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I found this a little silly at first. The voice sounds like Ronald Reagan narrating a 1950's science fiction film. But it is a refreshing change from the usual annoying touchie feelie hippie voices I'm used to on most relaxation tapes. No other sleep inducing audio book - and I've tried about 20 - has ever worked so effectively and consistently to get me to fall asleep. It works 9 out of 10 times. I edited mine to fade out before Ronald Reagan comes back to wake me up, and then put the hemi-sync super sleep track directly after on my iPod. I would love to see the Catnapper/Hemi-Sync folks produce a version like this that puts you to sleep and keeps you asleep. This is still available for purchase as a dowloadable mp3 file on [...]. Very highly recommended.

My first impression of this tape was that it was iffy, based on the narrator's voice, which sounded a little weird to me. I proceeded with an open mind, however, and found the tape to be everything it promised and more! Unlike most other relaxation tapes that start with the exercise of relaxing the feet and working upward, this tape started with the practical idea of relaxing the head and face first, working downward. This is a superior concept if you think about it: After a tense day at the office, who can or wants to think about relaxing their feet when their head and neck are hurting? Catnapper zero's in on what's important by relaxing the head, neck AND MIND first. As a result, I found myself easily falling into a deep trance state whisping me away from distracting thoughts, aches and pains. The music used is soothing - kind of like "floating in space" music. It's one of my favorites. Also, a suggestion for people who want to use it to meditate: If you're the type who likes to lay down while meditating, try using Catnapper with one of your arms pointing upward from the elbow. If you start to fall asleep, your arm will start to fall and you'll remain awake instead.

A friend of mine introduced me to this. Listened to this wilst lying down and the nap was enough to refresh us enough to enjoy our first day of holiday after our flight arriving at 6am!

My first impression of this tape was that it was iffy, based on the narrator's voice, which sounded a little weird to me. I proceeded with an open mind, however, and found the tape to be everything it promised and more! Unlike most other relaxation tapes that start with the exercise of relaxing the feet and working upward, this tape started with the practical idea of relaxing the head and face first, working downward. This is a superior concept if you think about it: After a tense day at the office, who can or wants to think about relaxing their feet when their head and neck are hurting? Catnapper zero's in on what's important by relaxing the head, neck AND MIND first. As a result, I found myself easily falling into a deep trance state whisping me away from distracting thoughts, aches and pains. The music used is soothing - kind of like "floating in space" music. It's one of my favorites. Also, a suggestion for people who want to use it to meditate: If you're the type who likes to lay down while meditating, try using Catnapper with one of your arms pointing upward from the elbow. If you start to fall asleep, your arm will start to fall and you'll remain awake instead.

A friend of mine introduced me to this. Listened to this wilst lying down and the nap was enough to refresh us enough to enjoy our first day of holiday after our flight arriving at 6am!

Hamish Pringle has done a great job. 'Celebrity Sells' is a good read. It's also an invaluable guide to what to do, and what to avoid. He has had the good sense to tap into the first hand knowledge of some authoritative experts. These interviews give real insights into what made Dudley Moore and Prunella Scales (Tesco), Maureen Lipman (BT), Rowan Atkinson (Barclaycard), and the One2One campaigns the huge successes they were. I also found his pitfalls section very illuminating (noting how overexposure can be a particular problem). Pringle draws interesting conclusions from the increasing incidence of celebrities among IPA Effectiveness Award winners. I guess that old adfolk like me have always known that the first target market for any campaign is always the client, and nearly 20 years experience running pitches has proved it beyond doubt. It's intriguing to get the inside track on the special relationship clients (both as companies and people) have with the celebs their agencies have hired. But Pringle gives us ten priceless rules for how the agency can best manage those relationships. The examples given are what makes this book particularly rewarding. Some must have been no-brainers. But who could ever have predicted George Foreman would sell as many grills as Dyson has made vacuum cleaners?

