Ford Books

Here's what Carleton Ross had to say about The Only War We've Got: Early Days in South Vietnam when it was first published in a large-format paperback edition:

"This is an amazing book. Before Vietnam became a household word, Ford bought a ticket to Saigon so he could see the war for himself. There were only a few Americans in Vietnam at the time, reporters and advisors and helo crews--no combat troops tho they all saw combat from time to time, including Ford. He goes on an armored invasion of a seashore town, slogs through the jungle with Vietnamese Rangers, patrols with the American Green Berets, and celebrates the Fourth of July by shooting up the Saigon River with a gang from the U.S. Navy. Ford's Vietnam isn't the one you generally read about. He loves the country and admires the Americans he meets in his travels. They in turn love their work, at least the men in the field do. But between the lines you can see that things will go terribly wrong with America's adventure in South Vietnam. Belongs on the shelf of every student of the Vietnam War."

Blue skies! -- Dan Ford

Okay, so one good reporter went to Vietnam before the war escalated. So much of the reporting as the war went on was a "soda straw" view of events. The ultimate arrogance of reporting came when Walter Cronkite declared we had lost the war. Nevermind that the VietCong had been destroyed in the 68 Tet Offensive. Reporters seeing only one side gave Ho Chi Minh the propaganda to the American people that Ho Chi Minh needed to win the war politically.

Ultimately, the domino theory proved correct. And contrary to the belief of John Kerry and Clark Clifford, the North Vietnamese took revenge on the South. There was a blood bath.

If you can find a copy of the following book and you were an antiwar protestor in the 60's and 70's, the consequences of your behavior on our political decisions in Vietnam should make you feel ashamed:

Nguyen Ngoc Ngan and E. E. Richie. The Will of Heaven: A Story of One Vietnamese and the End of His World. New York: Dutton, 1982.

War stories aren't usually my cup of tea, but once I picked up this book I just couldn't put it down again. Maybe it was the "journal" style. But I really got the feeling that I was there with the reporter, traveling from base to base in Vietnam. Most books about the war give you the feeling of a filthy war fought in a rotten climate by men who hated every minute of it. That's not the war that Mr. Ford saw. In fact, he loved the country, and so did most of the American soldiers he traveled with.

Good photographs too. I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in how the Vietnam war came to be.

-- Bonnie

"The Only War We,ve Got" is an important book. I read it in virtually two sittings; so, it surely held my interest. I'm surprised I have not read about it elsewhere.

Like most thoughtful Americans, my opinions, feeling and prejudices about the Vietnam War have morphed a lot over the past 36 years. Presently, this book catches me right in the middle. The War provided much to be angry over but even more to be sad about. Truly, good intentions in the hands of fools (aren't we all) can be the cobblestones for the road to Hell. I hope this book will serve the folks who take George Santayanas famous comment to heart. However, I have seen in my lifetime the "best and the brightest" can be the biggest fools of all.

Very good job.

This is an amazing book. Before Vietnam became a household word, Ford bought a ticket to Saigon so he could see the war for himself. There were only a few Americans in Vietnam at the time, reporters and advisors and helo crews--no combat troops tho they all saw combat from time to time, including Ford. He goes on an armored invasion of a seashore town, slogs through the jungle with Vietnamese Rangers, patrols with the American Green Berets, and celebrates the Fourth of July by shooting up the Saigon River with a gang from the U.S. Navy.

Ford's Vietnam isn't the one you generally read about. He loves the country and admires the Americans he meets in his travels. They in turn love their work, at least the men in the field do. But between the lines you can see that things will go terribly wrong with America's adventure in South Vietnam.

Belongs on the shelf of every student of the Vietnam War.

Carleton Ross

I bought copies of this book for our entire sales team. This was the most refreshing book on sales that I've ever seen. Instead of the usual 10 step program, it gives you real world insights and strategies that work.

One key point I've learned from this book is that ultimately, it's about what the customer thinks, not what you think. Learn to listen and zip the lip.

But to fully appreciate this book you must read it more than once! I would like to read the back cover at every sales meeting but they would probably ban me in corporate as well.

This book is so 'on the money' about what to do and not do in sales. It's absolutely a breath of fresh air - one of a kind.

Mr. Ford, you should NOT be banned in corporate, nor should this book.

