Foster Books

Foster points out that the rate of formation of specialized districts has been rising rapidly. She provides a system for classifying them and notes all of the historic stimuli for their development. She then focuses on the two main reasons for their development: the influence of developers and increasing fiscal pressures on state and local governments.

The strength of the book is in its empirical analytics. One of my favorite parts is where she enumerates specialized districts by geographic scope and property taxing power. Over half of all district have this ability. It is these that may pose potential future problems to the residents and businesses they tax since the districts are not run by elected officials. Hence officials will be able to raise (and lower) taxes and yet are free from significant repraisal.

Although thorough, Foster finds her data often limit the scope of her analysis. But she makes the most of what she has. She finds, for example, that special districts tend to spend more per capita on a specified public service than do general-purpose governments (states, counties, townships, cities, boroughs). She points out that they may provide a different type of service, however, which may justify the extra expense (she points out that they are also more capital-intensive). Because of this upward spending bias, metro areas that rely on them also have a greater share of their public spending concentrated in the typical functions of the districts.

In summary, The Political Economy of Special-Purpose Goverments is a very important book for the field of public economics. It is not the book for the layman, however, since it relies on the application of statistical techniques to the Census of Goverments data.

As soon as my 10 year old daughter was diagnosed with OCD, we bought this book. I found it very helpful. It made her realize that there are other children just like her. I also let friends and family members read it. It gave them an easy to understand look at what life with OCD is like. I would reccomend this book to anyone who has a child in their life with OCD.

Mark Francis is a London curator and writer, Hal Foster a Townsend Martin Professor of Art and Archaeology at Princeton: the two combine forces in POP. Pop described art, film, photography and architectural design from the 1950s through the 50s, which used mass media and mass production as inspiration. Other histories have presented Pop art as an isolated form: POP surveys all its various forms around the world, providing a rich key to the art and influences of artists from Warhol to Sigmar Polke. Full-page black and white and color examples appear throughout, but it's the rich, in-depth art and cultural survey which sets POP aside from any other.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

It was quite touching to read how many lives were so lovingly impacted by their stay at Casa Materna. These young people were placed in this special home ("orphanage" doesn't quite work for Casa Materna)for different reasons...just learning why they were there proved to be a fascinating review of Italy's economic and social development in the last century.

To know that some of these young people have chosen to return to Casa Materna and work there reveals how strong the "mother ties" must have been for these people. Naples was indeed fortunate to have Casa Materna; so many of the young people who stayed there have led happy, productive, meaningful lives. Former residents remain in contact with each other to this day. What a testament to the founders, what a testament to the author who has also kept in touch with Casa Materna through the years.

Must reading for anyone with ties to Italy, particularly Naples, of course.

This is an amazing book. It really works. My business was losing 1 million dollars a year and I was close to cloing the doors.
I applied the methods in this book and WOW my business started changing overnight. In less than 8 months I am now making a healthy profit.
Thanks to my fiend who gave me this book.
I will never look back I will be in the Black from now on

This is a real 1963 'old school' classic and masterpiece for everybody who strives for excellence in this field!

NORMAN FOSTER was an estimator from 1935!

He bid on jobs ranging from $20,000 to $20 million -- hospitals, schools, commercial/industrial buildings, military work, chemical plants, sewage treatment plants, pipelines, utilities -- high-scale projects and bids at that time!

He also did work as a free-lance estimator and consultant, for those interested in that.

The size and handiness of this book are excellent, almost pocket-size. The comprehensiveness is truly amazing!

Sections are on concrete, earthwork, masonry, plaster, room areas and paint, carpentry and lumber, roofing and siding, steel and iron, piping, and a classic 'miscellaneous' section that includes terrazo, glass, fuel oil tanks, septic tanks, and safe capacities for chains!

Highly recommended, as probably the best small investment I ever made.

These tables and safety checks stand the true test of time.

An excellent read. Foster really captures something with his Baxter character, an immensely likable redheaded chap from Iron Creak, Minnesota. Looking forward to future installments.

It has been nearly seventy years and the Prince Valiant series is still being published on a weekly basis. Hal Foster, the creater of the series worked on it for nearly forty years. There are a number of reasons to explain its longevity as a series. This volume of the series showcases Hal Foster's good spiritedness. We are introduced to fourteen year old Geoffrey who in his search for experience challanges Sir Gawain to a joust. Soon knocked off his horse, Sir Gawain and Prince Valiant are both impressed with the young boy's determination to make it in a difficult world. Prince Valiant takes him under his wing and brings him to Camelot where he can formally be inscribed as a page in King Arthur's Court. The relationship between Prince Valiant and the headstrong boy is absolutely charming. Hal Foster's good nature really shines out in this volume. This is one of the better volumes in the series. Highly recommended.

The Prince Valiant stories are set at the beginning of the Dark Ages. Rome has just fallen and the Barbarians are overrunning the civilized remnants of the Roman Empire. In this volume, Prince Valiant and his family are travelling. The story starts in Baghdad, moves to Syria and then to the Aegean islands. Prince Valiant and family then move on to Rome and end up in the Pyraneese Mountains. Hal Foster's vision of a declining Western Civilization is very compelling. This volume shows Hal Foster at the top of his game. Great illustrations and an interesting story line. Highly recommended.

These books, are just great. I got them to reread myself and then give to the grandkids.
You can't go wrong with them.