Stores Books

I got used book, it's worth it. Great lesson for children..... how to get help and what to do if you get lost in the mall or anywhere.

You will be very pleased with this history set. We used it for high school and then my son was able to review it for his AP exam. He passed with flying colors. The lectures are engaging, informative and interesting. Covers the following topics: Ancient Regime, Revolution and Napoleon; Industrial Revolution; The Revolutions of 1848; Africa and Mass Politics; The Triumphant Europe; The Soviet Untion and Facsism; Second World War; Europe - Divided and United. Also covers the creation of NATO. If any of you are working in speech/debate this year and have NATO as your topic, this is a wonderful set. I have been very happy with all the Teaching Company curricula.

Definitely motivating and curiously luring, this book took me into a world I thought was only for the seriously intuitive ... It's like a Bible of psychic readings! It's also got everything and it's easy to follow.

What I Liked About It
-- Shows how to THINK ABOUT INVESTING as opposed to providing rote formulas that will probably be misused
-- Good brief overview of the yield curve and what that means for bond investing
-- Great discussion on strategies for investing in low-volatility rate environment
-- Enlightening discussion of the implicit "put" options in mortgages and corporate issues and how to take advantage of them
-- One of the most human and enjoyable financial books I've read

What Needed Work
-- Will disappoint those looking for a bond investing "playbook" or formula
-- Doesn't discuss in-depth strategies for high-volatility rate environments
-- A bit dated in some aspects.
-- Retail investors may not be able to apply these strategies without significant capital


I've written an in-depth review on my enlightened-american.com website but here's the basic gist:

All the great investors share some common characteristics -- an elegant simplicity, an ability to cut through to the essentials and an approach that integrates other disciplines or perspectives. Furthermore, the great investor-writers like Buffett, Greenblatt or Pabrai have that extraordinary ability to distill complex material into a comprehensible explanation that the average person can grasp. Bill Gross has all of this in spades and displays some of it throughout this book.

Writing in 1997, Gross posits that a combination of high debt levels, expanding globalization and shifting demographics would mean slow-growth GDP numbers. As a result, investors should expect bond/stock returns of 6% and 8%, respectively, since corporate returns should eventually track economic output. He lays out a basic lesson in the yield curve, the case for disinflation and strategies for investing in a world of 6-8% returns.

Along the way, Gross treats the reader to the pros and cons of corporate issues, mortgage-backed issues, emerging-market debt as well as more general concepts like macro-economic analysis, the famous PIMCO total return strategy and the plankton theory (especially pertinent in today's [2007] housing bust). As he discusses these potentially dull topics, he weaves real-life analogies into his explanations and as such, the book is entertaining to read while you're learning. Some of these analogies fit better than others (the Plankton Theory working best) but Gross turns a book about boring bonds into an investing page-turner -- an admirable feat.

Highlights for me include the discussion of corporate and mortgage-backed issues. He outlines their inherent drawbacks and then illustrates why and how to use these features to your advantage in a low-volatility rate environment. I also liked his discussion of stretching short-term yield maturities so that you get a nice bump in yield with marginally increasing risk.

I imagine that some may find fault with some of his predictions. Predictions are notoriously difficult and any inaccurate forecasting doesn't detract from the efficacy or validity of the investment strategies he lays out. His methods are sound and his record proves it -- it's up to you to know when to apply them.

Others may gripe about the non-linear nature of Gross' musings. These people are probably looking for a playbook on bond investing -- a no-nonsense, how-to treatment on bond investing. If that's what you're looking for, I would point to Cohen's Bond Bible. I would also suggest that you are doing yourself a disservice. There is no hands-free formula for successful investing. I can't speak for him but I imagine that Gross takes the long, winding path because for him, investing successfully is as much about surveying all of the societal landscape as it is about crunching numbers. Ultimately, an investing education is more than just how to invest -- it's about how to approach investing. The first path will always see you fighting the last war; the latter allows you to prepare for the war ahead.

-- Davy Bui
[...]

At last, an Excel book that provides help and solutions in less time than it takes to complete a crash course in the program itself. I first purchased a copy for myself and found it to be the perfect resource for me (the most certainly less-than-advanced-Excel-user). Others in my office started noticing the new 'Excel Tricks' I learned in this wonderful book and it started to be hard to keep it on my desk. Now everyone in the department has their own copy and we all can't say enough good things about how helpful Excel 2000 Answers has been and how much more productive we've all become.

I'd recommend to anyone using Excel 2000 to purchase a copy of this book and keep it within arm's reach at all times. Thank you Ms. Perry for an absolutely wonderful and perfect addition to my resource library.

this is a good book just i wanted for my paper

This is an excellent book for everyone. My 5 year old loves it! It has wonderful rhymes and a good message at the end.

for those who like your colonge but, younever know if they can wear it or not. great little thank you gift

The product came new and undamaged and in a timely manner. Can't wait to go hike!

CB Colby wrote a whole string of books in the late 50's to early 70's that basically targeted younger boys. The books dealt with topics from 'Arms of our Fighting Men' to "Ships of Our Navy". Each of the books is around ~60 pages, and shows excellent pictures of various arms and weapons, with a paragraph or 2 for each page written for a youngster to understand.
I loved these books when I was in grade school. They are very dated, and all the systems obsolescent, but my kids love looking at these books.