With the unabridged collection of proverbial self help books this one surprised me as it is built on quite a bit of local New England experience in the now time frame. You might even be able to guess a few of the characters in the cast which for me makes it real compared to guidance that is generated as a composite of such a large array of experiences, companies and the people that it is pablum to absorb. As in my own "road warrior" existence I have either been or been party to any number of these exceptional, great, good, bad and ugly sets of challenges so it hit very close to home.

This book allowed me to quickly absorb and personalize Mr. Ford's axioms to embody my own "Army of One".

Great reading after surgery when you want something to make you laugh out loud under the cloud of pain and pain killers! Shortly after reading this book I had the chance to meet Mr. Ford in person. What he doesn't tell you is that he is one fast thinking, strategic brain who happens to have the gift of relating.

Mr. Ford has is this book painted a colorful and informative picture of a peddler's existence. The author's account of all things sales is at once engaging and relevant. Hilarious and poignant, this book articulates the true nature of the sales world in a voice that is understandable and undeniably experienced. With gobs of real world scenarios and "take it from me" personal stories anyone looking to break into the sales world must read this book.
The book's sections are broken down to engage the issues regarding peddler's themselves and the world in which they sell. The pace of the book moves as fast as the true life salesman it describes, yet never falters in describing all that encompasses the proper execution of a sale. My knowledge of the qualities a peddler must have has grown immeasurably through reading this book. It is a must have for any young professional who wants to tackle the tumultuous world of sales. This text should be standard reading in Universities throughout the country. The knowledge gained after reading this book will give an advantage to students and young professionals alike who are serious about becoming successful peddlers.

If you are a reader of my Blog, The White Rhino Report, you have already figured out that I love books. I love reading them, buying them, borrowing them, lending them, giving them away, talking about them and reviewing them. I derive particular pleasure when an author becomes a friend, and conversely, when a friend becomes an author. So, I was delighted when my friend, Dennis Ford - Boston Irish to the core - contacted me a few months ago and asked if I would read some early chapters of the book he was writing. I loved what I was reading, and looked forward to the end of the book's gestation period. Well, the baby has been born, and he came out kicking and screaming. Dennis named the baby: "The Peddler's Prerogative - A Guide for Bag Carrying, Door Banging, Dialing for Dollars, Shoot the Moon, When in Doubt Panic and Accelerate, Kind of Sales Folk." Try saying that all in one breath. And I thought my grandchildren had long names!



I love this book! If you are in sales, sales management, know someone in sales or interact with the sales process in any way, this book will be worth your while buying and reading.



Editorial note: I do not peddle books. I peddle recruiting services and my ability to help client companies find good leaders to join their teams. I have been asked many times why I do not include a link to Amazon.com when I review a book so I might earn a few shekels when someone links from my Blog to Amazon to buy the book. The answer is simple. I do not want to turn the sharing of my thoughts about books into a financial transaction; I want it to remain a personal and intellectual transaction between me and my readers. So, when I recommend that you buy a book, it is because I think you will be enriched in some way by what the author has said - not so I can experience financial gain.



Before I tell you about "The Peddler's Prerogative," I need to tell you something about the author, my friend, Dennis Ford. Other than Dennis, I can think of only one other author I know personally - Seth Godin - whose personality comes across so completely in his writing. Dennis the person jumps off the pages that have been written by Dennis the author. Picture this: Dennis Ford is one part the quick repartee of Dennis Miller, one part the intensity of Dennis Leary, one part the impish grin of Dennis the Menace and one part the chutzpah of Dennis Kucinich. Add a dash of Rodney Dangerfield's "I can't get no respect!" Throw in a soupcon of Donald Trump's bravado and a sprinkling of Roland Reagan's Great Communicator persona, and you have the zesty bouillabaisse that is Dennis Ford! He is both a delight and a dynamo! To know him is to love him; to know him is to be both energized and exhausted by him.



