Strategy Books

Had this book already in paper back, and got it for Kindle as well. Great cuz index is hyperlinked, so I can find stuff i wanted to reread quickly. Col Lock knows his stuff and the analysis at the end of each chapter is very instructive for today's students of military.

In LTC.JD Lock's attempt to impart the history of the 'U.S.Rangers' (of which he is one) he has succeeded in relating not only the long and distinguished history of the Rangers but also gives us in doing so a real look at the heart of the 'Citizen Soldier'. Our U.S. servicemen from inception to present day have displayed by and with their service what it is that has made and kept this country 'The Greatest Nation in the World'.
Personal responsibility, honor, duty and service to nation!!!(all good words to remember) RLTW
Thank you for your book, and your service Col. Lock

Written by former Army noncommissioned officer and former assistant professor of the US Military Academy at West Point J.D. Lock, Rangers in Combat: A Legacy of Valor is a survey of the lethal battles, acts of heroism, and faithful dedication of the U.S. Army Rangers, who have placed their lives on the line against crushing odds for more than 200 years of American history. In scrutinizing their courage, Rangers in Combat examines the question, "What makes them heroes?" The answer lies in the many examples of the Rangers' intrepidity, initiative, training, fearlessness, endurance, planning, confidence, sacrifice, brotherhood, and other powerful qualities, examples drawn from battles throughout historical record from the French and Indian War to both World Wars, the Korean War, the modern-day war on terror, and more. Black-and-white photographs are interspersed amid the examples, observations, and portraits of incredible individuals in this shining tribute to the men who have given, and continue to give, their all for their country.

I loved this book! I have always been sort of a dreamer when it comes to military history and have often wondered what some of our brave soldiers of the past must have gone through, especially those of the civil and revolutionary war eras. Still like a young kid I often put myself in their place when engaging a good, vivid book about their trials and tribulations. This is such a book, and it deals with the some of the toughest of the tough, our Rangers, from past to present.

I was specifically intrigued and glued to the book covering the "Black Hawk Down" situation in Somali. I've seen this movie many times, but reading about it.....I was glued to the book. So much not covered in the film version. Such great detail and vivid images. It thought I was there.

J.D. Lock, the author, is a retired lieutenant colonel and former assistant professor of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He took me from the beginning stages during the French and Indian Wars right up to Operation Enduring Freedom. You can feel this book. The action in Korea, the mishaps in getting our Rangers into Grenada. All there.

Hats off to an outstanding book!

Jim Stewart, Board Member, Book Reviewer, Military Writers Society of America (author of "The Ghosts of Vietnam")

Dr. Polette shared his book today in a workshop. He has such great,fun ideas and strategies that will make kids WANT to read and write more. I think EVERY teacher needs to have this book in their classroom.

This book will help to learn to instill in students the art of appreciating reading and enhance their writing skillls.

I recommend this book with complete confidence. It is rare to find an inventive book full of effective approaches for reading and writing. This is an absolute must have for teachers.

The strategies in this book have significantly changed how I approach reading and writing in the classroom. The imaginative lessons are easy to implement and appealing to all students. My students actually ASK to write! I highly recommend it to all teachers!

This book is great as a first intro to Reciprocal Teaching. These are great research based strategies you can use to improve students' comprehension. I used this book with my whole 2nd grade class and then formed book clubs with my higher readers. They loved it!

My teaching has been refined and my students are working towards independence as great readers. It's easy to apply to curriculum already in place!

As an elementary principal the book Reciprocal Teaching at Work has helped my staff incorporate the method of reciprocal teaching in the classroom. The textbook is written in a way that is easy for teachers to understand and apply to their everyday reading program. This is an excellent resource.

This book is an excellent tool for teaching the four important reading stategies of predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing. The third graders that I have used it with love the characters. They are using the strategies more because of the characters that were used to introduce them. The fifth graders in our school have taken over the teaching of the strategies using reciprocal teaching. It is an excellent tool to teach reading either whole class or small group.

Jennifer Butler's book does not explore fashion as we have come to know it. Instead it teaches us to celebrate the uniqueness of each one of us and to discover how to give expression to that beauty which is peculiarly our own. The photographs display the wonderful success of her method.

This book instills an appreciation of yourself as you are right now. It explains how to accessorize and create a look in harmony with your own features and eye color, hair color and skin tone rather than the latest trend or so-called hip colors advocated in fashion magazines for everyone. It encourages you to celebrate your own uniqueness and treat yourself as art through thoughtful principles and vivid photos of people, animals and nature. Be good to yourself and buy this book.

