Nicholson Books

Understanding kinesics for the rider's interaction with the horse lead me to order this book which came today and it is so full of data and rich in detail it deserves detailed analysis and study. I am hoping to get through it by next week but in reading it already my wife and I have learned things that are making us think as riders on how to interact with a horse. We are also trying to rehab a mare that may need some stretching out to repair past damage before we encountered her and this may be of aid to us in that effort.

In the 1930's young librarian Lucy Merrydew is about to marry into the wealthy Bolsover family when she receives a threatening letter accompanied by a severed finger. Private detective Johnny Black's enquiries to find out who is behind this blackest of mail takes him firstly to Buckfast Hall, the Bolsover family sesat, a seething broth of intrigue and emotions. When a body is found floating in the river, the emphasis shifts dramatically, and Black finds himself up to his neck in murder most foul.

Readers may wonder about the obscure title: why exactly an `Encyclopedic Dictionary'? Don't be put off, however, by this imposing name. What we have here is a genuinely useful book that should be close to hand in the offices of managers who really want to understand their profession. Organisational Behaviour studies what makes people do as they do when they gather together in task-oriented groups. This dictionary provides a (largely) jargon free guide to the best academic thinking on the subject. It contains around 500 entries of about 1000 words each, written by 180 specialists from the discipline.

The entries are cross-referenced so you can start reading on any topic of interest and follow a web of connections through the book that broadens and deepens your understanding of the subject. Like the best reference books its easy to pick it up wanting a quick definition only to find you're still reading an hour later because of the fascinating connected material it contains.

For example, looking at the entry on "crises" leads to references for `accidents' (reviewing how failures happen because of the complex interactions of systems); `Identification' (of causes); `decentralisation' (as a means of avoiding accidents); `risk taking and `organisational learning'. Entries on `decision-making', `group decision-making', `organisational neurosis', `culture' and `innovation' to name just five are all equally fascinating and lead on to yet more useful entries.

Any one responsible for managing people will find material here to improve their understanding of the task. Managers should avoid the latest airport news-stand pot-boiler on business advice and instead invest in this book. By business book standards the paperback is good value. More often than not you'll find it will be open on your desk rather than gathering dust on the shelf.

I recommended this book to a friend last week. It is one of the most well-read books I have; I refer to it all the time.

What makes it so good? It is practical. Anyone reading this book can build a board charter and develop their own framework for analysing and improving the efficiency of their board. I should hate it! It could leave me unemployed!

The book is based on four key elements of good board practice:
1. Defining governance roles
2. Improving board processes
3. Key board functions, and
4. Continuing improvement

I often find, when advising boards, that lack of consensus on the role of the board and individual directors is the root of conflict. Many boards simply assume that each new director automatically perform to expectations. Sadly, this is often an erroneous assumption.

Having worked out exactly what role your board wants to play (and what it will expect management to do) the book then runs briskly through processes that enhance efficiency. The elements are effectively covered without making any molehills into mountains.

For me, the best part of the book is the practical way each of the key functions (strategy, risk management, CEO selection, etc.) is addressed. Instead of following the stratagem of books by former regulators and `eminent lawyers' by saying what must be done but not how to do it, this book goes through the nuts and bolts of how good boards tend to approach each activity. Some options are explained and the continuum from `hands on development' to `approving and endorsing' is established without any of the authors' personal biases coming through.

The section on continuing improvement is now dated; most modern boards do not need to be sold the idea that performance measurement leads to performance improvement. Still, the techniques are clear and choices are spelt out so the reader can make an informed selection.

The chapter on future directions in corporate governance is great. The past five years have proved that this chapter was well edited and the authors picked up the key trends without buying in to the hysteria and prescriptive predictions that were common in 2003.

The book has stood the test of time. It is written by two well respected practitioners and is a useful source of reference. I would not be as wealthy, but my life would be far easier if every board had a copy of this book and a member who had read it.

* Julie Garland McLellan is a governance and board consultant. She is a professional non-executive director and an AICD NSW Councillor. Her newsletter `The Directors Dilemma' (available at www.mclellan.com.au) is read worldwide. She is the author of "All Above Board: Great Governance for the Government Sector" and is currently working on her second book "All Above Board: Great Governance of Strategy and Risk".

The Body Electric deals with the science of the merging of biology and technology. In it, James Geary discusses the advances in biotechnology and provides a glance into the future when new technologies may replace organs and repair and enhance the senses. Devices made of silicon will eventually enhance the human brain and body in ways unheard of today. In the chapter titled Sight/Vision Thing, we learn that computers will be able to analyse facial expressions for various purposes. In the chapters Hearing/Sounds Of Science and Smell/Advances In Odour Space the possibility is raised of transporting odours and flavours via the internet and if this will become just another advertising tool. There are also Taste/Fun With Electric Tongues; Touch/The World Is Your Interface, in which haptic interfaces are discussed, and finally, Mind/The Sixth Sense. The convergence of biology and technology is a fascinating field; this book also addresses some of the psychological, sociological and philosophical implications of these future technologies. The discussion on new bionic senses becoming available is very interesting, like the possibility of seeing infrared and ultraviolet light, plus the possibility of hitherto unknown senses becoming available. The whole framework of existence is changing as the human body becomes electric, opening wider the doors of perception. This great book contains 13 illustrations and concludes with an extensive bibliography and a helpful index.

This book wil tell you evrything there is to know about bon jovi as a band and as people, there is also a brilliant intervew disk to sink your teeth into, enjoy!!

This bulky book (880 pages) is a real tribute to horses and consists of four parts: The World's Horse; the Horse in Art; the Horse in Literature and Buying a Horse. In these four parts a lot of aspects are discussed like General History, The Great Horse of Europe, Racing in England, various countries, various breeds, The Horse in Agriculture, Haute Ecole, The Horse in War, The Horse in Trade, The Circus Horse, The Horse in Art, The Horse in the Hunting Field, Flat Racing in England, Reflections on Hunting, Driving and Coaching, Steeplechasing, The Horse in Sport, Racing in America, Conformation of the Horse, British Thoroughbred Breeding, The Horse in South America, The Cleveland Bay, The Shire Horse, etc. etc.
There are quite a lot of illustrations (200+)in this marvellous book.

Awesome collection of 25 short stories and essays about soccer. My favorites were Stephen Baxter's "Clods," Tim Pears' "Ebony International" Nicholas Lezards' "The Beautiful Game," Steve Grant's "Casuals," Geoff Nicholson's "The Winning Side," Mark Morris's "The Shirt," and Mark Timlin's "Wonder Boy." That said, almost every story has something worthwhile about it, and for a soccer fan, this is a must read.

While other biographies spend time with external events, This book concentrates on Brech and his works. It shows his time in Weimar Germany and through the East Germany. Both his marriages are described.

There is an eight-page chronology to put the works in prospective.

Part One - Barvarian Beginnings

Part Two - Berlin

Part Three - Scandinavian Exile

Part Four - Brecht in Hollywood

Part Five - Towards the Schiffbauerdamm

If you just think that the charge of the light brigade was the whole fight in the Crimean War, then take some time and check this book out. This war was the start of the birth of the Modern British Army. Yes, that war was so bloody awful that it caused the start of the reform of one of the most conservative institutions in history. Picture the the US Army of WWII fighting in Iraq today with the same equipment,systems and you start to get the idea. As an added bonus the Uniform Illustrations are great.