Manufacturing Books

Right from the gitgo Ben Hamper's Rivethead grabs you with gritty gusto of passages such as the above; Hamper is an extraordinary writer about life for the ordinary guy... at least the ordinary guy who winds up as an automotive assembly-line worker for General Motors in Flint, Michigan--once considered the Automobile Capital of the World. The author is a natural shop rat, growing up in Flint, with an alcoholic mostly absentee father and a long-suffering, working-three-jobs mother trying to raise the family as practicing Catholics.

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For my complete review of this book and for other book and movie
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Brian Wright
Copyright 2008

The endless monotony and idiot bosses drive anybody with an IQ above their shoe size to do something to kill the thought that, if they're lucky, they only have 30 more years of mind numbing drudgery to go before they can retire. I'm not saying alcohol abuse is the proper outlet, but it does seem to be the most common and most convenient. Good book, excellent portrayal of what exactly "blue collar America" does for a living.

Ben Hamper shares his life as a worker on the GM assembly line in Flint, MI. Bold, frank, honest and often hilarious. This book was recommended to me years ago and for some reason I never read it until now. Hamper chronicles a part of American history (manufacturing jobs) that seem to be going stateside or as Ross Perot once described in a quip about NAFTA, what's that whoosing noise? manufacturing jobs headed to Mexico. This is prose for the ages. Loved the book.

I didn't really like reading this book because I too work in a (once) major three Auto plant. I didn't feel that it properly portrayed some of the workers. It made it sound like all workers are like the author where they just really don't give a damn about anything except having a joking time on the job. It also made the workers sound like they were underachieving, undereducated, bottom of the barrel workers and I didn't care to have that stigma for all of us. I hold two bachelor degrees, like my job and take it serious!

I grew up with people like Ben Hamper in a place which was much like Flint. For the first couple years of my adult life, I did the kind of work he did. What he describes is the tail end of a lifestyle; the lifestyle of the shop rat. It's dirty, monotonous and smelly. Many of the people you work with are either below average in intelligence or in sanity. Drugs, booze and having no concept of "forethought" are fundamental parts of the culture. It's nihilism with a rivet gun. If you come from a place like that, chances are, your only way out is via a jail cell or a career in the military. Or, you could win a workmans comp suit. Which is presumably how Ben got out.

I miss rust-belt working class america. It's a hard life, and it doesn't have much in the way of rewards, but the people who make it up are genuine in ways that others are not: they have a lot of heart and spirit. Ben's book brought it all back in a great galloping rush of memories. If you've ever wondered what the factory working classes are, or at least were like (back when we had factories); read the book.

I think this book gives In Search of Excellence a run for its money as the all time great. This book really promotes a different way of thinking about the workplace in a much more collaborative way. I can't wait to start his other book the Seven-Day Weekend.

I have been strugling about how to have an organization or a corporation that are at the same time efficient and humanistic/democratic. Although people normally receives these types of ideas with reserve, the feeling is that it is almost impossible (take out the "almost" if you wish).

After reading Maverick everything changes. We have heard histories before, for example, ancient Athenas, Robert Owen cooperative success in 19th Century England, Mahatmas Ghandi, and so forth. However, rarely a 20th Century corporation has gone so far as Semco, at least to the best of my knowledge.

If you are interested in "real" humanistic-democratic management, you must have this book in your reading list.

Maverick is the story of Semco, an medium size Brazilian company who has set free their employees. The owner, Richardo Semler has been on a journey to continuously improve and innovate their employee related practices. Maverick describes this journey, the steps Semco took, the effect it had and the reasoning behind it. The changes they have gone through is innovate, thought provoking and may be even revolutionary.

What are these innovations? They range from flextime for factory workers, letting people control their own work to more extreme practices like completely abandoning the organizational chart to people who can set their own salaries! Chapter after chapter, Richardo describes these changes, starting with the smaller ones and ending with the large and most thought provoking changes and ending the book with a speculation about how his ideas and Semcos experiences might influence other companies and maybe the general business culture.

Maverick is very well written. It took me 2 days to read it, it kept me reading all the time. Well structured and really builds up to the end. Also the end, for me, was not dissapointing and looking forward to reading Semler's follow-up book.

