Phillips Books

"So just for today... We'll breakfast on popcorn, and talk about our wishes. We'll make some paper airplanes soar and forget about the dishes." -from the book

In an increasingly busy world, Mama and Papa Bear have proposed a radical plan: just for today, the Bear family and their pets are going to do absolutely nothing but have fun and enjoy one another's company.

Choosing to ignore the laundry, turn off the telephone, and postpone bills and taxes, the Bear family indulges in a day of pleasure: squishing clay, playing dress up in funny hats, pretending they're opera singers, walking barefoot in the grass, juggling jelly beans, splashing in puddles, and riding bikes until dark are just a few of the wonderful activities they share.

Illustrated in gentle watercolors, Just for Today reminds us of the importance of quality time with loved ones and the inherent value in exchanging the demands of life with silly games and relaxing pastimes.

Alison Bonds Shapiro illustrates the radical story of a Bear family who decides to defy an increasingly busy world by turning off phones, faxes, and more. Beginning with parents promising a day free of nagging to bear cubs who decide to hide all the clocks, Just For Today by Jan Phillips evolves into a fun and thought-provoking picturebook story.

Just For Today is a delightful little book. It is about the kind of a day that many children dream about, when daily stress is gone and the hours are sweet with sharing and being with loved ones. There is time to pay attention to the lovely things in life and chores are put aside for a time. This is a sweet winsome book and I am sure children would enjoy it very much. I think this is a "read it again" story. There is a message for the grown-ups too, maybe spending time with loved ones is more important than getting everything done. The illustrations are beautiful -- a very special little book.

Wouldn't we all just love a day with no work, rules or responsibilities? I would!
This tale of a day off from everything but family just shines with love. The text is deceptively simple, speaking to how often we are weighted down with dozens of reasons NOT to just be with those we love, and the watercolor illustrations are whimsical, bright, and beautiful. Have your child, (or grandchild) look for all the bears' shoes when they decide to go barefoot (bearpaw?)
This is a book you'll read over and over; it will be the answer to "what shall we read tonight?" for years to come.

all our busy families occasionally took time to JUST enjoy each other's company. This simple, yet inspiring, read aloud will make children yearn for days just like that and, hopefully prompt harried moms and dads to take time to savor the families they've created. The delightful verse of the story comes joyfully to life with bright, fun, water-colored illustrations. This is a book to read over and over.

I have been able to master most of the lighting set ups it want except of coarse for that challengeing one of high key. This book I found to be a real help with finally understanding why i never could really get the backgrounds gleaming white. This book explains well and gives specific instruction. A good book.

This book gets a high recommendation from me. You will read this book and often say to yourself, "aw-ah". Lighting Techniques for High Key Portrait Photography is for those of you who are just starting out and those of you who have been at it a while and just can't quite achieve the results you are looking for. It's easy to read, easy to understand, offers great diagrams and wonderful examples. It will definitely help you take the guess work out of studio photography...aw-ah!!

As a proven do-it-yourselfer, I can recommend reading this material for understanding light ratios used in high key lighting. Over the years I stumbled with this and never figured it out on my own. I managed to achieve a style by accident but I never did find the right combination for glowing white portrait lighting. Now I have read just some of the first portion of this book and find it so very worth my money to have this explained to me I look forward to reading the rest and testing more.

I have learned portrait technique from some great professional photographers and I never uncovered this info until reading this book. My equipment is professional, my comfort with my skill level is moderate/intermediate but I am producing professional looking work with knowledge like this. Thanks to Norman.

This book has indepth but easy to understand guidlines and instructions for high key photography. I would recommend it highly.

This give all the info you need to get perfect High Key images. It gives all the light setup, type of backgrounds to use, model placement, and f/stop measurement. There are lot's of photo examples. Very well written.

Excellent book with plenty and colourful images. Easy to do mods that give your computer an amazing appearance

This book covers all the basics that a beginning modder would need to know. He also branches out into modding a computer out of found objects, using a swiss hard shell backpack as a working example. There are plenty of high quality, color photos that clearly illustrate all the processes he describes.

But my favorite aspect of this book is Paul's teachings of the proper mindset for a modder. Adventurous, inquisitive, creative, always looking for a new and/or better way to do things. He not only gives very practical advise about this mindset, but demonstrates it in the working projects he goes through in the book. It is refreshing to have the author show how he learns from his own work, instead of seeming to sit on a high throne from his 20+ years of experience.

