Big Books

The "big boys" learned long ago how to create networks and gain visibility through "personal publicity," aka "toot your own horn!" Women generally show far too much humility about their talents and skills. If we want people to value our skills, we must first show that we value ourselves -- by making sure our accomplishments are visible to targeted audiences. If we want people to hire us, promote us, buy from us or invest in our companies, they have to know who we are, what we have accomplished and why they should do business with us! Self-promotion isn't bragging. It is a valuable business tool that career women must add to their strategies for success. (from Marion E. Gold, award-winning author of "The Personal Publicity Planner: A Guide to Marketing YOU")

Playing With The Big Boys reveals the success secrets of some of the most powerful, notable women in business, revealing top Fortune 500 women who reveal how they climbed to the top. They come from different backgrounds yet have shared traits which others can learn from in this revealing, reality-based guide.

This is the next era version of "Games Mother Never Taught You", a book that gives the real life road map of what it takes to get to the top. The book is easy reading with excellent examples of real role model top executive women. There are so many great ideas in this book I am sure it will help many women move ahead. The back has a self assessment. Besides interesting it is highly practical and inspiring!

I read this book from cover to cover. It's packed with insightful and useful advice for anyone who wants to climb the corporate ladder. It's great to learn from these women who have reached the ranks we all aspire to. Their wisdom and timely advice gave me valuable tools to use in my own career every day. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to get ahead.

In Playing With The Big Boys: Success Secrets Of The Most Powerful Women In Business, Debra Pestrak offers candid, emphatic advice, encouragement, and critical skills required on the part of female entrepreneurs and corporate executives seeking to be successful in a male dominated business world. Pestrak draws upon top Fortune 5000 female executives to reveal tips, tricks and techniques any woman can use to achieve business success in today's highly competitive and globalized market place. Replete with true-life stories of women who have joined the upper echelons within a corporate America, Playing With The Big Boys offers the tools women need to successfully accomplish personal, economic, and entrepreneurial achievement and prosperity.

If you had concerns about Harry Potter books being based on the dark side, your prayers are now answered. You'll have no such feeling with Professor Angelicus. Your mind will soar with him, in his magic bubble, to new heights of awareness. Your mission will carry you all over our familiar Earth and beyond, where you'll meet quirky characters and new worlds. With Zak, Ivy and Ziggy, dare to visit the professor's land of sparkle and light in this first book of a series of exciting, inspirational adventures.--Beth Mansbridge, Freelance Editor

Living a seemingly normal life in a normal town, young Zak, his dog Ziggy, and his best friend Ivy are suddenly greeted by a strange and unfamiliar character named Professor Aquius Botanicus Angelicus. Stranger still, the professor has arrived on planet Earth in search of the pure water he needs to fuel his spaceship. One would think that on a planet that is 70% water this would be easy...however, Professor Angelicus and the children discover that finding pure water on a planet subject to ever-increasing pollution by humans is not that easy.

And so the journey begins, as the crew searches for pure water in lakes, oceans, and rainforests. Along the way the children meet and request help from the most unlikely characters: a talking French butterfly, King Crab, Dolphin, and an evil monster that morphs into its victim's greatest fear. By stating pertinent facts about our environment and "teaching without preaching," author L.B.B. Ward does an excellent job of interpreting relevant scientific and social topics. Covering natural history, biology, pollution, war, peace, respect, and community involvement, Ward explains how to become guardians or "sharelings" of the Earth. The author's personal closeness to nature, humanitarian spirit, and gentle voice provide a most needed call to action with this imaginative and clever new adventure novel.

Professor Angelicus brought my kids (and me) a surprisingly thorough environmental education and actual HOPE for the future - all within a fantastic adventure. I can't wait to read it to my littlest one in three years. Completely recommended!

I thought Prof. Angelicus was a beautifully written and challenging book. It broaches sensitive ecological issues in a thoughtful and engaging manner for young readers while not being didactic. Although, it sometimes has a tendency toward the polemical when it tries to do too much in a given chapter.

