Johnson Books

In a simple way, but thoroughly academic. Weinstein & Johnson shows the implications of creating corporate value, and how to use the creation of value as an asset that diferentiates companies, because of the improvement among the customer's perspective, the image of the company, and a way to beat the competitors in the right field a.k.a the market place.
I really recommend this book to MBA Students, and to Post-MBA graduates it is indeed a check list of effective and strategic marketing tools

clear concise book. lots of good information carefully divided. Well delivered and pertinent case studies.

This is the text for my MBA class and it is an excellent book to read and keep on the bookshelf. The case studies were all interesting and informative, and if you are not in Sales, this is the book for you to read to understand what Customer Service is all about. If you are in Sales, this will enlighten you to a new way of thinking, or if you are already there, the book will be a constant reminder of just how important it is to give our customers value if we expect to stay in business.

Margaret Thomas and Lois Johnson did a splendid job writing "Detroit's Eastern Market". I found the book a delight because I not only shopped there many times but when I was a young I sold produce there grown on my Uncles farm in Northville, MI.. I tried some of the recipes and again I was very impressed. I conceder myself a friend of Margaret and hope to have my copy of her book signed soon and cook a dish from the book for her too.

I also as the first reviewer know the authors Lois Johnson and Margaret Thomas. Their approach to writing to me is as fresh as the produce found in the market. I was extremely lucky recently to be part of a tour of the market led by them. Their enthusiasm for the subject is very evident first hand as is their obvious repoire with the traders who generally greet the authors with smiles and hugs. The whole experience I felt was very worthwhile as is reading the book. It has become a stock "Detroit" gift, when I go back to England I take copies for my family and friends who delight in this little piece of Americana.

Sure, Margaret Thomas is a good friend of mine, but I can still manage to be objective. This is a really great book.

Set out as a walking guide to the Market, the text is clear and informative, but maintains a friendly, informal style, just as if you are walking along with the authors in the Market. You will learn about the Market's nearly 200 year history, meet the store owners and get some great recipes while on your "walk". Of course, all the ingredients can be found right in this open air marketplace.

Michigan is a four season state, and this market is open in all seasons, not just summer. A section featuring 8 full menus is organized by seasons-A spring Mediterranean feast features lamb, summer brings fresh salads, autumn has satisfying soups, and a winter highlight is veal scaloppine.

In the index, you will also find individual recipes from appetizers to vegetables (more than 25 unique offerings for vegetables alone) The recipes come from shop owners, employees, farmers, dealers, shoppers and restaurant owners, as well as the authors themselves. Wonderful color photos by Bruce Harkness capture the hustle and bustle of the Eastern Market, and spotlight fresh Michigan Produce.

Like the market itself, this book is "highly useful, convenient and beneficial".

Being the broad-scope work that it is, this book has hit the bulls-eye in terms of coverage. While there have been other books on IAs recently, this one covers all aspects of IAs.

Doing so, it has more positives than negatives; but of course this depends on whether you want an overview of the field, or an Intelligent Agent (IA) in "C" programming reference manual. It is more of the former than the latter.

It does cover a lot of ground and gives one a detailed taste for what artificial intelligence(AI), and IA's (Intelligent Agents) created from AI technologies are, and more importantly, what they *could* be. That is, if all the suggestions in this book were followed, we might soon have really 'intelligent' software emerging from various quarters (like the Internet or Intranets).

It concentrates on explaining the essentials of the cognitive and computer sciences that are relevant to IA design and creation, especially the considerations that seem to have contributed to 'intelligence' in the natural world (like our brains). I liked all the various definitions of intelligence!

It goes into the details of various architectural approaches to designing systems of interacting, or collaborating components. I found the material on the necessity of common agent languages (that is, languages in which the agents speak to each other) to be particularly enlightening.

Also especially useful was all the information about autonomy, agent mobility, standards that agents can make use of (like IIOP), and what languages and environments might be particularly suited to IA implementation. There were a couple of subjects that seem, in retrospect, out of place (like OpenDoc). But given that the coverage is about certain architectural and implementation concepts of those subjects that were important to IAs, and that it was only a few pages, this was a minor issue with me.

