Richard Reviews

Elephant Tears: Mask of the Elephant (Harbor Lights Series.)

Published in Paperback by Langmarc Publishing (2000-01)

Author: Richard Trout

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You'll Feel Like You're There

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-27

Richard Trout's second book, Elephant Tears, kept my attention to the end just like his first novel. Again, Trout's knowledge of endangered wild life, research of the customs and people, and descriptions of the land made me feel like I was in Africa.

Excitement from the start

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-03

Poaching, government corruption, and the beautiful animals of Africa combine to make Trout's second MacGregor Family Adventure a great read. Once again Trout puts the MacGregor family in an exotic location with an action-packed adventure that you won't want to put down. This time it is not just the kids as Jack MacGregor and his kids gets stranded by poachers in the African bush to test their survival skills. Trout also helps us see the tradgedy of what poachers do to the great animals of Africa. If you want a book that takes you on a African adventure, this is it.

A Must Read

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-19

From the author of CAYMAN GOLD comes the second of three books in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series. Teens who enjoy the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, and young adults who thrive on outdoor adventure and action stories, won't be able to put ELEPHANT TEARS down until they've read it all the way through. At least once.

Richard Trout, author, environmental biologist, consultant and college professor, invites us to join the MacGregor family on an East African wildlife adventure. We hit the ground running as the novel opens in the Masai Mara Wildlife Preserve where we join Chris, Heather and Ryan MacGregor, a baby elephant and a handful of angry lions. We're immediately pulled into a world of survival of the fittest. Unfortunately for much of the wildlife, poachers are sometimes the fittest, rifles in hand.

Through the eyes of the MacGregor teens and their Kikuyu friend, Rebecca, we cross the Serengeti, hike Mt. Kilimanjaro, camp in the bush with hyenas, and give thanks we aren't having roast agama lizard for dinner. Rebecca and the MacGregor teens encounter the heart-breaking devastation the poachers leave behind, while fighting for their own lives in the African bush. What will happen if the poachers learn they've been exposed? Will the teens' parents find them before it's too late?

Trout weaves his extensive knowledge of wild animal conservation and primitive camping and survival skills into a novel rich with action-packed scenes. His informative, entertaining style infuses us with enthusiasm for conservation and environmental issues. By the time we read the last page, we want more. Trout, a passionate advocate of endangered and threatened animals, gives us more, with his heart-felt introduction, glossary, list of library and internet resources, and recipe for Marrakech Stew.

It's Clive Cussler for teens. Once you read ELEPHANT TEARS, you'll be eagerly scanning the shelves for copies of the first and third books in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series.

5 out of 5 wildlife preserves
Reviewed by True North
gottawritenetwork.com
May 18, 2005

It's About time!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-19

As a librarian and mother, it is about time an author writes books for young adults that have nothing to do with [love making], drugs, or dysfunction. Mr. Trout brings world issues to the attention of young adults while appealing to their sense of adventure. This particular book uses the written word to describe an area that not a lot of young people have ever seen, and while they read the book, the images of Africa truly come alive.

BUY IT!!!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-04-27

If you were just trying to decide whether to buy this book or not, I have one comment- BUY IT!!! It is a GREAT book that is fast-paced, often educational in a fun way, and thrilling- I LOOOVE this book series and i'm about to buy the third one, falcon of abydos, buh-bye!

PS: BUY IT!!!

Email Marketing for Complex Sales Cycles: Proven Ways to Produce a Continuous Flow of Prospects and Profits with Effective Spam-Free Email System

Published in Hardcover by Morgan James Publishing (2008-07-01)

Author: Winton Churchill

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Excellent read

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-10

I enjoyed this book and found it filled with usefull imformation. Opened my eyes to the new world of marketing.

Email Marketing for Complex Sales - Worked for Me!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-27

Winton Churchill makes this subject understandable for any type business owner. I have put his strategies to use and I have watched my business grow right in front of my eyes. I do not come from a business background and I had the traditional thinking for marketing which does not work any more. I am looking forward to the next book or maybe the next step is a coaching program.

