Projects Books

This is a great book for anyone interested in project management, or has been given the PM role without any prior training. It's also good for those of us who already think we know it all - I'm sure there'll be gems in it for everyone.

Any project one can undertake is not necessarily going to be like all the others. "The Principles of Project Management: Run Projects on Time and To Budget Using This Simple Step-by-Step Guide" is an informed and informative handbook for managers in charge of making their projects the best they can be with proper planning, strategy, and beginnings. With advice on warning signals to help people stay on the right track, "The Principles of Project Management: Run Projects on Time and To Budget Using This Simple Step-by-Step Guide" is a top pick for community library business collections and any would be project leader.

This is a short book, but it's packed with useful information about project management. It neatly avoids getting bogged down with PM jargon, instead cutting to the core concepts. It's not designed to get you through a project management qualification (though it might help!), but will certainly help you to become more efficient at managing projects, which at the end of the day is what *really* matters. Aimed at people who want to get projects done, even if they're not officially 'project managers' within their organisation.

The book is broken into five sections - what project management is (and just as importantly, what it isn't), getting started with projects (covering the who, what, where, why and when of project initiation), getting the project done (tools, best practice, project control), the essentials of good project communication, and finally following through - closing off the project.

Rounded off with appendices covering essential project tools, templates, and links to useful software apps, this is a great book for people starting out in project management. And whilst not strictly aimed at experienced project managers, I'm sure that everyone will find something useful to take away.

Great stuff.

Do you find yourself responsible for executing projects and need some guidance on how to get the job done? If you do, then this book is for you! Author Meri Williams, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that shows you how to get projects completed and delivered on time.

Williams, begins by explaining why Project Management is a difficult thing to do effectively. Then, the author explains why leading teams, managing schedules and implementing ideas, takes a lot of focus and hard work. Next, she gives advice on work styles and issue tracking. The author also discusses why stand-up meetings are very difficult to prepare for. She continues by showing you why closing on handling is a total disconnect. Finally, the author discusses how to measure operational success, ongoing support and maintenance.

This most excellent book aims to lay out defined steps to get projects done right and on time. But, more importantly, the author designed this book for people who are working on larger projects by themselves.

'The Principles of Project Management' is one of those books that does nearly everything right in my eyes. A small footprint (204 pages = don't say more than you need to), fantastic design, and good writing and content. It's no secret that sitepoint is one of my favorite technical publishers out in the field today and nearly every one of their books gets 5 stars from this reviewer.

This book is no different.

Project Management is a difficult thing to do and do effectively. Managing schedules, leading teams, getting ideas to fruition all takes a lot of hard work and focus. To be a good project manager you have to wear all sort of different hats and it's a daunting task. Like salespeople, if you are a great project manager you can have a lot of success and a lot of times it's the kind of skills that can't be taught, but are ingrained inside you.

But you can make those skills stronger no matter what level project manager you are.

From Gantt charts to tables to delegation, estimates, and becoming an amateur psychologist working with your team, this book is one of the best inros to becoming an effective project manager. You will learn all the necessary skills to be successful and have fun while learning.

If you are an experienced PM you owe it to yourself to read this quick book and if you are newbie this should be required reading. Great content and ideas + a great design make for an outstanding effort and book!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This book is very good for all types of projects. It covers setting up a project, organizing the work, managing a project, handling several projects at once, dealing with project issues and crises, using modern technology such as groupware and the Internet. The approach of establishing an issues data base and relating issues to specific tasks in a project is unique. It is very useful.

This is one of the best project management books for introducing employees to modern project management in an interesting way. Most project management books are ver dry and lack realistic examples. Thus, it is difficult to motivate people to read and use such materials. This is a very practical, down to earth book that has many guidelines that you can use immediately as you read the book. Some of the strengths of the book are: 1) best description of matrix management; 2) use of collaborative tools in managing projects; 3) how to deal with multiple projects; 4) how to share resources across several projects; 5) how to deal with risk in projects. The authors have developed a very creative and useful approach in dealing with project risk that associates project risk with unresolved issues. I highly recommend this book.

Project management for the 21st century is one of the most usable, easy to read, and complete project management books. There are good examples. Techniques are modern--better than that available in other books. This books stresses working together, sharing information, and dealing with resources that are spread among various projects. Very good reference.

