Marshall Books

Karp has followed up Rabbit Factory with another exciting story which is superbly written with a lot of laughs along the way. I couldn't put it down.

I don't know if it is because we have already gotten to know the characters in Karp's world, or he turned it up a notch but this installment in the Lomax & Biggs series is a step above the first. I loved "Rabbit Factory" but this one was funnier, more convoluted, and gripping to the last. I finished it in less than 12 hours. I could not put it down. Get it, read it, love it.

Second books many times disappoint. This doesn't. Fast and slick, with a few twists, this satisfies. As long as there is Hollywood, and the author has his contacts, the material will be there. See you again.

They're back!!! Just as funny and irreverant as before. This book may not be as long but it is just as good. I have to keep starting over because I end up giving everything away. So this will be a short review and I guess the best review would be when is the next book coming out! I was unable to put the book down once started. Enjoy a great read.

Oh, and be sure to read the "RABBIT FACTORY" first to get an insight into the characters.

With first novels, authors have as many months or years as they desire to hone their work, polishing every phrase and plot twist until it truly shines. When authoring a series--which normally publish at least one title per year--there is often a marked drop in quality when the second novel comes around, owing to the shortened time in which the author has to create the next adventure.

Bloodthirsty, the second and latest in Marshall Karp's series of Lomax and Biggs novels, is that rare second novel that is as impressive as the first. The Rabbit Factory, the witty and winning first entry in the series (now in paperback), traversed a roomy 700-plus pages to spin its addictive spell of murder, intrigue, and comedy. By contrast, Bloodthirsty is a comparatively modest 425 pages, with nary a wasted word or phrase. Karp so successfully populated his first book with memorable and worthy characters that in this work a simple word or phrase illuminates a new facet to their personalities that lesser authors might spend pages to accomplish. It is comforting to read a mystery written by a new master: You never fear an improbable ending, a character who behaves contrary to his previously-delineated nature, or some grand deus ex machina which brings your reading pleasure to a grinding halt. Karp plays fair, but he plays for keeps.

Detectives Lomax and Biggs, destined to join the pantheon of both great detective and great comedic duos, return again. Their quarry's victims are completely drained of blood, and the drainees run the gamut from minor drug kingpins to Hollywood royalty. Despite the gruesome nature of the crimes, Karp writes compellingly fiction without resorting to stomach-turning, CSI-style theatrics; he's not genteel, just not needlessly graphic. As the killings spread through Hollywood, Lomax and Biggs spar and parry their way through the Hollywood Hills, never dispensing with solid detective work for the sake of a good joke. These are real detectives, really serious about their work, but not so serious about life. They are a joy.

I would have enjoyed spending more time with Lomax's late wife--as we did in The Rabbit Factory--but that is a minor quibble in a work populated with so many people you'd love to know better. There will be no further synopsis here: To tell you more would attenuate the thrills found in the fine pages of this novel. Suffice it to say that the largest mystery in this series in never really answered: Where has Marshall Karp been all these years?

Did you know that in 1859 Americans consumed about eight pounds of coffee per year, per capita? Or that by 1939 it was fourteen pounds? If this is your cup of tea, then I think you will like this book. This is not a criticism, I liked the book because it looks at the growth in demand which was supplied by the entrepreneurs who formed the brands described in the book. Indeed this demand-side view is part of the book that made the biggest impact on me.
Some of this is obvious, but somewhat in the backround of our knowledge - "between 1860 and 1920 the population of the US grew from 31.5 to 107 million" - and some of this is well extracted in this book - e.g. "in 1844 (when Henry J. Heinz was born)less than 10% of American's lived in towns of greater than 2,500 population, 75 years later (when he died) 50% were urban dwellers and 20% lived in cities of greater than 250,000 people". Koehn builds up this demand side very well in each of the six cases she uses to illustrate who entrepreneurs build up branded business - Wedgwood , Heinz, Marshall-Fields, Estee Lauder, Starbucks and Dell.
Koehn, a Harvard business historian, is also quite good at showing how developing technology is put to use to serve this demand (or does it create it?) - "In 1830 it took three weeks to get calico from New York to Chicago, in 1860 it took three days, by 1880 ... less than 24 hours"
Again we all knew the importance of the railroad, but here its phrased in a way that makes sense of the dynamic growth and gentrification of the Mid West. She illustrates well the need that urbanisation created for prepared food that could be trusted and describes very well the increasing sophistication of industrial level food preparation - " by the 1860;s the introduction of calcium chloride to boiling water cut sterilization times from five hours to 25 minutes". She can even make innovations in canning technology sound exciting.