And Dennis has thrown the full force of his personality, deep experience in sales and personal philosophy of selling and of living into this fascinating book. I wish I had a videotape of myself reading this book. There are many things that Dennis says in this book that needed to be said, so much so that I often found myself at the end of a paragraph responding viscerally to the truth of what I had just read: "You go, Dennis. Tell it like it is!" I even, literally, pumped my fist a few times, a la Jonathan Papelbon after closing out a Red Sox victory. This is no dry sales self-help book, but a thoroughly entertaining and informative rant from a peddler who has seen it all and done it all. This is a world-class salesman freely (well, almost freely - the book costs $24.95 - and is a bargain at this price!) sharing stories from his own rich storehouse of experiences in every aspect of sales - "peddlery" in Ford's self-deprecating vernacular.



What I like most about this book is that it is not so much a book about "how to sell" as it is a book about "how to live" and "how to be human" while pursuing the peddler's profession. Dennis Ford's personal integrity screams from every page, just as it exudes for his every pore when you spend time with him in person. He fights tenaciously to make a sale, but he never cuts ethical corners or climbs over someone else to get the deal done. The revolutionary aspect of this manifesto is the assumption that, as a sales professional, you can be both aggressive and human, hard-hitting and fair. These are important words to hear and crucial lessons to be learned. And Dennis illustrates his key points and his 74 "Peddler's Prerogatives" with pithy stories and anecdotes from his own career and those of his fellow peddlers.



In each chapter, the author finds a new way of hammering home the truth that the personality, ethics, attitude and relationships of the Peddler are far more important than the techniques he/she employs.



"As a peddler roaming through life, you probably interact with more people in a year than most folks do in a lifetime. How you relate to the folks you meet is a reflection of the type of person you are and how you generally see the world. How they react to you is an indication of whether they feel your good vibes and see you as real." (Page 25)



One of the most important concepts that comes across loud and clear in this book is the importance of treating with respect and dignity the support staff that allow a great peddler to succeed - gatekeepers, technical staff, engineering and manufacturing professionals. To illustrate this point, as well as to highlight the creativity and tenacity it takes to survive and thrive as a peddler, Dennis tells a fascinating story about a trip he once took to the West Coast to close a deal. I do not want to spoil your fun in reading this tale yourself, but when you get this book, turn to pages 112-114 for Dennis' account of him camping out for two days in the lobby of a customer's headquarters. This story is quintessential Dennis Ford!



We often hear the phrase, "Put your money where you mouth is." That is exactly what I have done with this book. I am so impressed with the book that Mr. Ford has written that I have purchased a bulk order, and plan to give copies to colleagues and to clients I feel will want to buy multiple copies for their sales forces, marketing departments and corporate executives.





Enjoy!



Al

You've just been given the opportunity of a lifetime: You have a chance to sell a hot, new IT product for which you can potentially earn enormous commissions. How do you make the most of this offer? Read and apply The Peddler's Prerogative. It'll help you figure out if the opportunity is real, what you need to learn to quickly become effective, and how to more efficient once you know what you're doing.

When I first picked up this book, the title made me curious. To me, a peddler is someone slightly scruffy going around from door-to-door selling inexpensive items stocked in a nearby car or van. Why would anyone want to learn from that perspective?

Dennis Ford quickly disabused me of my concept of the title's meaning. He explains that corporate salespeople are like peddlers in that they typically work alone in assisting potential customers. Further, he points out that not everyone in your company will be helping you sell: You will often have a harder time gaining support for your deal internally than externally.

Mr. Ford came into sales from an unusual route: He had been a social worker. As a result, he's very aware of the interpersonal aspects of selling. That's good. You'll learn from and enjoy what he has to say.

He spent the bulk of his selling career in the IT industry, providing various technical products and services. His role varied, from neophyte salesperson to CEO of start-ups to consultant. The book draws from those perspectives and the conclusions nicely match the kind of comments I've heard from successful IT salespeople. If you are involved in selling another kind of technical product, much of the advice will also work.

But if you are not in a technical industry, a good part of the book's perspective will not be helpful. In addition, if you've been selling for more than a few years, I think that most of the book's lessons will already be in your experience base. As a result, I see this book as most valuable for new salespeople who usually work on their own rather than as part of a sales team.

I mention who will find this book helpful because Mr. Ford points out that the ethical, effective salesperson must look for a fit between the offering and the customer's needs. I want to be an ethical, effective reviewer, as well.

