Commercials Books

Gregg has written an excellent book. This book, in it essence, is a very lucid scholarly, accurate historical-conceptual study of the causal correlations between the commercial society and what Gregg calls its "foundations", meaning the conditions that favor the commercial society. These include moral foundations (e.g., creativity, practical wisdom, trust, civility), economic foundations and legal-political foundations. But to read this book merely as a descriptive study is to miss the more important prescriptive thesis, which is that we ought to encourage and promote the commercial society. Beware, again of missing the important prescriptive thesis if one reads in Gregg merely the suggestion that an appropriate culture supporting these foundations( which intellectuals have a role to shape) needs to be defended and encouraged *in order to* have a commercial society. Rather the equally interesting, if not more interesting proposal, is that one might promote the commercial society *in order to* promote those desirable moral, economic and legal political foundations, which have themselves independent value, and which constitute a culture of civility. So what turned out originally to be means for the sake of the end (i.e., the commercial society) are now proposed as the ends worth seeking via the establishment of the commercial society. Gregg does not harbour pie-in-the-sky illusions: there remains many fine-tuning to be done, and he is alert to these, as seen in his careful qualifications. But this strategy for promoting the culture of civility, if I may, by way of the commercial society needs to be explored, since the causal correlative connections are much in evidence. In inviting us to think this way, Gregg is offering us an example of what Herbert Simon (Nobel Prize in economics, 1978) calls goaless designing (The Sciences of the Artificial, 1983), which he recommends as a fully rational and creative way of designing and engineering society. One seeks a solution (A) for a certain problem (B), but along the way, one discovers that the solution (B) itself is a desirable end, and one can reasonably pursue that (B) instead as the end of the design. Social planning, which aims to improve society, can certainly develop in this way, and the social planner or designer has to be alert, like an entrepreneur, to possibilities, consequences and hence opportunities that result from his solution, and to consider if the solution and the consequences might not itself be worth seeking, and not merely valuable instrumentally. If it is independently valuable, then it might in fact be sought after as the end goal, and what formerly was the end may now be sought instrumentally for the sake of the new end goal, to the extent that there is evidence that they mutually support each other. Gregg's The Commercial Society is just one such kind of design solution for improving the society. Thus it constantly invites us not merely to consider defending the foundations and civil cultures for the sake of the commercial society, but rather that we might consider crafting and engineering the commercial society for the sake of such a civil culture. Gregg pursues here, one might add, a way of thinking found in Michael Novak's works where he invites us to consider the way commercial society requires (and hence promotes) human creativity, which then can be ordered towards imaging God's own creativity. Whether one fully agrees with Gregg or not, one will have to take this work seriously. This is a fine text to challenge policy thinking that many times is senselessly linear and uncreative. Gregg was awarded the very prestigious Culture of Enterprise Award for this book. I am not at all suprised.

Drawing upon ancient and modern sources, "The Commercial Society" is one of those books that remind us that commercial order is about much more than the market economy. Using clear language free of jargon, this prize-winning book (Templeton Enterprise Award 2007) identifies the central moral, legal, and economic foundations of market orders and illustrates why they are indispensable to any society that aspires to the title of free and civilized.

Many have been waiting for such a book for a long time. Not since reading Wilhelm Ropke have I come across a book that articulates such a strong and morally-convincing case for free societies shaped decisively by the dominance of free enterprise and markets, but in a way that escapes the mathematical justifications offered by most contemporary economists.

It is difficult to classify this book as "conservative" or "classical liberal", not least because the author utilizes sources from both traditions, such as Edmund Burke, Adam Smith, Friedrich von Hayek, and Alexis de Tocqueville. It is, in short, a book grounded firmly in various strands of the Western tradition, especially that synthesized in the Scottish Enlightenment, but prefigured by a number of late-medieval and early-modern thinkers, such as Thomas Aquinas. It is refreshing to read a text that is so unambiguously committed to authentic human liberty, but which cannot be boxed so easily in any one intellectual paradigm.