Very much recommended.

Maverick is a valuable management book because of many of the counterintuitive ("You just couldn't do that!") concepts that Semler actually implements. It's value lies as much in showing "Well, he did just do that" as it does in espousing theory - without the implementation, it would just be too out there...

Some of the counterintuitive:
- Let managers set their own pay. And publish publicly.
- Don't fire people during a strike. Or even take attendence.
- Get rid of extra management (don't "hoard" talent) but fund their new startups if need be.

There's much more, as well as some less controversial advice ("Treat people with dignity" & "Rotate your managers"), but it's best to read the book yourself to get the stories with the advice.

Very fun and interesting, and we can learn a great deal by using this story as examples and lessons.

As the wife of a homebrewer, I often pretended to listen to my husband's dreams of one day starting his own brewery. After five years of pretending, I realized he was serious when he handed me Beer School and said, "If you're ever going to get on board, you've got to read this book." As a medical professional, the idea of reading a "business" book made me yawn. To my surprise, I couldn't put it down. I felt as if Tom and Steve were sitting across the table, telling me their story over dinner. Their honesty was both eye-opening and inspiring. I learned so much from Beer School and enjoyed every second of it. Reading this book gives you a good idea of how difficult it is to be successful in starting and running your own business, all the while making you feel like you can do it.
BTW-after reading Beer School, I finally got on board with my husband....founder of Tallgrass Brewing Company!

I've no great interest in the brewery business, but I do enjoy well-written, instructive tales of entrepreneurship. 'Beer School' definitely falls into that category. One-time journalist and co-founder Steve Hindry can really write. No surprise there. The pleasant surprise is that ex-banker and fellow co-founder Tom Potter's chapters are just as enjoyable. Like their beer, the chapters go down smooth. The arrangement of the book makes it clear who's written what parts - the chapters are given names that start with either "Steve Tells..." or "Tom Tells...". Where Steve has written a chapter, we get Tom's viewpoint with "Tom Weighs In," and vice-versa. Sounds sort of clunky, but it's well executed by the co-authors. They clearly worked very closely in shaping a final, cohesive product. As a result, the format works well.

What drew me to the book originally was the forward by Mike Bloomberg. His endorsement is good enough for me.

By nature, I am not a "reader"... I have a large stack of books that I've picked up over the years to pacify me while traveling. Most still have their respective airline ticket stubs safely marking the spot where I left off reading. So yes, it's a tad ironic that I'm now leaving a book review here... However, I read this cover-to-cover in two (long) evenings (that alone will tell anyone that knows me that this was a really good book!) so I'm at least qualified to comment on THIS one.

I've homebrewed for a couple of years and am in the early stages of investigating the feasibility of trying to make a living out of brewing. The story in the book really struck close to home for me... My potential partner and I work in fields that really couldn't be further from the brewing industry, much like the authors. While I know that the odds are against us, it was refreshing to read a story of someone that took a swing at it and hit a home run.

The book is by no means a step-by-step business plan for starting a brewery. It is much more a story of the trials and tribulations that faced them as they progressed from a crazy dream to a crazy success. It's a story about partnership. It's a story about taking a leap of faith. So don't purchase it expecting a step-by-step recipe for you to go out and quit your day job, but do purchase it and expect a general high-level look at starting a brewery, some good general business ideas that you may not have thought of, and a good story to tie it all together.

I found it to be a very honest, open story... The authors take turns writing chapters, and there were at least a couple of times that they were so honest that I caught myself thinking "Jeez, I'm pretty sure that the other guy's going to read this... Are you sure you wanted to say that?!" As you progress through the book though, you learn that this is just the relationship that they've built over the years... Very honest and open with one another whether it is good news or bad. I think that reading about the partnership was really one of the biggest take-aways that I got out of the book, but it certainly has more to offer than that.

In summary, I really enjoyed this book and would have no issues whatsoever giving it a very high recommendation for anyone that is considering starting ANY new business, brewery or not.