For any computer nerd with a sense of self this book is a great guide on how to turn your favorite machine into a personalized spitting image of yourself. I found this book very easy to follow, and the instructions were easy to follow, with colour images and step by step instructions

I was in the process of building a new computer for myself and shopped Amazon.com for some books to help with my build, Maximum PC hit the mark with a book that walked me threw the whole process.Not only was I so impressed with this book, I came back and purchased two more of Maximum PC's books. Thier books are bright full colored and easy to read. You can't go wrong with any of thier books.

This is a great book! The entire book is printed on glossy paper with full color printing - really, a quality book. The book has good, clear photographs on almost every page, and the writing clear and easy to understand. I've read most of the boks on PC modding, and in my opinion, this is the best one.

In Sindiwe Magona's Mother to Mother, the old cliché put yourself in my shoes takes an interesting and unheard of twist. It is an excellent novel that gives impelling testimony of history as a basis for the actions of youth. In the story she is the mother of an accused murderer speaking to the mother of the victim. She tries to explain her and her son's history so the mother of the victim could understand why or how her son would kill her daughter. At a glance you would think what! Or how dare she! But because Magona goes into such depth of her peoples' background and uses first person throughout the novel, you will find yourself empathizing with the trials of her people.

This book is riveting. The mother-daughter relationship is powerful. The mother-son relationship is heart wrenching and warming. I felt the pain of blacks in South Africa. The understandable rage of teens in an oppressive environment is so clearly described. The human spirit that helps people survive even the most miserable conditions is a thread through this book as well. This book is a powerful read. I feel like I have been given a window on the human condition.

Mother to Mother tugs at the heartstrings as it reveals the anguish that this mother experiences on developing and raising up her family under the harsh apartheid system of government in South Africa. It is a real eye-opener as the author takes the reader on a journey into the homes of families uprooted by change.

I just spent my summer doing an internship teaching mothers from a squatter camp English literacy. Mother to Mother is one of the most impactful books I read while there. This book explains South Africa and the many complexities and discouraging factors that plague the beloved country. It has an excellent way of showing the heartache that a mother feels and the powerlessness of a mother to control her sons actions, but the unconditional love that a mother has for her child. I am very impressed by this book and would encourage everyone to read it. It will help you understand why things are the way they are in that country. It is easy to judge people, but this book puts the blacks actions into perspective. I love this book.

Ms Magona explains without any excuses why Mxolisi is a murderer. As a mother during apartheid the possibilities for Mandisa, Mxolisi's mother to direct her son's future did not exist. Mxolisi grew up in an enviroment where whites equal sorrow, death, distraction, poverty to name but a few. He never got the oppurtunity to grow up knowing that there are people like Amy Biehl. There are people who do look at blacks, as human beings. No mother comes from the hospital with a murderer in her arms. Every child deserves a chance, read the book to find out what Mxolisi's chances were. The book will take you on a tour of South Africa, it's past, and the possibilities of the future.

Phillip has brought to us a great biography of his life from his early career to his "We're not in Kansas anymore" chapter. He will delight you with his renditions of life growing up in several locations in the USA and one more than a few of us can relate to easily. His book has a lot of information that will surprise you! He has even managed to advise us in the types of harmful ocean inhabitants we should stay away from. His writing will charm you and keep you guessing on what the next part of his life will be that he will share with you, the reader.

A Potpourri of Observations, Opinions, and Experiences

Reminiscent of Tom Brokaw's quirky observations on small town life, Phillip A. Nickel mixes ingenious humor with beguiling honesty. From the warm, friendly humor of conviviality to borderline irreverent mockery he writes with a repartee of word play that had me laughing out loud for pages at a time. My favorites included his comparison of: "the highest point in the state of Kansas being equal to a mosquito bite on the rear of an elephant," and "taking a frozen diaper from the clothes line in mid winter Kansas, folding it in readiness for a quick change on baby Mark."

After completing 12 years of college and post graduate work, Phil and his wife, Carin, received their PH, D. degrees. A job opportunity opened in the state of California.

Whether describing details of parasitology, shaking hands with sports and movie celebrities, family outings at the beach, or relating class room shenanigans, Phil entertained, informed, and kept me engrossed ready to enjoy his next unpredictable adventure.