So what's the advice? It's wrapped up into 74 lessons, called Peddler's Prerogatives (that you can scan on pages 265-278). The essence of the ideas is that you need to be an intellectually and ethically free agent who looks out for the best interests of everyone involved (prospects, customers, your company, and yourself). Within that concept, the author advises you how to get lots of help when you need it and how to neutralize those who could derail your efforts.

The book is organized into three parts: you, your company, and your customer. Most people will probably find the "you" part to be the least interesting and helpful. Part one is all about attitude and focusing on creating and nurturing lasting relationships. The book picks up quite a bit with the section on "your company" which is very revealing in how to get things done informally within an organization. The last section on "your customer" is very good at describing the sales process, the characteristics you'll probably run into among the people you meet, and the potential deal-killing circumstances you'll probably have to deal with.

Each part is divided into chapters that focus on particular aspects of success. Here's the layout:

Part One: You

Chapter 1: You and Your Attitude
Chapter 2: Augmenting Your 'Tude
Chapter 3: They Must Like You
Chapter 4: Rejection
Chapter 5: Truth and Doing the Right Thing
Chapter 6: The Mysticism of Peddlery

Part Two: Your Company

Chapter 7: Your Company
Chapter 8: The Executives and Their Administrators
Chapter 9: Sales and Sales Management
Chapter 10: The Marketing Department
Chapter 11: Somebody's Watching You
Chapter 12: Sales Support, Engineering, and Product Management

Part Three: Your Customer

Chapter 13: Finding
Chapter 14: Selling
Chapter 15: Closing

That way of describing the book's structure is a little misleading. The book is actually a lot like listening to war stories from an experienced colleague while on a long plane flight to visit a big prospect. The text is broken up into lots of multipage side bars called "Story Time" in which Mr. Ford brings to life the kind of situations you may face by describing one of his experiences. I thought that all of the stories were great and learned more from them than I did from the rest of the material.

To make the material even more appealing, there are lots of cartoons that give you unforgettable pictures of the points Mr. Ford wants to illustrate.

I was only concerned by one area in the book: He's death on the idea of having others measure what salespeople do. That conclusion seems to be based on bad experiences where such measurements were used against the salespeople to harm the sales process by trying to speed it up too much or to get salespeople to make unrealistic quarterly commitments.

The most successful salespeople I know measure everything and use those measurements to hone their focus and approach to accomplish ever greater results. In addition, they measure what other people do to find out if they can accomplish more by adopting some of those other practices.

Mr. Ford doesn't seem comfortable with quantitative ways of making selling more effective. Many of his principles, however, certainly reflect an awareness of what such analysis would show (such as the importance of scheduling your time to get in front of as many people as possible).

Since the author has worked in a lot of organizations, he's become aware of how you can get up-to-speed fast. He's quite a good student of how to learn. If you follow his advice, you'll enjoy more sales and make your sales manager happy sooner. What could be better than that?

We bought this for our 3yo on a whim. I think we read it 2 times a day for the months of December and January. It is now April and we still read it at least once a week. We bought several more copies to pass out as gifts.

LOVE IT!!! I actually had tears in my eyes while reading this! I can't wait until next year when I can start reading it on Christmas Eve to my little Army Brat! Great story, great pictures, very very nice.

AWESOME book. My husband is currently serving in Iraq and it was a very difficult Christmas for all of us. I bought multiple copies of the book. I kept one for myself, each of my children have one and I sent 2 copies to Iraq for my husband to share with his fellow soldiers. We all loved the book. I read it to my 12 and 13 year old children on Cristmas Eve before they went to bed and it helped bring us together. My husband was a little like SGT McClaus for his section. thank you for once again putting out another wonderful book.

One Christmas eve in the desert a group of homesick soldiers are visited by the Santa of Soldiers, and in a fine realistic rhyme inspired by the classic 'Night Before Christmas' comes a soldier's observation of this wonder, which will intrigue and comfort military families separated by war. There's a decidedly different holiday atmosphere here: "When what to my thrill and relief should appear, but one of our Blackhawks to give the all clear: more rattles and rumbles! I heard a deep while, then up drove eight Humvees, a jeep close behind...each vehicle painted a bright Christmas green with more lights and gold tinsel than I'd ever seen."

