Rich Books

Ben Sonnenberg may rue that "in my worst recurring dream I'm cut at a party by Henry James," but James would be the loser. "Lost Property" takes up post-JFK New York City where Dawn Powell had to leave off, and Sonnenberg proves himself a one-man Goncourt Brothers. "Confessions" require transgressions, but being a "bad boy" suggests venial rather than venal sins. "I heard from a friend of my father's that no one is truly a man until his heart has been broken three times," a record easily surpassed in this chronicle of lovers, celebrities, and mismatches, projects, travels, and quiet triumphs, amid a torrent of literature. ("Publishers Weekly," above, neatly reprises the facts.)

Then midway through the journey of this life comes a knock at the door for this "grey-haired youth": MS. Yet his condition eventually let Sonnenberg channel his energies into founding the quarterly "Grand Street" and, between 1981 and 1990, editing 35 classic issues. The roll-call of topics and authors still astonishes: "A Grand Street Reader" (1986) and "Performance and Reality: Essays from Grand Street" (1989) collect 64 exemplary stories, poems, and essays.

Some reviewers of the original edition were upset by a confession which did not include absolution: there are explanations but, refreshingly, no excuses. Those who enjoy it will want to compare accounts with "Strangers in the House: Life Stories" by Dorothy Gallagher, his present wife. To dissuade her from marrying him, Sonnenberg says of MS, "It's pernicious, but not fatal"---an unfussy accuracy of word choice characteristic of a style like Sancerre, the clean, slatey white wine from the Loire. Counterpoint's handsome reissue re-sets the text attractively, and corrects a few errors; name-chasers will admire the useful index. (Check out Glenn Gould, pages 66-69.) "Lost Property" shows how one man trumped the curse of remembering.

I wrote a review for amazon weeks ago and it hasn't appeared. Please let me know why.

This book made me miss my Metro stop and feed my children cold, canned food -- I couldn't get back to it fast enough and went through a minor depression after finishing it. Sonnenberg has a wonderful self-deprecating sense of humor and writes exquisitely. For some unknown reason, this book reminded me of "Of Human Bondage". If only he'd write another.... And without this book, the world would lose small gems such as "short, but very thick, and it smelled of honey."

There are some things the world needs to know.

I thought I knew just about everything there was about Lucy. This books goes over all of Lucy's life and everybody she worked with and then some. It is enjoyable to just read it thru but an excellent resource to just look up things about her life. Want to get some information about Fred Mertz....you can find it easily. I even discovered that Lucy and Desi were not the first couple to have a baby on their tv show. To find out who , well you'll just have to find the book and read it for yourself.

"Lucy A to Z" is well researched and fact filled. It is one of the few books about Lucille Ball that I can recommend without reservation and I have read most of them. It is an easy read and well worth the time invested in reading about Lucy's career. Wanda Clark

Everything you could ever want to know about Lucy...in one place! I bought a copy of the second edition a few years ago and liked it very much, but I was disappointed that there were no pictures inside. Well, the author has taken care of that in this new fourth edition, and then some! There are lots of pictures, many of which I haven't seen before. The cover photo alone is a real knockout! Not only that, but the book size is bigger and there are many more new entries. It looks like it has been totally redesigned. And if you ever needed to find out anything about Lucy, it's an encyclopedia format, so just look alphabetically (there's also a huge index). I love Lucy, and I love this book! Highly recommended.

I was a fairly big Lucy fan but hadn't bought many books about her, mostly those about her show, I Love Lucy. But when I found this book, the idea of an encyclopedia intrigued me, and I figured there'd be lots of stuff about I Love Lucy, in any case. There sure is, and there's a lot more, on every aspect of Lucy's career, arranged alphabetically. The pictures are great and everything is super easy to find. The writing is both breezy and insightful; the author's obviously a big fan, but he knows his stuff. A lot of research must have gone into this. As someone else on the page says, if you need any `splainin' about anything in Lucy's life or career, it's here.

Arts Management Network recommends to buy this book, because no other book is currently available, which covers arts marketing in such a conceptual way. It is not written from a national but international point of view, so every arts manager and cultural administrator in the world, but also professionals busy with management, branding or promotion, will find this publication very useful. Indeed, Colbert has droped the term "arts marketing" to a new level!

Although much have been written in the are of arts and arts management, very little had been said about the marketing of the arts. This books fills the gap. The book will help artists in the marketing of their products

this is the best book on marketing the arts and culture in the context of the larger entertainment and leisure environment. An important addition to your library of marketing.

A well-written, highly practical guide to achieving organizational effectiveness at the work team level. The authors present a methodology that brings out the views and issues of core customers, employees, and owners. Part I provides a framework for measurement. Part II address five key areas that matter: trust, leadership, teamwork, performance, and profit. The book provides numerous examples, figures, and exercises.

This is a highly valuable work that gives sound guidance, and provides a clear, actionable approach for achieving results. Very highly recommended.