Midway into the book I had pretty well identified with Phil and thoroughly enjoyed his choice of words. I was touched when he made himself vulnerable by sharing some insights into his personal feelings: he writes, "June of 1969 had brought me in the state of happiness to the Golden State, the land of opportunity. Over the next 20 years, however, pleasures and disappointments, clarity and confusion, accomplishments and failures, contentment and discontentment were to swing back and forth like the mechanical device in Edgar Allen Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum."

Phil's adventures did take a tailspin, when internal politics, a difficult divorce, and career changes followed. Before hitting rock bottom romance and discovery of a soul mate, in the person of Ann Person, gave promise and a new meaning to life. Phil was soon established in a new career that utilized his education, and provided new challenges. He went to work as entomologist for Ventura County in the Environmental Health Department.

Early retirement or semi retirement, a move to the state of Oregon, life in the country and opportunities for world travel round out the final chapters of Phil's hilarious account of getting full value of life from a Nickel.

This is a great book for your next air flight, vacation reading, or a few fun filled hours in your recliner. Assertive, witty, entertaining, and idealistic, all describe, Phillip A. Nickel and his writing in "My Nickel's Worth an Autobiography."

My Nickel's Worth is a humorous, thought-provoking account of one American life that spans the Depression up to the current age, complete with intriguing anecdotes about the varying cultural mores and practices of each era. It is an educational and entertaining story.

This book should give you a realistic view on what life was like in rural America. I would give this book on a scale of 1-5 a 10. I am always amazed on how people overcome any an all hardships. We sometimes forget that many have paid a heavy price to be where we are today. The younger generation will probable never have to experience what our Fore Fathers experienced. I take my hat off to the author for sharing his life story.

My Nickel's Worth by Phillip A. Nickel, Ph.D. This is the highly enjoyable autobiography of an interesting man and good citizen. Anyone who wants to know what life was like for kids and teens in the forties and fifties will find it here. Anyone who grew up in small town or rural America in that timeframe will find lots of nostalgia here. Phil draws a detailed picture of life on the farm, from the vegetable garden and chicken house to heating bath water on the wood-burning kitchen range. This was life before TV but with plenty of radio programs and an occasional movie. Families worked together, played together, and ate dinner together. Phil has a delightfully wry sense of humor. Speaking of mowing a neighbor's lawn he says, "They had an up-to-date mower with spiral blades on a rotating cylinder, powered by whoever was behind it. When the grass was dry and not too long, the rotary blades made a pleasant whirling-cutting sound. If the grass was long and wet, I sometimes made a self-pitying whining sound." He developed his interest in biology into a career, first as a college instructor and professor, then as an entomologist in vector control in the Ventura County Environmental Health Department. Along the way he married, had a family, and divorced after the children were grown. He serendipitously met his soulmate; they married, he retired, and they moved back to Oregon. Phil's descriptions of his life experiences are vivid and warmly drawn. His battles with the local fauna as he tried to carve a flower garden out of the woods where his new home was built are hilarious to readers, if not to Phil. Deer ate his pansies, wild turkeys fouled his sidewalks, and burrowing moles damaged his plants' roots. Human urine was recommended as a deer repellant but Phil says the deer found fabric softener dryer sheets just as repulsive. He was also told that chewing gum would eradicate moles but says he found it too difficult to "get the stick of gum into their sharp-toothed little mouths." Phil tells some amusing and informative stories of his travels in Europe and the South Pacific and finishes up with some family history. All in all, this book is a great read and lots of fun.

Even though I was born and raised in Detroit, I found this book to be very enlightening. The trials and tribulations of Grayson Starks and his friend, Paul Proudberry, on the streets of Detroit were very real and true. Many Black people lived and still live in this manner.

When the author described the characters' experiences in the inner city, their exposure to the political system (both good and bad) and the riots in 1967, I relived every moment. Never have I read a book that has kept me so riveted.

I found this novel to be an intriguing and extraordinary engrossing read with a compelling powerful story, not only of Black and White relationships, but of other ethnic groups' dynamics in the United States. It keeps the reader looking forward to the next page, hoping it will not be the last. It is a page turner. The author is truly on his way. I can't wait for his next book. In the mean time, I will reread this one.

Oh my God. Where is oprah? Tell her that this is the novel that will raise the bar in American Literature for the next Millennium.

The author has written a first-rate book that provokes as well as educates the reader. It is written simply, and you know the author made it up, but you also know it to be real.