I just finished Beer School and thoroughly enjoyed it. As a beer lover, and a fan of Brooklyn Brewery's products, I enjoyed learning about how the beer came to life, as well as the birth (rebirth?) of craft brewing in the United States. Mayor Bloomberg was right in the introduction, the book will make you thirsty.

As for the business aspect, I teach high school economics and intend to use some examples cited in Beer School to illustrate my lessons. If I taught on the college level, this book would be one of the required readings. It is a great example of entrepreneurship, economies of scale, marketing, start-ups, and business plans.

Just from a title perspective, this book was too good to pass up... Beer School: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Brewery by Steve Hindy and Tom Potter. But even better, the book delivers the goods on a number of levels. One of the most enjoyable business book reads I've had in awhile...

Contents: Steve Tells How Choosing a Partner Is Like a Second Marriage; Steve Discusses the Importance of Building a Solid Team; Tom Talks about Creating the Business Plan - A Money-Raising Tool and More; Tom Asks, "What's the True Mission of the Business?"; Steve Discusses the Keys to Successfully Motivating Employees; Tom Tells the Story of Their Dot-Com Revolution - Fishing for Finance and Failing; Steve Talks about Building a Brewery in Brooklyn; Steve Discusses Publicity - The Press Wants You!; Steve Reveals How the Revolution Kills Its Leaders First; Tom Talks about Cashing Out and Reinventing the Business, Again; Tom Wants to Know If You Have What It Takes; Timeline; Index

Hindy was a foreign correspondent for a news agency, and Potter was an executive at a bank, but both felt as if they wanted to do something different in their lives. Their love of home-brew beer gave Hindy the idea of starting a brewery in their hometown of Brooklyn, a city rich with brewery history. Potter was less convinced about the whole project until he visited a homebrewer's convention in 1986. This was right at the start of the microbrew phenomenon, and they decided to seriously pursue their dream. The book chronicles their work from 1986 through 2005, while also distilling what they learned about entrepreneurship along the way. And since this is beer "school", each chapter ends with them giving themselves a grade on how they did in that particular area. Unlike many business books that make the principals all-knowning and omniscient, Hindy and Potter are brutally honest about what worked and what didn't, where they were skillful and where they got lucky. It's a fascinating read, both for the brewery story and for the business insights.

There aren't too many business books with stories about being robbed at gunpoint of $30000, visiting a metal fencing operation to get a fork-lift battery charger back, and getting a visit from organized crime and union leadership, intent on getting a piece of their business. Even if you dropped the business lessons, the narrative of the Brooklyn Brewery would be enough to make this a recommended read. When you add in the small business information, this becomes a must-read for anyone dreaming of starting their own business. And if you're already interested in homebrewing or microbrews, then this book will probably end up being read in a single sitting.

An excellent read on a number of levels...

Tim Harrower provides a very practical guide to newspaper design. The art of newspaper design tends to be very subjective, so this book lays down some facts and guidelines to put to rest some of the indecisive elements of design.

For a beginner, this is a book that will give you the confidence and understanding to conquer page layout.

The CD gives the novice an even more practical guide than the book can deliver.

One criticism is that the book is printed on light gloss stock and is spiral bound. I am not sure how it was survive rough treatment.

Brian Hurst

This textbook is awesome. I've never seen a better textbook. It lays everything out, and makes it simple to understand. It tells you what to do and what not to do in simple language and clear pictures. It's one of few textbooks worth keeping for future use in your career (provided you're going into the newspaper industry)!

When I accepted my first "real" job in journalism as a page designer for a local weekly I was struck by a horrifying thought, I really knew nothing about newspaper design. I had done it before for my college paper, sure, but this was the big time. I needed a refresher course and I needed it fast... Tim Harrower and this spiral-bound book came to my rescue.

Although it was first published in 1989, this book will be relevant as long as newspapers exist, even in this age of computer design. Harrower explains and shows why certain designs are good and bad and he approaches it in a situational, problem-solving format. For example, he explains what should be done when you have to design a page with no art, when you have butting headlines, or two horizontal photos etc. Harrower says that most page designers stumble into the job and from this point of view he explains what exactly, a good design is. This book will always be on my desk.

(I wish my publications professor used this instead of the worthless $105 monstrosity he made us buy (and that we never used by the way).)