The novel tells a charming story with a sensitivity for the biological and the sciences in its use of specific nomenclature and in its specificity to earth processes. It certainly doesn't "talk down" to its young readers. The spiritual overtones will challenge young readers, however the overt Christian motifs and "capital G" God may be exclusive to children of other faiths.

The vocabulary,reading level and subject matter puts the novel in the 10 - 14 age range for me, yet the protagonists seem younger. Generally, young readers like to read about characters the same age or slightly older. Some children may take exception to Zak and Ivy; however the timeless themes and wonderful writing can carry the novel.

My own children, 12 and 14, seem to concur saying that the book was good and raised many questions about our relationship with the Earth, but there were times when the main characters seemed "babyish."

Definitly more stories of this calibre need to be published as they challenge children to consider our inherently mutualistic relationship with the Earth - a relationship we are compromising daily.

Living a seemingly normal life in a normal town, young Zak, his dog Ziggy, and his best friend Ivy are suddenly greeted by a strange and unfamiliar character named Professor Aquius Botanicus Angelicus. Stranger still, the professor has arrived on planet Earth in search of the pure water he needs to fuel his spaceship. One would think that on a planet that is 70% water this would be easy...however, Professor Angelicus and the children discover that finding pure water on a planet subject to ever-increasing pollution by humans is not that easy.

And so the journey begins, as the crew searches for pure water in lakes, oceans, and rainforests. Along the way the children meet and request help from the most unlikely characters: a talking French butterfly, King Crab, Dolphin, and an evil monster that morphs into its victim's greatest fear. By stating pertinent facts about our environment and "teaching without preaching," author L.B.B. Ward does an excellent job of interpreting relevant scientific and social topics. Covering natural history, biology, pollution, war, peace, respect, and community involvement, Ward explains how to become guardians or "sharelings" of the Earth. The author's personal closeness to nature, humanitarian spirit, and gentle voice provide a most needed call to action with this imaginative and clever new adventure novel.

I used to think Fred Gleeck was a smart guy. Then I read this book. When I saw all the secrets Fred gives away for under (...), I thought, 'maybe Fred ain't so smart after all'.

In Publishing for Maximum Profit, Fred lets you in on everything he knows about making money as an author. This is the info he charges hundreds of dollars an hour for as a consultant. He covers everything you need to know, but the most important is how to develop additional, higher-priced products that you can sell to fans of your books. This is critical. It shows you how to make a good living as a writer without writing a bestseller.

This information is extremely valuable. At a Book Marketing Boot Camp put on by Mark Victor Hansen, editor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series, one of the speakers, Jerrold Jensen delivered his top ten list for authors who wanted to sell more books and make more money. #4 was "see Fred Gleeck!

So do yourself a favor and buy Fred's book. Then follow Jerrold Jensen's #1 piece of advice. "Take action now."

I read every word of Gleeck's Publishing for Maximum Profit several times before I started my own publishing company. And am I glad I did. My books are selling, more important, my overall business is expanding rapidly. Gleeck will show you in the simplest possible terms how to make money form all of your publishing efforts.

Fred's book offers real practical advice.
Highly professional. Again like in other books by Fred- easy language and easy steps to follow.
He knows how to make money on selling your knowledge.
If you know something- this is the product to sell. And this guy will teach you how to do that.
As a Memory Development Specialist I have to say, that Fred's books meet one requirement in learning porocess... they are easy to understand and learn. And of course his "systems" are ready to apply and work immediately.
In few words:
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

If you're planning on writing and publishing your own book you really owe it to yourself to read this book. Unlike other books on this topic (and i've read a lot of them!), Fred's book offers real practical advice which includes great resources to get your book in print. I followed his advise and successfully published my book Power Prospecting in less than 90 days. A wonderful resource for simplifying the book publishing process!

This book has saved me invaluable time and energy learning how to research and write my book. If you're struggling with how to get your book together in a logical manner, then this book is for you.

It also shows you how to promote and market your book so you can do what you really want, make some money. It's all here. Everything you need to know.

There's also the skinny on pricing, the different models of selling your book, publishing options, upselling, how to use affilliates to sell for you, and more.

Do yourself a favor and get this book asap. It will give you the direction you need to write and make money with your ideas.