I was given this book as a gift for my daughter and we just LOVE it!! She calls it her "Papi" book. My husband is currently deployed for the second time to Iraq, and this time our 3 year old realizes he is gone, so with this book it gives her a different insite about what Christmas is for him and that Santa wont forget him while he is there!! I have reccomended this to all of my friends that are in the military with kids and I even have it up on our Family Readiness Group website so everyone can find out about it!!!

This book is great. It is easy to read and counselor/kid friendly. Even if you aren't on board with the ACA outdoor living skills courses, this is a very good and adaptable resource.

This book is great. It is easy to read and counselor/kid friendly. Even if you aren't on board with the ACA outdoor living skills courses, this is a very good and adaptable resource.

This book is great. It is easy to read and counselor/kid friendly. Even if you aren't on board with the ACA outdoor living skills courses, this is a very good and adaptable resource.

This book is great. It is easy to read and counselor/kid friendly. Even if you aren't on board with the ACA outdoor living skills courses, this is a very good and adaptable resource.

This book is great. It is easy to read and counselor/kid friendly. Even if you aren't on board with the ACA outdoor living skills courses, this is a very good and adaptable resource.

Book was in perfect condition and came fast. Thank you!!

This book saved the relationship with my first son going through adolescence. Sometimes you just need a little perspective and this book gives that and more in lovely bite size pieces. Working in the suggestions that this author gives is natural and stress free, this is my second copy. I loaned the first out to a friend and she wouldn't give it up when my second started going through his "growing pains," I like to re-read it constantly to keep all of the tips fresh in my mind!

This is an excellent book, and I suggest starting it when you have a 12 or 13 year old - an age when you still have a little control over them! I have the hard cover, which has nice artwork on the cover, and it would make a great gift.

My 14-year-old daughter uses this book very effectively to gently prod me on issues that need a little more attention. Every few months, she puts a few bookmarks in at carefully chosen points. I get to feel like I'm doing most stuff OK, and she gets to give constructive criticism without a fight. THANK YOU

This book offers quick simple tips to solve any number of situations a parent encounters with a teen. Helpful advice will enable the adult to apply sound principals to parenting (and sometimes cause the adult to re-think the way we deal with our teen).

This book prefaces itself in that its intended purpose is not to cover all types of firewalls (e.g.corporate), but just personal firewalls. There are some great dives into previously unanswered questions I had:

1. Would I run a SW firewall if my DSL router already says it has a firewall built-in (answer is yes for a home LAN or a DSP WAN connection, no for low-speed dial up...)

2. How do various SW products (McAfee, BlackIce, ZoneAlarm) compare.

3. How do various HW products compare (DSL modems vs. Cable modems).(From a security viewpoint, there is a clear winner--you'll have to buy the book to find out though or else if I told you Time-Warner would send out someone to unplug my cable in retaliation)

4. How do I test these things once I get them installed? This topic was worth the price of the book alone...he emphasizes doing both Before & After tests to verify that insecure connections just become changed to secure connections. How many people might just install the SW or HW & then wonder "Did it really work? "What's different now than before?")

Overall, more useful information than I ever expected to find in this little book!

In the current environment where cyberbaddies are lurking everywhere, anyone who connects to the Internet without protection are a direct danger to themselves and an indirect danger to everyone they communicate with. There are many ways in which a user can find protection, and one of the primary ways to be protected is to install a firewall on your system. A firewall is either a software or hardware device that scans traffic to and from the system and flags or blocks any that is deemed suspicious.
Written for the beginner, the technical level occasionally rises up beyond what the absolute beginner can be expected to understand, but that is not a negative. As most system administrators will tell you when they are overcome with a fit of honesty, the ignorance of users is the greatest single security threat. Therefore, in my opinion, if a user cannot reach the point where they can understand all of the material in this book, then they are a threat and a prime target for a cyber attack. I consider the material in this book to be an expression of the minimal level of competence and commend the authors for being right on the mark.
The initial segment of the book is a set of explanations of what firewalls are and why they are needed. In the second segment, some of the most widely used personal firewalls are described in detail, including how to install and configure them. The third and final segment is a discussion of general security concepts and tools you can use to test the security of your system.
An excellent introduction to the critical role of firewalls in securing computer systems, this book should be read by anyone who does not know the basics of protection using firewalls.