Jennifer Butler's "Reinventing Your Style" is a Godsend for men and women wanting to present themselves in the most positive and powerful way. Her book is beautiful to behold, easy to read and more importantly, captures the basic design concepts for everyone to look their very best. Buy this book for yourself and buy this book for gift giving. Janice Evans

As a speaker and author, I know firsthand how powerful it is to have a conscious, deliberate strategy for presenting myself~ it is a gesture of respect and appreciation for my clients and audiences and a sure-fire way to support the impact of my message. Jennifer Butler is a genius when it comes to helping you discover what's unique and brilliant about YOU and then work with contrast, texture, and other design elements (that regular people CAN learn and understand) to emphasize and make the most of YOU. You owe it to yourself to be at your best!
Karen Russo, author, The Money Keys: Unlocking Peace, Freedom & Real Financial Power

Personal finance expert Jean Chatzky managed to cajole several money-savvy celebrities into revealing their investment strategies. Finding out how people as diverse as Matt Lauer, Charles Schwab, and Ivana Trump build their nest eggs is illuminating -- and fun. And their experiences make for an easy-reading guide to investing. Jean's section on "rebounders" like Dennis Rodman, who lost a bundle and came back far wiser for it, will be valuable for anyone trying to climb out of debt.

This book covers investment techniques used by the Rich & Famous. "The Rich & Famous Money Book" is inspiring, motivating and educational.

Good book for anyone who wants to maximize their investment returns.

Reading how the celebs build their wealth is exciting and motivating. Sort of like a "Think and Grow Rich" for personal finance, Chatsky actually interviewed her subjects.

Dennis Rodman was inspiring - what a great comeback story.

If your goal is to build and hang on to wealth, this bookis a must read.

Absolutely delightful! One of the greatest joys is inclusion of "Reveries" by Marshall Maurice de Saxe with his comments on commissariat, clothing, training, and organization of armies - for his period revolutionary, and, as principles, relevant even today. Vegetius will be, for many, a discovery, and the Instruction for His Generals by Frederick the Great will also be a novelty for many American readers.

One of the tragic misconceptions of military strategy classics is the fact that they are viewed as nothing but military classics. At the same time, there are thousands of banal, if not entirely worthless texts on leadership in business, politics, education, and almost everything else. One feels as if readers of the latter class of books lacked sufficient intelligence to substitute word "military" for "business" (or whatever else their leadership is about), make a few intellectual adjustments, and get not only a very good view of what leadership is about, but get it directly from some of the best practitioners of the art, who wield their pens with mastery of language that too often is lacking among the present authors. Hence, if nothing else, reading the works included in Gen. Phillips' collection is also a school how to write simply on a complex subject - something our university students and junior academics could learn to emulate.

I am quite enjoying this book and thought I'd give a little bit more information on it so that you can decide whether to fork over your hard earned cash. This book is part of a series and Volume One contains treatises by the following authors:

Sun Tzu
Vegetius
De Saxe
Frederick
Napoleon

Besides the treatises themselves there is an "Editors Foreword" which gives a brief two-page history of how these works fit historically into the literature of warfare.

There is also a synopsis of the contents which lists each work individually. Additional information is provided here as well. For example the synopsis for the "Art of War" states, amongst other things, that it was written about 500 B.C. And that it is still held in reverence today (as of 1940 A.D.) in China and Japan.

But what is really useful and wonderful are the thoughtful introductions to each work. For instance, we are told in the introduction of "De Re Militari" that even as late as the 15th Century that there were as many as 150 extant manuscripts. (A huge number in historical terms.) He goes on to say something about Vegetius, Emperor Valentianian (to whom the book was dedicated), and the Roman Empire.

In addition -- and this is the part I found well worthwhile -- the editor explains how the popularity and usefulness of the strategy went in and out of favor as technology changed. He writes:

"It is a paradox the De Re Militari, which was to become a military bible for innumerable generations of European soldiers, was little used by the Romans for whom it was written."

Also,

"Cavalry had adopted the armor of the foot soldier and was just commencing to become the principal arm of the military forces. The heavy armed foot-soldier, formerly the backbone of the legion, was falling a victim of his own weight and immobility, and the light-armed infantry, unable to resist the shock of cavalry, was turning more and more to missile weapons. By one of the strange mutations of history, when later the cross-bow and gun-powder deprived cavalry of its shock-power, the tactics of Vegetius again became ideal for armies....