This book, like all the "happy baby" books, is great. I recommend them all. We love this one especially, as it has easy-to count objects (photos) on every page which my daughter enjoys. The numbers are also written out clearly on each page (ex: "three" and "3").

We like these books - they're great for the little bitty babies. My son is 3 mos and will still look at these bright, bold pictures. My only beef is that some/many of the pictures are re-used in other Priddy books (Happy Baby books and Bright Baby books). It would be nice to have totally original books if you're buying a set, instead of what sometimes feels like just slapping together old pics and putting a new cover on. All in all, though, I really like these books.

This is a great number book for babies. I agree with the other reviews - great pictures, great presentation of numbers, great counting activities at the end of the book. A good book to have - and one that your toddler will want to read over and over again.

I just bought this book for my two-year-old who has autism. She loves books with pictures of animals in them, and she has recently gotten interested in counting. She absolutely loves this book. The pictures are nice and crisp and appealing to young children. We have most of the books in this series, and I guess we're just going to have to get them all, because she just loves them. We've gotten a lot of language growth out of her since she started pointing to pictures in books and asking "What dat?" These books are perfect for that!

My little girl enjoys "reading" this book. It's very easy for her to grab it and pass the pages. Lovely pictures and colours. A best buy.

I found this little book to be /Inspirational/Funny/Sad/I wonder is that how God really is. Bob seems to have a much better undestanding of the "spiritual world" than most.That is why I enjoy reading his writtings so much.Thank You again Bob

I liked a lot of things about this book. It's a short read in that it's a series of statements by folks with 'answers' from God in bold below them. Each statement/answer then is a stand-alone thought that can be read and appreciated for itself. I think that God watches Judge Judy on occasion. One person says, "God, I feel like believing in you is a complete waste of my time." God answers, "I know the feeling." Another statement hit home strongly with me. A man tells God that keeping his pickup truck from starting won't stop him from going out & getting drunk that night. God tells him the truck will start after he's gone back inside to say goodbye to his mother who won't be there when he gets back from the tavern. His Mom dies in his arms, in the house, 2 hours later and the man has not had a drink since.

Unfortunately, for me personally, there are several examples of answers from 'God' that perpetuate the 'fire and brimstone,' "You're going to burn in Hell forever" God that turned me off to Him years ago. Fundamentalist Christians will love them but I tend to take that kind of statement with a grain of salt and look for the loving message that I know underlies it if it's really from God. I highly recommend this book as something to have handy for a quick pick-me-up since you can open it almost anywhere and find a useful inspiration of some kind. Even the ones I disagree with make me think and that's not all bad. It was worth the price to me.

I am an avid reader.Having read many books through the years Christian and Non-Christian.I have been helped and blessed by some,entertained by others,but I found this book to be Inspired.I could give this to my teenaged grandsons,best friends,or my mother and all would be able to enjoy and relate to it. It is refreshing and insightful.It will allow you to chuckle,touch your heart and your soul.Give you peace of mind and spirit. Each home would profit by having this book accessible to family members and friends.Its message is profound and I would recommend it as a wonderful gift .

A friend knowing my feelings about God, sent me this book. Be it a real or an imaginary God in this book, it is a God I can believe in. It feels good not hating television evangelist. It was the first time anyone had laid it out so clearly.

There are advantages of being a fulltime pastor for forty-three years. Then there are the disadvantages. I try as best I can not to dwell on the disadvantages. But the one that did bother me the most, was not being able to answer the questions of children. Adults seldom ask really hard to answer questions, like, “What is God’s favorite color?” or “Are their toys in heaven?” or “Why is everything that is fun to do a sin?” I remember this one well, “Why did God choose the Jews instead of us?” Forty-three years I have been talking about God, only to learn that I knew very little about Him. This book is The Spirit at work. A Minister who has not read this book is unlearned regardless of their education.

this book is actually one of the best of its kind. It documents quite well the music of the New Wave era and is a nicely done update of the previous edition.