A Must Read for Both New and Experienced Marketeers Implementing Continuous Email Campaigns

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-11

Great book...really drills in on the complex sale issues...stays away
from jargon...easy to read and understand...a good blueprint (and usable step-by step methodology)for anybody thinking about ethical email lead generation and email marketing.

A B2B must read.

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-28

This is required reading for any B2B business owner that has to build a relationship with their prospects before they buy.

No techno babble...just good indispensable advice

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-02

My business (and therefore practically my whole life) depends on email marketing. That's why I thought I could skip the Introduction and first three chapters, since they seemed to be written to do a sell job on how important email marketing is to growing your business.

However, I'm so glad I didn't skip them, because Mr. Churchill taught me what a complex sale is and how I needed to look at my business differently. You see, recently I had begun marketing this new higher-end (i.e. very expensive) book marketing program and I had been getting very frustrated with the results I was getting.

It works brilliantly, so I didn't know why the sales leads weren't converting. I thought perhaps the market was going dry, or my sales staff was losing their edge, or maybe the down economy was forcing people away from promoting their books and I should consider a new business.

I was so good to find out it wasn't the economy, and I don't have to hire new sales people, and there is no need to change businesses. I just needed to treat my email marketing differently.

The rest of the book was extremely valuable in putting together the right plan of action. There was no techno-babble, just straightforward, plain language guidance that I could understand and apply.

If you have a business with a complex sales cycle and it's in the slow lane, or if you want to add a higher end product or service and create success right from the start, then I highly recommend you get this book.

Winton Churchill's system will attract more prospects and kick their buying into high gear, because it teaches them how to make their decisions faster and with greater confidence. And, if you're in a situation like I was, it will reduce the wear and tear on both you and your sales team. It should be required reading for every sales manager.

DrProactive Randy Gilbert, #1 Business Adviser to Authors

Every Thought Captive: A Study Manual for the Defense of Christian Truth

Published in Paperback by P & R Press (1979-06-01)

Authors: Richard L. and Jr. Pratt

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Simple, easy

Helpful Votes: 17 out of 19 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-12

and faithful to scripture. This is the idea book you want to start with on Christian apologetics. Filled with neat illustrations, and practical advice, it should be good for high schoolers who want to know more on Van Tillian thought. What is especially helpful is that Pratt criticizes a book entitled KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE by Paul E. Little, which suggests a more popular tactic for defending the faith. Here, Pratt writes (p.73-74): "Little's view of reason has several major difficulties. First, human reason is not seen as entirely dependent on God. Little encourages the Christian apologist to present Christianity as a view to be examined and judged by independent human reason....Second, reason is not seen as affected by the fall of man into sin. Man's problem does not, for Little, include blindness to the truth but his unwillingness to choose the truth which he is fully capable of knowing. As a result, Little treats rationality and logical analysis as something neutral for both Christians and non-Christians." Why is it that human reasoning must judge God's existence? Who are we to put "God in the dock"? What Pratt is saying is that neutrality is a myth because "sin has so affected mankind that even rational abilities are not neutral." When a non-Christian suggests that he is "honestly" looking for the God of Christianity, and is left wanting, he seems to skip the fact that he is wearing what Cornelius Van Til calls "colored glasses" that keep him from finding the truth. His own autonomous worldview won't find the truth, he must have the Christian worldview.

Here is the Table of Contents:
Foreword
Author's Note
Acknowledgments
1. A Firm Foundation
2. Where It All Began
3. The Character of Man before Sin
4. The Character of Man in Sin
5. The Character of Man Redeemed by Christ
6. The Non-Christian Point of View
7. The Christian Point of View
8. Attitudes and Actions
9. Popular Tactics
10. Structure of a Biblical Defense

11. Defending the Faith (1)
12. Defending the Faith (2)
13. Defending the Faith (3)
14. An Apologetic Parable

Great study guide to Biblical apologetics

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-03

This is an effective study guide that accessible to general readers for Christian apologetics. Dr. Pratt is an effective proponent of the form defense known as presuppostionalism, that is the use and explanation the Christian faith, and coming to understandings with others based on preexisting beliefs they bring. In other words, Pratt argues that no one is really nuetral and capable of making completely objective decisions.