The book explains, at a surface level, the common soft-computing technologies like ANNs, genetic computing and fuzzy logi! c, as well as more traditional approaches like expert systems. It gives examples of real software that you can buy and use to incorporate these techniques into agents. For example, the book provides a good synopsis of Cyc, which can be used by agents to incorporate 'common sense' reasoning capabilities.

I did not expect it, so I was not surprised that this was not a programming manual. There are a couple of other books on IAs that concentrate on particular kinds of relatively simple agents in particular languages. Yet, to be honest, in lieu of lots of specific code and examples of actual agents, it provides a lot of pointers to other researchers' works in companies and academic settings.

This book is much more than what has appeared on the market thus far. Its breadth is actually pretty amazing considering its length of around 400 pages. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to either gain a good grounding in intelligent agent design and development issues, or to expand one's purview of how intelligence could be enabled within today's and tomorrow's distributed computer systems.

For those of you interested in reading a little history, some present implementations and the possibilities the future holds...this book is for you. If you require a more design-oriented book you might look elsewhere. I absolutely loved this book!!

Intelligente Agenten sind längst nicht mehr nur ein Thema für abgedrehte Software-Entwickler. Microsoft ist in den Markt der Agent Software Produkte eingestiegen und die Regale der Buchhandlungen füllen sich mit Abhandlungen zu diesem Themenkomplex. Inhalt: Michael Kapnik und Jay Johnson beschreiben in Ihrem Buch die Architektur, Technologie und Anwendungen für Intelligente Agenten in ver-teilten Umgebungen. Die Autoren thematisieren nahezu alle Aspekte dieser Technologie. Künstliche Intelligenz in Experten Systemen, Fuzzy Logik, Objektorien-tierung und Architekturen von Agenten bilden den ersten Teil des Buches. Der Vergleich na-türlicher und künstlicher Intelligenz beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, ob Computer die Natur des Gehirns nachbilden können. Die Industriestan-dards CORBA, OpenDoc, OLE/ActiveX und DCE werden als Basis für die Infrastruktur intelli-genter Agenten kurz erleutert. Für Tools und Entwicklungsumgebungen geben die Autoren neben der theoretischen Beschreibung auch einen Marktüberblick über verfügbare Produkte und weiterführende Literatur zu den Tei-laspekten. Im Anschluß werden Design- und Sicher-heitspekte beschrieben. Dies umfaßt die Bereiche Anforderungsanalyse, Plattform, Umgebung und Paradigmen für verteilte Um-gebungen, Client/Server und Mobilität. Daneben werden Methoden zur Fehlerbe-handlung, digitale Signaturen und Konfigurationen durch die Endanwender dar-gestellt. Nachdem die Grundlagen für die Entwicklung der Agenten gelegt sind, beschäftigt sich das Kapitel "Developing Intelligent Agents NOW" mit Sprachen und Entwicklungsumgebungen, wie Java, Smalltalk und Telescript. Die Einsatzgebiete intelligenter Agenten sind vielfältig. Viele Anwender setzen sie bereits in Standard-Office-Produkten oder E-Mail-Anwendungen ein. Daneben unterstützen in-telligente Agenten ihre Anwender im Netzwerk-Management, bei der Suche im WWW, bei der Filterung von Daten, beim Kommunikations-management und vielen anderen Bereichen. Der Ausblick in die Zukunft intelligenter Agen-ten bi! ldet den Abschluß des Buches. Neben weiteren Anwendungsgebieten für Agenten in Datenbanken, im Netzwerkmanagement, in Suchmaschinen und im Privatbereich wird auch auf mögliche Gefahren durch spionierende oder destruktiv agierende Agenten hingewie-sen. Beurteilung: Sätze, wie "Mein Computer fühlt sich alleine, weil ich es bin" zeigen, daß es sich nicht um eine theoretische Abhandlung über die Agen-ten-Technologie handelt. Immer wieder stellen die Autoren einen praktischen Bezug her oder wagen einen Blick in die Zukunft. Es gibt je-doch auch Kapitel, die nicht so leicht zu lesen sind. Dies ergibt sich aus der Komplexität der behandelten Themen. Denn die Entwicklung intelligenter Agenten in verteilten Umgebungen ist nicht trivial. Das Buch liefert das "Handwerkszeug" für die Entwicklung verteilter Systeme mit Hilfe intelli-genter Agenten. Es schneidet alle relevanten Themen an, ohne dabei zu theoretisch zu wer-den. Aufgrund des Umfangs der behandelten Themen sind die einzelnen Technologien nicht erschöpfend dargestellt. Wer detaillierte In-formationen benötigt, kann jedoch auf weiterführende Literatur, auf die in dem Buch hingewiesen wird, zurückgreifen.