This books leaves a mixed impression. First of all, although the book is called "for absolute beginners", it is not written as a book for housewives who never saw a computer before. It is interesting, informative, and the reader is assumed to be knowledgeable and capable of making informed decisions. In fact, one has to have a certain understanding of Windows (yes, it is not oriented towards Mac users) and TCP/IP to understand what the author is talking about. The author obviously has very extensive knowledge of internet security, and the book includes much of his practical knowldge. The negative side is that less than 1/3 of the book is generic and applicable to any firewall, i.e., discusses why home networks need to be protected, and where are the potential areas of vulnerability. The rest is step by step description of how to install and configure several commercial firewalls. Frankly, I do not understand who needs all these details since installation/setup guidelines are always included in the software manual which one gets in printed or electronic form together with the purchased program, whereas it is an obvious fact that any particular version of the program gets obsolete very quickly. I doubt that any of the descriptions of software from the book remains relevant two years after the book came out in 2001. I would rather prefer to see more generic (and less dependent on the software version) discussion of how to take advantage of the features present in most firewalls (blocking certain protocols, applications, IP addresses, etc.). All this said, this book is "beginner's guide" only because it does not get into too many details of what exactly firewalls do, and how they do it. However, those few items which are discussed are covered in significant depth and on a good professional level.

If you have a high-speed always-on cable or DSL connection then you need a personal firewall to protect yourself and your computer or home network from Internet hackers. This book covers both hardware and software based personal firewalls, including ZoneAlarm, BlackICE Defender and McAfee. You'll also learn how to lock down Windows security and test your computer's defenses by using any of a number of free Internet scanning services. Best of all, with this book you don't have to be a security expert or even know what a personal firewall is to get started using one. Highly recommended reading!

This is a wonderful idea! I hope there is a Part 2 coming up?SAY YES! I laughed until I wet myself! I admire anyone that can just look around and find humor in everything. Fantastic! I would have gave the book a 10 but they made me stop at 5. :( To the guy that rated this book a 1.
Sadly, some people have no sense of humor. You're really missing out on life. I must say, as I read through what you had written, I got the sense that you may have some kind of a vendeta. Perhaps I'm way out on a limb here but we are all entitled to our opinions. *winks* I'm sorry you didn't make fame whoever you are. I did hear that charmin was lookin for a spokes person. I'll put in a good word for ya. *GIGGLES*
LOOKIN FORWARD TO THE NEXT BOOKS TED!

I needed some creative ideas for license plates and this book really came through for me. No matter what make of car you drive, you'll find custom-made awesome plates for it in this book. Not to mention it's hilarious, my husband the computer geek loved the "It's all Geek to me" section. Thanks for the fabulous ideas Ted!

This is a fun little book that is cleverly designed in the shape of its subject. It will definitely make you laugh and will give you tons of ideas for creating your own license plate, IM handle, or even email address. It is well worth the price!

I loved this book, it is full of great idea's for license plates and there is a plate in the book for everyone and every car. I think having a vanity plate is a great way to express yourself and personality. Thank's for the laughter! By the way John Sullivan you sound a little bitter, jealous you didn't come up with the idea first???? Get over it!!!!

In his year-end column for World War II Magazine, book review editor Robert Citino selected American Warriors as one of the best World War II books of the year. I agree. History books should be informative, accurate and readable; American Warriors is all of these and more. The author brings to light the military careers of five of our recent presidents, highlighting their naval service in the Pacific. Extensively end-noted, American Warriors draws on interviews with more than 100 veterans who served with the presidents as well as on a comprehensive bibliography of primary sources. Folklore has no place in this well-researched book. Presidential scholars will find it a dependable resource; more casual readers will find it swift paced and enjoyable. I highly recommend American Warriors.

As we currently ponder our country's military involvements and the credentials of those who would be President, a.k.a. Commander in Chief, this is a timely book to digest.

American Warriors is a highly readable, yet detailed account of the naval service of five United States presidents. Before picking up this informative book, I knew that presidents Kennedy and Bush Sr. served in World War II. I certainly did not know that five presidents were naval officers in the Pacific.

I am particularly impressed with the author's interviews of well over 100 veterans who served with the presidents. American Warriors is a reflection of his diligent pursuit of the details that are often passed over by political biographers. Time and again he sorts out conflicting testimony with rational explanations of events seen through multiple eyes.