This short guide, about 150 pages, examines what the Bible says about the state of humanity, and how that effects all other relationships. This becomes a very practical book, after a short theoretical exposition. Pratt does a wonderful job of showing that making the case for Christianity is more than an appeal to the mind, rather it is an appeal to the whole person: intellect, body and emotion.

Pointing out evidences from the Bible, personal experience and the external world, Pratt hopes that all apologetic conversations ultimately end by discussing the logical conclusions of where beliefs take persons. By so doing, he hopes to show inconsistencies in world view and to show consistencies in a Biblical world view.

This book makes extensive use of flow charts and diagrams that would make it of good use for group or individual Christian study for people interested in being able to articulate their faith better, based on its consistencies and the evidences available from presupposing what the Bible says about humanity and God is true. Pratt, a former professor at Reformed Theological Seminary with a Harvard doctorate aims to show how apologetics is the natural state of how a Christian believer interacts with the world at large and seeks to help others perform their job more at ease and with greater understanding of their world view.

Excellent Resource for Church Ministry!!

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-07

Pratt does an excellent job with this introductory work on presuppositional apologetics. He is absolutely clear and succinct. This book is an excellent resource for churches wanting to train men, women, and even high school students, in the presuppositional approach.

Good, but not perfect

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-15

When it comes to apologetics, I'm of the presuppositional persuasion (specifically Van Tillian). Pratt was a student of John Frame who was a student of Cornelius Van Til, but Frame differs in his approach from that of Van Til, as does Pratt. For a more consistently Van Tillian approach to apologetics, take a look at Always Ready and other works by Greg Bahnsen.

Though I applaud Pratt for taking the subject of apologetics and presenting it on a level that high school students can understand, I also think on some points he is wrong, and on other points he takes a dangerous position.

At one point he says that we can use near death experiences as evidence of some kind of afterlife. I think this is a naive at best and dangerous at worst. Many people have had experiences, and can even present "evidence," for things that are decidedly false.

On the other hand, I can commend Pratt for his coverage of the foundations of people's worldviews, and I think here he is barking up the right tree. I just wish he would take it a little further.

Ideally, I would have preferred that he focus on how the foundation of one's worldview effects one's interpretation of facts. The question is which worldview can even allow the possibility of facts in a consistent and non-destructive manner. Of course, this would have made the book Van Tillian, and I can't fault him that he doesn't completely agree with me.

Over all, this is a good book, and I would use it for a high school Sunday school class, but (personally) I would supplement it in order to give a complete picture of the apologetic conflict.

An excellent introduction to presuppositional apologetics

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-15

I felt this book was an excellent foundation for further studies and practice of presuppositional apologetics. Pratt provides a manual for Christian apologetics by getting to the heart of the matter - the unbeliever's commitment to independence while suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. Pratt stresses the importance of addresses the foundational issues in apologetics. This book was extremely helpful.

Firedrake (Dragonrealm)

Published in Paperback by Backinprint.com (2000-06-27)

Author: Richard A. Knaak

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Great Start

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-27

I loved Knaak's Legend of Huma for the Dragonlance setting. It is how I first got to know him. Some of his other writing is hit or miss for me, but I loved this book. It is a quick read, but a great start to a very interesting world of sword and sorcery. If you like his Dragonlance work, you will certainly love this.

Dragons Rule in this book.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-06-06

Lets face it I am not a big fan of fantasy books but this one I found to be a pleaser to read. I loved the way the Dragons where not portrayed as stupid animals but as cunning if not evil for the most part rulers.

I read this a few years ago and became fascinated with the way it showed the dragons way of life and culture. I enjoyed reading it then and pleased to see it back in print.

Food for the imagination!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-06-02

Let's get straight to what you want to know, why this book is so good. You do have the typical conflict between good and evil, wars are waged and light seems as though it will fall. There are powerful warlocks abound, a beautiful enchantress, and shapeshifting Dragon Kings. But as usual, something unexpected occurs, and so the forces of evil are thwarted once again. The thing about this novel, is that the unexpected really is unexpected. Knaak creates a plot filled with twists and turns, not to mention fantastical concepts that I have not seen paralleled in all of my readings. I give this book a five purely on its ability to drive thought and imagination. Once you get past some of the rather unimaginative names (i.e. the gold dragon is named Gold, the black Black, and so on and so forth) then you are free to enjoy a magical ride of intrigue and suspense.