I grew-up in a small New England town, that had more chickens than people. It wasn't until I attended college, that I had real contact with minorities. In short, I was unaware of racial injustices and prejudices, such as the Starks family endured while living in the poor, black ghetto of Detroit, Michigan.

'A Peek Through The Curtain: A trilogy', provides an educational adventure, no, an odyssey for those less, or not at all, acquainted with the sub-culture in America, I mean Black-America, whose citizens have suffered under the terrible yoke of discrimination, in a land of great beauty but with even greater prejudices.

This novel is unlike any I've ever read. The author takes the reader step by step, year by year from the 1920's to the 1980's, tracing two Blacks, Grayson Starks and Paul Proudberry who start out poor as dirt and dumber than dumb, and emerge, years later, rich and powerful. One corrupted by the system, the other unsullied. Sounds familiar? Well, that's just the beginning. Not content with depicting the hopes and fears of one generation, he builds on that to show us the complexities confronting the next two generations, all the time redirecting our focus on the plight of the Japanese-Amrican and Cuban-American and weaves them into a nightmare of a plot.

An excellent book for all to read.

This author knows what he is writing about and he does it with an engaging and graphic style.

The book is about two young Blacks who migrate to Detroit Michigan from the South of the 1920's. Combatting racism from every side, each one takes a different style in dealing with their environment. The authors tracks the lives of the two different men and their families in such fashion as to reveal in colorful detail the intricacies and difficulties involved in life for Black Americans through the 1920's and into the 1980's. One son and grandson become Mayors of Detroit. The other's son, Paul, in a strange twist, becomes a mayoral assistant, setting off a remarkable turn of events.

The author, having observed and written about Black and White relationships then proceeds to introduce other ethnic groups into the plot and shows how each, while facing fomidable obstacles, either beats them down, or is beaten down. An unusually heart breaking part of the triology is the description of the incarceration of the Japanese-American during World War II, and the impact of their internment, specifically on two Nises (Japanese-American born) children.

Through out the trilogy, the reader will think that the author can do nothing more to shock or panic the reader --- then enter the characters of - Judge Hammond, C-square, Lemon, J.J. and Mr. Well-Hung. In my mind, these are five of the best characterizations to be read in American literature todate. The interaction of these five characters makes me feel that the author OWES the readers a sequel -- so as not to leave us hanging! This is a task he should find fairly simple, after having written such an extra-ordinary book!

Oh my God. Where is Oprah? Tell her that this is the novel that will raise the bar in American Literature for the next Millennium.

The author has written a first-rate book that provokes as well as educates the reader. It is written simply, and you know the author made it up, but you also know it to be real.

I grew-up in a small New England town, that had more chickens than people. It wasn't until I attended college, that I had real contact with minorities. In short, I was unaware of racial injustices and prejudices, such as the Starks family endured while living in the poor, black ghetto of Detroit, Michigan.

'A Peek Through The Curtain: A trilogy', provides an educational adventure, no, an odyssey for those less, or not at all, acquainted with the sub-culture in America, I mean Black-America, whose citizens have suffered under the terrible yoke of discrimination, in a land of great beauty but with even greater prejudices.

This novel is unlike any I've ever read. The author takes the reader step by step, year by year from the 1920's to the 1980's, tracing two Blacks, Grayson Starks and Paul Proudberry who start out poor as dirt and dumber than dumb, and emerge, years later, rich and powerful. One corrupted by the system, the other unsullied. Sounds familiar? Well, that's just the beginning. Not content with depicting the hopes and fears of one generation, he builds on that to show us the complexities confronting the next two generations, all the time redirecting our focus on the plight of the Japanese-Amrican and Cuban-American and weaves them into a nightmare of a plot.

An excellent book for all to read.

This Trilogy spans six decades, from 1920 to 1980. The setting is in Detroit, Michigan and records the experiences of two young Blacks, Grayson Starks and Paul Proudberry, who migrate from the South in 1920. The reader will live the shocking, nightmarish, outrageous and heartwarming experiences of their lives as new-comers to the promised land.

The first book, 'Up Jumped The Canaille', is a story of Grayson and his love for Justina, who he meets on the streets of Detroit and their mutual love of education and of Paul and his tragic response to racial discrimination.