Many Americans are aware that President Kennedy was the skipper of PT 109, which was sunk by a Japanese destroyer. I would venture a guess that very few are aware that Kennedy skippered a second PT boat, or equally surprising, that Presidents Nixon and Ford each served in the Pacific longer than either Kennedy or Bush.

American Warriors sets the standard for reporting these five presidents' military service. Presidential biographers would do well to take note of this insightful book. Military history fans will be delighted.

American Warriors is a detailed, annotated account of five American Presidents who also happened to serve their country as soldiers in the Pacific theater during WWII. The author has thoroughly researched the naval careers of each of these men, and has skillfully annotated their records by interviewing the many veterans who served with them.

The thoroughness of the research in American Warriors does not affect its readability. The accounts range from Lyndon Johnson's reconnaissance mission for General MacArthur, to the rescue of George H. W. Bush after his near fatal glide-bombing attack in his VT-51 Avenger. The details describing John F. Kennedy's heroism and dedication to his crew after the ramming of his PT-109 provide an equally important "rest of the story." The particulars of Richard Nixon as a young ground aviation officer stationed in the Solomon Islands present an interesting contrast to the Machiavellian characteristics that he later exhibited. And the natural leadership qualities of Gerald Ford are clearly displayed during his duty under fire as officer-of-the-deck on the carrier Monterey. In summary, the exploits documented in American Warriors serve as fascinating prologues, that should enhance the reader's knowledge of the more well-known political personas later developed by these Commanders-in-Chief.

American Warriors is highly recommended for those interested in modern presidential history.

American Warriors chronicals the time spent by Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Bush in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Most of us knew these five men from their times as President and their poltical careers prior to becoming President. Some of us knew about President Kennedy and the PT-109 story and the dangers he faced while serving his country in WWII; but few of us knew that the other Presidents served in the war and faced life-threatening situations that shaped their future views of the world prior to entering the political area.
All of these Presidents had to make decisions during their Presidency to send others to war. The book shows that these men knew war first-hand and were undoubtedly influenced in their future political careers by their dangerous wartime experiences. American Warriors provides information on these five Presidents that is not typically addressed in other biographies using interviews with veterans who were there to corroborate events during these Presidents' service in the Pacific Theater of WWII.

Absolutely hilarious! Makes me want to listen to the radio broadcast all over again.

These authors take you through the 5-book Trilogy (although they mostly focus on the first 3 books) in a series of essays. They are all light hearted, but some of them are more serious that others. It also includes a great interview of Douglas Adams from the 80s.

I had a lot of fun with the book and remembering my favorite scenes. The essays also helped me see different interpretations of the actions of the characters. I recommend it for the bookshelf of any H2G2 fan!

The book covers tons of details, from how important food is to the series, to computer design, the meaning of life, the meaning of 42, Marvin's place in the universe, Vogon poetry and even British humor. At under 199 pages, this tiny book seems to cover a lot, but I feel they could have done so much more. There is so much to debate and think about when it comes to Adam's universe that this book barely peeled off the first layer of the massive tome. But maybe we should leave some mystery for future readers to find and enjoy on their own?
To list just SOME of the contributors whose work is within these pages we have Stephen Baxter, Susan Sizemore and Adam Roberts.

Twenty essays make up The Anthology at the End of the Universe and each author basically tries to tell us what is so important about the 5 book Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy. It's sort of like the old joke about the blind men each trying to describe an elephant when they each had only a small piece of the animal in their grip. No one essay can be expected to give you a definitive answer as to what the Hitchhiker's Guide is truly about or what Douglas Adams' message was when he wrote it. What the essays do is give you an understanding of why the books are so popular and how so many people have found a place for them in their lives and hearts.

Some of these essays had me laughing out loud so that I had to read those parts to my husband to prove I hadn't really gone off the deep end. Other's had me wondering about how you could come up with such serious connections from a series of comedic science fiction books. Then there were the essays that had me saying, "hmm, never thought of that". And of course, being me, there were the essays that had me sniffling discreetly into a tissue. There's a lot to like in this collection of essays. However, they are essays rather than short stories and if you're looking for the latter this book is not for you.