One of my first forays into Sci-Fi / Fantasy

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-02

All right, I read this book when I was about 9. It was my very first, real fantasy book, and there are very few authors in my opinion who can even come close to Knaak. He is still one of my all time favorite authors (he and Feist, not to mention Roberson, Brooks and Lackey are among the top ten), and I still own my battered old paperback of Firedrake I've had since I was nine years old. I am now 22, and a fantasy artist. Knaak has been a major influence on my tastes in artwork, reading material, and the like, and I never get tired of reading his works.

At this point, I own the entire Dragonrealm series (including the Origin of the Dragonrealm series), and am hoping he'll pick it up from where he left off on the Horse King. Those half-human, half-Dragon people sound very interesting, and I'd love to see more of them.

Dragonrealm Expert reviews Firedrake

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-06-25

I've read all of the Dragonrealm series which consists of The Shrouded Realm, Dragon Tome, Firedrake, Ice Dragon, Children of the Drake, Shadow Steed, Wolfhelm, The Crystal Dragon, and The Dragon Crown. Each of these are spectacular fantasy books, and Firedrake is by far the best work of the bunch. There are many well developed characters, and several good storylines going on at once which all come together for an outstanding climactic end. Most definitely one of my favorite books. Much better than any other Fantasy stuff that I've read including AD&D.

Frontman: Surviving the Rock Star Myth

Published in Paperback by Backbeat Books (2007-09-28)

Author: Richard Barone

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Frontman- a much appreciated point of view

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-15

Richard Barone's Frontman is a great inside look at what is takes to be a surviver - as a musician in the music industry. And a well respected on at that.
It is mostly the industry 'from within' as well as Richard's personal experiences and a few tips on how it works and how to work it.
Nice! And did I say well written?

Brilliant!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-20

Frontman: Surviving the Rock Star Myth

"Frontman" is a uniquely honest and refreshing story that works on several levels at the same time. What makes a frontman? Why do they do it? Few books, if any, have explored the phenomenon from the point of view of the subject so brilliantly. B-52's Frontman Fred Schneider says it best on the back cover: "BUY THIS BOOK"!!!

A Ride Into Time

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-08

What a surprise to find that the frontman, Richard Barone, is a poet, a musician and singer, a philosopher and mystic. I was skeptical when a friend gave me the book exclaiming, "you'll love it." I love music, but wasn't interested in knowing the ins and outs of the music business (which is accomplished with humor, intelligence and punches). So, I read the first page and was convinced he could write, and then read the last two pages, which reeled me into the reality that this book was much more than black and white words. I've thanked my friend for turning me on to The Frontman. I've given copies to several of my friends, who have thanked me. And, so it goes, there are numerous ways to be inspired, appreciate creativity, notice serendipity, and be compelled to consider the grand unanswerable questions of life. Thank you Richard Barone!

"Frontman" is terrific!

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-19

Richard's book is an extremely enjoyable, involving look at a business that eats its own without blinking, but he's come out of everything he's encountered with an amazingly uncynical, positive view. I can't recommend Frontman highly enough... a wonderful way to spend your weekend!

All books about music should be this good!

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-23

With 'Frontman' Richard Barone adds another remarkable achievement to his already impressive portfolio. Most books I've read by or about musicians have disappointed and/or caused me to like a performer less. 'Frontman' only helps me further appreciate one of my favorite artists! Richard offers a fascinating "travelogue" of his career and music. As in his songs, his writing is eloquent but never pretentious or cloying, and honest but never self-indulgent or gossipy. And as intended, his stories of the music biz are enlightening, engaging and educational for any aspiring frontmen. Richard has truly experienced the wild rollercoaster ride of the entertainment industry and still remains modest, upbeat, and astonishingly un-jaded. Whether or not you're already a fan of Richard's work, this is a great read... and if you're not, you will be by the time you finish this book!