First word that comes to mind, methodical. Black and white, step by step, no nonsense directions for navigating one of life's more difficult decisions. Twelve chapters exhaustively cover most conceivable divorce scenarios.

There are seven appendixes, a glossary and index. The breadth of information is astounding. All of it is presented in easy to read, easy to understand words that amount to indispensable resource tools.

At a time when you may feel beset by strong winds, Divorce Strategy will be the anchor that keeps you in calm waters.

Buzz Review News

Laura Johnson's Divorce Strategy: Tactics for a Civil Financial Divorce takes the reader through a financial divorce and the legal system by which it is accomplished. Readers will learn about divorce, divorce lawyers, and courts from an expert. Divorce Strategy offers its readers specific, proven techniques and ideas to help them plan and manage their divorce.

By following the suggestions encompassed in Divorce Strategy, a divorcing person will be able to take a more assertive and informed approach to their divorce, knowing what questions to ask to get the answers they need to make good decisions.

Divorce Strategy is "must" reading for anyone contemplating, or currently going through, the process of divorce.

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review, Law/Justice Bookshelf
October 1997

I read this book about divorce strategies. It's a great book. I think my clients will benefit from Divorce Strategy and will recommend it at initial interviews of future clients.

Robert Feder, Esquire
Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis
Philadelphia, PA
Editor, Valuation Strategies in Divorce

Once in a great while an author tells a story that is both awe inspiring and down to earth at the same time. , Dayton O. Hyde, author of "Don Coyote" has compiled such a work. His tale is the great American novel that not only speaks, but also sings from the heart, Hyde's story is told from his own point of view, and is about his life as a struggling cattle rancher in Oregon and the amazing friends one can meet thru tolerance and understanding. His is a tale of the brilliance one gains when one stops and listens to his environment instead of destroying it. It teaches that one can live in harmony with all of its creatures. In Hyde's life he has experienced the hardship of honest work, the toils and troubles of dreams not working out, and the friendship of one extraordinary creature. When Don Coyote first came into Hyde's life he was but a nuisance, a so called "threat" to his cattle, a threat that by all of the old laws of the west needed to be poisoned and snuffed out of existence imeadetly. Hyde was a good rancher, a good husband to his wife and a good father to his children, an over all a good person. So when it came time to raise his rifle in Don's direction Hyde couldn't kill him, no matter the old myth that coyotes live to only kill sheep, and should be destroyed on sight .Hyde didn't know it then, but that simple decision to not take an "animal's" life would change his own forever. The New York Times Book Review says, "Mr. Hyde is an engaging writer, and he portrays his coyote characters as charming, quirky and almost irresistibly appealing. He also convincingly demonstrates the senselessness of those who kill the wildlife he loves." Experience the extraordinary true story of a man who decided to observe nature with not just his eyes but also his heart, therefore discovering that man is not the controller of his environment but very much controlled by it. Welcome one and all to a tale of true friendship and

camaraderie. "Don Coyote" was published by Ballantine Books and is available wherever Ballatine Books are sold. Also by Dayton O. Hyde: "The Major, The Poacher and The Wonderful One-Trout River," "One Summer In Montana" and "Thunder Down the Track."

Don Coyote is one of my favorite books of all time. I have just finished this book - again - as I have done every year since 1990. This book is such an easy book to read - it is very hard for me to put this book down once started - and every year I am re-aquainted with Don, Coy, and the Hyde family. I have recommended this book (and the author) to my friends and family and cannot wait to share Don Coyote with my grandchildren.