I confess to having a vested interest in Hamish Pringle's writing--I was his co author on the highly successful Brand Spirit: How Cause Related Marketing Builds Brands. He followed that up with a collaboration with someone in consultancy--Brand Manners and now Celebrity Sells. His genial and affable style, accessible to media and communications experts and lay people alike, is built on a firm foundation of careful analysis and case studies. He also captures the zeitgeist--explaining what it is about the 'celebrification' of culture in the early 21st century that strikes a chord with consumers. I can't wait for his next book!

Using celebrities to sell a brand can be immensely powerful, if you get things right - and little short of disastrous, if you get things wrong. Celebrity Sells shows you how to avoid the pitfalls, and sail into the sunny uplands of sales success in clear, readable and pithy prose. No other book, or article, on the subject that I have ever read is remotely comparable in terms of comprehensiveness, authority and know-how.

This book is a really accessible guide to how use celebrities in advertising. It tells you what works and what doesn't, and how to get the best out of celebrity advertising. Backed up by good solid research, with lots of case studies too. A handy guide to an increasingly important area of marketing.

Hamish Pringle has written a thoughtful, crisply-paced book exploring the power of celebrity and how that power can be harnessed in marketing. The book focuses on the U.K. - thus, many of its case studies and celebrities will be unknown to those who haven't spent time in England - but its core message transcends national borders. Even those who have often had to deal with celebrities will still learn ample lessons, while those who have never dipped their toes in the celebrity marketing pool will find this essential reading. It is a textbook for avoiding many pitfalls of star marketing. We recommend this useful, insightful book to marketers and executives who are considering their first foray into the celebrity arena or re-thinking their use of celebrity marketing.

This book is beautifully written and the story is powerfully, artfully told. Alex Prud'homme's eye for telling details and anecdotes brings to life all of the egos, greed, outsized appetites, and fat wallets that intersected in Sam Waksal and Martha Stewart's world. I couldn't put it down.

This fascinating story has appeared just as the Martha Stewart trial is getting underway. The book is crammed full of details not only concerning the principal characters, but also cancer treatments and the burgeoning world of biotechnology. Sam Waksal comes across as a mercurial salesman with no true sense of right or wrong, a classic striver seeking recognition and aspiring to great wealth, but also dissing the hopes of many with cancer. It's a good read -- fast-paced, up-to-date and accurate. If you really want to know why Waksal is in jail for seven years and how Martha Stewart became involved with his world, read this amazing and well-researched tale.

This is about the Cancer Game, which might be seen as a part of the Cancer Industry, a kind of bizarre and ghoulish phenomenon of modern times that exists precisely because there is no cure for cancer. Indeed, Alex Prud'homme, who is a gifted researcher and prose stylist, whose work has appeared in such prestigious journals as The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, etc., might very well have called his book "The Cancer Game." I wonder why he didn't. Would such a title have offended those who play the game?

It is specifically about the rise and fall of one Sam Waksal, oldest son of Jewish emigrants and Holocaust survivors, a man of irresistible charm, fabulous energy, and great intelligence, a man driven to success and the high life, a man who had bounced around academia without much success until in the 1980s he saw an opportunity to become a player in the cancer game, and, along with his younger brother Harlan, founded ImClone Systems, Inc.

It is also about an anticancer drug called Erbitux, originally known as C225 because it was the 225th drug tested by its discoverers, John Mendelsohn and Gordon Sato in 1980. It showed promise because in tests it stopped the growth of tumors in mice.

And finally it is a story about how drugs get discovered, how they are developed, and especially how they get approved (or not) by the Food and Drug Administration. And of course it is about the Byzantine and incestuous relationship that exists between that August government agency and the massive pharmaceutical industry.

The curious thing about all this is that Imclone never turned a profit, Erbitux never came to market, and most of the people associated with Waksal and ImClone either made out like bandits or got stuck holding the bag. The drug itself, which works against cancer tumors, particularly colon cancer, by cutting off the blood supply to the tumors (an "antiangiogenesis" drug), was touted as a miracle that would save the lives of innumerable patients and make possibly billions of dollars for ImClone.