Garbage Collection: Algorithms for Automatic Dynamic Memory Management

Published in Hardcover by Wiley (1996-09-17)

Authors: Richard Jones and Rafael D Lins

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Average review score:

An absolute must

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-18

I'd bought this book for personal reading. Even though I'm not directly into GC algos, I found this book amazingly lucid to read and follow. It has thorough coverage of all the GC algos I've heard of till date.

It goes about explaining the algos with a very broad level view, then goes a little deep, then deeper, so its very easy to follow, and the reader can decide to what extent (s)he wants to understand the algo.

A must have for anybody directly working on GC, or like me, people who develop high performance systems on GC aware languages/platforms. It can help you extract the most out of your platform.

pretty good book

Helpful Votes: 10 out of 16 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-08

I wanted to know about the generational algorithm that Java is now using. The book was pretty clear about how things work. I haven't read the whole book but what I've seen is very encouraging. The first few chapters are a broad overview and then you can dive into the particular algorithm you are interested in.

Excellent book

Helpful Votes: 18 out of 19 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-22

Garbage collection is a very interesting and complicated topic. To understand different garbage collection algorithms, one has to go through various research papers published over last 30 years or read the simplified descriptions presented in Java site and Bill Venners artima.com. This book does an excellent job in putting together all these algorithms in a logical order that gives us a chance to understand the different challenges sceintists and programming language authors faced and how the algorithms evolved over the time. The book starts with basic overview and history of commonly known algorithms: Reference counting, Mark and Sweep, and Copying algorithms. It then elaborates each of these algorithms, enumerates their pros and cons, and presents imporvements done by different researchers. After this, the book moves on to advanced algorithms like Generational algorithm and concurrent mark and sweep algorithm. I recommend this book to anyone interested in garbage collection. I haven't seen any other book on this topic. Even for programmers who mostly don't have to worry about GC as it is "automatically" done, this is a good book to understand and appreciate what goes on behind the scenes. Also, knowledge of the concepts in this book will be invaluable in performance tuning.

Category killer

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-04

This book is superb. It is thorough enough that there is little need for a practitioner to read the primary literature, even when contemplating sophisticated garbage collector designs. I remember being intimidated by garbage collection prior to reading this book, but now I am instead enthralled by garbage collection. Given the trend toward automatic memory management in programming languages, I think this book is an increasingly important part of the practicing programmer's library.

The first time I read the book, it seemed a bit repetitive, because the first two chapters provide the basic framework for the rest of the book. As a result, topics such as copying collection are discussed in at least two places. Upon reflection though, I think that there is no better way to organize the book, because there exists no straight path through all of the concepts the book covers.

Over the past eight years I have read portions of this book over and over as I've contemplated garbage collector designs for various software projects. I continue to be surprised at just how well this book meets my needs.

Great book

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-22

This is really a great book. It's really a must have for people who want to write their own modern virtual machine (like I).

This is simply the only book about Garbage Collection you can get. It's very complete: all GC Algorithmes are covered by this book in depth! All topics are properly introduced it has a nice layout, and offer snippets of pseudocode. It is not really a dry text.

If you want to read scientific papers about Garbage Collectors (like of ACM), it's recommended to read first this book, to get a proper introduction in this topic.

Getting Past Ok: A Straightforward Guide to Having a Fantastic Life

Published in Paperback by Integral Press (1993-08)

Author: Richard Brodie

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Excellent, Practical Self-Help Book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-27

Getting Past OK is an excellent, practical self-help book. It is straightforward, easy to understand, and chock full of sage advise for living well and 'living on purpose'.

In a nutshell, author Richard Brodie, has distilled the best information from a slew of self-help books and training programs into a tight and coherent primer for personal growth and development. Chapter by chapter Brodie leads you through a clear and cogent process of transformation from victim to victor.

In my private practice as a professional life & career coach at Peak Performance Group, I recommend it as essential reading to all of my clients. Save yourself a lot of time and money and pick up a copy of Getting Past OK so you can do exactly as the title suggests. You'll be happy you did.

If you have any questions or are looking for additional recommended titles feel free to contact me.
Enjoy!