Dayton Hyde has a wonderful command of the English language and paints pictures with words so you can actually see whatever he writes about. The story was engaging, humorous, informative, and well-written. It is a story of his own struggle to be at one with nature and habitat. He taught his children this love. He was a good father and a good husband, and he maintains his sense of wonder throughout the whole book. He draws the reader into his thoughts and world. I loved the book. I have now read two that Dayton Hyde has written, and this was my favorite, but I loved both books. He is a man I truly admire. He is a good teacher. I read the books before giving them to my son for Christmas, and I want to give other people his book. He shares his life with several coyotes on his ranch and learns their ways and their habits. I learned a lot. Thanks, Dayton!!!

I picked up Johnson's book on Don Quixote because the novel is large and intimidating to me and I felt I'd need some preparation before reading it. I also felt I needed something to undo the prejudices I had formed against the main character from seeing The Man of La Mancha. Johnson provides an excellent orientation to the many things going on in the novel. His scholarship is current and insightful; the extended discussion in the chapters "A Book about Books" and "Readers and Reading" were especially helpful. I also liked his explanations about how Parts I and II relate to one another (part II is clearly more than just a sequel or "more adventures"). Johnson concludes his study by revealing his own personal reading of the text. I found it plausible (it's mostly a psychological reading), but Johnson by no means suggests that his reading is conclusive or better than any other reader's reading. This is a book I plan to keep at hand as I begin (once again) to try to make it all the way through Cervantes' classic and ground-breaking novel.

My comment. I took a two semester course on the Quijote. This book is excellent in that it points out why this work of Cervantes is landmark for all world literatures in the way that it discusses fiction and metafiction, and also, the merits of the different theories about realism and verisimilitude in literature. It very simply and easily points out to the reader why the Quijote is such a masterpiece and why it continues to be. ...BW

I'm a fan of the Twayne's series of studies, which offer an undergraduate course in about 100 pages. Johnson's little book on Don Quixote is one of the best. It's much better than either the Nabokov book or the studies in the Norton edition, all of which are chatty and interesting but not very helpful in coming to terms with Cervantes' long, often boring, brilliant novel. Johnson provides enough dollops of literary theory, history, biography, culture, and critical exegesis for the reader to really start to work independently. What I liked most was his final reading of Quixote as a man fleeing his incestuous desire for his niece, madly projecting and fantasizing to relieve the pressure. His description of a world where Moors and Jews lived secret lives while passing as Christians, ne'er-do-well aristocrats like Quijano suffered lives of quiet desperation, and encounters with the Other in the New World radically altered Western consciousness at the very time that print brought people into closer communion, provided grist for many hours of thought and appreciation. The sections on reader-response and literary theory were a bit more conventional, but they were clear and compelling nevertheless. If you choose one pony while mounting Rocinante, this is the one to ride.

I highly recommend this book. It's easy to read, well researched and balanced. It belongs on the bookshelf of every Civil War Buff.

The author grabs the reader's attention at the very beginning of the book when describing Freeman's daily schedule (typically from 2:30 am - 8:30 pm), a schedule that would tire the typical person after only a few days.

Johnson reveals Freeman's interesting background as the son of a Confederate soldier whose interest in writing about history was conceived at a gathering of Confederate veterans at the Battle of the Crater in Petersburg, Virginia years after the Civil War ended. The author includes the excellent relationships Freeman enjoyed with his family (with the exception of his son), newspaper associates, academic peers, and other areas of his interesting life. These revelations personify the definition of a true Southern gentleman! I might add too - Freeman was also a vocal and determined opponent of racism.

I was particularly inspired by the author's description of Freeman's extremely disciplined (though not necessarily always rigid) life. While Freeman had a fulfilling and extremely busy life and was often away from his family, he did manage to spend time with them when possible.

An excellent and highly enjoyable read of the eminent biographer of Robert E. Lee and George Washington. Highly recommended!

David Johnson has done us all a great favor by finally writing a biography of the most amazing "Doc" Freeman. The son of a Confederate soldier, Douglas Southall Freeman's life is a study in self-discipline and perseverance. Freeman was a man who crammed 4 careers into one life - Pulitzer (One for the biography of General Lee and one post-humously for George Washington) winning author, newspaper editor, teacher and broadcaster. Ever since learning of Freeman many years ago, I'd wondered why no biography had ever been written of him. Freeman was a man that was faithful to his calling, to serving his fellow man and to serving his God. The book should be in every history lover's library. ~ Richard G. Williams, Jr., editor of "The Maxims of Robert E. Lee" to be released in November.