Those inclined to planned economies or socialism will find this book very challenging to their core beliefs. "The Commercial Society", however, does not seek to persuade by hectoring. Nor does it suggest that commercial order contains all the answers to humanity's questions and problems. Rather, it expresses its arguments through logic, by carefully marshaling the facts, and judiciously surveying history. The book closes with a sophisticated discussion of the possibility of building commercial orders as opposed to simply letting them evolve. It is one of the most intriguing discussions I have read of a problem that has puzzled thinkers such as Smith, Montesquieu and Tocqueville - this alone makes the book worth reading.

Eyvind Earle's work, like that of the other true masters before him, transcends generations and particular tastes. You will marvel at these breathtaking images and even be deeply moved. Do not miss an opportunity to discover this amazing man. The world has lost a brilliant talent, but his works will remain forever.

The works in this book are filled with magic and beauty. Mostly colorful stylized landscapes that, although not photo-realistic, nevertheless express a mystical feeling about nature . I wish I could see the originals.

Fantastic book on the life and work of a great artist of modern furniture. Well written, lush with photos and perfectly laid out. If you are a serious student of mid-century modern you need to own this book.

Highly recommended book for coffee table or reference! Kagan's New York Collection is stunning, but the Classic pieces are simply awe inspiring. Vladimir Kagan should be respected not only for his legendary furniture designs, but for his extremely kind and grounded personality. To know such a person is a rare occurance. Buy his book, buy his furniture.

I was absolutely amazed at this collection of sales letters. For many different sales situations, strategy and focus are required. This book simplified the process greatly and put our firm in closer step with our customers' expectations. We are making big sales and creating an even bigger reputation for oursealves. This book is a must for any sales reference library.

ON BEHALF OF MYSELF, SABRINA MCCOY AND COLLEAGUES, SANDY STEELE & PAMELA DE LA MATA, AT LOUIS PRINTING SERVICES, WE ARE SENDING OUR CONGRATULATIONS TO RHONDA HARRIS AND ANN MCINTYRE . THIS BOOK GAVE US NEW DIRECTION IN OUR SALES COMMUNICATION WITH OUR CLIENTS. THE GUIDELINES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BOOK ARE FABULOUS ESPECIALLY WHEN TRYING TO UNLOCK THE DOOR ON NEW CLIENTS. THIS BOOK ENLIGHTENS A SALESPERSON BY GIVING THEM HOPE & DETERMINATION TO SHOOT FOR THE STARS.

The book arrived when it was supposed to and is in mint condition. I couldn't be happier.

Very professional and practical - well structured topics

This book is packed full of useful information, and is laid out in an easy-to-read interesting way. I actually look forward to reading assignments in the class this textbook is for!

I found this to be an ecellent book on the subject of color and it's relationship to the art, graphic, and design world.
I would have loved to have taken the course which uses this book as their study guide art the Art Institute of Tampa, but they only deal with Degree seeking students.
You will find it very relative to the use of color in the Art, Graphic, and Design areas, especailly in the practical use of color in the real world.

Im pretty happy with my purchase it comes on time and in good shape to thanks

I got this book after a VERY long wait (nothing to do with Amazon, Taschen delayed its publication for months and months...) and I could not be happier with it.

The waiting was well worth it, Taschen prints great products and this thick, colorful book is no exception, you get great design from the plastic jacket, to the silky pages that are very well printed (full yellow pages with no banding, WOW!).

About the content:
Interesting, up to date and very pleasing to the eye (even if you're not into graphic design you want to buy this book and have it sit on your coffee table, it looks great as an object too). You get lots of cases/projects from various places and eclectic cultures.

I highly recommend buying this book if you work or want to work in graphic design.