At least this was the hype delivered by Sam Waksal, and bought hook, line and sinker by pharma giant Bristol-Myers Squibb, and by desperate cancer patients as well as salivating Wall Street investors who jumped on the bandwagon as ImClone's stock rocketed skyward. Because of the promise of the drug, Waksal himself was able to live his dream life as a New York socialite, throwing lavish parties for celebs (including Martha Stewart while he dated her daughter), collecting fine art, popping open $600 bottles of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild while secretly selling stock on the side, sending the proceeds overseas, buying expensive apartments and houses for himself, etc., etc.

But the cold hard facts of Erbitux, like those of almost any cancer drug one can name, are very far from the hype. As Prud'homme notes on pages 332-333, "these agents...[Erbitux and others like Avastin and Iressa] are remarkable scientific advances, [but] they still only benefit some 10 to 20 percent of patients, and they only extend patients' lives by a matter of months."

That's it. That's the bottom line. And yet these drugs are so valuable that the companies that end up selling them can make hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars.

Waksal apparently came to this understanding sometime during the early eighties. He realized first the simple fact that the way the cancer industry works is doctors have to prescribe something rather than nothing. Then he realized that living a few months longer can mean a lot to people. Therefore any FDA-approved cancer drug will automatically fill a need. What this means is that the PROMISE of a cancer drug, if cleverly promoted, will spark a rally in the shares of the company that owns the patent. If, like Sam Waksal, you own millions of those shares, you can get rich on mere promise alone.

Furthermore, should the drug have any real value at all, and be approved (or even look like it's going to be approved) by the FDA, you might be able to get some pharmaceutical giant like Bristol-Myers Squibb to front a whole lot of money on that promise since they are desperate to find a cancer drug to replace those that have gone generic.

This works because even drugs with very limited effectiveness are better than no drug at all. This is true for many patients, for many doctors, and is especially true for the big pharmaceutical companies.

Note that these drugs are valuable because the people who need them are typically people of relative means who can afford to pay large sums of money for them, either through their HMOs, their government, or their own funds. In contrast a drug that would prolong the life of poor people in third world countries would be of only marginal value to the big pharmaceutical companies.

I should also mention that Prud'homme spends some serious ink in this book on Waksal's long-time friend Martha Stewart and her troubles. Her personality, her empire, and the way she handles herself are vividly detailed. In fact, some readers might find her story the most interesting part of the book.

This book is a fine character study of an amazingly talented man whose endless need to gratify his own appetites and emotional needs led him to careless and even cruel behavior. There is no denying the great talent of Sam Waksal, but to this day he doesn't seem to understand that his talent and accomplishments do not provide a license to indulge himself at other's expense.

It is amazingly sad that all of this misery was so pointless because Erbitux has at last been approved. It almost certainly could have been approved earlier if the talented team at ImClone would have had a culture of discipline and getting things done and documented in ways that everyone knew the FDA required. If they had, all this pain and loss would never have occurred and Dr. Waksal would be a real hero instead of the one he only pretended to be.

Mr. Prud'homme writes with style and vitality. The book moves along well and has a great feel for keeping the story personal and emotionally accessible for the reader. We don't get overwhelmed with the scientific side of things, although it is always interesting to read about this emerging science and the wizards who are making it happen.

I could hardly put this book down. Never mind the Martha Stewart trial, this is where the excitement and drama in the ImClone story lies.

Sam Waksal, a scientist and business developer with a checkered past, lives a celebrity lifestyle, hanging out with the rich and famous, owning several fancy houses, driving fast cars, and heading a firm that is working on a cancer drug so promising that people with no other hope of treatment are flinging themselves at ImClone, begging for a merciful dose of "Erbitux."