I got hooked on the TP Record Guides in the mid 80s by luck browsing a cool bookstore. Love at first sight. Ira A. and crew approached a gigantic task with a process and a great sense of humor. Their reviews are amazingly complete for some amazingly obscure bands. [I actually feel honored to know music of obscure underground bands that were somehow unbelievably, under their radar. I wonder what ever became of the "Cache Valley Drifters"? I sure hope Pete and Lou Berryman are still out there too.] They treat most bands with respect, excepting bands of the "Frankie Goes to Hollywood" ilk, heck I trash them too even if I don't know any better! How's that for loyal?

A couple examples of the wonders that drift among the pages. One of my favorite reviews is Simple Minds. The reviewer carefully goes over the bands' brilliant first releases and then lashes out at an apparent total sell out after they got sucked into big production movies.

This book, plus the 1990s edition following it up, will give you an enduring look at the rise and fall of underground music.
Try this at your local library, open this book to Nirvana...read the terse review of the band printed shortly after "Nevermind"s release. Now thumb to Nirvana in the New TP Guide to 90s Music, written many years later, but right next to it in the stacks (dream on). It says things like "every generation has events like hula hoops and Nirvana, they explode out of nowhere" The book is a look at what is important to young people at an important time when their brains desire to look beyond the mirror, even farther outward than the next meal, and they turn to music. It's all-together mindbending and probably important.

This book is a quest giver. Ever hear of the Morels? Me neither, but from what Ira says in his review in this book, I've been on a quest to find some of their musical legacy and so far I've failed. But I'm persistent, they're out there somewhere on some dusty shelf. I'm zealous about this book because in this world you've got to edit.

I love this book. I have to say that I didn't always agree with Robbin's et al views of the music on display. One reviewer mentions their treatment of Simple Minds, and I could make a case for the Silencers. a great Scottish band of the mid to late 80's.

What makes this book great isn't the reviewing they do (concise and well written, always), but rather the fact that Trouser Press provides histories for each band before jumping into their material, and traces the progression of bands through their careers (read the Sonic Youth entry if you don't believe me).

This book leaves all others I've ever read far behind for that simple fact. If you want little info on the bands and sketchy histories and lineups, then by all means, run to Rolling Stone and Dave McKean. But if you want to understand the individual formations of bands, their original vision, how and why they changed, and a full critical accounting thereof, buy the Trouser Press guides.

Magic, I tell you. Magic.

Before there was such a thing as P2P music downloads and other ways of getting ear candy for free (hopefully just to listen before you buy the real CD from the artist you like) you had to rely on word of mouth or radio. Since radio did not play most of the great music listed here, take it from a Suicidal Tendencies/Thin Lizzy fan, this was the one way I KNEW the music I risked my money on was worth it. As far as guides go, this one surpasses them all.

I got hooked on the TP Record Guides in the mid 80s by luck browsing a cool bookstore. Love at first sight. Ira A. and crew approached a gigantic task with a process and a great sense of humor. Their reviews are amazingly complete for some amazingly obscure bands. I actually feel honored to own music of obscure underground bands that were somehow unbelievably, under their radar. They treat most bands with respect, excepting bands of the "Frankie Goes to Hollywood" ilk, heck I trash them too even if I don't know any better! How's that for loyal?

A couple examples of the wonders that drift among the pages. One of my favorite reviews is Simple Minds. The reviewer carefully goes over the bands' brilliant first releases and then lashes out at an apparent total sell out after they got sucked into big production movies. And this book, plus the 1990s edition following it up, will give you an enduring look at the rise and fall of underground music.

Try this at your local library, open this book to Nirvana...read the terse review of the band. Now thumb to Nirvana in the New TP Guide to 90s Music, written many years later, but right next to it in the stacks (dream on). It says things like "every generation has events like hula hoops and Nirvana, they explode out of nowhere" These books are a look at what is important to young people at an important time when their brains look beyond the mirror, even farther outward than the next meal, and they turn to music. It's all-together mindbending and probably important.

This book is a quest giver. Ever hear of the Morels? Me neither, but from what Ira says in his review in this book, I've been on a quest to find some of their musical legacy and so far I've failed. But I'm persistent, they're out there somewhere on some dusty shelf. I'm zealous about this book because in this world you've got to edit.

