptation: The Seductive Power of America's Super Church'Book summary:After leaving the ministry from the most influential church in America - First Baptist Church in Dallas, Dr. Joel Gregory reveals the politics, power, and hypocrisy of the church and hundreds of other super churches throughout the world. A Dewey Decimal Number has been added for easy library filing. [via]
More editions of Too Great a Temptation: The Seductive Power of America's Super Church:
Undreamed Shores: England's Wasted Empire in Americaby Michael FossISBN 1842120778 (1-84212-077-8)
Softcover, Sterling Pub Co Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Undreamed Shores: England's Wasted Empire in America'More editions of Undreamed Shores: England's Wasted Empire in America:
Unusually Stupid Americans: A Compendium of All-American Stupidityby Ross Petras, Kathryn PetrasISBN 0812970829 (0-8129-7082-9)
Softcover, Random House Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Unusually Stupid Americans: A Compendium of All-American Stupidity'More editions of Unusually Stupid Americans: A Compendium of All-American Stupidity:
The Water-Method Manby John IrvingISBN 0345367421 (0-345-36742-1)
Softcover, Ballantine Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Water-Method Man'Book summary:The main character of John Irving's second novel, written when the author was twenty-nine, is a perpetual graduate student with a birth defect in his urinary tract--and a man on the threshold of committing himself to a second marriage that bears remarkable resemblance to his first....
"Three or four times as funny as most novels."
THE NEW YORKER
From the Paperback edition. [via]-
When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Managementby Roger LowensteinISBN 0375758259 (0-375-75825-9)
Softcover, Random House Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management'Book summary:On September 23, 1998, the boardroom of the New York Fed was a tense place. Around the table sat the heads of every major Wall Street bank, the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, and representatives from numerous European banks, each of whom had been summoned to discuss a highly unusual prospect: rescuing what had, until then, been the envy of them all, the extraordinarily successful bond-trading firm of Long-Term Capital Management. Roger Lowenstein's When Genius Failed is the gripping story of the Fed's unprecedented move, the incredible heights reached by LTCM, and the firm's eventual dramatic demise.
Lowenstein, a financial journalist and author of Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist, examines the personalities, academic experts, and professional relationships at LTCM and uncovers the layers of numbers behind its roller-coaster ride with the precision of a skilled surgeon. The fund's enigmatic founder, John Meriwether, spent almost 20 years at Salomon Brothers, where he formed its renowned Arbitrage Group by hiring academia's top financial economists. Though Meriwether left Salomon under a cloud of the SEC's wrath, he leapt into his next venture with ease and enticed most of his former Salomon hires--and eventually even David Mullins, the former vice chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve--to join him in starting a hedge fund that would beat all hedge funds.
LTCM began trading in 1994, after completing a road show that, despite the Ph.D.-touting partners' lack of social skills and their disdainful condescension of potential investors who couldn't rise to their intellectual level, netted a whopping $1.25 billion. The fund would seek to earn a tiny spread on thousands of trades, "as if it were vacuuming nickels that others couldn't see," in the words of one of its Nobel laureate partners, Myron Scholes. And nickels it found. In its first two years, LTCM earned $1.6 billion, profits that exceeded 40 percent even after the partners' hefty cuts. By the spring of 1996, it was holding $140 billion in assets. But the end was soon in sight, and Lowenstein's detailed account of each successively worse month of 1998, culminating in a disastrous August and the partners' subsequent panicked moves, is riveting.
The arbitrageur's world is a complicated one, and it might have served Lowenstein well to slow down and explain in greater detail the complex terms of the more exotic species of investment flora that cram the book's pages. However, much of the intrigue of the Long-Term story lies in its dizzying pace (not to mention the dizzying amounts of money won and lost in the fund's short lifespan). Lowenstein's smooth, conversational but equally urgent tone carries it along well. The book is a compelling read for those who've always wondered what lay behind the Fed's controversial involvement with the LTCM hedge-fund debacle. --S. Ketchum [via]
More editions of When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management:
-
When We Get It Wrong: Peter, Christ and Our Path Through Failureby Dominic SmartISBN 1850783780 (1-85078-378-0)
Softcover, Authentic Media
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'When We Get It Wrong: Peter, Christ and Our Path Through Failure'Book summary:A study of Peter and Christ which brings the hope of forgiveness and renewed usefulness for the times when we get it wrong and mess up in our Christian life. [via]
More editions of When We Get It Wrong: Peter, Christ and Our Path Through Failure:
Why Smart Executives Fail: What you can Learn From Their Mistakesby Sydney FinkelsteinISBN 1591840457 (1-59184-045-7)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Why Smart Executives Fail: What you can Learn From Their Mistakes'Book summary:A definitive study of executive failures-why they happen and how to prevent them.
There's a scenario that keeps repeating itself in today's business climate. A company is voted one of the most admired in the world. Then three or four years later, it's in dire financial trouble. A CEO is celebrated on the covers of BusinessWeek, Forbes, and Fortune. Soon after, the company is in the midst of a disastrous merger or some other fiasco.
What goes wrong in these cases? Usually it seems that the top management made some incredibly stupid mistake. But the people responsible are almost always remarkably intelligent and usually have terrific track records. Even more puzzling than the fact that brilliant managers can make bad mistakes is the way they so often magnify the damage. Once a company has made a bad misstep, it often seems as though it can't do anything right. How does this happen? Instead of rectifying their mistakes, why do business leaders regularly make them worse?
To answer these questions, Sydney Finkelstein has carried out the largest research program ever devoted to business breakdowns. In Why Smart Executives Fail, he uncovers-with startling clarity and unassailable documentation-the causes regularly responsible for major business breakdowns. Why Smart Executives Fail relates the stories of great business disasters and demonstrates that there are specific, identifiable ways in which many businesses regularly make themselves vulnerable to failure. The result is a truly indispensable, practical, must-read book that explains the mechanics of executive breakdowns, how to avoid them, and what to do about them if they happen. [via]More editions of Why Smart Executives Fail: What you can Learn From Their Mistakes:
The Year of the Frenchby Thomas Flanagan, Seamus DeaneISBN 159017108X (1-59017-108-X)
Softcover, New York Review of Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Year Of The French'Book summary:Flanagan made an astonishing debut with this landmark novel, which was named the most distinguished work of fiction in 1979 by the National Book Critics Circle. The year is 1798, when a band of determined, romantic Irishmen rise up in County Mayo against their English rulers. The French, secure in the success of their own revolution, come to the aid of the Irish. [via]
German
Der Eisvogel: Romanby Uwe TellkampISBN 3871345229 (3-87134-522-9)
Hardcover, Rowohlt Berlin
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Der Eisvogel: Roman'More editions of Der Eisvogel: Roman:
![[powered by Muze Inc.]](http://i.bookfinder.com/images/site/muze/powered_by_muze.gif){kind=small}