The drug apparently does reverse inoperable tumors in a few test patients who had no other hope of living. Now the race is on to fast-track the drug through the FDA approval process based on the glowing clinical trials. But the FDA reviewer is unaccountably unencouraging when meeting with one of ImClone's top scientists. What is wrong? Is Erbitux, instead of being approved , instead going have its application refused? Why! And what will this mean for the high-flying ImClone stock?

The book reads like the best thriller, and author Alex Prud'homme is adept at making you feel like the proverbial fly-on-the-wall during the action. If you are at all interested in what happened behind the Martha Stewart debacle, you must read this. It's fantastic.

A very well written book with lovely and truly beautiful illustrations. Highly recommended!

In this fascinating book, De Dampierre brings a fresh perspective to world history by describing it through one of the most ubiquitous items in our daily lives: chairs. In doing so, she has produced a highly enjoyable read for both the sophisticated antique collector and the general student of history.

I have read Chairs; A History and find it to be fasinating from two view points. One is that it is more than a history of furniture, it is a social history of the people who sat in the chairs and their times and their culture. Secondly I will retain it for years as one of the most complete reference books on the cultural periods discussed. Finally it is beautifully illustrated and written and should be in everyone's library.

No one who has seen my home would expect me to have anything to do with a furniture book. But some perceptive friend gave me this book and now I get it! Under Ms. de Dampierre's tutelage, I have grown to understand how pieces of furniture are a reflection of the times in which they were created. This study of chairs is no less fascinating than any great work of art history and the author does an incredible job of detailing changes in social and political currents which impact the design and use of each chair in her exhaustive chronology. As importantly, the pictures are beautiful; the book is worth buying for them alone.

Florence de Dampierre has produced what will certainly be not only the definitive guide to the chair itself but also a witty and learned look at how modes of communication in differing cultures governed the kind of furniture people invented for themselves. The scope of the book is huge, ranging from the cradle of civilization in Mesopotamia and Africa to the chair as modern art. I recommend it highly, both for serious collectors as well as anyone who has ever thought twice about the provenance of the place they've just sat down in. The book is copiously and beautifully illustrated, so it makes a lovely gift.

For somebody who wants to start his own business, this was a great book to read. He helps you understand what really needs to be done, at the same time showing why something working, or didn't. He talks about what really matters in starting your own business, while choosing the best risk. He starts from creating a business to Application of strategies. I believe this is a great book and a must read if you want to start your own business.

Excellent service and book was in very good condition. I lost my book during shipping, but they gave me another new one within couple of days. so excellent customer service.

Meyer once again captures the pulse of business today. His observations and strategies are drawn from the boom times and the current downturn. Creating and Dominating New Markets provides insights for CEOs and other managers who want to grow out of their current challenges by focusing on new products and market expansion rather than by cost cutting and retrenching.

Unlike the usual management book that tends to be littered with success/failure anecdotes and little else, this book gives solid business advice that can provide immediate and worthwhile guidance. So whether you have just set out on your managerial career or are a member of the gray-haired 'been around the block a few times' executive club, Creating and Dominating New Markets will provide a great return on your investment - time and money.

So, you're sitting in your office thinking about your business. Or the business you'd like to start. Building a business is a daunting proposition, not for the weak of heart-or weak of wallet. The key is to discover something different that will grab attention. What's the old saw: Find a need and fill it?

Peter Meyer, principal of a California (where else) consulting firm that specializes in the subject of this book, suggests a different approach. Instead of competing with everyone else, create a new market. Makes sense. As Meyer points out, it's exciting, fun, and profitable. New markets are forgiving and, without rivals you don't have to worry about competitive pricing. Can it be this easy? Meyer lays it out in Chapter One: The Mystique and Challenges of New Markets. Prepare to have your mind opened, your thoughts stimulated, your imagination titillated.

The first part of this highly readable book (type size and leading enables this book to be easily read on trains and airplanes) addresses strategies. The second part with application of the strategies. Good model for this highly practical book.