For someone like me who is not a military expert, this sort of information allows me to understand how the advice was used by others in later centuries.

Four Stars. [B+]. Interesting material with valuable editorial commentary. Minus points for the fact that some material from the originals has been omitted. The editor notes that it was of little interest, but I'd rather make that decision myself.

Firstly, I've read many versions of The Art of War by Sun Tzu and they all seemed to be translated by someone with Chinese as their native language, rather than English. This translation is as clear as they get. Napoleon's maxims are short and sweet. The other works contained herein are also easy to read and are packed with simple, eternal principles of warfare.

A very helpful collection of military philosophies. Sun Tzu, Vegetius, De Saxe, Frederick, and Napolean. A brief biography of each author is also provided with some background on their works. A must have for the military thinker. The translations of De Saxe and Sun Tzu alone are worth the price.

The Rules of Victory is the real thing. The Sun Tzu (The Art of War) text, the topic of this book, is a unique treasure of wisdom from ancient China. Set in the context of military action, the Sun Tzu has long been recognized as providing profound insights into how to accomplish any objective amidst the inevitable conflict and chaos of the real world. The core concept of `taking whole' offers the vision of accomplish objectives without destruction and without perpetuating conflict. The Sun Tzu is definitely the real thing.
The authors of this book, James Gimian and Barry Boyce, are also the real thing. They have been immersing themselves in the Sun Tzu for more than twenty years. They spent many years translating the Sun Tzu into English from the original Chinese. The publication of their translation (The Art of War: The Denma Translation) is widely recognized as among the best currently available. The entire translation, by the way, is included as an appendix in The Rules of Victory. For a number of years Gimian and Boyce have been conducting workshops and seminars on the Sun Tzu. Through these teachings experiences they have honed their ability to articulate the view, practice and action of the Sun Tzu and present the principles in an organized and understandable manner. They have also been able to collect numerous stories from workshop participants and others about how the Sun Tzu has been applied to the challenges of every day domestic and work situations. The Rules of Victory provides us with access to these stories as well.
Most of all, the Rules of Victory brings the reader into a conversation with the authors and with the Sun Tzu text itself. In this conversation we are privy to the depth of thinking the authors have developed, far beyond simplistic cookie-cutter solutions. The conversation is inviting, stimulating and humorous. Gimian and Boyce clearly want us, as readers, to be able to join them in exploring and applying the Sun Tzu in our day to day world.
If you are looking for a sane and profound approach to working in the world, you have found it in this book. The Rules of Victory is the real thing.

As a long-time student of social and personal change methodologies, I find that most attempts at guidance give you a bunch of by this time well-worn insights and exercises, and skip over the hardest part--how to work, in real-life, with the underlying attitudes that are the real determinant of how and whether you can more skillfully engage your challenges. Boyce and Gimian manage to both present and make accessible a profound understanding, and at the same time give a sense that they live in the same neighborhood I do--a place where magical solutions and quick fixes are seen as hucksterism. This in my experience is a rare combination of vision and practicality, and the kind of authentic voice I hope we all hear more of.

There are lots of Sun Tzu translations. There are also lots of books applying it to a variety of circumstances: sun tzu for women; sun tzu for sales; sun tzu for whatever and on and on.This is the first book I have read that makes you grasp that the wisdom of Sun Tzu is not in bites of practical information but as a way of seeing, a guide to framing the world, a worldview. For it to work, it must be baked into your awareness. The book is literate and fluidly written. Its Big Idea: conflict will come and we will survive contact with it if we understand how all is interconnected., rejecting Western dualisitc thinking. Chapter 6 gives real world, practical applications. A book to be read and re-read.

What I most admire about this book is that it refuses to give quick fixes: the wisdom it teaches is far too important for that. And subtle. If you want a set of seven maxims to maximize your product growth, stay away. But if you want to transform your understanding of how business (and every other conflictual situation) works, you'll be deeply rewarded by the careful, thorough presentation you'll find in this book. Gimian and Boyce take us through the view (meaning outlook or perspective of the Art of War), the practice (learning how to bring this view to bear on situations) and the action. The result is a teaching that will, as the subtitle says, "transform chaos and conflict" into situations of victory. Highly recommended!