So much for the good stuff, I did find the tone of the descriptions of each entrepreneurs a bit fawning. Each had the feel of a business case, with the usual tone of awe and deference to the wit and wisdom of the main characters. With the exception of the Starbucks case - where Howard Shultz openly tells of his mistakes and wrong turnings - each case seems to highlight the wisdom of the main character, whereas it seems to me its their determination that marks them out, more than anything else. Henry Heinz went bankrupt three times in food products, before he became successful, Michael Dell was still seen as a cloner into the late 1980's.
Koehn makes no judgements about the more unpleasant side of this determination - Estee Lauder staged a meeting with the Duke of Windsor, which she had photographed and publicised, in order to make it appear she had high-society connections, Josiah Wedgwood supplied free gifts to royalty in the certain knowledge that the aspirations of the middle classes to emulate royalty would drive demand for this his products.
There are good insights into how these individuals drove modern marketing techniques - Wedgwood emphasized showrooms, Estee Lauder the free gift. And all had tremendous energy for customer service and production detail. However in each of the early cases we are told that 20th Century techniques were unknown to the industry " Brand marketing was virtually unheard of in the 18th Century" [ Wedgwood]; " Between 1869 and 1899, real per capita income increased at an annual compound rate of 2.1%. Henry Heinz had no access to these statistics. These numbers are based on economic concepts developed in the 20th Century". This kind of clumsiness crops up in each case, ok we get the point that these pioneers instinctively did something which is now solidified into great theory, but surely this point could be illustrated with more deftness.

This apart, a very useful and interesting book, a book for anyone interested in the general history of business. Some excellent details, too much fawning and praise too little criticism of the central characters who built the brands. A fascinating story.
If you liked this book, check out books by Arthur Chandler and John Drewer.

One final fact, Charles Darwin had the time and money to devote to his famous voyage on the Beagle - which laid the basis for the theory of Evolution - because his wife's grandfather was Joshua Wedgwood. Was this financial evolution at work?

Koehn has produced a weighty and informative look at the way successful entrepreneurs have used brands to achieve a number of goals. These goals include long-term differentiation from competitors, internal quality control, profit margin protection, and facilitation of additional product introduciton.

To make her case, she chose three cases from the past (Wedgwood, Heinz, and Marshall Field) and three cases from the present (Estee Lauder, Starbucks, and Dell Computers). Finally, she concludes the book with a chapter which addresses the issue of historical forces and entrepreneurial agency.

I particularly found the cases from the past persuasive in their argumentation for a long-term differentiating factor in brand. The newer cases are obviously harder to make in that (particularly with Starbucks and Dell) how long-term the success will be remains to be seen. One of the best features of the book is the depth with which she treats each case-- she provides enough information to build her thesis (and often entertain with the anecdotes) but not so much that the book becomes bogged down. The excellent footnotes provide whatever's necessary to someone looking for further information.

One minor quarrel is that I would have liked to see the further reading pulled out into a better organized bibliography. There were obviously quite a few good sources scattered amongst the footnotes and if you were interested in a particular subject matter it required some patience to pull all of the citations out.

professor koehn presents the subject of branding in a fascinating historical perspective; a interesting, insightful and sometimes surprising read. a very useful book for anyone who is managing a brand, trying to understand the value of brands, or wants to understand how branding fits into the lore of business.

an excellent reference and clearly meticulously researched

It's probably a result of less-than-fully applying myself during my college years, but I tend to pre-judge any book by an academic as boring. I'm glad that didn't stop me from reading Nancy Koehn's book, "Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumers Trust From Wedgwood to Dell."

Koehn is a professor at no less than the Harvard Business School. She is also an excellent writer, and she understands that the essence of getting good information across is stories. Brand New is a book of stories about branding. It is anything but boring.

Koehn divides the book into two giant sections, The Past and The Present.

In The Past, she includes the stories of Josiah Wedgwood, H. J. Heinz and Marshall Field. All the stories are told in detail enriched by facts, insights, and quotes. All of them contain lessons for today's businessperson. Most of the lessons are about branding, but there's a lot more.