This book provides the basics of project management in an easy to use casual style. It proceeds step by step through building a plan and then managing a project. The chapter on project costing is good, but could use some more detail. The modern and historical examples are usefully examined. These could be expanded more later.

This book not only gives you all of the basics, but also highlights how to use the Internet for project management. Very useful material.

Project Sunlight is an awesome book. It is easy to read and easier to get caught up in.

My Grandma owns a copy from 1980's and she offered it to me to read. I thought it was going to be a 'girl' book but I was completely wrong.

I love how it explores areas such as much ignored truths versus long accepted traditions.

This book is great. 5 stars easily.

This is a lovely book. It is well-written, and the author has done a wonderful job and included appropriate Scripture references throughout the story. I have read this book twice, and both times I was filled with wonder anew that Jesus Christ, the Son, loves me so much and is looking forward to the day when I can join Him in Heaven, along with my other saved siblings in Christ. This would be a good choice for a book club to consider, if they want a good inspirational book. The story is about a young single mother of two, Meg, who is searching for meaning in her life, and her journey to becoming a Christian. Meg's story is being written down by Jared, a recording angel in Heaven. Jared nicknames Meg, "Sunlight." This book is also a great choice for parents to read to their children, or for a husband or wife to read to each other. I also highly recommend it for those who are Sabbath school teachers, and for those who are curious about the seventh-day Sabbath of the Bible. Another choice would be for churches to present this story as a play about the end-times. Buy this book--it is a must-have for your inspirational library.

Project Sunlight is like no other book I've read. It is so unique and intresting. I read this book when i was 12 and loved it so much. Then when i was 15 my dad bought it for me and i read it again and again. This book enlighted the way I looked at this universe from another point of veiw. I strogly recommened this book because you will see in someone elses eyes in a way you never have before about why we live here on earth and our purpose.

This book was read to me by my junior high teacher. I have kept this book in mind for many years, and now as a Sabbath school teacher, I would like to share it with my class. I hope it can serve as an inspiration to not only my class, but also to all others who read it.

it tells you basicly what will happen to an end! it helps you get ready!
(note: the guy who reconmand this book to me helped people get baptized by suggesting them to read the book!)
there is no doupt just get the book!
(you will love the ending!)

Stuart Clark produced a great adventure which captures you in the first chapter. It has a new take on aliens. The main character goes to different worlds and collects different alien "species" for the zoo on earth. A hidden plot takes them to a planet which they have to go thru alot of action and adventure and survival to make their way back. I would recommend this book. Can't wait till the sequal is out.

Books like this simply validate my love of science fiction. Not only are Clark's characters realistic and interesting, but the storyline is extremely engaging. From the time I first sat down to read, straight through to the end, I was captivated.

Wyatt Dorren heads Project U.L.F. (Unidentified Life Form) for the Interplanetary Zoological Park. In the past, he has been a trapper, visiting various planets and collecting different species of extraterrestrial life to bring back to the zoo. So, when he is offered to lead another mission of the same, which he thinks will be good for promoting the zoo, he agrees. But, unbeknownst to Wyatt, the Douglas Mannheim has other plans for this "routine" mission. The disreputable Mannheim is the manager of the zoo, and feels threatened by Wyatt. So, he assembles a special team for Wyatt and sends them on a one-way trip to a planet from which no one has returned.

Mannheim isn't the only one with an ulterior motive. And the planet is much more dangerous than anyone imagines. With deadly creatures around every corner, not everyone will survive this nightmare.

Comparable to tense, science fiction movies such as Alien and Pitch Black, Project U.L.F. is a guaranteed non-stop, heart-pounding thriller. At the end of each chapter, I felt like I could finally exhale in relief. Cleverly written from different points of view (and sometimes of the aliens themselves), only added to the suspense. Clark's vivid depiction of the deadly planet and imaginative creatures brought the book to life. I'll be looking forward to more works from this new author.

What a surprisingly good book!!! I kept expecting aliens to come charging out at the main characters like in Alien or Aliens (I loved those movies by way). But the author refreshingly throws many different kinds of aliens and obstacles at the characters--everything from alien vegetation to corrupt corporate executives and a whole lot of creatures in between. Even the environment has it in for the heroes. Speaking of the heroes, they are a group of trappers working for the Interplanetary Zoological Park based in Chicago. They travel to new worlds in other star systems collecting new and unusual specimens for the zoo to let the masses to ooh and ah over. Sounds like fun, right.