When my daughter took this out of the library I wasn't too sure. But its so funny. I love the story line. Full of humor and just so full of surprizes.

My 5 yr. old daughter loves reading this book. Puts a fun spin on classic tales and characters most children are already familiar with and the illustrations are great.

This is one of the most fun books you'll find to read to (or with) your children. My 3-year-old daughter loves it! Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book is totally engrossing. It is probably the closest thing to "full-contact-reading", because the reader must open "hidden" pages to find a royal party, must help the main character escape through a hole in the page, and must flip the book upside down and back up again to read certain parts. Besides being entertaining, there's a great message in the book that every librarian (or bibliophile) would love... Have some fun with this one!

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book is just excellent. It is a twisted look at fairy tales and a very imaginative perspective on books for a child. My daughter and I just found this book recently and she fell in love. We are on our third straight week reading it every day. The idea that someone can literally fall into a book and interact with the characters is wonderful. Lauren Child's writing and her illustrations are absolutely fantasic.

I have always been a fan of Lauren Child's "Charlie and Lola" series, so I was very excited to come across this book at the library. It does not disappoint! I am a preschool teacher and mother to three children under the age of 5. I read a LOT of childrens books, both at school and to my own children. I must say this is one of the most delightful stories I have read in a long time. My 4 year old daughter also got a huge kick out of it, although she insisted the main character Herb was actually Charlie as a young boy, haha. Although I mainly check out books from the library, this is one that I will most certainly purchase for my childrens' permanent collection.

I used this book for a recent Special Needs training I facilitated at South Carolina University in Sumter, SC. The Preschool teachers loved it because it got over and sealed the point I was trying to make. "Don't change the child, change the environment in which the child is in." It gave them a more open mind of how to adapt their classrooms for the children in which they serve.

We have had this book for years and I just purchased it for my daughter's Kindergarten classroom, it is such a fun book, I love the illustrations and it is one that I can read again and again and still enjoy it.

The book was received in good condition and in a timely manner. I would recommend this site to others.

We simply adore Winnie the Witch at our house... by we I mean me (38), my husband (44), and our 2 and a half year old daughter. The humor appeals to every age, as do the fantastic illustrations. I recently ordered the three story collection and was not disappointed. Take a chance on Winnie.

This is, I think very much more for a child from 2-4 than anything else. The language is simple as are the concepts. It is very good humoured and beautifully illustrated. This is a book my 2 and 4 year old love to look at.

There are quite complicated illustrations of Winnies house which is a large castle - it is all in black. The problem is that Winnie's cat is also black, she can see the cat when its eyes are open, but when they are closed she keeps tripping over it - so she changes the colour of the cat.

It is a simple story, just a couple of plot elements, a little bit of problem solving and a happy ending (as you would expect) It is a nice book for discussing how to solve problems with children - (for instance what would you do if you kept tripping over the cat? what colour would you like best here? and so on) Its a nice book for opening up dialogue, and also for leading into art and creativity.

It is also a nice book just to read - and it is a favourite with my two at bed time right now. I think the cat is the most appealing thing in it, which is well drawn and a bit leggy, the illustrations remind a lot of Ronald Searle/Quentin Blake style.

I see there are more books in this series and I am keen to get hold of them for the girls before they grow out of them

This is a great source for Yosemite Big Walls. It provides valuable information including strategies, ratings with relative comparisons to other big wall routes, approaches, precise topos, optimum belays and bivy locations, pitch-linking possibilities, weather/seasonal factors, and descent routes. For those interested in Yosemite Big Wall history, there is a section devoted to the pioneers of Yosemite Big Wall climbing that is quite interesting. All in all, a great book for Yosemite's Big Walls. Thumbs up!!

Yosemite's best in painstaking detail -- a truly outstnading resource !

These topos are the best on the planet!

They are so detailed they allowed me to relive most of the hard or akward sections on the wall, occasionally even describing a single move. With the supertopos you can be ultimately prepared, as they include to what extent "clean routes" depend on fixed gear and what to bring if some of it rips out.