Read this book and you will find out all about how Josiah Wedgwood changed the common practice by impressing his own name in the unfired clay of his works. That's impressive. But you will also learn how his partnership with Thomas Bentley took Wedgwood's strengths and his insight about branding and turned them into a highly profitable business.

You'll learn about why H. J. Heinz packed his product in glass jars and how he kept control of his distribution. You'll hear about the 1902 giant opening at Marshall Field's and you'll learn about Field's varying relationships with his partners.

In the section on The Present, you will get the story of Estee Lauder and how she changed not only her name and image but also the face of cosmetic marketing through magnetism and incredible persistence. You'll hear how Howard Schultz wound up at Starbucks Coffee and why it bears his imprint, and you'll hear about Michael Dell without overmuch mention of the legendary dorm room.

The stories themselves make delightful reading, but the learning is probably even more important than the enjoyment. These stories illustrate how specific, successful entrepreneurs took a look around at things that were happening in society and developed products and brands and marketing and distribution systems to take advantage of them. These insightful and inspiring stories will help you understand your own business and find ways to make it more profitable.

As she completed her research and then began to write this book, Nancy Koehn made several important decisions. First, she placed her primary objective in clear focus: to explain "how entrepreneurs earned customers' trust." Next, she limited her attention to only six. Finally, she then examined them within an historical context from the late-18th century until the present time. As Koehn observes, "Before 1750,...most Britons ate off wood or pewter plates. Then came Josiah Wedgwood. In antebellum America, the majority of women made their own pickles. Then came Henry Heinz. Until the Civil War, urban retailing was a specialized activity with a wide variety of small shops offering particular kinds of goods. Then came department store entrepreneurs such as Marshall Field." It is important to stress that Koehn is a biographer and cultural historian only to the extent that the material she provides helps to advance the narrative of her core themes: how six individual entrepreneurs dealt with the "imperatives" to quality goods at reasonable prices, communicate the virtues of her or his products to potential buyers in effective ways and thereby maintain and grow a viable customer base, and, how to develop organizational capabilities to learn about their respective customers and then earn their trust.

Before 1945, Koehn observes, "few American women wore premium lipstick or facial creams, and those who did [when they could] bought them in beauty shops along with elaborate treatments administered by trained cosmeticians. Then came Estee Lauder. Prior to the late 1970s, Americans bought ground coffee mostly in one-pound cans sold in supermarkets and supplied by large food processors. Then came [Howard Schultz and] Starbucks. Before 1980, most businesses used only typewriters and copy machines for paperwork. Large companies relied on mainframe and midsize computers to handle extensive calculations and data processing. Only a small number of households owned a personal computer or printer. Few if any of these users expected to be able to specify a particular computer's configuration. Then came Apple, IBM, Compaq, and Michael Dell." It is also important to stress that each of the six entrepreneurs whom Koehn discusses fully understood what rapid social and economic change in their respective era meant for consumers' needs and desires. Moreover, as she carefully explains, all six used their knowledge of both the supply and demand sides of the prevailing economy to create high-quality goods,, meaningful brands, and other connections with customers..." and they built elite organizations that worked to [in italics] satisfy and then [in italics] anticipate buyers' changing preferences."

In Chapter 1, Koehn provides a brilliant overview on "Entrepreneurs and Consumers," then devotes an entire chapter to each of the six entrepreneurs. In her final chapter, she shifts her attention to "Historical Forces and Entrepreneurial Agency," followed by 104 pages of notes. In that final chapter, Koehn points out that the six entrepreneurs "lived and worked in different contexts. Yet they all shared a powerful gift: the ability to discern how economic and social change affected consumer needs and wants. They also understood that these demand-side shifts presented critical business opportunities -- opportunities that each exploited by creating new, best-of-class goods and strong brands." She goes on to suggest that they were "institution builders who were not interested in riding the wave of a short-lived trend or forcing their young brands on buyers. They wanted to [in italics] earn consumers' trust and keep it."