Aldana

The collaboration work of Kenneth R. Gray (eminent Scholar Chair Professor of International Management, School of Business and Industry, Florida A&M University-Tallahassee), Larry A. Frieder (Eminent Scholar Chair Professor of Financial Services, School of Business and Industry, Florida A&M University-Tallahassee), and George W. Clark, Jr. (Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Ethics, School of Business & Industry, Florida A&M University), Corporate Scandals: The Many Faces Of Greed focuses on the nature of corporate scandals, offering the reader a brief history of business scandals, addressing issues of corporate malfeasance including fraud, regulatory laxity, and theft; governmental attempts to address corporate crime, the pervasive extent of executive impropriety and vice, recommendations for dealing with corporate illegalities in the future, and reflections on the nature and impact of corporate scandals on the business community and the general American public. Corporate Scandals should be on the reading list of corporate CEO and mandatory reading for every student in a "Business Ethics" class in every college and university Business School in the country.

I am a business school graduate and have owned my own business for 12 years. I am also a former investor in mutual funds and equities. In the year 2000, my wife and I lost confidence in those investments in part due to the trickle of corporate scandals that had already begun to surface. Soon after, the trickle became a flood and I think we have still only seen the tip of the proverbial iceberg. In Corporate Scandals: The Many Faces of Greed, the authors explore the root causes of this breakdown in ethics and trust and put our current crisis in perspective by documenting and analyzing similar scandals in history. The book reads easily and yet is well researched, footnoted & indexed, making it an excellent textbook for university ethics courses. I feel that if every business school in America would incorporate this work (or a similar one) into their required ethics courses, it could help to restore integrity in American business persons and confidence in American business.

This is a fantastic book for any Architect who has to get involved in designing Correctional type facilities. After the escape of Pablo Escobar, the head of the Medellin Drug Cartel, I was hired by the Minister of Justice in Colombia, SA as his Security Advisor. I had to utilize local architects to design prisons and none of them had ever designed a prison before. Had Peter Krasnow's book been available then, it would have made my life easier. Correctional Facility Design and Detailing is a "must read" book for anyone involved in Corrections.

Mr. Krasnow not only provides the necessary design details but he also gives a lot of insight into security concepts and inmate management techniques used today. No wonder Mr. Krasnow is one of the leading Criminal Justice Architects in the world! He's not afraid to share his knowledge.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Krasnow on my Internet Radio Show "Global Security" on www.voice.voiceamerica.com. We not only discussed his book but many other philosphies affecting Criminal Justice Design.

Vic Plessner, Global Security Consultant www.vhpconsult.com

Peter Krasnow is an architect with 25 years hands-on experience in designing and executing correctional structures. He starts with an overview of the Justice process and system, goes on to differentiate jails from prisons and spends a lot of time discussing material organization. Now continuing to Planning and Design Principles (inventorying personnel needs and types of settings desired), he talks about facility operations costs including salaries and benefits. He is extremely well-versed in the types of programs and their architectural needs. Subchapters including physical plant and maintenance. He includes basic blueprints of true-to-life real prisons and jails for which he has had to deal with. Everything is here: phones, electronics, acoustics - you name it. The Glossary and Bibliography are worth reading, too.

Get one for yourself if you are in any way involved with deciding on, budgeting for, managing or investigating any given prison or jail. Your time and money investment will be very worthwhile.

As a fantasy art lover, I simply loved this book by the extreme beauty of its illustrations and the enormous dose of imagination Rodney put into it. Rodney is a magnific illustrator I admire with all my heart!

This is great sampling of Rodney Matthews fantasy art. It features mostly color artwork but does have some black and white drawings. There is commentary on about half the images.

It features his artwork from all areas including book covers, CD's, movies/TV, prints and commissions. Most of the work is fantasy based. Themes include alien landscapes, space, and mythological creatures.

One of my favorite pieces is "The New Jerusalem," a beautiful fantasy landscape painted with a rainbow of soft colors. Another I really like features a castle in the ocean with dolphin-like creatures in the front.

I found his CD covers featuring numerous exotic creatures fascinating. Finally, I loved his six full-page images featuring many whimsical creatures from several "Alice in Wonderland" books.