Blair Books

The collaborative effort of Cathy and Vernon Summerlin, Traveling Florida focuses entirely on Florida, and promotes over thirty loop driving tours which cover both well-known spots and undiscovered havens throughout the state. The inclusion of maps would have made this even more valuable, but the blend of regional history, travelogue, and candid assessments of lodging and restaurants alike makes for an involving, recommended guide for anyone who is planning a trip to Florida.

This fun little book from William Whitney, who directed many of the Roy Rogers classics, does a good job fanning the flames of equine memory, especially regarding "The Old Man," the crew's affectionate nickname for the original Trigger, who was usually billed "The Smartest Horse in the Movies."

Whether he was or not, Trigger was a member of an elite hoofernity, one that included Gene Autry's Champion and Hoppy's Topper, among a few select others. Capable of literally balancing on one foot when he reared up, Trigger was by all accounts a consummate professional. Even in his late years, when younger "Triggers" had trouble with a scene or stunt, the original would come out, preening for the cameras, and execute what was needed in one flawless take (hence his affectionate nicknames).

It was fun to ride back on the trail and revisit this legendary childhood saddle pal, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do so!

--Robert McDowell, The Poetry Mentor [...], is the author of POETRY AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE (July 15th, 2008) from Free Press.

it's a great 10 cd set. you will have to spend a lotta $$$ to get all 10 volumes.its great listening if you like a change from music.....

This is fine book, written in beautiful, lucid prose, full of stunning B&W photographs. Featured are off-the-beaten-path places like the teeny-tiny post office in Salvo on the Outer Banks and the grave of the famous, eccentric Fort Fisher hermit who once mesmerized visitors to his home in a WW II bunker near Carolina beach. The author, a native of Charleston and a veteran columnist for the Charlotte Observer, has interviewed natives of the last unchanged and rapidly changing places along the Carolina coast. Most of the islands and coastal towns (from Hilton Head to small Outer Banks towns to Charleston) along the coasts of the Carolinas are represented.

The author interviewed and photographed: descendants of slaves who still make sweetgrass baskets in the old tradition; the last of the old-time clam rakers, crab pickers, and boat builders who discuss what new ways have done to their livelihoods, the "Live-Aboards", folks who left their nine-to-five lives to live on modest boats along the water's edge; the Menhaden Chanteymen,a group of singing black fisherman who were once an institution in the days "when boats were made of wood, and men of steel"; the "Hoi Toiders" of the Outer Banks who still speak with the same accent as their seventeenth century British ancestors.

A great browsing and coffee-table book, would make an excellent gift for anyone who has a home on the coast or wants to visit. For anyone who wants a glimpse of the way things were along the vanishing southern coast, or to see what remains with new eyes.

Loved using this series in Italy and it was perfect for Paris as well. Walking through the streets with an audio guide and maps in hand, after listening to the accompaning language CD was great. Highly recommend this program.

Excellent book. Great Illustrations of this pretty old town. Not only are the illustrations excellent the Hisorical Content is outstanding and straight forward. A must have for all lovers of Old Salem.

This book is amazing. It explains everything you have to know about the most beaches and waves of Australia. About the perfect wind, tide, swell direction and so on... quite useful!

A distinguished group of academics and practitioners revisits Blair's earlier book Ownership and Control: Rethinking Corporate Governance for the Twenty-First Century. In less than 90 pages, the participants review some of the most significant arguments in the field concerning Blair's contention that employees are legitimate stakeholders in corporations and that like shareholders, they too have firm-specific investments at risk, in the form of human capital. Blair looks at the current system and asks whether the allocation of risks and rewards is inevitable or should labor also be considered a residual claimant. The group seems to come close to consensus that firms should greatly expand their use of equity-based compensation systems in exchange for salary reductions. Blair suggests the use of restricted stock which can encourage commitment to the firm by requiring they continue their employment in order to reap the full benefits. In fact, many are already doing so, especially, as pointed out by Ronald Gilson, in high-technology industries. Some pension funds have recognized this in their proxy voting guidelines (see, for example TIAA-CREF which has different stock dilution guidelines for high-technology industries). An encouraging note comes from Jonathan Low, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Work and Technology Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor who indicates that five different groups have approached the Department that are looking to set up screens or create funds based on workplace practices and investments in human capital. Low also cites a study by Wayne Cascio, of the University of Colorado, on the effects of massive downsizing. Three years after downsizing, sample companies had subsequent earnings increases of 183%, whereas comparison firms in the same industries that did not downsize had earnings increases of 422%. Cumulative stock returns over three years were 4.7% vs 34.3%. He concludes that pension fund managers "would be justified in encouraging a second look at such tactics."

West Virginia Trilogy is truly a remarkable and unexpected surprise. A clerk at a bookstore in West Virginia recommended it to me when I was traveling through there last year. It consists of three novellas, all centering on the aging of the main character, Keith. The other main character is West Virginia - a place so vividly portrayed that it becomes a character itself - much like Ashville in Look Homeward Angel. Depta brings in many other characters. At first they seem rather two dimensional and stereotyped characterizations, but as you read on, the more important characters develop a depth that is truly remarkable. Depta breaks through the "hillbilly" stereotype and shows us the pain, suffering and joy that we as humans all experience.

The only drawbacks that I experienced are that the number of characters at times became overwhelming and I had trouble keeping them separated. Also, there are some editing problems that should have been caught. But these are minor complaints in anotherwise amazing novel.

This book will be tough going if you have no knowledge of geology, but having just finished Foutz' "Geology of Colorado Illustrated" (another excellent read), this book took me deeper into exactly what I was looking for geology-wise, i.e. more detail. Plus, it ties itself to the San Juan Skyway, a loop of paved highways that winds through the scenery of the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado, a place I know well. After treating the geology, ecology, and human history with analyses from experts in each field, it follows up with what I think was a masterstroke: a mile-marker guide through the entire San Juan Skyway, highlighting points of interest previously discussed in the book. Wonderful! The fact that the book is a compilation, with contributions from various experts that know the region well, was also a great idea. You get as a result a wide scope of knowledge that may not have been matched by a single individual. I borrowed it from a friend, but I will buy it now that it has become available on Amazon.