It remains to seen which entrepreneurs emerge during the next few years but it seems certain that they will also encounter "economic and social change affected consumer needs and wants" and in a global marketplace yet to be developed. There is much that they -- and we -- can learn from Josiah Wedgwood, H.J. Heinz, Marshall Field, Estee Lauder, Howard Schultz, and Michael Dell. Thanks to Nancy Koehn, those "lessons" are provided in a single volume, one which will continue to be of interest and value for decades to come.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to read Wolf's The Entertainment Economy, Schmitt's Experiential Marketing, Gobe's Emotional Branding, Gilmore and Pine's The Experience Economy, and Brands: The New Wealth Creators co-edited by Hart and Murphy.

This is a common sense and logical read. The main ideas seems to make sense on so many levels. Basically our children are not being forced to think and prevoke some thought before reacting. This reading keys in on the need for consistent inner guidance versus short term exterior material motivations or threats that does nothing to teach children well. It helps the adults in their lives become better, more mature, thoughtful stewards of our children's growth and in handling behavior issues in ways that will benefit their overall wellbeing as well as our own. In retrospect, our children will grow not only by our own example, but also by the tools and skills we pass along to them for the most successful and enriching life journey experience possible. In the process, they are learning how to be and how to act, they are learning how to make mindful, self-respecting, civil, responsible choices for themselves in response to the environment around them. Today's high paced, competitive, global world requires our children to reason well and make good choices as they find their place in it so they are not getting lost or taken advantage of in the shuffle of it all. It is better that our children learn diffirently and more thoughtfully than past generations in an effort to reduce the amount of dysfunction and social-emotional challenges we as a society have been facing far too long. Education is a beautiful thing so that history does not continue to repeat itself and spread to the next generation so that we can continue to achieve betterment. We need to grow civility and personal accountability in our culture which is so diverse in a civilized and responsible way and it begins at home and in our educational institutions.

Thanks Dr. Marshall for clearly articulating and outlining these very principles in your book. The book also introduces the foundation of the "how to's" so we can begin utilizing this approach and changing some not so good ineffective practices we have acquired along the way which continue to confuse, belittle and dumb down our kids. Raise the bar and your kids will adjust. If you raise it high enough they will never fall to the bottom and they will love you for it later on in life.

I have been looking for something like this book for the ten years of my teaching career. Finally, there is a ready-to-implement system that combines recent brain research, psychology, and logical consequences into a classroom management system that not only produces a measurable improvement in behavior, but increases motivation for learning and responsibility. Marvin Marshall knows how to relate to children of all ages (and adults, too). I'm giving up my token economies and classroom prizes in favor of this system, which sends out students into the world to become productive, successful workers, family leaders, and citizens. This book will walk you step-by-step through the simple system which requires little to no record-keeping. Hooray!

This book is an excellent resource for new teachers and seasoned teachers
as well, who are struggling with the issues of discipline in their
classrooms. It shows how the old system of punishment and rewards does
not achieve good results and how it can be replaced with a system of
instilling personal responsibility and love of learning in students. I
like the way the book gives specific ways that teachers can do this.
This book should be a "must read" in schools of education, and could
revolutionize American education and society.

I purchased this book after an extremely challenging year of behavior problems in first grade. As a teacher who had previous success using rewards (giving plastic money that could be redeemed in a class store) and punishment (taking away recess time), this new class had so many problems that nothing seemed to work! During the summer, I read everything on behavior management I could find in preparation for my new third grade class and found this book while searching the web. Needless to say, this past year was the best year of teaching I've had in my short career of five years. Using the daily class meetings--the students' favorite part of the day--to solve problems and asking disruptive students to tell me "their level," I found that most problems went away quickly and students didn't get resentful of me because they had to reflect on how they were acting. Using the agenda for students to write down issues that bothered them was a great way to deal with tattling. I also linked the system with students who would forget homework. Rather than punish them, I would give them the Level 1 Essay to reflect on why they forgot their homework and what they could try so they could remember it. It worked! I also recommend buying "Positive Discipline in the Classroom" (Nelson) as a companion to this book if you want more step-by-step instructions for the classroom meeting. It picks up where Dr. Marshall's book leaves off regarding class meetings, especially on how to introduce it at the beginning of the year. One more thing: parents LOVE this system and will love you for using it!

I love the philospohy behind this book, but Dr. Marshall goes one step further and adds the golden element of classroom testing. When he tells me I will need to use a particular strategy with about 2 % of my students, I feel confidence that this material has truly been tested in real situations. Part of the problem with many discipline programs that aim to address classroom management without rewards, tokens, and such is they often talk down to teachers for using token systems, but offer only theories and clinical data as proof without workable ideas for in the classroom. I am trying out Dr. Marshall's program and will see how far it takes me, but after the first two introductory lessons on the ABCD heirarchy, this weird quiet settled into my room, like the idea of democracy had just sunk into my students heads. Very heady stuff.