The story is set several hundred years into humanity's future, and it is a plausible one at that. Clark's writing style is smooth and easy to follow. The characters are believable and likeable--a must for a good novel like this one. The only thing I can possibly find slightly off with Project U.L.F. (Unidentified Life Forms) is that there are times when the narrative goes on with explanation or background. Do not get me wrong, I loved this book and there is plenty of dialogue--I am just not a big fan of narrative information. This was only minor issue, hence the five-star rating. I look forward to seeing more novels from Clark. He is definitely a science fiction fan.

Stuart Clark is a rising star in science fiction, judging by the reaction to his splendid first novel, "Project U.L.F." A swift-moving adventure, it cleverly transfers "The Lost World" to, literally, a lost world; an unnamed planet 2.7 light years beyond Centauri Red 603. The easy prose and unwavering pace invite you to sit down, strap in, and enjoy the ride.

The shameful past that Wyatt Dorren hides only fuels his drive as head of Project U.L.F., a division of the Interplanetary Zoo tasked with collecting unseen creatures from across the galaxy. He's become good at his job. Too good. And that means someone wants him out of the way. Wyatt and his team of misfits find themselves stranded on an uncharted and very dangerous planet, fending off Clark's imaginative repertoire of critters and beasties as they look for a way home.

It comes as no complaint that "Project U.L.F."'s plot is relatively straightforward; that is the novel's strength. There are a number of twists, turns and betrayals, to be sure, but the joy is in riding along with Wyatt as he works overtime getting out of jams while travelling from Point A to Point Beta Epsilon. A movie thrillride if ever there was one, "Project U.L.F." packs in the set pieces while never feeling manufactured for show.

The ensemble crew have their own trials along the way, and all (well, most all) come across as endearing despite their flaws. I particularly liked Chris, the naive medic who is much more than he seems, and Gon-Thok, the... what the heck is Gon-Thok, anyway? If anything, I thought Furball was underutilized -- while more was hinted at with his empathy, it didn't seem to come to fruition.

If you're yearning for a good, solid adventure of the kind 'they don't seem to make anymore', you're in for a treat with "Project U.L.F.". Me? I'm just waiting for the next installment -- same Clark time, same Clark channel.

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I loved it! I occasionally read science fiction and fantasy literature, and sometimes I run into problems when the terminology gets too difficult to understand without reading an entire series, or when the storylines are too far-fetched. This book was great - it had enough elements of science fiction to keep it entertaining for the genre, but it did not get bogged down in scientific jargon or boring explanations and descriptions.

The book started off in full swing, taking you right into some of the main character's experiences fighting his own demons. It was abrupt, but not in a confusing way - there was just enough uncertainty to really draw you in and make you want to find out more. The story progresses smoothly and the characters are well developed and interesting. There are a few twists and surprises, and lots of action. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants a light yet stimulating, exciting and fun read.

This is a wondefull book for small quilts. Instructions very easy to understand. Book was in excellent conditon. Received very quickly after ordering.

The instructions are clear and easy. The patterns are intresting and versitile. The quilts are quick to make. After I bought this book so did 2 of my friends.

A wonderful book for the novice and experienced quilter! Easy to follow directions and excellent photos. Can't go wrong with this book!!

I fell in love with the cover quilt, but have found so many others inside that I like as well. I have dozens of quilting books, but this is one I reach for often for inspiration.

The patterns are especially well suited for scrap quilts although most of the examples in this book are made with "bright" fabrics.

This is a great book for beginners / children learning to quilt. It is also good for quilters with experience to use as chairty / gift quilts. They are interesting patterns, but quick to do.

Simple illustrations and instructions with easy, satisfying projects.

I got this book because of the quilt on the cover that I found interesting enough to want to do. After getting the book and reading through it, I find there is much more I want to try my hand at, as well as the thoughts of making quilts for charities and hospitals. It was really a gift in a book! Great book for guilds to do as well!

I enjoyed this book as, instead of being too narrowly focused (as a story about one little object might sound at first), it tells the story of this tiny disc as just one symbolic element of the first mission to the lunar surface. Not just for the committed space-geek, this book does a good job of conveying some of the wonder of the first lunar landing mission, both in words and in beautiful full-page images. As a snapshot of the world of 1969, it is fascinating.