So, after some mild freaking out followed by a lot of reading, I can start my new job with confidence thanks to this book.

I ordered the hardbound and got the spiral bound, a product worth $12 less. It was then that I discovered there is no way to express a complaint to Amazon: no phone number, no email address, no human help. All that is available is a maze of pre-written web help, none of which includes "credit my account $12, since I don't want to go through the hassle of sending this book back." What's up, Amazon? Don't you want satisfied customers? I spend literally hundreds here each year. This egregious deficit needs to be fixed immediately. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book.

I am an editor these days.
I came on this book quite a few years ago when I was a sub. It was recommended to me by an old hand in the newspaper game.
Without doubt, it is the single best aquisition I have made in terms of newspaper design.
In the places I have worked, I have been regarded extremely highly for my layout skills.
This book, with a little creativity, is the basis of almost everything I do in terms of layout.
If you are serious about the newspaper game, get it, study it and then apply what you learn. It will help our career enormously.

In today's atmosphere to do more, with less, faster, with better quality, this book was a true insight into making an organization leaner.

For the past year we have been focused on the Kaizen approach to process improvement; that is the focus on the outside consulting firm that we chose several years ago. Sustaining change, measurement, and ownership of improvements might actually be regressing. While not giving a roadmap to success, this text affirms the missteps that we are experiencing and it has motivated me to take a broader, less event-focused approach. This would not be a strong text for the professional consultant, but for the leader attempting to assimilate change in a corporate culture and for someone who's been standing on the roadside with their 'lean' thumb out and wondering why no one will stop this provides a good review and simple checklist approach. My outside consultants will regret that I read this book.

Allthough the book is fairly short and a fast read in that I think it makes great job in really explaining the thinking behind lean. There are practically no focus on specific application of tools. And that is not a bad thing. Lean suffers from too tool based approach and I think that this book should be on a reading list before tool specific books (not saying that they don't have their place also).

I recommend this book for anyone considering Lean. I am buying it for all department directors. It gives the good and the bad, not just the good. I believe it will help people avoid making mistakes if they decide Lean is for them. A good overview of what to expect and gives examples average readers can understand. Highly recommended.

This is an excellent book, and essential reading for Lean leadership. It is also a good starting point for any Lean practitioner or anyone taking on a major change effort. Before diving deep into the problem solving tools and systems of TPS, a study of The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean and the lessons contained within it will give you many tips for your journey. This book is clearly written, and well thought out. Each chapter offers 5 solid things to meditate on and put into practice. The passion and conviction of the authors comes through strongly. What U.S. industry needs are more thinkers and teachers like these.

This one expands on were he stopped with the first book. 19 chapter headings with a multitude of sub headings.

* The Message of Jewelry, why we wear ornaments
* The Means to Creation: working environment, facilities and implements
* Metal, the Jewel's Raw Material: Its origin, quality control and variety
* Basic Techniques: processing sheet metal without deformation
* Sheet Metal: Forming by deformation techniques
* Wire: The uses of drawn or extruded flexible filaments
* Tubing: The use of Fistular Forms
* Surface ornament with out heat: Metal removal techniques
* Surface ornament with heat: Metal fusion techniques
* Fabrication: Building fragments into units
* Casting: Methods of giving form to molten metal
* Natural Materials in Jewelry: Using natures valued nonmetals
* Stones and their setting: Inorganic minerals employed in jewelry
* Metal Finishing: Achieving desired surface appearance
* Metallic Coating Techniques: Changing the base metal's surface appearance
* Metallic Buildup: Electrolytic molecular creation of surface and form
* Coloring Metals: Achieving patinas through heat, chemicals and electrolysis
* Standard weights, Measures and Tables
* Glossaries, Bibliographies, Sources of tools, supplies and services: USA and UK

Around 800 pages of pure golden info, I have read and keep finding new and interesting things since I picked up a copy last year. I find this gift keeps on giving every time I pick it up. He goes into detail that others can only dream about.

This book isn't only for jewelry artists, anybody that is into the metal arts working or a collector. This will give years of educational enjoyment. It is truly an investment grade book of knowledge. I use my copy on a metals arts forum for answers to question from people that are looking for answers that can be counted to be correct.