Getting Past OK

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2004-12-23

My opinion is that anyone who plans to spend any significant amount of time reading and posting in this forum (Level 3) should read this book, as well as "Virus of the Mind" in order to establish a baseline of context for constructive mutual understanding of what this forum (Level 3) is good for, and how to take advantage of that context for useful work and play in the game of life. Level 3 is the author's forum for active feedback on how to live a purpose driven life as discussed in "Getting Past OK." Both books available through Amazon.com. G.P. OK is plainly written without lingo or pretense. This is the real working personal toolbox for the human animal who can't stand to drive-55.

Have a Pretty good life, but can have lots more of .....

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-05-09

I haven't finished the book as I am into the exercises for finding out one's 'purpose in life'. However, I am thoroughly thrilled in discovering more about 'my' purpose. I have a good life now and have applied much of the author's ideas to my own life for a number of years. Life is good! This subject was something I thought I would research when I retired, but I found I don't want to wait for 'until when....or as soon as whatever happens...'.anymore.

Get your act together

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-17

This is the best self-help book I have read. In very clear terms, without a lot of "psycho-speak", Richard Brodie details an easy plan for getting what you truly want out of life. He outlines the ways that you sabatoge yourself and how to overcome these things. While I was reading this book, he made it seem so obvious that I was wondering why I had never thought of these things before.

He outlines in clear steps--with some introspection required on the readers part--how to create a fantastic life for yourself.

Past OK? This book IS WOW!

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-10

Getting Past OK is Brodie's first attempt to share his wisdom and a wealth of experience with the public. This is one of the finest reads on living a juicy life that I have personally read. Definitely worth having and giving to those you care about. Kevin Hogan,...

The Golden Calf, Zolotoi Telenok: An Annotated, Accented Reader With Exercises

Published in Paperback by Berkeley Slavic Specialties (1996-09)

Authors: Ilja Ilf, Evgenij Petrov, and Richard D. Schupbach

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Average review score:

A great sequel to a cutting satire

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-26

Firstly, I read the book in an original Russian edition so I make no claims about this particular edition.

Ilf and Petrov were two satirical writers who were very popular in the Soviet Union. Of course during the writing of this book (and its prequel the Twelve Chairs) it was impossible to satirise life in the 20s and 30s in the USSR directly without losing your life. They managed to write two books that satisfied both the officials and the readers. The books are incredibly funny and absurd dissections of almost every aspect of Soviet society, but often the most punchy parts aren't said explicitly. They also make fun of the pre-Soviet mindset just as well.

In The Golden Calf we again see Ostap Bender the charismatic con artist re-emerge after surviving his last adventure against all odds. He teams up with a small handful of other petty criminals and a car and they come up with another enrichment scheme. This time, they aim to blackmail Koreiko who they find out is a millionaire. They go on a road trip to end all road trips and again see their country through the magnifying glass that is the satire of Ilf and Petrov. There is also an ideological part as Bender's investigation of Koreiko's past causes him to "lose his faith in humanity" and he also finds that having money in the USSR is no advantage whatsoever - in fact it alienates him further from society (one of my favourite scenes is when a dejected Bender seeks an audience with a visiting Indian philosopher to find out the meaning of life).

A fierce, sharp but warmhearted satire on early Soviet and pre-Soviet society - make sure to read the prequel too!

REALLY THE BEST.

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-08-31

This is the best book ever written on the subject of the Soviet Union. No one knows why the authors never got shot, but they were lucky. Read "The twelve chairs" as well, but this is the best. Funny and true.

Immortal masterpieces of Soviet literature.

Helpful Votes: 16 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2001-08-10

I have just finished this book (the Russian original) again, as many of the readers who wrote the reviews for "Golden Calf" and "Twelve Chairs", I don't remember how many times I read both of the books... Every time I read them, I find something new or laugh again despite the fact that I know many paragraphs from the book by heart...

These two books are about adventures of the main hero Ostap Bender in Russia in the period between 1927 and 1930. Ostap in a very non-conventional type of "hero", in fact he is an opposite of the typical Soviet stereotype of a good man (factory worker, Communist, faithful husband and etc.). Ostap is a small time con artist who dreams of riches and doesn't think that he belongs to Soviet reality. In both books he's hunting for treasures and the readers get a great chance to catch a glimpse of Soviet reality as seen through his and his mostly inept companions' eyes.