The disc, intended as a symbolic gesture, turns out to tell many more stories than its original intention, and in many ways summarize the whole venture. As the book describes the rush to add last-minute messages to the disc, hurriedly collecting messages from world leaders, so we come to understand the tensions between science, engineering, PR and politics that were taking place in the busy runup to launch. Some arguments, such as whether to include religious wording to symbolic statements, sound very familiar to some current political debates.

The political reasonings behind some of the messages, and also why some nations declined involvement, give an interesting insight into late-1960s global politics. It's very interesting to read all of the messages themselves as a reflection of the times. Some of the blandest statements come from the major powers on the world stage, with smaller countries such as Liberia, Guyana, the Ivory Coast, Trinidad and Tobago providing some of the most thought-provoking words as they decide how to claim their own little intellectual corner of the mission. The messages come from countries which in many cases no longer exist or have been renamed, from leaders long gone, long deposed and in many cases long discredited. Very few, such as Queen Elizabeth, are still around.

Without any commentary, the end of the book is nevertheless perhaps the most powerful part. Giving a brief biography of each of the leaders whose words appear on the disc, in many cases we are treated to a rogue's gallery of dictators, coup winners, corrupt tyrants and those who went on to murky and inglorious ends. A good portion of the leaders are people who, today, we may view as the last names we'd want representing humankind in a message to the future. While aiming for a high purpose, the disc therefore also inadvertently summarizes what a messy and imperfect world we lived in in 1969. Perhaps, in doing so, it gives extra luster to the Apollo 11 mission itself, which managed to reach above its Cold War origins and achieve something for all humankind.

A very interesting work, presented in beautiful form.

This is a unique and delightful book. Unlike so many publications about the early space program, which typically rehash many of the same old stories, this one actually reveals something fresh and heretofore unexamined. Dr. Rahman avoids overuse of technologic talk, keeping the book very accessible for the casual reader; yet manages to unearth something genuinely different for those of us who avidly read all things space.

For those who care naught about exploration of the moon, readers will still find a wonderful message of peace on earth. In fact, the mounbound messages (nearly four decades old now) contained herein, penned by leaders from around the world, seem remarkably timely for our age and any age. It is touching to read such sentiments from world leaders who have often been considered enemies rather than friends.

Ultimately, this is not a book about a super-power's technologic feats in space; but about a planet uniting for a single moment in its history and longing to return to that unity.

I was just 7 when men first set foot on the moon and I can still remember the excitement as my parents explained what was going on and tried to impart to me the significance of what I was witnessing on our old black and white TV. Until I read this book I had no idea that over 70 nations sent unique messages of goodwill to be left on the moon forever. Tahir has done a wonderful job in collecting these messages together, as well as giving us many rare and beautiful photographs which pictorially document that time almost 40 years ago. I can heartily recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the space programme. However, it is far more than merely another book about Apollo, Neil Armstrong etc; it gives us a rare insight into how other nations apart from America perceived the significance of this monumental effort and event. In the turbulent times of the late 1960s, it is heart-warming to learn that so many countries which might, in many ways, be at odds with one another, genuinely wished the best for the men who landed on the moon and wanted to feel a part of the whole enterprise. That is the true message of this book and is perhaps a lesson that nations might learn from today.

Given an accomplishment as large as landing the first men on the Moon, it is easy to understand why the smaller details of the Apollo 11 mission might be forgotten to the passage of time. It is therefore a delight to see author Tahir Rahman return the spotlight (and microscope) to the flight's goodwill silicon disc. What some may have seen as a trinket, Rahman saw as the treasure it really it is. "We Came In Peace For All Mankind" will fit as well in a space historian's library as it will the space enthusiast's.

The story of the least-remembered memento Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin left on the Moon in 1969.

Almost forty years ago we were glued to our tvs watching NASA's greatest show yet: humans encased in silver space suits cavorting on the Moon, our one & only orbital companion which has inspired us to lunacy & romance & poetry for countless generations. No, Virginia, there is no Man in the Moon, only astronauts upon it.

Above all other images we remember the one of Earthrise as our big blue marble hove into view beyond the curve of Moon's horizon. Then there was the planting of a floppy Stars & Stripes & the reading of the plaque below. What none of us remember, & the astronauts themselves almost forgot to do, was the placing of a cloth pouch in which reposed elegant powder compact-like cases of various materials which protected a silicon disc the size of a half-dollar, etched with goodwill messages from nation states around our world.

