Nicholson Books

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.

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.

British Government and the Constitution: Text and Materials (Law in Context)

The Constitution of the United Kingdom: A Contextual Analysis (Constitutional Systems of the World)

This is one of the best books on UK's concept of constitutionalism. It deals with everything that one must know to understand the subject. As a text book, it deals with all nuances of constitutional politics that an academiic must be interested to know. The paraphas in boxed, especially of the great constitutional thinkers, judges and others, help the readers know the background of most of the topics included in it. For me, it was a great work updating all about what happended in this area in the United Kingdom since the last ten years - especially the changes brought about by the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005. I must say it has helped me a lot as a foreign lawyer.

I bought this book at the British Museum a few weeks ago and it has not left my side since. It's perhaps the most informative book on Ancient Egypt I've ever come across. Perfect for hobbiests to enthusiasts to anyone who wants a comprehensive resource. The book is amazingly complex in detail and filled with amazing pictures.

Louis Allen was a Japanese interpreter in the British Army in the Burma campaign. He has written this book with more of an understanding of the Japanese mindset. The description of the bloodletting of the Japanese armies at Imphal and Kohima give an insight into both the tactics and the attitudes of the, hitherto, undefeated Japanese armies in 1944. It is salutory to read the deprivation suffered by the Japanese as they tried break out from the Pegu Yomas to cross the Salween River and escape into Thailand. It is interesting, almost mandatory, to read this book in conjunction with Slim''s "Defeat into Victory".

When Kara Tate's father manages to burn down a Stonehall stud barn, Texas pride leaves Jordan Stonehall satisfied that his father's old enemy will rot in jail. But Kara has a plan for restitutiion-one a man like Jordan Stonehall is honor bound to accept.