This book is the jewelry makers bible. I cannot begin to scratch the surface of its value by lising content. It is a gem of a book (pun intended).

Oppi Untracht did the jewelry industry and anyone serious about learning jewelrymaking the right way, a HUGE service by compiling the information in this book and presenting it in clear and easy to understand language. This book must have taken years of research and editing to produce and publish. That, my friends who harp about price, is why this book is so high priced. It is not over-priced, it is aptly priced. Think how much the Oxford English Dictionary costs- [...]
it's just words, why so expensive?!

You could learn a new technique or factoid every day for a year from this book and then start all over again and learn even more.
This book, however, is not for teaching silver or goldsmithing, gem setting, etc. It is not a how-to book at all. It is a reference book, like the ones that the library won't let you check out because they're too valuable.

If you are serious about jewelry making, fine and art jewelry- not hobby craft wire and bead stringing- put this on your wish list. You'll be thrilled if someone sends it to you for a birthday or holiday gift. If nobody will kick for it, save your nickles and find a used one, reclaiming the silver from spent pickle solution and making solder from scratch never goes out of style.

Jewelry Concepts and Technoloty by Oppi Untracht is the must reference text for the jewelry artist. Untracht provides historical reference for styles and techniques, clearly explains how various techniqures can be utilized by beginners, advanced art jewelry students and professionals. If that is not enough, the visuals and historical references stimulate the imagine.

This book was purchased to replace a book lost out of our Mineral & Gem Society library. We have many master gemologists and geologists in the club and each speaks highly of this book. It's full of basics but also provides information for the advanced jeweler. Highly recommneded.

In this volume Oppi Untracht offers an excellent overview of metal jewelry making. The seemingly limitless information offered is technically precise,and beautifully illustrated.

Note this is not a step by step manual, however it will lend itself most useful with almost any project of your choosing.

Many may shy away from purchasing this due to the price, but one must consider the priceless information / references its pages withold. EVERY jewelry maker will consider this their
"bible", and keep it close at hand.

I have read MANY books on health/nutrition, but few are as effective at getting the message across while still being enjoyable to read. I loved the pace and style and honesty of the book. I didn't want it to end, as I found it motivating to read a bit each day. You will not be disappointed with this book. It would be a great gift for those you love, as well.

Nancy Deville is a medical writer who became alarmed at the national upward trends regarding obesity and other health problems of the general American public. In her researches she uncovered an unpleasant truth -- the food industry has a significant responsibility for what is happening to American public health. The result of her research is "Dead By Supermarket" in which she reveals the benefits of real food while exposing the health risks of eating factory foods, serial dieting, taking drugs. Of special note is what Deville discovered concerning the intrigue, corruption, and simple ineptness within the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Using sold research to show just how the government and the medical community collude in the propagation of disastrous nutritional advice, "Death By Supermarket" is a vital and necessary call to action on both a personal and a political level. Informed and informative, "Death By Supermarket" needs to be on the Health & Medicine shelves of every community library in the country -- and considered an essential study for health and nutrition advocates, as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in personal and public health.

I am only half-way through Death by Supermarket and it is already having a profound effect. I am purging my house of high fructose corn syrup and aspartame for starters. I've lost 6 pounds in two weeks without even thinking about dieting. I just finished the chapter on factory milk and have curtailed my consumption. The line about drinking dead pus was what did it for me. My sons and wife are waiting impatiently for me finish the book and pass it along. There should be a copy of this book in every home.

Once in awhile, if you're really lucky, a book comes along that will change your life. Death By Supermarket is one of those books. Initially,I was curious about it because of its intriguing title and now I'm a huge fan and supporter of its message. I have always eaten pretty well--or so I thought--but so much has changed after reading this book.I eat only real food now--foods that have been picked, fished, hunted, and milked. i have completely turned my back on "factory foods," imitation, fake food with ingredients on the label that can't even be pronounced. You've heard of a "fast food nation." Well, i think we have become a "factory food nation," and it has to stop. Reading this book motivates one to stop eating the processed junk and the fake this and that. It's the best diet book out there--and it isn't a diet book! If you eat real food, you will never have to diet again and your body will return to its normal weight. Nancy Deville is an amazing woman with a very important message for all of us. Death By Supermaket is a page turner!
P.S. Don't drink diet colas and don't eat splenda!