When I opened Tahir Rahman's beautiful coffee-table tome called WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND: The Untold Story of the Apollo 11 Silicon Disc, I was hooked from page one, & not only by the multitude of glorious color photos.

The silicon disc was intended to tell who/whatever opens it upon landing on the Moon how diverse the inhabitants of the planet they see on the horizon are, & hopefully dissuade the reader/s from violent invasion. What we left was an engraved invitation to come visit, & WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND is your invitation, too.

In the beginning there are awe-inspiring photos of Earthrise, a footprint & the silicon disc coupled with quips & quotes from Moonwalkers & prime ministers, & then Tahir Rahman's story starts: "Neil Armstrong peered through one of the small windows of the lunar module, Eagle..." He was preparing to step outside his safety zone into the unknown. Six-hundred-million people watched him, & "we laughed & cried & lit up cigars." It was a different time, folks, B4PC = personal computers & political correctness both! "Our world was united in a unique way while the astronauts walked on a surreal world for the first time in {our] history."

I enjoyed learning of the planning committee's conclusions, especially #2: "The activities should be in good taste from a world perspective." Naturally, like Columbus did, we thought to plant a flag, & a whole host of them was packed on board to be brought back as souvenirs for important supporters. Then someone thought up the commemorative plaque & we see its genesis.

Soon we're briefly meeting the Apollo 11 Crew, reading about how slivers of wood from the Orville brother's Kitty Hawk would be in the baggage. Some attention is devoted to how it was decided to use a US flag instead of another one, & how to make & hang such a flag in Moon's gravity-deficient atmosphere, as well as other Moonly scientific considerations.

& then we get to NASA's invitation to world leaders to add their 2 cents, & while we wait for them to reply, we learn who made the silicon disc & how. It becomes quite evident that Sprague Electric Company had a nightmare of a deadline. Then we're on to launch preparations, & soon they're off to the Moon.

The Library of Goodwill Messages makes up most of the rest of this volume: who & how the leaders of the world responded. I like that there's a map to each nation's reply so we can learn where on Earth they are/were. Plus a whole slew of Americans who backed the endeavor. It all sounds so dry, until you read it & realize how much was etched in gold into that little disc.

Tahir Rahman, a physician fascinated by the Apollo Program, was given a duplicate of the silicon disc by Neil Armstrong. What he found, upon magnification, on that little piece of plastic (sic!) so astonished him that he just had to investigate further, rousing NASA historians to dust off their memories & unearthing storage boxes in the warrens of the Library of Congress that had gathered decades of dust.

WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND is a superb addition to your library. To be oohed & aahed over by all the generations of your family. Very well done!

I was highly delighted with the price and quality of this book as I have been always with all purchases I have done through Amazon. Anyone wanting a great Hand Applique book this would be the one to purchase. It is simple to understand and the patterns included are very precise and easy to follow.

This book arrived in excellent condition and delivery was very fast from the USA to NZ. I am just loving it and just wish I had more time in the day to do more projects.

I bought 2 books one for a friend and the other for our Library. They have very well received. The book is well illustrated and informative. I am glad i bought them.

Very nice projects,clear and concise..if you like applique or want to learn more,this is a really nice book.I especially like the Jacobean patterns she has provided. Hand or machine or both. Just starting out
or just wants some new and very pretty patterns..check out this book!

This book is excellent to follow exactly ,or take a pattern and run with it to create your own quilt.Directions are easy to understand.The patterns are full size.She shows you different applique techniques,and a number of interesting projects.This book is an excellent addition to any quilter's library.

This irreverent collection of 52 "Peter Principles" of "What NOT to do" if one wants to become a successful problem-solving manager, is management thinking of a very high order. There is just nothing else like it in the management literature.

It is prescriptive thinking and advice that can be, and indeed should be applied to any field of problem-solving. It is nothing if not a reference manual on why "common sense" approaches should not be relied upon exclusively. Augustine, without trying, and without saying so explicitly, demonstrates how and where "common sense" often breaks down. That is not to suggest that Norm Augustine was not often an advocate of "common sense' approaches himself, far from it: he just always warned against complete reliance on common sense.

As one of only a handful of Analysts who had the privilege of working with Norm well before he became famous, and went on to become the CEO of Martin-Marietta, among his many other accomplishments, Augustine's Laws have evolved from Norm's own personal management style and timely admonitions, from the time of one of his first management jobs as Manager of the "Systems Analysis Directorate" of the Douglas Missile and Systems Division (which was at the time, soon-to-become "The McDonald-Douglas Systems Analysis Directorate."). Even then, Norm was cautious about over-reliance on "common sense" especially in complex-problem solving situations. He always wanted to "look beyond and behind" the common sense approaches.