I think it's great that someone put these three works together. I had a few complaints, though. The editing in this book was terrible. There were lots of errors that the editors should have caught in the spelling. I am also disappointed that for the first two works there is no mention of who translated the works into English.

As far as value goes I think this book is worth the money, but the publishing company really needs to work on editing their product better. I hope this is reflected in later editions.

Very useful compilation of three masterpieces. Although it isnt the most deep edition in terms of commentary or introductions, it certainly delivers the goods on the main texts. (Serious students of Japanese might prefer a bilingual edition of the individual texts).

All three of the books contained in this one volume really should be in the collection of anyone interested in Japanese philosophy, religion or martial arts. It is not often that three really good books get bundled together into one volume but to have three classics together is really extraordinary.

The reflections of a master swordsman, the advice of a proper old Samurai and the explanations of a well-traveled scholar fit together synergistically; they add up to much more than the sum of the parts. Although the writers were separated from each other in time, they are united in a coherent view of what constitutes proper conduct and honor. There is enough difference in their styles of expression to illuminate points that might otherwise be obscure and at the same time provide some interesting juxtapositions.

Those who are already familiar with one or more of the books contained in this volume will find that having all three of them together is a real plus. Each, on its own, is an important little book; the three of them together form an important big book.

I was so happy for Amazon's fast shipping. I have been eye-balling The Book of Five Rings for quite some time. I've been on a personal quest to understand the history and philosophy of the Samurai, but I confess to not having a lot of time to read any more. Most of my reading ends up being in an airport waiting for a flight. Needless to say, the last thing I need is a bunch of hardcover books to haul around.

I saw this volume and had to do a little Snoopy Dance. Not only did I finally get to read "The Book of Five Rings", but I went on and read "Hagakure" and "Bushido". I feel like I have a real understanding, or at least as much as someone from the West can have about the Samurai's philosophy and way of life. Kudos to Amazon for finding this gem.

This book is definitely a must-read for everyone, martial artist or not. It reads fairly quickly, and is one you'll want to read again. Each of the '42...secrets' are life-lessons. They give you insight into the time when Samurai lived, and explains how the lesson applied then and how it applies now. We all have something to learn from their code of Honor, and this book can help everyone.

THE BOOK of FIVE RINGS (Go Rin No Sho) - Summarised!!

I really can not emphasise enough how BRILLIANT this version of The Book of Five Rings is. Most other translations of "Miyamoto Musashi's" book are long and hard to understand, or more precisely, you can read it, understand the words easily enough, but the meaning and the important LIFE saving lessons don't come though very well......

......but this book by Boye De Lafayette Mente is just so well written and laid out. He breaks down all the lessons from "Musashi" into small chapters. Once you've read the book a couple of times all you need to do is just look at the chapter headings for a quick refresher & apply these skills to your life.

THIS IS NOT JUST A BOOK FOR BUDO or MARTIAL ARTISTS!! It's for everyone. Musashi devoted & sacrificed his whole life into discovering how we should live successfully & conduct ourselves. He was the very best swordsman in Japan of his time, never once was he defeated (or even cut). This was all down to his unique approach to his fighting, from the lessons he learnt during duals he was asked at the end of his life to summarise and tell the world how he became so successful.

This really is a cracking book. It takes the "The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi" and summarises it (in plain easy to read & understandable English) into 42 easy to follow and understandable chapters & steps.

It can be easily read in a day or two, but its best if it's RE-READ a couple of times at least 'though. It gets straight to the point. Each chapter is dealt with in just a page or three.

Apply these important principles to your life and work, as well as to your chosen Martial Art. Samurai Secrets may have been a better title perhaps?

Do look out for Boye Lafayette de Mente's other titles. His style of writing is very easy going and precise. He makes the subject matter easy to absorb and understand.

For example try "The Japanese Samurai Code" and Enjoy!! If you buy the actual translation of "The Book of Five Rings" then Thomas Cleary's version I think is the best. I say this as there are many translations of the same book and most are in the old classical direct translation style and not easy (for me anyway) to digest.

I really am so surprised that there are no other reviews raving about this translation of this version of the Book of Five Rings.

You really WON'T be disappointed!!