The second book in the trilogy, 'Only Two Ways To Live', follows Grayson's son, Charles Starks, now Mayor of Detroit and portrays the emotional and political climates in Detroit and the nation over Affirmative Action. Mayor Starks's time in office is shortly after the 1967 riots, up to the time when the City's population becomes approximately 70 percent Black. Charles finds both success and tragedy in his implementation of the City's Affirmative Action policy, and particularly its impact upon the White bureaucracy, especially the Fire, Police and Personnel Department.

The third book in the trilogy, 'Lives Of Tears', follows the three grandchildren of Grayson and Justina when events in their lives spin out of control. The reader is taken beyond the boundaries of Black and White discrimination in the United States and hurdles them into situations of betrayal and murder based on the increasingly controversial subjects of reparations for Japanese-American and the anti-Cuban sentiment towards Fidel Castro's supporters.

'A Peek Through The Curtain', is a multi-generational trilogy that is replete with divided loyalties and ever conflicting ambitions as Blacks and other minorities, fight for a place at the table. As Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', has St. Claire say to his cousin, Miss Ophelia's outrage against slavery: 'Come, cousin, don't stand there looking like one of the Fates; you've only seen a peek through the curtain,- a specimen of what is going on, the world over, in some shape or other'.

"An alternative universe that ... could easily be heaven ... absurdly elegant ... A beautiful catalogue ... Their creations bristle with audacity, kitschy deadpanning, boldly playful sexiness, and ... a tinge of mystery ... Exquisite."

This book is an excellent presentation of Pierre et Gilles work, esp as a first purchase of their masterworks. It has a great introduction that explains their collaboration which will be of much interest, exp to modern graphic artists who want to do similr work. The prints are gorgeous, and there is a nice variety of work, without including their more "hardcore" pieces to scare off people from appreciatin their work.

Pierre et Gilles are exquisite interpreters of campy glamour.Their sexy saints,their innocently looking yet sizzyingly sexy boys and girls, are like a sumptous glittering candy. I've savoured their work.

This beautiful produced book , accompanying a major exhibition at the new Museum of Contemporary Art, in New York, is a wonderful introduction for anyone to Pierre & Gilles beautiful & unique combination of photography and painting. I have been a fan of Pierre & Gilles for many years, and have enjoyed all of the wonderful collection of books published about them over the years, but this book was indeed welcomed because it has a lot of their new unpublished photographic paintings. Art critic & curator, Dan Cameron, gives a great overview & history of Pierre & Gille's photographic paintings as well as a complete explanation of all of the images presented in this book. It's very insightful and I learned a lot more than I knew before.

So if you are a true fan of Pierre & Gilles work you definitely should have this beautiful book in your collection, or if their work is new to you this is one of the best introductions to their talented and very unique photography.

These two artist are some of the most avantgard and ambicouis photographers of our time. With their representations of saints and their homoerotic pieces they have something for jsut about anybody. I recommmend this book to anyone who is looking to add a very different type of art to their home library!

Wonderful, touching story of a young man who awakes from a coma only to find his lover murdered.Excellent backstory on the life of Philip,the victim, and the why and how this vicious, senseless crime happened.
As Peter slowly starts to regain his memory, the reader, also, is trying to piece together the events leading up to the brutal murder.
We feel Peter's loss. We fall in love with Philip. We WANT to find the killer. We want to remember.
Smooth-flowing story. Wonderful secondary characters that enhance this poignant story. JP Bowie takes the reader on a very emotional ride that you can't get off of.
Couldn't put it down.

Okay, all you fans of a good mystery novel. You HAVE to read this book!! J.P. Bowie really knows how to keep the reader guessing and he knows how to develop extremely likeable characters. And as you read the others in this "Portait" series, the more you care about them.
If you want a good "can't put down" book, this is the one!!! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

J.P. Bowie, in A PORTRIAT OF PHILLIP, has created endearing and complex characters in his novel. This particular edition is the paperback version of the original published some years ago. We first meet Peter Brandon, a young gay artist, while he is caught in the swirling darkness of a coma. The coma is the result of a brutal beating, one in which is lover, Phillip, is killed. Peter emerges from his coma 3 years after the assault, to discover himself in a hospital room, being tended to by a physical therapist, Andrew, and his devoted mother, Eva Brandon.
During his recovery, Peter commits himself to finding the men who committed the crimes against himself and his lover Phillip.
Enter Jeff Stevens, a gay ex-cop, who through a series of coincidences, happens to know about the crimes and Andrew's lover David. Introductions...yada..yada...and Jeff begins to search for the criminals with Peter. Along the way, they find themselves mutually attracted,...and...the story progress from that point. Needless to say, the resolution to the crime is satisfactory, and a new love,as well as a new "detective team", is born.