At the time that I worked for Norm, he was a young honors math graduate from Princeton U. who hit the ground running as one of "Mac Narmara's whiz kids" ready to help solve the many problems of the "Cold War." He was thrown into a den of other elite and very talented Mathematicians and political scientists, to head up, and solve, among other interesting projects: that of helping to develop the MIRV missile system; designing launch vehicles to take payloads to the moon; and designing adequate missile defense systems (like the Nike-Zeus system) to protect the U.S. homeland.

I may be the only person in the world who still has one of his beautifully written unclassified mathematical analyses of how MIRVs actually solved the American "throw-weight' disadvantage problem with the then Soviet Union. Frank Eastman, Joe Rebholtz, Richard Johnson, Robert Young, James Brinsley, and Wayne Martin, all of whom are Phds now and who also went on to their own separate stellar careers, can testify to Norm's brilliance and skill at applying these 52 laws doing those heady days.

This is an invaluable compendium of pragmatic wisdom that should be tucked away in a safe place not just in the library, but also in the brain, always available for ready use.

50 stars

This book describes to autor's knowledge in the aerospace and defense industries. Written with a lot of humor and unfortunatly the stories are probably true. A must

Norm Augustine has captured the government defense aerospace industry "sprawling on a pin" for dissection. In one particularly humorous bit he points out that just when the aerospace industry's trend to more and more expensive combat aircraft looked like it might be stalled since adding weight is anathema to aircraft -- along came something expensive and weightless to fill the gap -- software! This is one terrific book! Just the figure showing there is no correlation between what executives are paid and the performance of their companies is worth the price of admission.

I would not have ever expected to find myself laughing out loud, nor even smiling often while reading a book that discusses government projects and corporations who contract them. Norman Augustine provides a clear and critical insight into the corporate-government affairs world with just enough graphs and charts to make it comprehensible yet not overbearing. I found it as light reading - which is a virtue on it's own when reading about such complex a subject.

Accurate, Funny, and informative. This book captures the real (and not so real) world of government and other large projects spot on. Having been on both sides (NASA and contractor), there be truth in this wit. Enjoy. To be appreciated, best read while sitting on a $600 toilet seat.

This is the best coverage of Lionel's promotional sets of the period in print to date. Highly recommend to all Lionel collectors, and to those who loved these sets peering through various Christmas catalogues, warming a boy's heart in days gone by! Nostalgic and authoritative!!

One incredible source of Lionel information . . . way more than just sets. Covers promotional outfits with new information purchased from the Lionel archives. This is the first time this information has ever been published!!..."For every Lionel collector, 100s of individual item variations never before documented, a must have for any postwar collector, well worth the money". Written for all types of Lionel collectors . . . first time buyers to hard core collectors.

Drawing upon thousands of authentic Lionel documents, "Authoritative Guide To Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1969 - 1969" is an 848-page illustrated compendium showcasing the more than 700 electric train outfits (also known as 'uncatalogued train sets') that the Lionel company created exclusively as promotional items for retailers that included Sears Roebuck & Co.; Montgomery Ward; Spiegel; Western Auto; A&P; Quaker Oats; and others. Because of the limited numbers manufactured, these promotional outfits are among the most valuable items in the history of model railroading. These outfits never appeared in Lionel's consumer catalogs and information about them simply unavailable -- until now. John W. Schmid has been collecting toy trains with his father for decades. After the 2001 auction in which the Lionel Factory Orders and other miscellaneous internal company documents were purchased, Schmid embarked upon years of extensive research in newly found documents and has now distilled that research into the pages of an impressively descriptive catalog. The result is "Authoritative Guide To Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1960-1969", a work of meticulous scholarship that is unique in the annals of the enduringly popular hobby of model trains and railroads. Included is how all the engine and cars came to be individually packed; descriptions of the original outfit box (including outfit inserts and packaging); pricing for the complete outfit (and even the empty box alone); original production quantities; diagrams for packing the outfit in the outfit box; instruction sheets, packed envelopes, as well as peripherals (track, transformer, oil, wire, smoke, etc.) Also available in a hardcover edition (9781933600031, $89.95), John Schmid's "Authoritative Guide To Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1960 - 1969" is impressively informative and enthusiastically recommended for all dedicated model railroading reference collections.