I reviewed this book before it was published and loved it - the second time around it got even better! The case studies and humor make what could be a very dry subject, compelling, interesting, fun, and actually useable by mere mortals! I read it cover to cover - hard to put down. I can't remember when that ever happened with a management book!

The best part for me is the practicality and simplicity of measuring what matters - getting down to BASICS - not all that 6 Sigma, Balanced Scorecard, TQM, Reengieering STUFF with complicated methods and jargon! This IS simple, "keeping the main thing, the main thing" as Covey says. McDaniel and Napier DISTILL so much common sense into ONE place .

It's SIMPLE, it's wise, and it works! I will be recommending this book to my clients - no matter whether they are in education, health, gov't, other non-profits, or in business - This book is a must anywhere humans are doing important work.

R.B. Hewertson, President, Highland Consulting Group, Inc. "Changing the World, One Leader at a Time"

In following the story of a fictional bookstore, this book really shows you how to practically apply organizational vision at the level where work is actual performed, at the level of the functional work team. By driving down to that level, this book's first looks at the relationship between that team and its stakeholders (customers - both internal and external - employees, and owners). It establishes the balance of value exchange, determines what matters in each interaction, and then uses metrics to help the functional work team do what is most important better. The great thing about this book is that it isn't rocket science; it takes complex ideas about value exchange and uses a practical example and common sense to show how anyone can apply these principles simply by measuring what matters.

Ths book not only is romantic, it is also a mystery-filled book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. A must-read!

I really liked this book because there was an obvious play on words, especially the title. Moriah Morgan has an agenda of her own, in spite of her mother's wish that she marry someone of considerable means and temper her reckless ways. An adventure is just what she gets when posing as a 'lady of the evening' to catch her sister, Sara Winslow's murderer. Valsin Masters is a brooding, dark, mysterious man with a special gift and a painful past that he refuses to open up to Moriah about--at first. Together they unravel the mystery behind the murders at Nassau, and discover a few mysteries of their own as well.

One thing I loved about Moriah Morgan is that, in spite of how naive she was in the beginning, she didn't let Sin dictate to her. Sin was always used to giving the orders and expecting to have them obeyed. Until Moriah Morgan came along, no one dared stand up to him except his overseer.

Valsin Masters had his own set of troubles. First, he thought he was responsible for his father's death. Munnando, the island voodoo priestess of 18, wanted to bare his child, but he refused to oblige, even after addicting the mulatto servant Callie on opium (tomcoo) and kidnapping Moriah. This and the realization that he could actually harm someone with his special gift if his emotions got out of hand would make anyone a basket case.

When I look for books to read, this is the kind that excites me becausse it has a little bit of everything in its pages. I encourage anyone who wants to read and experience an adventure to read this book.

I enjoyed reading Mistress of Sin. The characters were wonderful

I'm confused because I thought I wrote a review years ago. Well, at least I'm not confused about my investments thanx to Ben. Laughing all the way to the bank, yuck, yuck, yuck.

Mr. Schwalb's writing is lol funny. In fact I read sitting on the floor because I'm bent over laughing. Seriously. Bright, witty, entertaining and knowledgable.

Full of good advice and the humor to get us all through the day. Look for his other books. The one on dating is excellent, but I didn't see it listed on Amazon.

I like the author's straight-forward, no-nonsense style. He doesn't tell you how to get rich, nor does he claim to, but he gives lots of very good information and advice on how to save and invest money, make sound financial decisions and not get ripped off. He pulls no punches and calls liars and crooks exactly what they are. He is the funniest writer I have ever read, with the possible exception of Dave Barry. I think this is his first book - I searched for other books by this author and didn't find any.

If you like money, if you are interested in money this is the book for you. Money Can Make you Rich is truly that, rich in humor and a deep look at some of the funnier experiences of the author in pursuit of Money. His ability to laugh at himself, his mistakes in attempting to make money and at some of our concepts helps to take this light hearted look at a very serious subject. For the author's first published book I think this one is a hit!

No Ordinary Joe: A Life Of Joseph Pulitzer III provides a very fine scholarly biographical survey of the man who created the widely known Pulitzer Prize. Joseph was trained for succession to the Pulitzer media empire and worked hard to maintain his family's paper's liberal philosophy even as competitors began mixing news with entertainment. His many achievements in the newspaper world are detailed alongside interviews with over seventy who knew or worked with him: the result is a study spiced with personal insight and celebrating Pulitzer's impact on the publishing world as a whole.

No Ordinary Joe: A Life Of Joseph Pulitzer III provides a very fine scholarly biographical survey of the man who created the widely known Pulitzer Prize. Joseph was trained for succession to the Pulitzer media empire and worked hard to maintain his family's paper's liberal philosophy even as competitors began mixing news with entertainment. His many achievements in the newspaper world are detailed alongside interviews with over seventy who knew or worked with him: the result is a study spiced with personal insight and celebrating Pulitzer's impact on the publishing world as a whole.