The other chapters of the first section deliver ideas, perspective, and examples of how the strategies have been used. Balancing Your Resources and Opportunities. It's the Problem That Matters. Choosing the Best Risk. What New Markets are Available to You? Are you beginning to get a sense of the depth of content of this book?

The book is written in relatively short sections, so the reader never seems overburdened by the volume of text. I kept slowing down...because I was thinking about what Meyer said. Then I found myself taking notes, like I was starting to write a business plan. See what I mean? I predict that you'll read this book at least twice: once for a quick overview, then at least one more time (with Peter Meyer at your elbow) thinking, talking to yourself (and others), and constructing ideas that may drive your future.

Charts sprinkled throughout the book will guide in your understanding of the message. So will the questions tossed out by the author. There are many paths to take in creating, exploring, exploiting, and dominating new markets. Each alternative approach has its advantages and disadvantages. Your strength will come from understanding what's involved in your journey, and that power will come from this book.

Section Two concentrates on the application of the strategies. Funding the New Market Effort. What Role Does the Customer Play? Building and Dominating Markets Through Involvement. What is the Role of Information Technology. Using Credibility in Creating and Dominating Markets. What's Next? And the book closes with a good index to help you find what you want on your second and third readings.

This is the new frontier. You can be on the leading edge. It's a different world, as Meyer warns. If you think you're up for it-and the book will help you determine that readiness, this book will be your guide.

Now my review is done. I'm going back for my second helping!

A book built from the combined insights of two of the most successful marketers in the world. This is a tremendous resource for building the power brands of the future.

A little over a year ago I found this book while searching for a tool that could help me understand and communicate in my new boss' style. Some doubts had already been expressed about the success of our team, putting my job in jeopardy. I read this book over a weekend. The application of these concepts brought immediate results, particularly because it allowed to communicate a full, long term strategic approach to what had been perceived as tactics. The results on our brand were exceptional and my boss recognized and compensated very well my efforts.

How long has it been since you came across a book that you want to read twice? This book, with its eye-catching cover featuring the title as an embossed leather patch on the backside of a pair of blue jeans, is that kind of book. Authors Richard D. Czerniawski and Michael W. Maloney created this organized guide for marketing professionals and wrote it in a way that lets every reader learn. You are always told what you are about to learn, you're tested on that knowledge and then you are given real-life examples that reinforce the lesson. The authors debunk "established" methods, which they find condescending to marketing professionals. They believe that most marketers are tactically strong, but need to learn more about the strategic requirements of creating brand loyalty. We at getAbstract strongly recommend this book to senior managers, marketers, academics and - if you want to be savvy, too - consumers.

"Creating Brand Loyalty" delivers on it's promise. It offers proven step-by-step advice on how to position brands as well as how to work effectively with creative professionals to manage the expression of brands in advertising. Czerniawski and Maloney have distilled their considerable experience as highly paid consultants to leading consumer packaged goods brands into a practical and highly informed guide to the art and science of positioning.

The guidance, tools, templates and forms provided in the book give you everthing you need to develop a positioning for your brand and to communicate your brand's essential value proposition. Advertising agencies and public relations firms should pay their customers to read this book!

Czerniawski and Maloney developed a great strategic roadmap for brand positioning as well as creative agency management. Everyone in brand/product management should read this book. It provides a strong strategic structure to manage and develop your brands for long term success. I've given copies to everyone on my brand team.

Emily has a real knack for portraying the personalities of her horse children. Reading the book, I found myself wanting to visit and meet Lilli, Maria, Diamahn Lil, and all. For anyone who has owned a horse, or who has longed to own a horse, this book will be a real pleasure.

Two things bothered me though. Emily did not tell us enough about herself. I would love to know her approximate age and more about her human family. Also, I thought the 9/11 information was distracting, and made the story too "current event". If those two pages are deleted, the book will regain a noncontemporary feel, and should be enjoyable for many years to come.

I would love to read a sequel.