Wow! This book is a must have for every Lionel collector and individual seeking to find their childhood train set...and the book is a bargain at ANY price. In 2001, the author, John Schmid, purchased internal, long-lost records from the Lionel archives for over $43,000. It took him five years to compile these records and photograph 100s of Lionel train sets into this unbelievable book value. This book contains all NEW information you will NOT find anywhere else.

The book details over 700 of Lionel's most mysterious train sets (outfits), the ones it made exclusively for retailers and promotional firms. Names we're all familiar with: Sears, Wards, Penneys, Spiegel, Quaker Oats, S&H, Western Auto, etc. Since these "special" sets never appeared in a Lionel catalog, NONE the them have been fully documented before. Individuals and collectors have spent years trying to find out the value and contents of these long lost train sets. Now, thanks to John's painstaking research and beautiful photographs, everybody has access to this priceless information.

The "Authoritative Guide..." provides everything that came in a train set, how many were made, who the trains were sold to, substitutions of items, pricing for the train set, pricing for the empty set box, and even how to pack the trains in its set box!

It is also much more than a book about sets, over 60 pages detail new information about the items that came with each postwar Lionel set. Stuff I never knew including how to identify different train cars, engines, boxes, instruction sheets, accessories, envelopes, trucks and couplers, etc.
Everything you ever wanted to know about what is included in a Lionel train set is provided.

As a final bonus, I was able to relive my childhood memories of the retailers my mother used to drag me to. John provides a description of each of the retailers (many no longer in business) that Lionel provided promotional sets. Yes even the US Army sold Lionel trains.

I could go on an on about how great this book is, but it is best to just buy it and see for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

This book is exactly what it states in the title - "The Authoritative Guide". It surpasses any other documental guide available today because it does not only use marketplace data, rather, it uses actual Lionel data from the company archieves combined with field data to take it to the next level - a level of greater understanding of how and why these sets were created and to their scarcity and value. This book is a bargain at any price! With 848 pages and 700 outfits, it costs the same, if not less, per page, than any other guide. With this new, never before published information, the book will more than pay for itself in no time because now these previously unvalued sets have realized some serious collector values! For years collectors have been wondering what was in all those uncataloged sets Lionel produced in the '60's. Now the mysteries are solved. The volume of detail is incredible. In my 25+ years of collecting, I have never seen as much presented in one volume. Avid collectors will be conversing in terms as never before such as referring to product variations and paperwork by their stock or dash numbers instead of simply by their catalog number. Novice collectors will have the opportunity to quickly become as learned as experts that spent decades on information gathering at train meets around the country. This book will re-energize the toy train hobby and has single-handedly redefined the standard for information presentation. John Schmid's years of work on this book have certainly paid off and we should all be thankful he chose to share this information with the world. I'm already anticipating his next work, whatever it will be. In time, this book will become as much a part of Lionel history as the trains themselves. The renaissance has begun. Well done!

Lots of useful info and background, particularly useful if you are trying to run a campaign on the magnificent world Babylon 5 created for all of their fans.

It is a pity all the game supplements are so hard to find, I would love if someone reprinted them.

Lots of useful info and background, particularly useful if you are trying to run a campaign on the magnificent world Babylon 5 created for all of their fans.

It is a pity all the game supplements are so hard to find, I would love if someone reprinted them.

Lots of useful info and background, particularly useful if you are trying to run a campaign on the magnificent world Babylon 5 created for all of their fans.

It is a pity all the game supplements are so hard to find, I would love if someone reprinted them.

Lots of useful info and background, particularly useful if you are trying to run a campaign on the magnificent world Babylon 5 created for all of their fans.

It is a pity all the game supplements are so hard to find, I would love if someone reprinted them.

This sourcebook is very important if you have any EF personell as characters. Furthermore, it adds more equipment, skills and charactaristics. More importantly, it includes the Starship combat system for the Babylon Project. I like this system, although I have not had a chance to play it yet. It is fast, easy to understand and tactics are important. Moreover, it is one of the very few starship combat systems I have seen where ships obey the Newtonian Laws of Motion (except gravity drive ships, of course). The weapons chart was accidentally omitted from the book, but it can be downloaded from Chameleon Electric's web site and it was included in the Gamemaster's Screen, below.