Mitchell Books

The author takes us on a delightful trip through the consumer age with its roots in the Victorian era, when mass production first began. Since then, fashionable clothes, cosmetics, books, music and other good things have become available to the general public. The higher standard of living also went hand in hand with increased literacy and greater freedom for women.

This engaging book explores the 20th century decade by decade, looking at aspects of daily life like food, shopping, fashion, entertainment, travel, toys and games through the packaging material, advertising and products themselves. Important events like the World Wars, the coronations, the first man on the moon and the impact of radio and TV are also covered.

Opie's wonderful collection of original items includes comic books, records, newspapers, posters, magazines and various types of souvenir. These objects and images relive history as people remember it, bringing to life again the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of the 20th century.

The book contains an introduction under the headings The Robert Opie Collection, Understanding Our Past, Memories and Our Consumer Society. This is followed by separate chapters on The Victorians and The Edwardians. From there, the chapters follow the decades from The 1910's to The 1990's. The book concludes with an index.

Remember When will appeal to all readers with a fondness for the past, from historians to graphic designers, music, movie and art lovers to those just into nostalgia for the sake of it.

I first set eyes on this gem of a book at my neighbours beach house whilst we were relaxing with a glass of red, and was entranced from the moment I picked it up. I am an avid collector of memorabilia and found this book to be excellent. I can identify with many of the items that were shown as being popular throughout the 70's, 80's and 90's. I regret that so much of what I had has long ago perished in rubbish dumps, and some of the items are so rare and collectable now. I found thememorablia from the 60's and earlier the most exciting, and loved reading about and looking at items that I hunt for in antique shops and markets! This nostalgic book is very hard, if not impossible, to put down once you start flicking through the pages, and is an absolutely essential purchase for anyone that has an interest in or is a collector of memorabilia. I cannot wait to order my copy!

Wesley C. Mitchell (1874-1948) was one of America's preeminent economists. I studied his book Business Cycles (1913) as an undergraduate student in 1960. His book titled Types of Economic Theory is a classic in history of economic thought. At only $45.00 the book is a steal!

Mitchell's principal interest was business cycles, and his persuasion was institutionalist economics. Former Federal Reserve Board chairman Arthur Burns was one of his students and co-authored their book titled Measuring Business Cycles (1946) with Mitchell. Mitchell was a founder of the prestigious National Bureau of Economic Research in 1920, and was its director until 1945. One of his colleagues at NBER was Simon Kuznets, who was awarded the Nobel prize for developing the national income and product accounts (NIPA) social accounting system used by all countries today.

This book, Types of Economic Theory, is a compilation in two volumes of student notes that were initially mimeographed by a student, John Meyers in 1926-192, and later edited with other of Mitchell's papers as these volumes in 1475 pages with an index by Joseph Dorfman. The publisher, Augustus M. Kelley, was also a student of Mitchell.

Mitchell's thesis in his book is that there are different types of economic theories for two reasons: Firstly different economists addressed different problems that were prominent in their day. This reason occasioned his erudite research in economic history, principally the economic histories of Great Britain and the United States. He rejected the heroic theory of invention, and subscribed to the social theory of invention (Vol. I, P. 6)
One of his memorable refrains is "The social process which constitutes the development of the social sciences is a process of incessant interaction between logically arranged ideas and chronologically arranged events." (Vol. I, P. 27)

Secondly different economists had different ideas of human nature from Adam Smith's natural-law view to Thorstein Veblen's anthropological-institutionalist view. Due to lack of economic data most economists created one or another ersatz psychology for their economic analyses. Mitchell prognosticated in 1924 that as data becomes more available, economics will become a quantitative science that will be less concerned with puzzles about economic motives and more concerned about the objective validity of the account it gives of economic processes.

In an article titled "Quantitative Analysis in Economic Theory" in American Economic Review (1925) Mitchell predicted that quantitative and statistical analyses in economics will result in a radical change in the content of economic theory from the prevailing type such as may be found in the works of Alfred Marshall. Mitchell said that instead of interpreting the data in terms of subjective motives, which are assumed as constitut¬ing an explanation and which are added to the data, quanti¬tative economists may either just disregard motives, or more likely they may regard them as problems for investigation rather than assumed explanations and draw any conclusions about them from the data.

Mitchell is therefore identified as an institutionalist economist. He had studied under Veblen, the founder of American institutionalist economics, at Chicago University. He also spent many years at Columbia University, where he was an associate of the pragmatist philosopher John Dewey.
In his "Prospects of Economics" in Tugwell's book Trend of Economics (1924) he also said that economists will have a special predilection for the study of institutions, because institutions standardize behavior thus enabling generalizations and facil¬itating statistical procedure.

