Nicholson Books

For those who would like to know more about Mr. Wright, this is the starting point. It reminds me of an extended encyclopedia entry. It's very accurate, complete and straight forward. It's a complex story of murder, arson, hubris, womanizing, and genius. It's rolled out in a very interesting and, if brief, authoritative and digestable form.
I recommend it for those of high school age and beyond. Unfortunately it does not contain any photos of Mr. Wright's works. The line drawings are just OK.

This is quite a nice little book detailing the role of the British Secret Service in various post-WW2 areas, including Cyprus, Palestine, Egypt and Iran, plus lots on the Cold War and of how MI6 was continually infiltrated by the KGB.

It seems that various countries underestimated Nasser of Egypt. The British Prime Minister of the time, Anthony Eden, is quoted as declaring that he wanted Nasser "destroyed". This would appear to be an example of what was known as traditional British "gunboat diplomacy". The account of how the British were kicked out of Palestine was interesting, and also of how MI6 and the CIA worked together to orchestrate a coup in Iran following nationalisation of the Iranian oil industry.

There are lots of cheap copies of this book on Amazon's UK site.

I found this book once in a library of the town I used to go to college in. Though it has no real organization, it has tons of historical references and stories dealing with the actual history and writings of alchemy.

I would love to have my own copy of this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants an accurate view of the history of alchemy. It covers practically every major figure in alchemy and then some with actual translations of some of their works and comments about them by their peers.

The author attempts interesting 'symbolic' interpretations of some of Holbeins' more famous works in the visual context of the time. For example, Anna of Cleves' asymmetrical dress trim says "No social graces", to the initiated. One wonders why the King didn't see this if it was indeed common to include visual puns in paintings? I took issue with the author's rather silly descriptions of 16th century religious books as 'best-sellers', as if there was some sort of survey going on at the time. Otherwise, this is a very worthwhile addition to any Holbein fan's collection. It's written intelligently and attempts to place the artist in the various towns and countries with reason. And it will make you look twice at ALL the details in all the versions of a Holbein painting!

Christopher Bigsby takes Nathaniel Hawthorne's protaganist and gives her a voice. He finds her a sympathetic person with a big problem. She is married to a horrible man and social convention won't allow her a way out. She does meet and form a relationship with another man but alas he is also trapped in a relationship which drains life from him. Is there any way out? Of course the answer is no, but this book allows us to look at the characters in a gentle more sympathtic light. It is no longer about the neighbors wrath as much as how our characters cope. Bigsby sheds some light on his own infatuation of the book, The Scarlett Letter. A nice, respectful, gentle story.

While this book is a very good piece of literature, its story line is often stark and painful--love complicated by misunderstandings, deaths, subterfuge. Not recommended for the faint-hearted. But a great read.

Nigel Nicholson is a Professor of Organizational Behavior and the Director of the Center for Organizational Research at London Business School, UK. This article was published in the January 2003-issue of Harvard Business Review.

We all know or aware of them, people that do not do what you want. Nicholson believes you cannot motivate these problem people: "Only they themselves can." So what does that mean for their managers? They need "to create the circumstances in which their inherent motivation (natural commitment and drive) is freed and channeled toward achievable goals." The author introduces a method that involves shifting the responsibility for motivation from subject to object, from boss to subordinate. This method is based on a handful principles: Everyone has motivational energy; this energy is often blocked in the workplace; and removing blockages requires employee participation. The author supplements this with seven typical hazards in handling problem people. By using several examples, the author introduces a three-step process for a solution or resolution: (1) Create a rich picture, which means getting as much information as you can from as many sources as possible. (2) Reframe your goals, based on your (revised) picture you should set achievable and realistic goals for your problem employee. (3) Stage the encounter, which should consist of an affirmative assertion, leverage questioning, and the 'moment of truth'. The author believes that this method will at least lead to a resolution, if not solution, for dealing with problem people issues.

Nice article on a difficult management issue. The three-step process is largely build on an emotional approach: trying to understand the problem employee, then trying to create circumstances so that this problem employee is able to motivate himself. The author is realistic enough to state that his method is not perfect, but I believe that the strongest point of this method (especially in the current knowledge-economy) is that it signals that the organization/manager not just deals with difficult people but is also humane in their approach. Highly recommended for managers. The author uses simple business US-English.

This book by Debby Sly is also published under the titles "The Practical Riders Handbook" and in large format as "How to Ride". It is also part of "The Book of Horses and Horse Care", so make sure you don't accidentally purchase this one twice! (the cover designs are all different too so watch out)

Another really good starter, lots of pictures, everything from getting on and steering through to introducing many of the equestrian sports. Excellent step-by-step photos for the novice and close ups of simple concepts like correct leg position (with comparison photos). As you progress you will still find this a handy reference guide to have in the bookshelf.

During an expat job in the UK, I would wonder how the countryside there got many of the features you see there. This book did a very good job of explaining the origins of roads, walls, forests, woods, pastures, hedges, etc in the UK. I look forward to tracking down a few more of Rackham's books on other parts of the world.

I purchased the book with the anticipation that I would learn more about Zoroastrianism and its practice. Instead, I found an engaging and well written book that disucsses the legacy of that ancient religion on Judiaism, Christianity and Islam. I also discovered quite a bit about pre-Islamic Persia.

Kriwaczek does a masterful job of detalining the shadows of Zarathustra's teachings in the present, and the tremendous debt world civilization owes to Zoroastrianism as a belief system: for example, the concept of "good" vs. "evil" in a cosmic battle for universal supremacy; or the idea of a paradise in the "hereafter"; even angels and demons are remnants of the old Persian religion. Its simply a wonderful read, and gives one a deeper understanding of the Near East in general and Iran specifically.