Real wall-rats/purists might feel that it removes some of the adventure, but then again you don't have to read everything and there is still plenty adventure left. Also the stories of the first ascents and histories of the climbs make it the ultimate guide, and even a good read.

Reading it got me so psyched up that I can hardly wait for my next "Big Wall" trip.

I can only hope that the other supertopos (e.g. free climbs) will be just as good.

This is hands down the best climbing guide I have ever purchased. Not only does McNamara replace the ambiguous beta from past books with straight-up ratings and tips, he also provides entertaining history and profiles to get you psyched. I also recommend "The Road to The Nose" book that Chris sells on his site ...

This book sets new standards for climbing guides. The production values are superb, and the information contained detailed and informative. If you're even thinking of climbing a big wall in Yosemite, buy this book. If you're a guidebook author, or thinking of becoming one, buy this and imitate it.

One of the best parts of working at Sales Gravy is all of the books that come my way from authors and publishers who want us to give them a review. Every once in a while I get a book that makes a real impact on my life. Most recently it was The All Star Sales Book by Billy Cox. Quite frankly, this book came to me at the right place, at the right time. I was having one of those weeks where everything was going wrong. Set back upon setback had sapped my energy and ruined my optimism. After one final kick in the pants, I threw my hands in the air and shouted out loud, "what else can possible go wrong." I had a serious case of "stinkin-thinkin."

Disgusted, I started sorting through the pile of mail my assistant had placed on my desk. The first package I opened contained Billy Cox's, All-Star Sales Book. I turned to the first page and started reading. Almost immediately my mood began to improve. Cox's inspirational and motivational message broke through my bad attitude and began to lift me up. In one passage Cox writes, "I've always heard that when life knocks you down you need to land on your back because if you can look up, you can get up." Just the message I needed to hear at the moment.

Throughout the book Cox delivers the message that in sales and life there are no time-outs, no overtimes, and you only get one chance to play. Through his inspiring stories, easy to understand analogies, and humor, Cox delivers a guaranteed road map to success. In the book he provides practical, and easy-to-implement advice that is both relevant and critical for succeeding in today's sales environment. These tried and true methods are central to every successful sales career and I applaud Cox for delivering these key lessons, anew, in a fresh and engaging style that makes it fun to learn and inspires action.

Jeb Blount,author of PowerPrinciples: Do You Have The Winning Edge?

Billy Cox has really put it all together in an easy to read & understand, step by step guide on how to succeed in business and life. My husband and I own a succesful sales company and we have made this book mandatory reading for all of our employees. This book along with Billy's goal setting workbook "The Dream Book" has improved our business and our personal lives dramatically. I will echo what others have said and encourage you to pick up enough of these books for your entire oranization or team.

Although I am not a sales professional, I believe everybody's selling something whether it's to our family members or business associates and "The All-Star Sales Book" will sell you on believing in yourself again. I highly recommend this book for Billy Cox gives you the strategies and techniques to getting and keeping the "winning edge" in life, business, and sales. His book is full of ideas on how to develop and maintain a burning desire to win at the highest levels and to continue raising your personal bar. Moreover, he emphasizes the importance of goal setting, decision making, and taking action and initiative so that you stretch yourself to perform at an All-Star level and get results.

Working in the direct sales industry one can really use a great tool to get re-motivated....this is the tool. Not only does it cover tools for work, but in the home front as well. I would recommend this book to anyone!

Being stuck in mediocrity is quite possibly the worst place a salesman can be, claims "The All-Star Sales Book: Get In the Game, Boost Your Numbers, and Earn the Big Bucks". Selling just enough to get by makes one comfortable, and lacking aspiration - where one who is doing miserably will be motivated to do everything they can to recover and make the most of themselves- to dream of what they want and that drives them. "The All-Star Sales Book: Get In the Game, Boost Your Numbers, and Earn the Big Bucks" hopes to inspire sales people to become more that they can ever hope to be through stories, analogies, anecdotes and more. "The All-Star Sales Book: Get In the Game, Boost Your Numbers, and Earn the Big Bucks" is highly recommended to business people everywhere who need that little kick to get them rolling in life and for community library business collections.