In class notes dated October 1931 Mitchell said that the chief aim of his course is constructive, to help young economists to decide how they can make their most effective contribution toward the development of economic theory by working through the various types to a unified position. Such unity has since been accomplished after the appearance of Keynes General Theory. But the unity is not the institutionalist approach Mitchell had expected; it is the neoclassical economics with its psychology of "rationality postulates." An attempt to relate neoclassical theory to econometric modeling was published by Trygve Haavelmo in 1944.

But econometric models based on theory have demonstrated limited forecasting accuracy, thus giving rise to a more pragmatic and empirical approach based on data analysis, which is strongly suggestive of Mitchell's preference to draw conclusions from the data. I think that Mitchell will have the last word in economics as en empirical science. In the "Conclusion" at the end of the second volume he says:

"It seems quite obvious that a much more scientific way of trying to give a satisfactory account of human behavior is to give up the assumption contrary to fact, that it is all planned out, and to approach the problem in an objective spirit, to observe the economic behavior of men both widely and closely, and to try to discover, as a result of observations, what generalizations can be made; whether there are uniformities in behavior; what these uniformities are." Pp. 787-8.

See my History of Twentieth-Century Philosophy of Science (BOOK VIII) at my web site, philsci.

This is a classic. But Amazon.com fails to state that it consists of two volumes. I ordered the book and received only Volume II, which alone is of little use to me.

I have the audio tape of The Road to Optimism and Dr. Perry's Language Inclusion Process really works. It has changed my entire outlook and my company is flourishing because of it.

Simple understanding of how we get the results we get in life and how we can change those results if we choose to do so. The simplicity of the language inclusion process and ease of understanding makes this book a joy to read. Should be a must read for anyone who works with people!

In his debut book, Gritz contributing writer Mitch Lopate collects many of his interviews, reviews, thoughts, essays, and commentaries into one fine volume.

Many of these pieces first appeared online at gritz.net and in our print publication.

Come along as Lopate goes one on one with Derek and The Dominos icon Bobby Whitlock, Southern soul sister Bonnie Bramlett, The Band's Levon Helm and others.

Lopate drops essays on Buddy Guy, Roy Buchanan, Peter Green - CD reviews of Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Birds of Fire," Duane Allman "Anthology I and II", Delaney and Bonnie "On Tour," J.Geils' Band's "Full House," Eddie Hinton's "Letters From Mississippi," John Lennon's "Imagine," George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass," several early Allman Brothers albums, and many more, each one re-examined all these years later with Lopate's unique perspective.

Combined, Lopate's writings span 200-plus pages filled with the passion of a writer who obviously loves the music about which he writes. There's a lot of Southern heart in this Jersey boy, and it shows here - from Duane Allman to
George Harrison from down South Delta blues to British rock and classic rock, Lopate dives in head first - and the water is fine.


- Michael Buffalo Smith , GRITZ.NET

My husband Michael and I have known him since we were in middle school 38+ years ago--and yes, this is exactly the way things happen to him and why it's so much fun to read. The musicians and stories are wild, wonderful, and special. Bobby Whitlock serenaded Michael on the phone with a birthday song--then offered Carlos Santana's home number because we're huge fans. And our music collection hasn't been the same since Mitch started writing: we are bursting with terrific CDs, DVDs, and best of all, his adventures.

Being a Minnesota native, and a personal acquaintance of the author of this novel, I approached Romantic Standards with the highest of hopes. Sadly, those hopes were dashed upon the cold, wet rocks of cliche'. This novel details the relationship between Tom and Grace. Tom is the manager for an upscale local restaurant who has a very brief occular encounter with love interest Grace, passing on the sidewalk outside of the bar Tom is attending at the time. When Tom's restaurant decides they'd really like a piano and player in their restaurant, nobody is very surprised when Grace shows up (except for Tom of course, for him it's "destiny"). What ensues is a carefully thought out, yet poorly executed affair betwixt the two main characters of the novel. Everything with the affair happens exactly as you've seen it happen in millions of romantic comedies and countless bodice-ripping Harlequin brand romance rags. Though I will not give the ending away, suffice to say that it is excessively unrealistic, as if the author could not bring himself to leave his main character in anything less than a fairy tale situation at the close of the story. While this is an admirable instinct, it displays an immaturity of storytelling that this reader sincerely hopes the author is able to overcome in his long overdue second novel. While disappointed by this particular display of effort, I am still very much looking forward to Mr. Strand's next novel, which, I am assured, will be arriving very shortly!

A first time author? Creative Arts should be so lucky to have this man with them. He is bound to go places. This story is so smooth moving that you don't want to put it down. "It's smooth as butter" . GET IT. READ IT. And hope he comes back with more.