This a wonderful book that just may change your life. If you are an animal lover you will find this book inspiring and thought provoking. Impossible to put down!

Once I started reading this poignant, well-written story I couldn't put it down until I had read the last word. Kathy Stevens writes a heartfelt saga of the lives of many beautiful creatures who are rescued from extreme suffering and brought to her sanctuary in the Catskills where they are showered with love and attention. We get to "see" these wonderful beings regain their health, develop hilarious personalities and blossom under the loving care of Ms. Stevens and her dedicated volunteers. You will weep with sorrow at the mistreatment these animals suffered prior to being brought to the Sanctuary; you will laugh out loud at the quirky personalities displayed by the animals; and your heart will sing as you share their triumphs. A must read for everyone! I plan on visiting the Sanctuary in June for its annual shindig. I can't wait to meet the four-legged residents!

Reviewed by Lisa Kisner for Reader Views (5/08)

Kathy Stevens leaves her career as a high-school English teacher and creates a "teaching sanctuary"--a place for farm animals who have been abused that would also teach others about the impact our treatment of animals has on us and the environment. She turned a neglected farm into Catskill Animal Sanctuary in 2001 and has never looked back. In her first book, Ms. Stevens shares some of stories of the over 1000 animals she, her staff and multiple volunteers have rescued in the first few years of the sanctuary's existence.

Through her poignant and often humorous storytelling, Ms. Stevens introduces the reader to Rambo, a violent sheep who eventually learns to trust and love humans enough to alert them when another animal is in trouble. We meet Buddy, a blind horse whose will to live appears gone, and walk with the author as she gives him the confidence and trust to find joy again. Readers will laugh out loud at the story of Paulie, a former cockfighting rooster who eats lunch with the staff and even demands to sleep in the author's bed.

There are many more stories in this wonderful book that will delight the reader. It was evident in every single page of this book how much Ms. Stevens loves these animals and how much they love her back. The author does touch on the reality that most livestock face -- both in their short lives and how they are slaughtered -- as she continues her mission to educate people about the reality of our meat-eating society. This information is stated well and meant to educate the reader. It does not detract from the book at all and truly it is the lessons taught by the animals at the sanctuary that will stay with the reader. I would recommend "Where the Blind Horse Sings" to everyone, not just animal lovers, as the joyful and uplifting stories contained in the pages will touch their hearts and bring a smile to their faces.

After my brother-in-law & family visited the CAS and became a vegetarian, truly a jaw-dropping feat, I knew this place must be pretty special. Then, they gave me a copy of this book for my birthday and I became a vegetarian!! I've laughed out loud and cried - make that 'sobbed' so hard. I've read (the happy) parts to my children at bedtime. This book so powerfully fills you with emotion that I can pretty much guarantee you too will be inspired to do something ...something life-changing, be it for yourself or some other inhabitant of this earth. It is a wake-up call for your soul! Thank you Kathy and your amazing volunteers for being real life angels.

I was already close to becoming a non meat-eating human before, but certainly after reading this extraordinary book, I've ceased to eat meat. The author really made me think about saying things like "I'm a real animal lover", when all I really meant was "I love dogs & cats". Had I really given much thought about cows, pigs, chickens & sheep before, as this book forced me to do, I probably would have stopped eating them long before now.

With that being said, this is not a sad or downer type of book, but rather it's very upbeat & entertaining, and allows the reader to see how intelligent & funny farm animals can be.

If you consider yourself a "real" animal lover, this is a terrific book for you!

Word cannot begin to say how insightful this author is. And still speaking to us many years after his death.

Once again Andrew Murray gives excellent counsel for spiritual growth. Every believer needs help along the way and Absolute Surrender is a great tool to use as a springboard. The message is meaty and to be taken in with the intent of life transformation! As Jesus lived His life in absolute surrender to Father God, so must we, and this book points the way!

THIS IS THE MOST WONDERFUL BOOK I HAVE EVER FOUND OTHER THAN Andrew Murray,THE POWER OF Intercession. I suggest the whole world would Understand the Bible A whole lot clearer if they just read Andrew Murray Books. What A wonderful Evnagelist he was.