I am entering my 10th year as a Theatre teacher and I still found this book useful. It is a good reminder of those things you have let slip over the years for whatever reason. I think it is a good refresher for us old dogs, but I think it would be a wonderful resource for a first or second year teacher, too. I loved it.

Both experienced and beginning drama directors have easy, experience-backed tips on directing from THE DRAMA TEACHER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE: A COMPLETE TOOL KIT FOR THEATRE ARTS. When this book says 'complete' it means it: collections strong in drama will appreciate the range of tips from instructions on organizing tryouts - complete with tryout sheets - to blocking out rehearsals, technical aspects of scene set-up, tips on locating costumes, and more. It's a 'must' for any library which caters to actors or drama teachers.

This handy guide covers literally every aspect of putting on a production, and not only does it apply to high school theater, it is extremely helpful for any level of theater, from elementary, to high school, to amature, to community, to professional.
Margaret Johnson covers basics from selecting shows, to securing the theater, to casting and auditions to opening night.
The best part is that this book doesn't read like stereo instructions, there are personal touches from the author through out including her memories and stories of different shows she has worked on.
This book also includes audition sheets and other pages you can photo copy to pass out and have actors fill out.

Literally every question you could possibly have involving your theatrical production, this book covers it. Nothing will remain unanswered.

Also, it's important to note that I'm not a high school drama teacher, but I am a long-time theatrical passionate and I have been using this book as a holy grail while directing my first show.

Please email me if you have any questions.

[...]

I used "Drawing Basics" by Jacklyn B. St. Aubyn for a course (Drawing I) I took at our local university. It was a very good introduction and I found it easy to follow, yet demanding enough to keep me working on the projects described. The use of Sharpie pen and charcoal was new to me. Before I was through with the course I was sold on both techniques.

My instructor knew the author and understood how to use the book in the most efficient way. Needless to say the course was both very challenging and enjoyable. To top it off it prepared me well for Drawing II. The proof of that is that I finished at the top of my Drawing II class, despite my not being an art major!

This is an excellent text for an introductory course in drawing and I recommend it highly.

I highly recommend this book. I was lucky enough to have taken Jacklyn's class in 1992. I was a graduate student but took her drawing 100 class to listen, observe, and learn. I had never seen such impressive results in a drawing class. Drawing Basics is exactly what I learned taking her class. It is not only a great book for personal use but also to help as a guide to teach all levels of drawing. The contour line drawings of a dried sunflower produce amazing results!!!!!

This book is used at our university as a reference tool for new teachers. It is a very thorough, basic instruction book which is broken down by the art elements and principles (positive and negative space, texture, value, perspective, etc.) as well as disciplinary issues (looking, developing patience). It includes a variety of specific drawing exercizes, specifying materials, subject matter, and directions. For example, an exercise on negative space uses "a plant form with a complex system of limbs or leaves, tacked up on a black background" as its subject. Each lesson also includes a critique section, which defines the goals of the lesson and gives a means of assessing the success of the product.

This book is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of beginning black and white drawing. It is equally valuable to drawing teachers and those who are interested in teaching themselves.

Never have I read a collection of more powerfully written and organized words. I first heard Dread Beat and Blood as a high school student fifteen years ago and was struck by the rhythm and the tone of Johnson's voice. The words on the page come alive with the images of racial strife and injustice that LKJ creates with his pen. I am currently using these and other poems by dub poets as a teaching tool in my Clairemont High School language arts classes. Spread the word!

the whole idea of dub poetry, and especially the contents introduced by LKJ are here found in written form, powerful, strong, touching. If you read it, you#ll understand more about the focus of LKJ's works.

I am from Brixton, and have to say LKJ put into lyrics what in the 1970's/1980's what most of us could not (our access to all mediums was cut off). The reality he writes about in say, Sonny's Letter is true - believe! It was ignored by politicians (obviously) etc. It's series and when you read or even better LISTEN to the lyrics (he recorded most of this) you will see why so many of us self destructed so early.