This is definately a book of a true Horse lover,I want to visit her and Summerwind Farms she makes real farm life come alive for me,took me back to my childhood.
I was raised on a farm in the state of Virginia with horses, cows, pigs etc.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has a love for animals be it horses dogs or cats the true love for the animals comes through.
This book also shows the care and love you must give to our 4 leg friends.
I shall look forward to another book by Emily Bridges in the future.

I really enjoyed DEAR DOLLY. Emily exposes her strengths and weaknesses in a humorous way, and in opening her farm and heart to us, we are offered hope in our own personal challenges. My 80 year old mother(who is terrified of horses) LOVED this book as well, it appeals to young and old, and will make a PERFECT gift book.

It's was very refreshing to read a REAL horse book! Being horse owners ourselves, we could relate with both humor and sympathy to the ups and downs of horse ownership! Even if you don't have horses, this book will delight and intrigue. Can't wait for the next one!

Loved how she followed her dream. This book will make someone who is not a "horse lover" want to be one! Full of useful advice!

I've been fascinated by Edsels since childhood, and while I've never been able to own one, I've collected lots of literature about the most famous flop in automotive history. Although there was familiar material in Mr. Bonsall's work, (the arrival of a new full-sized car just as the first import craze was beginning was the product of a decade-long lead time to launch the new make), there was also much I've never seen in print anywhere before--such as Robert McNamara's statement that the decision to discontinue the Edsel had been made even before its formal introduction! From the company's internal politics, to the design process, to the challenges of setting up the dealer network, no aspect of the Edsel's history is omitted. This profousely illustrated work is an absolute must for Edsel lovers, and should be worthwhile to anyone interested in the Ford Motor Company or automotive history in general.--William C. Hall

Unlike many current automotive books with some nice photos and tired, re-released copy, this one is fresh and fascinating. The photos are good but few, the story is the key and it is a great work. If you are like me and are interested in fresh, serious coverage by experienced automotive authors then this will not disappoint. Five stars from a tough critic.

The 1958 Edsel has received a lot of lampooning from the time it was introduced because of its front design ("a fish sucking a lemon") and this has generally been attributed as the reason it was regarded as a flop. Certainly Ford lost $100 million on it at the time (and its advertising agency and most of the dealers also took baths) but here it is revealed that in reality the car achieved the market penetration in relative terms that was expected of it. The reason for the losses were due to organisational mistakes and the fact that people like Robert McNamara (the archetypal bean counter) pulled the plug on it prematurely. The author also demonstrates that the production capacity created for the Edsel was actually utilised to the full in the 1960s with the Falcon and the Mustang.
This book is a great read, and the illustrations include many interesting design proposals. I would have given the book 5 stars if the illustrations had been printed on coated paper and included at least a few in color.

Disaster in Dearborn: The Story of the Edsel by Thomas Bonsall is easily the best piece of automobile journalism I have ever read. If you are interested in the Edsel, or just cars of this era in general, Bonsall will simply have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Not only will you come away with a thorough understanding of the Edsel itself, the author artfully puts the whole Edsel saga into context with what was happening with the rest of the American auto industry during time before, during, and after the Edsel's brief lifespan. I honestly could not put this book down once I started it as Bonsall truly lets you feel the anticipation and excitement surrounding Edsel's conception, design, and launch. Quite simply everything about the Edsel and the people who created it is covered in this book. In closing Bonsall impartially takes you through all the theories on why the Edsel failed and brings the book to a very satisfying and thoughtful conclusion. And although primarily not a picture book, you'll find gathered here a small but exciting group of Edsel prototype photos and sketches I have never seen in print anywhere else before. A terrific book for anyone interested in auto history in general and an absolute must for anyone fascinated with the Edsel.