This book was truly insightful and should be used as a tool to assist all who strives to improve their Christian walk.

Right up there near Brother Lawrence's "The Practice of the Presence of God" (free online at the Practice Gods Presence web site) are the wonderful works of Andrew Murray. "Absolute Surrender" is a classic in every sense.

These gifted children of God have a way of restating, enlivening, and magnifying the very words of Our Lord and do greatly glorify Our Father.

I'm so glad I found this book, it's very much like how my poppy (grandfather) used to tell stories.

I'm a criminal defense attorney who represents many Native Americans all around the country. I've purchased this book for years. It is a must read for any new employee in this firm. I have also given it to many of my clients while they are in jail awaiting trial. It's a magnificient book. Mary M. McMahon, criminal defense attorney and author of Once a Warrior.

This book is extremely accessible as if ingrained in human nature. I have no background in indigenous culture and spirituality. I wanted to capture this book and live there. I had to wonder if anything about me was uniquely tuned in to this book and I don't think there was. I had to wonder what kind of effect this book would have as a large scale required reading in families, schools, churches, prisons, cities, the White House, etc. The Lakota way creates a desire to become honor, dignity and peace by being unselfish.

Stories. Lakota stories that tell about morality and virtues---persistence, honor, love, respect, and so forth. We can all benefit from reading these stories. Interesting and enlightening. What more can you ask for? Recommended! boland7214@aol.

I bought this book at a store in Oklahoma City and it was wrapped in packaging. I had already read three of Marshall's books but when I unwrapped it after buying it, my first reaction was it was a mistake to buy it. It was not what I was expecting. Much to my pleasant surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed Marshall's story telling.

I highly recommend anything he writes. I am currently reading his book on Crazy Horse and it is excellent. His book, "Walking with Grandfather" is outstanding.

Marshall is certainly one of the Elders of his tradition and is an accomplished writer and historian. His works are a must read.

Using contemporary data and years of coaching experience, the authors offer a robust tool for guiding the coaching process. Experienced and beginning coaches will find gems that will enhance their coaching effectiveness. This book is a focused, no-nonsense guide to effective leadership coaching and development.

Executive Coaching for Results provides an invaluable service to the field of talent and management development:direct information from dozens of top flight corporate leaders and practitioners of executive coaching.
Quite simply there is nothing else like this book in the marketplace and anyone who wants to gain a comprehensive knowledge of the state of the art of this ever dynamic field and area of practice needs to purchase a copy today.

This book is a helpful and practical guide with stories, research and ideas. The authors describe how organizations successfully implement coaching. A must read for any leadership development professionals!

This book belongs in every internal and external coach's library! Leadership Development, Talent Management and Human Resource practitioners, who play a direct or indirect role in leadership development, would also find it greatly beneficial.

This very comprehensive and easy-to-read resource covers all aspects of executive coaching. The research, authors' experience and organizations' first-hand learnings and best practices are insightful and invaluable.

Executive Coaching for Results: The Definitive Guide to Developing Organizational Leaders

Whether you have enterprise responsibility for leadership development and talent management or simply need to develop one leader, this book is THE comprehensive and practical guide for using executive coaching to developing leaders. Based on extensive experience, this book will provide you with the guidelines, checklists, and tools to ensure successful coaching outcomes.

I had heard a lot about this book (all of it good) from friends and decided to order it myself. I enjoyed it, and am now adding my praise to the rest. It's very informative, but also easy to read and humorous. There are pictures and diagrams explaining different things throughout the chapters, and it even gives insight from people other than the authors. I'll be purchasing this as a gift for the upcoming brides I know!

Excellent book that is well written with a sense of humor. This should be required reading for all women interested in enjoying their lives. The authors are non judgemental and professional. Wit and humor cover the topics along with perspectives for partners of women included through out. Wonderful book! Buy one for everywomen you love.

Anyone who is female - or anyone who sleeps with females - needs to read this book. It's written in a clear, friendly, sometimes funny way. It provides a ton of great information and insights. I learned a lot from this book, as I think would anyone. I loved that it is also inclusive of everyone, straight or not. This would also be a great book to give to a girl before she becomes sexually active with a partner. Please do yourself a favor and read this book right now!

