Tools Books

As Friedman points out, Japan's rise from postwar devastation to the first ranks of industrial nations has stimulated two rival explanations. One, the "market regulation hypothesis," claims Japan actually owes its success to playing the development game by the book. The other, "bureaucrat regulation hypothesis," claims that Japan's civil service applied a brilliant industrial policy to achieve the desired results. Friedman briefly but cogently outlines the implications of either theory, including logical problems with both. He then proceeds to deduce another hypothesis yet.

His method is exciting because it demonstrates how statistical analysis and historical research can come together to make a rigorous, compelling case. Friedman's approach is highly scientific and deductive, and yet very easy for non-specialists to follow. Focusing on the specific case of Japan's machine-tool industry, he demonstrates the gradual evolution of industrial policy methods from 1925 to the mid-70's. For decades Japan's famous MITI sought to make the country's industries competitive by consolidating the huge number of tiny, regional machine shops into one big "modern" firm. Instead, MITI was thwarted; often its policies achieved the opposite of what was intended.

Friedman introduces the politics of industrial relations, and how the "political" relationships between categories of producers, and towards the Japanese state, helped shape Japanese industry into its contemporary mix of strengths and weaknesses. The amazing resilience and aptitude of the small Japanese firm is shown to be a source of strength and flexibility.

This is actually a fairly short book, and yet it is packed with very creative, enlightening ideas. I was especially impressed with his detailed accounts of wartime Japan and the role of *zaibatsu* in the rise of militarism.

The startling conclusion drawn by Friedman is that there is no one path to development. Japan's was not the result of universal economic laws that apply the same way everywhere; nor was it the result of an infallible MITI. The country might have reached industrial preeminence in several different ways, and those ways would have been specific to Japan's peculiar circumstances.

Friedman was one of the first to capture the essence of the Japanese business model that took the world by storm in the 1980s. Vividly written and wisely analyzed, this is a must read for historical context on the whole of Japanese business.

Great book to help give your kids tools for how to handel money as they grow older.

If you are looking to have devotions at home, but do not know where to begin, stop looking. This book and the entire series are excellent. They teach biblical values through hands on expereince. As a pastor of a church, I am recommending this series to all members who have children. You do not need to know theology or know how to teach, just have a desire to set aside time one night per week and enjoy time teaching, learning and growing with your kids in a Christ centered fun way.

MONKEY WITH A TOOLBELT was the first book I bought for my baby daughter. Granted she won't *get* it for a long time, but it's sure fun for me to read to her! It's so fun & cute & clever - I particularly love Chico's long list of silly (and not so silly) tools and the illustrations are fantastic. So much to look at and enjoy. I highly recommend this book for you & your little ones! Nice work, Chris!

Reasons To Read the Book "Monkey with a Tool Belt":

#1: It is named "Monkey with a Tool Belt".
#2: It features a monkey by the name of Chico Bon Bon.
#3: And yes, it's brilliant, funny, well-illustrated, blah blah blah. But did you see the title? It's MONKEY WITH A TOOL BELT!! How cool is that?

Basically, inside every book reviewer is a five-year-old child who screams with delight when she reads titles created by talented whizzes like Chris Monroe. Ms. Monroe is a Minnesotan with a cartoonist background and an ear for a funny phrase. With this, her second foray into the world of picture books, the result is delightful. Distinctly child-friendly with great art and a story worth reading, "Monkey with a Tool Belt" (I just can't say it often enough) is going to wind up being one of those books that kids remember and treasure for years.

Chico Bon Bon. Your average everyday monkey with a tool belt. Outfitted with everything from claw hammers to clam hammers, Chico is the kind of guy you want around when something needs fixing or building. And even when he doesn't get something right the first time, it doesn't take long for him to correct his mistake. One day, Chico is trapped by a nefarious organ grinder intent on making the monkey his new dancing stooge. Fortunately, after the organ grinder takes Chico to his home, he indulges in operating a lot of his loud appliances at once. This is more than adequate to cover up the sound of Chico's tools as he takes a variety of steps towards escaping from his box. One rubber hammer later Chico is on the bus home (his fare having been contained in the belt as well). Safely tucked into bed, the monkey dreams of the things he'll build and invent tomorrow.

There is nothing quite so comforting as a competent hero. Monroe has created a story that is as kid-friendly as it is partly because you never really worry too badly for Chico. Even when he's in dire straits you're comforted by the very presence of his tool belt. The text may or may not do well as a readaloud though. I mean, the words do well when read but there are lots of tiny bits of text and images that deserve close one-on-one readings. For example, when we see Chico building things for a bunch of different people (docks for ducks, clocks for clucks, etc.) each picture is accompanied by a tiny insert of the tools he's using. Ditto the huge map showing the route the organ grinder took to get to his circus. Then again, you might be able to skim these areas if you wanted to present this book to a class. I don't think it would hurt the story any.