Bonsall's treatment of the Edsel story is unique in that he first sets the historical stage and market conditions under which the Edsel program was conceived and executed. He does an excellent job of describing the reasons Ford needed the Edsel program, and why the program missed its mark. As Bonsall methodically moves the Edsel story forward, the reader is filled with a sense of impending doom, much like reading about the maiden voyage of the Titanic. Bonsall does an excellent job of drawing together the many disparate influences and elements that together charted the fateful course of the Edsel.

Just what i needed for my college class, nothing is wrong with the book and seems to be well written.

i am feeling difficulty to understand terminology(glossary required at the end of book) i think all the supported material like test bank or software must be attached with this book in form of CD(ROM)

This book is choc-full of useful techniques for good, solid business communication. The samples are well thought-out and are very true to life. However, the questions, especially the ethics questions do not have any answers provided. Even the instructor copy doesn't have any of the answers, so effectively it boils down to your opinions and whether or not you can defend them. Yee Hah, just like real life.

I always thought I was good at communication until I read this book (text book really). I was particularly impressed by the examples of emails that on the surface look fine until the writer points out the loop holes. Despite its title this book comes in hand for many situations well outside business. I have also used my newly acquired skills in academic, political and philanthropic forums and received very positive feedback from colleagues who noticed a change. Buy this book.

I use this book for my primary text in a Business and Professional Communication class that I teach. The students like how the book is organized; I appreciate the examples that we can use in class for discussion.

Beyond that, the AIDA approach to business writing is clear and easy to use once students get the hang of it. My students' major project is to work with an organization in solving a communication problem, they are responsible for writing memos and reports to both the client and me.

However, I guess that the biggest endorsement is the number of students who do not resell this book at the end of the semester. I have had several tell me that this is one of the few books that they will take with them when they graduate because they view it as a good reference book.

This book makes eating well easy. If everyone followed the book obesity would be gone for good.

This is an excellent book! Its food rating system gives you a nice easy way to see how healthy the food you're eating is for you! After I read through the book and looked at the ratings for some of the things I usually eat, I was surprised! I'm going to make some significant changes to my diet! Bon appetit!

I'm going to make some significant changes to my diet! I was quite surprised at the ratings on some of the food that I've been eating! This is an excellant book. It grades the nutritional value of the food you're eating and provides guidelines, based on what kind of diet you are trying to maintain on how much of a particular food, based on its grade, you should eat. It takes into consideration cholesterol, fats, salt fiber, vitamins and other factors that can effect your health.

This book should have been published eons ago. Not only have I re-evaluated my diet, it has provided me a source reference document to live by for a more healthy and productive life. Kudos to Dr. Yannios. Long live and prosper.

Deciphering labels can turn food shopping into a real hassle for many of us. Thomas Yannios, M.D. makes it easier to decide which products to purchase in The Food Report Card. Dr. Yannios has analyzed the labels of thousands of foods, and compiled his results in a simple grade of A, B, C, or D.

"You can make an enormous impact on your long-term health, and even on your appearance," Dr. Yannios writes, "if you do nothing else during your normal food shopping but select the A- and B-rated foods, and leave the C's and D's on the shelves back at the store."

Dr. Yannios believes that atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is the number one health problem for many Americans. He says that "food significantly impacts" atherosclerosis, and that we can reduce the negative impact by carefully choosing what we eat. "People are confused," Dr. Yannios says, explaining that he wrote The Food Report Card to help eliminate confusion and enable people to choose foods that are good for them.

He has grouped foods into categories, such as beverages, cereals and grains, milk and dairy products, and meats. Each food within a category is then listed in alphabetical order, such as chocolate milk and vegetable juice in the beverage section. Foods are then evaluated by brand name. For example, five brands of vegetable juice are analyzed and graded. He maintains that pattern for each food category, analyzing 12,000 foods altogether. All you have to do is look up a specific food to quickly determine whether it is an "A" food that you want to consume or a "D" food you want to avoid.

People who want to choose the healthiest processed foods, but don't want to spend a lot of time calculating nutritional values from confusing labels, will find The Food Report Card informative and helpful.