Mike Byrne in "Beware of the Leopard", Cory Doctorow in "Wikipedia: A Genuine H2G2 - Minus the Editor, and Bruce Bethke in " The Secret Symbiosis: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Its Impact on Real Computer Science" talk about the impact that Hitchhiker's Guide has had on computer science, computer interface design, the internet as a communications media, and the impetus it was in starting many young people on a career in the sciences. The Guide in the television version, while done with colored gels and press on letters was heads and shoulders above what computers at the time were capable of achieving. Once people saw what a really good user interface could be like they demanded better than they had and the computer companies listened. In some ways, we have Douglas Adams to thank for the usability of computers because once users began to think there could be something better they demanded it.

Others see the Hitchhiker's Guide as a round about way to think of the truly important things in life: religion, humor, 42, looking at the world as it is. The following essays dealt more with the philosophical aspects of the books: "That About Wraps it up for Oolon Colluphid" by Don Debrandt; "The Holy Trilogy" by Selina Rosen (this one is so funny it should have a spew alert); "The Zen of 42" by Marie-Catherine Caillava.

No book about the Guide could be complete without a mention of Vogon poetry. Lawrence Watt-Evans in "A Consideration of Certain Aspects of Vogon Poetry" discusses the merits of quantifying poetry so that the Guide can equivocally say that Vogon poetry is the third worst. He also wonders about Arthur's seeming immunity to it.

Adam Roberts in "42" and Jacqueline Carey in "Yes, I Got It" discuss the philosophy of humor and its place in our lives. While Susan Sizemore in "You Can't Go Home Again, Damn It! Even If Your Planet Hasn't Been Blown Up by Vogons" realizes that the person she was when first exposed to the Guide and the person she is now do not view the Guide in the same way. Even with all the happy memories of that first reading, she finds that it doesn't have the same impact now as it did then.

Food, food, glorious food. Douglas Adams loved a good meal especially with good friends and food plays an important role in the Hitchhiker's Guide. The role of food is touched upon by Steven Baxter in "Lunching at the Eschaton: Douglas Adams and the End of the Universe in Science Fiction", A.M. Dellamonica in "Digital Watches May Be a Pretty Neat Idea, But Peanuts and Beer Are What Get You Through the Apocalypse".

When the world or universe is off kilter or just plain crazy, how do you remain sane when all about you are crazy? Well, some writers have evidently come up with some ideas on how to remain sane in a crazy world from their reading of the Guide: "The Subversive Dismal Scientist: Douglas Adams and the Rule of Unreason" by Vox Day; "Another Fine Mess" by Adam Troy Castro; "The Only Sane Man in the Universe" by Marguerite Krause; "Douglas Adams and the Wisdom of Madness" by John Shirley; and "Loop-Surface Security: The Image of the Towel in a Vagabond Universe - A Semiotic (Semi-Odd) Excursion" by Mark W. Tiedemann.

There's also an interview with Douglas Adam by John Shirley ("A Talk with Douglas Adams"). Amy Berner in "Words to Live " talks about how everything she needed to learn to life live she learned from the Hitchhiker's Guide. "Goodnight, Marvin" by Maria Alexander is the final essay in the book and a touching tribute to Douglas as a person who touched many of our lives with his writing.

This books is one of several that show wonderful works of art to kids in a friendly style. I provides an overview or the art and artist. The kids have really enjoyed using these books and trying to solve the mystery.

Henry Hammer is the owner of the city's auction house. The night before big art sale he learns that some of the paintings are fakes! The reader of this book will have to try and solve the crime by looking closely at the pictures are finding the fakes!




Each picture included art history information.



Yes. Mystery meets art in this unique story

For those who enjoyed Where's Waldo and other "look and find" puzzles, this book takes it a notch higher. On the eve of an art auction, the auction house receives a tip that 16 of the paintings are forgeries. The reader is invited to view the paintings and compare them with the originals to determine the fakes, which gang of forgers are the culprits, and how much money was paid out to the forgers. You can spend hours looking for the mistakes in the paintings and it is enjoyable (and addictive)! For children, and adults, who enjoy art and/or picture puzzles, this is an ideal gift.

I have always loved doing activities that we can ALL grow with and this definitely constitutes one of them. Its a great book with lots of twists for those who have a passion for art appreciation.