Kudos to Dr. Helen Mitchell, author of the most accessible philosophy textbook I've ever read! Finally.... a philosophy book that incorporates African, Indian, Asian, and Feminist Wisdom alongside traditional philosophers. Appealing to a variety of readers, Roots of Wisdom is a compelling read. I refer to it often, and keep it close at hand. It is an invaluable resource for writing academic papers, and quite simply a joy to read!

Helen Buss Mitchell does a great job at introducing the reader to philosophical topics and concepts through this book and its accompanying "reader" with excerpts from essays by astute philosophical authors. I am currently enrolled in a philosophy telecourse and these are the required books for the class along with two videotapes. IF you can get the videotapes, they help a great deal as well. Mitchell has poets and authors reading some of their work as she discusses how it relates to the topic at hand. Even if you are not enrolled in school but want a solid grounding in philosophy, I highly recommend these books.

Roslindale is Boston's best kept secret and for those "in the know", this is an indespensible book. Great pbotos, and an interesting history to go with it. Someday the rest of Boston will realize the 'jewel' it has in Roslindale - this may do the trick!

Well researched and documented with incredible photographs going back to the turn of the century. I saw the town where I grew up "way back when".

I've always been fascinated by history and wished I could travel back in time and see familiar places as they once looked - this book provided the "magic carpet" to do just that.

I received this book as a Christmas gift and spent hours poring over it. It has become a treasured possession and will be passed down to my children.

This book captures the interesting story of an American Jewish young man as he makes the transition to adulthood in the 1950s. The extensive use of details and navy settings depicts the times accurately and will be easy to identify with for anyone familiar with this era or military service.

The narrator's cheerfulness and the optimistic, open nature he displays as he allows free reign to his character's curiosity makes for a delightful read.

To flex his narrative muscle in a wider zone, perhaps this author will consider a sequel written from a feminine perspective.

Mitch Rycus, Ph.D., has written a warm-hearted and insightful book about the experiences of a young man during World War II. The reader understands and feels the confusion and insights of this young man as he meets new people and confronts unexpected challenges. This is a terrific book to read and discuss with those who have war-time experiences as well as with those who are too young to have experienced a war.

Mitchell's "Colonising Egypt" transformed my experience as a student in Egypt, so I was looking forward to this work from one of the best minds in in Middle East Studies. "Rule of Experts: Egypt, Techno-Politics, Modernity" does not disappoint. Mitchell's work is self-reflective, de-orientalized, thought-provoking scholarship. Mitchell not only connects contemporary political and postmodern theory to his Egyptian primary sources, but he extends theory in new directions and unique interdisiplinary ways. Mitchell empowers the reader to think critically about the negative influences of power and hegemonic discourse on policy and scholarship to create distorted representations and self-fulfilling, self-replicating prophecies. We need more writers like Mitchell to question and challenge the current theory and expertise that has so much currency and momentum in the echo chambers of the Washington Consensus.

The essays cover a wide range of 20th-century topics from malaria to mapmaking, from the manipulated image of the peasant to techno-political nonsense in current development praxis. I have long believed that developmental applications of modern economic theory are very much a "faith-based" process, and Mitchell has put these thoughts in engaging prose. In addition, I was particularly impressed by the chapter on violence, which helped me frame my own thinking on violence, for example, in Syria, Algeria, or Tunisia, places where not so hidden violence functions as an instrument of power and social control. Mitchell writes eloquently on issues that have troubled most of those who work or live or travel in the developing world and who have not found the right language to express their reservations about the descriptive and prescriptive power of current scholarship and techno-political expertise.

Timothy Mitchell writes consistently on the Middle East in ways that challenge the presupposition of field. This book is a collection and revision of many studies previously published, but they are integrated into a whole to provide insights into new ways to consider. The conclusions thereof are wide-ranging, highlighting the falsification and fallacies of behind the reasoned application of universalized logics capital and techno-politics to Egyptian particularities.

Mitchell's most powerful and provocative insights occur in his essays on the history of peasant politics in instances of malaria epidemics, colonial agricultural policies, and violence and the establishment of private property and land 'reforms'. This work likely can bring its insights to bear are on any research currently being done on the Middle East.

The book is very practical and complete. Even if you have a lot of experience it is easy to forget or overlook opportunities to do better. The book is very complete, overlooking little or nothing, but is is written so well and to the point that you can use it very efficiently as an outline to plan your marketing and sales effort. Many excellent ideas.

There are lots of interesting materials in this field, but the Mitchell book is the most useful I've found. My copy is already well-thumbed as it is the main reference source I use when reviewing development plans. The checklist format makes it easy to quickly compare state-of-the-art marketing with our efforts and make sure nothing is left out. In addition to being comprehensive, many of the ideas included are innovative and have caused us to modify our marketing strategies to incorporate more modern techniques.

This book can improve any marketing program. I recommend it highly.