As a sex coach and instructor, this book helped me answer a lot of questions for my clients about female orgasm. I also have several friends who have trouble in that area. I made it part of my library along with two other books that have proven invaluable and that I have shared with all my clients and friends: (1) Five Minutes to Orgasm Every Time You Make Love: Female Orgasm Made Simple. This 3-step technique takes the mystique out of female orgasm and makes it the natural and simple act it should be. (2) Was that an earthquake? The Sensuous Couple's (Flip Over) Guide to Seismic Oral Sex. This flip over book has tons of information about fellatio on one side, then flip it over and you have just as much information about cunnilingus. A must for couples of any age, sex or experience.

I just received my order of "I <3 Female Orgasm" today, and have been engrossed ever since. The amount of information found in the approximately 300 page book is incredible, as well as incredibly well written. I love the way that when the authors sometimes refer to a certain concept, they will also tell you the page number to get more detail about that concept. They also frequently recommend other books for more information. I also enjoy the wonderful anecdotes and little quotes that are constantly interspersed within the book. I frequently laughed aloud while reading some of the stories. ^_^

This book is an all inclusive book about female sex, not just female orgasm, and is helpful on many levels. If you are the least bit interested in females and sex put together, I definitely recommend this book for you to read and enjoy.

This is a great reference guide for those involved in industrial automation. If you have not installed or maintained an Industrial Ethernet installation yet, you will soon and this guide is a perfect overview to get you started as, well as a handy reference for the "expert". This book has already helped me solve one "real world" problem and has become part of my commissioning/troubleshooting kit.

Industrial Ethernet is the hot topic in industrial automation domain. In P.R.China, the research of it started just a few years ago. The book is very good guideline for all the researchers and engineers to research industrial ethernet.
I do value this book.

Yirong Yang

This is a great book. Like the size - perfect for job site references. It always gets passed around! The material is well presented. Perry does an excellent job of providing "need-to-know" information in an extremely easy to follow format. I would strongly recommend this pocket guide to automation and control engineers and technicians. Buy this book - I guarantee it will find a spot in your tool pouch!

I must Thank and congratulate Perry for coming up with such a nice Guide. He has made a wonderful contribution to help everybody with his 'complete' work on Industrial Ethernet.

Two years back I had handed over around 25 SCADA projects to respective maintenance teams. I wish I could include this guide in the 'Hand-Over list' to the guys who are responsible to keep the huge plants running 24x7. As of now, I am going to call them up personally and recommend this work.

While discussing the advantages of this book, Somebody argued that all this information and much more is already available on the internet, provided some body cares to search.
I replied to him in a one liner: 'When you need to put off fire, you dont start digging a well to fetch water'.
This book is THE source you can depend on, when you need it.

The text is pretty lucid, and the result is that the jargon terms appear natural to a reader. I strongly recommend this book to anybody who deals with Industrial Ethernet in any way.

Perfect Work! A must have!

This book has become one of the few reference guides I keep in my toolbox. Being a former computer network technician (now PLC programmer and technical support) who is very familiar with ethernet, I can say this book contains vast amounts of information organized in a very logical fashion. It's written so even without a PC background a reader can understand everything clearly. There are examples and many tips to follow. It's well worth every penny.

Can't go wrong with Spurgeon. I bought these volumes for a deeper study of the Psalms, and so far they have been amazing. There's more for each psalm that I can really get in to, but that which I do has been all that I could hope for: reinforcing lower view of self next to high view of God; the only kind of perspective that brings any real sense of hope and encouragement.

Spurgeon is still the best. This 3 volume set is essential for a deep and meaningful study of the Psalms. Great for teaching and preaching research. I'm happy to have purchased it and I recommend it highly.

While Spurgeon's magnum opus is neither technical nor devotional it can meet either of those needs. It is inconceivable that anyone would have an interest in the Psalms and not have these volumes on the shelves.

This writing has really opened the book of Psalms. The teaching of Spurgeon is just beyond words.

This is a great commentary series on the Psalms and has the same feel as Spurgeon's sermons. Great resource for any teacher and pastor to prepare in study for the Psalms. Very detailed, which I can't say the same for other commentaries done during this same time period.

The price once again shows how many people have lost interest in both commentaries and our past church saints.

If you are going to be going through the Psalms in your own study or teaching you should definitely have this at your disposal.