The art is great but the details really make it pop. Take Chico Bon Bon's tool belt for a starter. Of the multitude of tools found there, both real and imaginative, it's hard not to love Monroe's tiny details. The tool labeled "ouija" is indeed a ouija board's plaquette. The bungee hammer is floppity, the turkey wrench has feathers, and the banana hammer has a distinctly yellow cast. Really, most pictures contain a plethora of details if you're willing to look for them. I loved that when the circus tigers helped the previous monkey escape from the zoo they outfitted him with a bindle (and one of them glares at the organ grinder through the window later in the story). And my co-worker is convinced that the last image of Chico Bon Bon, dreaming of being shot out of a banana cannon, looks like no one so much as Brazilian skateboarder Bob Burnquist. I suspect that the resemblance is purely coincidental, but I could certainly be wrong.

Monkeys are funny. Tool belts are not funny. So how do we account for the fact that monkeys plus tool belts are very funny? I've no idea, but if Chris Monroe keeps churning out more picture books of this style and flavor, I'll be a happy woman. Definitely a keeper for the tool belt and monkey lovers of the world.

Easy to understand and easy to build working wooden locks. I have the first book 'Working Wooden Locks" and have made all the locks in it. Sure would be nice if he would do another book with more/different locks. Be careful buying the second book. They are ONLY 2 Books. Fist Book: Working Wooden Locks, Second Book: MORE Working Wooden Locks. The cover picture was changed on the first book and has caused some confusion.
I Love these 2 Books and Highly Recommend them.

Making More Working Wooden Locks: Complete Plans For Five Working Wooden Locks by woodworking expert Tim Detweiler is the second of two outstanding titles from Linden Publishing devoted to specialized do-it-yourself projects of making locks and other security devices out of wood. Making More Working Wooden Locks is profusely illustrated and an ideal step-by-step instructional guide appropriate for even the most novice carpenter. The four locks and one wood safe comprising Making More Working Wood Locks will challenge and intrigue any dedicated woodworker.

This is great stuff. I finished the material earlier this year and implemented it about 6 weeks before the summer season hit. I've had some excellent results with the step contact system and have done a couple of the seminars with a good turn out and some closed deals as a result. There was a lot of background on marketing included in the training portion of the material that I enjoyed reading and helped me with my sales and marketing efforts. The best inclusion for me is the reminder system. RE Agents in our area are very used to being the referring partner in any deal. I used the ads and seminars to bring the customer to me. Referred them out to agents I wanted to build a referral relationship wtih and used the reminder systems to make sure they didn't forget where the deal originated. So far so good! The agents really seem to appreciate that I can get the borrower and create a referral. Everyone of them has referred back to me so it is working just as explained. Overall a good course that proved a bargain for me.

Great material. I am newer to lending and marketing for originations seemed overwhelming. A portion of processing for our office is to assist with the marketing. I did well in the other aspects but didn't have any background or study material to help me with marketing. We were using a lot of lists and I wasn't having as much success as I hoped. I got this as a last ditch effort to improve the incoming biz. I really appreciated some of the fundamental skills taught in the program and love the marketing concepts. Many of them are new to our area and seem unique. I've used some of the ready made fliers and tools and have had good success so far. I have started using the training to expand my marketing portfolio and can see continued success. Overall a good program. The LO's are pleased wtih my efforts and success. Thanks!

World-famous cocktailian Robert Hess was a "behind the scene" contributor to this book. He wrote the "Classic Cocktails" section. Other contributors include Jeffery Lindenmuth, David Wondrich, Audrey Saunders, Julie Reiner, Gary Regan, Dale DeGroff, and William Grimes.

Update your library now with this substantially improved new edition.

I was originally looking for a "regular" Mr. Boston book to arm myself with drink recipes for the occasional entertaining my wife and I do at our home. The book had been recommended to me by several friends as being the best bar guide available so I came to Amazon to begin my search. It was here I discovered Mr. Boston Platinum Edition. I ordered the book, it arrived quickly and I'm very impressed.
The book contains a lot more information than just drink recipes. It is an intersesting read and I was surprised to see a history of the origin of a lot of popular drinks. I love a good Manhattan and now I know the city, the "inventor" and the bar where this drink was developed. I also know the difference in the ingredients, what makes whiskey bourbon, rye, etc.
Many of the drinks in Mr. Boston have variations and they are listed with the reasons for the differences. I even know why a drink should be either shaken or stirred.
What I really like besides all the recipes is the section on essential home bar equipment. I have already looked at the web sites suggested in the book and started to order the equipment I need to outfit our new home bar.
The recipes have been contributed by many professional "mixologists" and it is evident that they take pride in their profession.
The book itself is very nice looking and well constructed. The ringed binder is sturdy and the book lay flat so I can read it while my hands are full of bottles and strainers.
This is the perfect book for me, being a beginner, and I highly recommend it for the home bar owner or for professional bartenter who is interested in the right way or a new way to mix a drink and arming himself with many interesting facts to relate to his customers.