Every June, my husband, four kids and I pack up and leave sunny South Florida and head to our home in Ecuador S.A. and the cool crisp weather of the Andes.
After a week in the mountains my whole family feels better, looks better and has double energy.
After returning home this past September I soon began to feel slightly sluggish and noticed my kids becoming more irritable.
Shortly after the kids started the new school year, I turned on my car radio and heard the voice of Nancy Deville for the first time. WHAM!, it suddenly all made sense. THE FOOD!!
Here back in South Florida, our chickens came wrapped in plastic from a giant supermarket chain, not from our neighbors farm down the road. The same with all our meats, fruits and vegetables. In Ecuador we grow our fruits and vegetables or purchase them from the amazing Indian market 5 minutes from our home. No chemicals, pesticides, additives or plastic..
just row after row of the most beautiful natural food you will ever see.
The day I heard Nancy's message for the first time I went straight home and ordered 5 copies of her book "Death by Supermarket".
Her knowledge has changed the life of my family, and my friends families.
We all owe Ms. Deville a giant "THANK YOU" and we mean it!!!!

As a child of the 60's growing up in England, I was exposed to a lot of American popular culture and toys.
"Major Matt Mason" and "Zeroids" were some of my favourites. This book gives me an excellent reminder not only of what I had, but also stuff I never saw or even knew existed!
This book is well produced with magnificent colourful photos, but they are let down a little by the matte paper used for the pages that dulls their brilliance. Also, some images suffer from "the jaggies" caused by low resolution of the originals.
Likewise, the layout and text is often jumbled and there are some annoying factual errors.
Also, if the author had a rudimentary knowledge of 50's Hollywood monsters he would have recognised the inspiration for many of the Colorforms Outer Space Men.
Apart from these minor annoyances, this is the book I have been waiting for, for almost fourty years!
"Space Toys of the 60's" is worth every cent, even if only for the photos of the magnificent package and box art!
Those colourful boxes are always the first thing to be discarded by young hands too eager for adventure in space!

This oversized, full color paperback is not a glossy coffee table book. Neither is it a collector's price guide. Instead it's an impassioned and informative discussion of three collectible toy lines: Major Matt Mason (Mattell's Man in Space), Colorforms aliens and my favorite, Ideal's Mighty Zeroids.

I read and learned a lot about the other two toy lines, but I used this book when buying a Zintar Zeroid on E-Bay (for only thirty times the original price of $5, which shows how rare they are). Before that I read the book over and over, looking at the photos and dioramas from catalogs. Gillam even includes pre-release pictures from wholesale toy guides of what these toys might have looked like, as well as extensive photos of alternate versions.

Interest in Matt Mason has never flagged, and Zeroids are once again coming into their own in the world of retro toys (see the Zeroid movie link under Robot Links at alivingdog.com). They represented a high point in Ideal's Motorific line of cars and later boats and cleverly ran on the same replaceable motor. Anyone interested in these three lines, or the history of toys, or just taking a trip down memory lane will enjoy this inexpensive and captivating book.

I bought this book on ebay from the author and I am very happy with it. It is loaded with pictures of each space toy and has nice text. Some toys are shown in their original package. Best book I have bought in a long while.

A Collector's Guide to Major Matt Mason, Mighty Zeroid Robots and Colorforms Outer Space Men. Veteran collector and author James Gillam details the story of toys inspired by NASA ventures into space.

SPACE TOYS OF THE 60's could have been the Major Matt Mason collector's dream come true. However, be warned that the quality of the paper and the image quality of the photos is not very good. I wish the publisher had done a much better job and creating some high quality images that I would want to look at over and over again. Looking at these pictures, as a substitute for expanding my collection, is not fullfilling.

All in all though, being the ONLY book out there right now with any information on Major Matt Mason, this is a pretty good book. At leaset it has photos of all of Mattel's Major Matt Mason - Man in Space figures, vehicles and buildings with detailed descriptions, construction and instruction sheets, product catalogs, collector's reminiscences, prototype information, and company histories.