This is an interesting and sensitive book, permitting the reader to examine an entire host of emotions. It is essential to read this book first if one is going to read the 3 subsequent books based upon the Brandon/Stevens relationship. I highly recommend this book.

I thought this book would be a combination gay romance and "mystery" novel. In some ways it is, but in another way not. It certainly is a powerful gay romance novel, as it spotlights at least three warm and loving gay relationships, counting the one that develops between Peter and Jeff during the novel, and two couples who are close friends of Peter (Andrew and David and the British couple, Rod and Arthur). And it is a bit of a "mystery" what will happen to the fiends who killed Phillip and bashed Peter, though the reader learns early on who the bashers/killers are. It is a bit of a suspense novel, since the bashers/killers stalk our intrepid heroes and nearly do them in several times.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I loved the major characters. It convinced me to read at least one or two more of Bowie's PI novels about Jeff and Peter to see how their relationship develops. Pleasant diversion.

Being a fan of the way Sydney Sheldon (Master of the Game) and Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code) write stories, I initially had my doubts, but the moment I started reading this book I knew I had hit the jackpot. This is an author who can weave that same story-telling magic as Sheldon and Brown and write stories where the gay guys (like me) are the heroes. I especially like the fact that the gay characters are created from a perspective of normalcy rather than the traditional perspective. This book stimulated me as well as made me laugh and cry.

This book describes the way to assess a project management improvement initiative following the concept of the balanced scorecard. It uses a change stage approach that leads to a real ROI: from reaction/satisfaction (acceptance), learning, application/implementation, business impact and quantified ROI. It also provides advice on how to measure each of these stages. I have found the project follow-up questionnaire especially insightful.
At first, I found this book a bit confusing about whether it was trying to assess projects themselves or the project management initiative, but after a second look at it, I see it as is really useful if you need to show the benefits of implementing/developing project management in your organization.

Having read and then reviewed three books co-authored by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton (The Balanced Scorecard, The Strategy-Focused Organization, and Strategy Maps) as well as Paul R. Niven's Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step, all of which I highly regard, I was especially interested in reading this book which the authors explain how to measure the success of project management solutions.

In the Preface, they assert that, currently, "there is no book that offers a comprehensive, practical presentation on a project management scorecard, using a process that meets the demands of [project managers, clients and senior managers who must approve project budgets, and evaluation researchers who develop, explore, and analyze new processes and techniques]. Most models and representations of the scorecard process ignore, or provide very little insight into, the two key elements essential to developing the scorecard: isolating the effects of project management solutions and converting data to monetary values." Others (notably Kaplan, Norton, and Niven) are far better qualified than I am to verify or dispute that claim. Of greater interest to me is how well organized and written this book is, and, how helpful I believe it will be, at least to project managers as well as to those who must approve project budgets. My Five Star rating speaks for itself.

Phillips, Bothell, and Snead present their material within four Parts: Setting the Stage (e.g. "Project Management Issues and Challenges), The Seven Measures (e.g. "How to Capture Business Impact Data"), Key Issues with the Measures (e.g. "How to Convert Business Measures to Monetary Values"), and Challenges (e.g. "Overcoming Resistance and Barriers to the Project Management Scorecard"). They conclude with an Appendix in which they suggest how to establish an effective project management culture. In it, they identify 16 "Best Practices" and include a brief case study example for each.

What I especially appreciate about this volume is the fact that the authors devote the bulk of their attention to explaining how to implement effectively the various concepts, strategies, and tactics they present. They are also to be commended for concluding each of the 16 chapters with a "Final Thoughts" section. This facilitates a convenient review when a reader wishes to review key points. In fact, I strongly recommend to project managers that they complete such a review at least every 90 days but, preferably, every 30 days throughout their project's duration.

As the authors correctly point out, "One of the greatest challenges is deciding which costs should be included in the project solution cost calculation. For some projects, certain costs are hidden and never included in the cost calculation. Our preference is a conservative one: Account for all costs, both direct and indirect."