Musashi Miyamoto was a famous Japanese warrior who lived from 1584 to 1645 who recorded his philosophy, strategies and tactics in a short treatise just before his death. Samurai Strategies: Forty-Two Martial Secrets From Musashi's Book Of Five Rings by Boye Lafayette de Mente adapts Musashi's military precepts and martial arts ideals to the modern world of business. Swiftly carrying readers through the philosophical issues faced in business procedures and identifying the most effective premise from which to work, Samurai Strategies draws from Miyamoto's philosophy and is very highly recommended reading for corporate executives and entrepreneurs for it's conceptual approach to life lessons learned in ancient theaters of war and directly applicable to modern business practices.

I am very glad to have found this book.

My first encounter with the life story of Miyamoto Musashi, Japan's most renowned combat strategist, was in the early 80's when I started to work for a large heavy & construction equipment conglomerate, which dealt primaily with Japanese principals & their products. For the first time in my life, I was introduced to Japanese management culture, & the first 'Japanese' book I read was 'The Book of Five Rings', translated by a Victor Harris, a mechanical engineer like me.

Coming back to today: The author of this particular book is quite right. Miyamoto Musashi's original work was written for samurai warriors who are steeped into Buddhlist & Shinto precepts, in the code of the samurai, in the long traditions of the samurai, & in allusions that were part of the culture of the times. Like Japanese artists who leave it up to readers to complete their work, Miyamoto Musashi left it up to readers of his work to fill in the details of his allusions & advice from their own store of knowledge.

Henceforth, it wasn't easy for me to read 'The Book of Five Rings.' It took me quite a while to figure out the essence, digest the work & eventually managed to distill about ten strategies which I could understand & apply in my own sphere of work.

In this particular book, the author has attempted to identify & explain, in plain English, the philosophy, the strategy, & the ways of winning that Miyamoto Musashi sought to pass on to his disciples. The original work is about how to fight duels to the death & win! The author has made the fighting principles equally applicable to winning in business, & in virtually all other endeavours. In fact, he has elegantly distilled them all down to 42 strategies (compared to my original ten strategies)!!!

The author's writing is almost straight-talk, & in easy-to-understand language. I would even recommend all teens to read it in order to achieve a quick headstart in life, as the 42 strategies are also applicable in studies & in sports.

Interestingly, the Book of Five Rings is, in Miyamoto Musashi's own words, "a guide for men who want to learn strategy."

In life, eveything is possible. It is just a question of strategy.

On the whole, this is excellent work. It therefore deserves a rating of 5 from me.

This extraordiary explanation in simple yet amuzing anecdotes really shows how a complex issue about investing can be easily understandible. The title is misleading, I learned more from this book than all my Masters courses taken in finance. The explanations of the basic things to look for in stocks or bonds or reading the Investor's Business Daily or Wall Street Journal gave me a real insight to the most liquid stock market in the world. Stock picking is not an easy task, but when you read about the same fundamentals that are prevalent in the winners you have to take careful notice. I was turned on to this book and author by a heavy duty Hedge Fund Managing Director, and was fortunate enough to meet and greet this down to earth best selling author. I was quite impressed with her insight and depth of knowledge in subjects like derivatives, market trends for signs of Bull or Bear markets which she forecasted are coming in mid 2006. She said she is finishing a new book with up to date details and new subjects rarely touched upon like the OTC, Small Cap and Bulletin Boards stocks and Reverse Mergers. I cannot wait.

This is an excellent investment guide for beginning investors.
It teaches how to develop investment intuition and savvy.
There is a practical component in the advice which tells
the buyer/investor to beware (Caveat Emptor). The author cites
important investment vehicles; such as, the "Investor's Business
Daily" which points toward important trends in the market.
The book stresses the need to look at multiple criteria for
investing to include:
o growth stocks and industries
o capitalization
o revenue growth rates
o price/earnings ratios
o the management team
o treatment of employees
o underwriter representation
o financial analyst track records

The work discusses all-important mutual fund fee structures,
the benefits and pitfalls of derivatives and a whole host of
investments too numerous to list here.

Numerous risks are cited including systematic market risk,
inflation, interest rate fluctuations and consumer credit.
The book is well worth the price for a beginning investor.

Unlike most financial books available, this book gives concrete real-life examples that make sense. The examples actually stay with you after you've put the book down. For those who are afraid of the math involved, don't be. She breaks it all down into pieces you can grasp. I may not remember everything she said, but I feel much more comfortable thinking about and looking at financial papers and investments now.

The title is misleading; this book is NOT only for women. This book contains solid investment advice from someone who's "been there and done it", who has worked her way up from being a secretary to being a vice president and became a millionaire along the way. A lot of men can learn from her.