As you watch the national news it is easy to see how the national organizations have blurred news and entertainment. Any attempt on their part to present all sides of a complex story disappears if they can find a blown up vehicle or an injured person. Politicans have learned that the few second sound byte has to convey the message they want or the message isn't getting on the air at all.

Further, there are only a handfull of newspapers that attempt to provide a full story. During the reign of Joseph Pulitzer III, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was one of that handfull. Politically liberal, the paper prospered during the years that other newspapers were failing, merging or converting to tabloid style.

This biography of Joseph Pulitzer III covers his life, but his life was never far removed from the newspaper. This book presents the story of a man not seen so often. Trained by his father from birth to run the paper he had the problems of employees not liking his style, of friction within the rest of the family, and more. It is a fascinating story, well researched, and well told.

For fans of the Order of the Stick, this is a must. A 72 page book on where the characters came from, how they met and what crimes they did before we meet them on the Web Comic. Done in a cool greyscale, that flashback look, and with a preface by Redcloak and an introduction by Rich Burlew this book is full of humor, beer, explosions, beer, drama, beer, magic, beer, beards, beer, costumes, beer and Belkar Bitterleaf (who is the most important character in the whole group).
So buy it. Why are you still reading this?

I'm not much of a comic book or manga fan. But the Order of the Stick is different, different, different! I must admit that a reader who has never played D&D might not catch every innuendo, but there are enough laughs for even the most uninitiated. The jokes and twists are hilarious and yet, with each comic, the story moves forward.
Origin of the PCs tells how the player characters (PC's) got their start and formed the infamous Order of the Stick. As Burlew's online strip starts with the party already together, it was fun to go back in time and see the characters before they knew each other. After all, how did a psychotic halfling, dwarven cleric, bumbling bard, androgynous mage, and opportunistic rogue all team up with a college-grad fighter on quest to avenge his father's death? Overall, a very fun read with plenty of chuckles. Now, I'm looking forward to 'Start of Darkness' for a similar look at the 'origin of the NPCs'. How did Xykon become a litch? What is the creature in the darkness? And how long will it take for SOD to reach Amazon, so we can order it here?

If you have EVER played an RPG, especially Dungeons and Dragons, this comic series will have you in stitches. Burlew thoroughly skewers everything from game mechanics, to racial stereotypes (androgynous elves, drunken dwarves, kleptomaniacal halflings) to intra-party politics. It's SOUTH PARK for gamers.

This was definitely the most complete and insightful report on Philadelphia Phillies history that I have ever read. A complete look at each season, the players, as wells as the management and administration of this fine organization. Wonderful pictures and a complete record section made this book one of the finest of its type.

A one stop book on Phillies history. Stats, stories, photos. Its all in there. It is truly an awesome book for any Phillies fan, any baseball fan for that matter. A great piece of work.

The third edition of The Phillies Encyclopedia was released prior to the 2004 season. The original version was released in 1983, and a second edition was printed in 1993. Anything you've ever wanted to know about the Phillies is all here from their inaugural year of 1883 through the end of the Veterans Stadium era in 2003. A summary of every season is included, bios of over 200 players, every manager, owner, and club president. Rare facts, stories, you name it, it's here.

If you are a diehard Phillies fan, this is for you. If you are a casual Phillies fan, and would like to learn more of the team's history, this is a great place to start. If you are a fan of baseball history in general, I highly recommend The Phillies Encyclopedia.

I can't wait until the next edition comes out!

Kip Wagner was a full-time contractor and part-time dreamer on Florida's east coast. Walking along the beach one day near his home in Wabasso, a friend found him some silver coins (oxidized to black) after bragging about finding them washed ashore all the time. This set in motion years of research by Kip and his treasure/business partners regarding the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet of ships lost in a hurricane during July of that year. This historical event is well-chronicled here too.
They hit pay dirt after years of diving, research and hard work finding thousands of gold & silver coins, bars and jewelry making themselves millionaires in the process. One chapter describes sand being mechanically blown away from an area of the sea bed which revealed according to Kip a "carpet of gold." It's this along with other descriptions (And great pictures of the finds too!) told in a down-home sort of way that makes this book such a fun and breezy read. If this story doesn't stir your blood with a sense of adventure, then try the fictional 'Treasure Island' or something. Here's that one-in-a-million dream that actually came true and one we'd all like to wake up to!

Historically very accurate. A great piece in relating the setting up of the Spanish Treasure Fleet of 1715, the economic setting of the time and the social setting as well. The hurricane, loss and period salvage attempts of the treasure ships are greatly detailed. The modern day discovery by Kip Wagner and his initial salvage attempts keep the armchair treasure hunter glued to the pages. The eventual discovery and finding of several of the shipwrecks and the treasures they hold is absolutely fascinating. A great understanding of why this portion of Florida's east coast is named "The Treasure Coast"

Outstanding account of the late Kip Wagner's search for sunken Spanish treasure off Florida's east coast. Book chronicles the formation of his Real Eight Company and the subsequent finding of over $1 million dollars in gold and silver. A must for anyone interested in treasure hunting or underwater archaeology.