There are several major cost categories:

Initial analysis and assessment
Development of solutions
Acquisition of solutions
Implementation and application
Maintenance and monitoring
Administrative support and overhead
Evaluation and reporting

For most projects, the authors recommend this sequence by which to convert data to monetary values:

1. First, define a unit of measure
2. Determine the monetary value of each unit
3. Calculate the change in performance data
4. Determine the annual rate (and amount) of change
5. Calculate the annual value of the improvement

"Costs are important and should be fully loaded in the ROI calculation. From a practical standpoint, some costs may be optional based on an organization's guidelines and philosophy. However, because of the scrutiny involved in the ROI calculations, it is recommended that all costs be included, even if this goes beyond the requirements of the policy."

In this volume, Phillips, Bothell, and Snead offer a wealth of information and counsel which can help achieve the ultimate success of almost any project in almost any organization. That success can then inform and guide efforts to create throughout the same organization a "project management culture."

I love this book! Why?
1. It is written in easy to read style, simple and direct; anyone with minimal PM expertise, culture will understand it
2. It is covering a wide range of tools and possibilities
3. Anyone can start design, or adjust her/his own tools immediately
4. A great refference for future, to come and review it from time to time
5. It is obvious the author has experience in practicing what he is preaching

Begginer PM practitioner will find a lot of good points, easy to catch and study for future.
Experienced PM experts will have an useful guide to improve or design their own PM tools and ideas to adjust their appeoaches and processes. Highly recommended!

This book is ROI-focused and integrates the people and process elements of project management with a balanced scorecard approach. One of the authors, Jack J. Phillips, has extensive experience and a large published body of knowledge in the domains of HR, ROI and scorecard development. This book has his touch, and covers the essentials of a mature project organization, what to measure and how to measure it.

The approach is as follows:
1. Measure:
* reaction and satisfaction
* skill and knowledge churn during the project
* implementation and progress metrics throughout the project
2. From the metrics capture:
* business impact data
* ROI
3. Identify both tangible and intangible benefits and apply them to an aggregate 'true cost'.

The book also shows how to translate business metrics to dollar values, build a business case, and communicate status, based on the scorecard, to clients and stakeholders. This is essential for anyone who is setting up or managing a program management office or who wants to improve internal project managment processes. It also provides one of the best methods for communicating status to clients and upper management.

This book has a mundane title but could be titled "Everything you ever wanted to know about project success and then some". The Project Management Scorecard focuses on how to evaluate and measure the success of project management solutions. Given that failed projects are far more common than successful projects, executives are investing more time and money in developing project managers. This book recognizes the challenges in measuring the return on project management investment and provides clarity and techniques on how to overcome this obstacle.

The book is very thorough in its examination of the problems, process, and solutions to measuring project management success. First the authors break down the problem into its component parts, then they take a look at the project management process steps, and finally they present multiple approaches on how to create an effective scorecard and to use it to achieve desired results. The book includes not only straight-forward steps to follow, but also questionnaires and forms that can be easily used. Success stories and case studies are also included to illustrate major points.

Some of the topics include the following:
o Project management issues and challenges
o Changing corporate cultures
o Measuring reaction and satisfaction
o How to calculate and interpret and ROI
o Capturing business impact data
o Measuring skill and knowledge changes during the project
o Monitoring the true costs of the project
o Converting business measure to monetary values
o Forecasting ROI

This book provides a straight-forward approach to setting up and measuring project success. The authors have taken an onerous topic and provided clarity through simple techniques that can be easily adopted. If implemented, the solutions presented should siginificantly contribute to overall organizational success.

Colorful Pictures, Super easy instructions. If you like doing Bargellos, this book is a must have.

This book was in better condition than stated and was everything it was advertised to me. I am very happy with it.

Personally, I never cared one way or the other about bargello until I saw the "Bargello in the Round" quilt (made in neutrals) displayed at a local quilt show. I bought the book specifically for that pattern and can hardly wait to make it.

I have been looking for a pattern in Quilts Without Corners since last summer when I saw it on the Internet. A quilting blog gave me the name of the book it is from, and I immediately located it on Amazon. What a wonderful book; I can't wait to try all the patterns in it!

The instructions are just so easy to follow. The peices sew together accurately. I have just stepped out of my comfort zone of square and rectangular quilts and am now embarking on making circular quilts and quilts with curves thanks to this book and the marvellous template I purchased to make circular quilts. I would encourage any one to try. It is so much easier than I thought. Don't know why I have waited so long......