I bought this not knowing whether it would be appropriate for my daughter, aged 7. It was, however, a perfect resource for her, guiding her gently to explore some of the facts and circumstances of her birth and life in China prior to my adopting her. She giggled at some questions, thought deeply about others, and seemed to really enjoy that she had the option to draw as well as to write (or dictate) her answers. We work on it together, some weeks a lot, and other weeks just a little. Like many things, creating this book is a process -- and a welcome one. I would highly recommend this to parents of children adopted from China.

My daughter and I made her lifebook together when she was 3.5 and we have read it many times since. She sometimes reads it to herself privately. We also talk frequently about all the issues/questions/feelings around her first year of life. Though Beth O'Malley's workbook covered much of the same ground, the fact that my daughter was filling in answers for herself felt different. Also, unlike the lifebook, which is largely a mother-written endeavor, the workbook was written by an adoption expert--and my daughter is getting to the stage where confirmation from a non-parent source matters!

This is an excellent resource in what I think of as a progression of lifebooks--the toddler lifebook (mainly photos), the small child lifebook
(photos plus more text and detail), this workbook, and eventually an
autobiography written by the teen adoptee. None of us ever really finish
writing our story, do we?

Claire McDonald
Mom to Ming age 7.5
President, Families with Children from Asia Winchester

I've been poring over books about building stuff (cabinets, furniture, built-ins, etc) on and off for years now, but rarely buy any. You can buy full-book advertisements like the books from Black and Decker (which aren't bad, actually), but you kind of need to buy the tools too.

Same goes for all the other books: they generally assume you'll somehow magically acquire a shop full of tools (not to mention plenty of space to put your shop), as well as all the materials.

Mr. Frost is a wise old dude, who has put in a lot of years of living and knows a lot of good stuff. If you're afraid power tools like me--I've known way too many people over the years with fewer than average fingers due to them--then this is a great introduction.

But if you're interested in graphic design (Mr. Frost designed the Gilbey's Gin bottle long ago), this is an awesome book as well: throughout, the illustrations illustrate not just the projects but also how to do illustration and graphic design.

And if you just feel inadequate because your dad never showed you how to use a saw or gave you positive feedback when you were learning something, well, you should get therapy--but also get this book. Mr. Frost is a gentle and sensible teacher, and his common sense comments (on using a power jigsaw: "Very little skill is needed to operate this saw, except to *remember not* to put your other hand *under* the board to feel the blade when it's running!") are more sincere than condescending.

Watch out, though, because someone forgot to proof read the manuscript (or else left lots of boo-boos in); it doesn't matter, it's still a great book.

So turn off "Yankee Workshop" (anyone could make *anything* with a 20x40 workshop and a hundred thousand or so in tools). This book will take you from the simplest of projects (a pair of sawhorses) to more challenging projects without breaking the bank.

I bought this book after buying his, "Whacky Toys, Whirligigs & Whatchamacallits" book. His writing style is truly clever and engaging, and his knowledge of the subjects he writes about is deep and beyond well rounded.

Even if you never actually pick up some tools and craft all the projects in this book, it's a great read, and Mr. Frost shares his wisdom on many topics, not just woodworking. It's philosophical without being ponderous or windy, and extremely practical. I can't praise this book enough, and consider myself blessed to have both of Mr. Frost's books. They fill in so many little gaps in my woodworking and tool knowledge (like the other reviewer, I have read tons of other woodworking books). This book has real "soul", and I urge anyone even remotely interested in this topic to buy this book ASAP! It's truly amazing what one can do with a few simple tools and a little bit of practical knowledge.

Documented procedures are an essential part of any quality-driven management system. I have been working in this area for over 15 years. There is no finer resource that I have found (and I have looked for them) than "The New Playscript Procedure". This book explains all aspects of procedure writing as simply and concisely as I have ever seen. If only every customer and supplier would document their systems in this manner. Simply put, it is the best method I have ever worked with, and give this book my highest possible recommendation.

Although this book was published in 1977, the instructions for developing and writing office procedures is very much in keeping with the current need for simplicity and clarity in business writing. I have written the type of procedures covered in this book for many years and recommend them as being the most easily understood and most often used by employees. I was glad to still see the book is in print and was so readily available from Amazon.com. Thank you

It is the ideal. If we could incorporate these ideas in our workplace it would be a better place to work.

I use this book often in my interactions with healthcare staff. Want to know how to develop a staff council, develop a mission statement, set goals, or problem solve around relationships. This is the best and most practical of all of their books.