If you can find a used copy for around $5 it's worth adding to the library as a reference.

...than this "Time Machine" that Mr. Gillam has produced. He left no stone unturned. Covered ALL details and variations very thoroughly. I discovered 3 OUTER SPACE MEN in my attic and a Scorpio in my basement. When I was looking for a reference guide to these 60's Spacemen, I coincidentally saw "SPACE TOYS OF THE 60's" on EBay. I said it, you'll say it: "That's how I would have done it!"

I'm planning to take my two teenagers cross country this summer and this is a GREAT book for finding interesting places to show them. It has excellent maps, clear directions, and well-written descriptions of what you will (and won't) see so I can figure out what sites will best entertain the different family members. I only wish we had time to see more of the places they describe. It even tells you what other nearby attractions there are. Kudos to the authors!

My wife and I love to go on factory tours and visit company museums when we travel. It's corny, I know, but fun. This book gives wonderful examples of some of the best tours and museums around. Whenever we're going on a road trip, we always consult Watch It Made in the U.S.A.: A Visitor's Guide to the Best Factory Tours and Company Museums (Watch It Made in the USA) to help us decide where we might like to go. I would very much recommend it for families with young kids who might enjoy such tours, and probably retirees who have the time and interest for them, as well.

This is an excellent book for anyone who is interested in things made in the USA. It gives a nice description of the facilities, locations, tour times, cost and lengths, age appropriateness, and phone numbers.
We like to travel the country and will use the information to plan our trips. The book is well organized and very helpful.

This is my first review in Amazon.

I am always curious about how things are made,
and after watching many episodes of "How do they do it",
and "How it's made" on discovery Channel.
I started to look for extra resources for a better understanding on these "behind the scenes" mysteries.
Then, I found this book.
And this book is a real treasure!
The book is well organized,
It provides many detail information about the factory tours,
and the brief background of the companies.

Thanks to this book,
now I have some itineraries in mind.
I plan to visit KitchenAid's factory in the near future for my mom.
(My family is in Taiwan)
She is a big fan of KitchenAid mixer. ha.
I will also visit Airstream company as well,
Owning a travel trailer is my dream, and I want to know how it is made,
And I will be more determined to realize this dream!
Maybe one day I will write a similar book "Watch it made in Taiwan" in a mobile trailer office. Who knows?!

Great book, I did not know that a book like this existed. Will definitly come in handy when planning trips. Checked information on places we have already been and information was accurate.

This book is NOT the Ultimate Barbie Doll Book. I could not find a single collectible Barbie Doll which I posses from the years it describes it covers when I purchased it. Description of the dolls covered should really be more detailed for collectors who are new to the industry. In addition, there is no option to select from Amazon if the item described does not meet your needs, you simply get a refund, minus shipping as a user error...Not too fair in my opinion.

This is the best Barbie identification book out there. It's useful to identify those thrift store and garage sale dolls and their outfits. Each item is also described with identifying marks, etc. I have owned this book since it came out and it's the one I go back to the most, for complete Barbie information.

I love my new Ultimate Barbie Doll Book. I still have my first Barbie Dolls from the early 60's along with Ken, Midge & Skipper. I have over 100 dolls and found them all in this wonderful book. The photos are beautiful. The Barbie novice to enthusiast will truly enjoy this book.

If you're looking for help in identifying your Barbie doll and friends then this book is for you. I collect old barbies and I have found this book to be most helpful.

I mainly purchased this book to remember some of my childhood toys- I wasn't expecting the detail and page after page of pictures that made me interested in collecting Barbie's as well-

This thick hardcover book has colored photos of each Barbie both in the box and then a close up of the face. The Barbies are presented in chronological order by year by doll type- so i.e. Barbie from 1950s til 90s then Skipper from 50s-90s, then Ken, etc.

The book also has friends of the infamous Barbie and Ken couple; many of which I have never seen or heard of!

If you are looking for a nice photo array and price guide of Barbie and Friends. Truly the "Ultimate" Barbie book.