Both books are written with a bright, ever contemporary humor that still makes people laugh even though the USSR is long gone. I don't know how what it is like for the people who weren't born in the former USSR to read these books in languages other than Russian, as some of the funniest things will probably go unnoticed or will be lost in translation. However, I highly recommend reading both of them if one wants to understand Soviet culture better or impress friends from the former USSR by using phrases that became a part of the general culture (i.e. "Money in the evening, chairs in the morning" or "I will command the parade!").

The books were even further popularized by the great TV series "Twelve Chairs" with a star cast of Soviet cinematography (A. Mironov as Ostap and A.Papanov as Ippolit) and "Golden Calf" with a great cast as well.

The only books in Russian that I always keep (in my mostly technical collection) are these two and "Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov - another great masterpiece...

Be aware...

Helpful Votes: 23 out of 25 total.
Review Date: 2002-08-05

This one's written in the Russian language. I don't see that fact mentioned anywhere on this page. Just FYI.

Ostap Bender, will you marry me?

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-09

This one is my favorite out the extraordinary twosome (The Golden Calf and The Twelve Chairs that is). The adventures and misadventures of the characters, the brilliant humor, the marriage with the incidental theft of a tea accessory, the wild ride in a stolen car, the hilarious boat trip-it all just fits right to create a story that will keep your stomach convulsing and your eyes tearing up. Everyone needs to read this book in order to understand Russians better. I re-read it many times in my teenage years simply because if you live in Russia(or any other Eastern European country for that matter),you will be able to understand those countless quotes taken from this masterpiece and incorporated into everyday language. The characters are hysterical in the least, and the story so seemingly simple contains much bigger messages than available to the naked eye.Please,read this book,and if you understand the humour and sadness of it,you'll be well on your way to understanding not just Russian culture but humans in general. And to the reviewer below who asked if this was ever made into a movie:HELL YES and thank god it was! It's a very old movie (70s era perhaps, cannot say with certainty) which became a Russian classic-perhaps as much as the book itself. So yes, read this book, you will not regret it!

Harry G. Traver Legends of Terror (Roller Coaster Designers Series : Vol 1)

Published in Paperback by Amusement Park Books (1982-06)

Authors: Richard W. Munch and Richard Hershey

List price: $19.95

Used price: $39.20
Collectible price: $99.90

Average review score:

Great Book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-11-16

Great book for any roller coaster enthusiast. Lots of pictures, interesting facts and just a fun read. Wish I could go back in time and ride those coasters and some other really cool rides Traver designed which are also mentioned in the book.....

The legends of yesteryear

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-05

This is an amazing book. I wasn't so much interested in the life of Harry Traver, but the legendary coasters he built. Too bad there aren't any of them around today. I have heard the stories of the great rides they were and my grandparents actually got to ride the legendary Crystal Beach Cyclone. A fabulous peek at the great coasters of days gone by.

An Amazing Book

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-05

The photos and history in this book go beyond any other book in my collection. I had to pay dearly to get this but it was worth it. For a coaster enthusiast who loves the design, construction, and riding of coasters, this book has it all.

"Harry G. Traver: Legends of Terror"---a legendary book!

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-23

Richard Munch has done a wonderful job writing this book about Harry Traver, a man most people have never heard of. However, true coaster/amusement park enthusiasts know how important his name is to the amusement park industry. The book contains a detailed personal and business history of Traver, with information gleaned from family and many other sources. It's hard to figure how the author did all of this, but the proof is within the covers of this outstanding book. Dozens of b/w photos of Traver's legendary coaster creations, complete with track layout plans and thorough descriptions, bring to life his contributions to the advancement of the wooden roller coaster. The book also contains photos of some of Traver's business papers and promotional materials. Munch also weaves into the text the relationship Traver had with the 1920's coaster team of Prior and Church, who are responsible for several historical coasters, including the still-operating San Diego "Giant Dipper". This book is like a trip through time. The only other book like it is Robert Cartmell's "The Incredible Scream Machine" which in itself is the most comprehensive book ever written on the subject of the history of roller coasters. If you're not too interested in coasters, then you'll find the book to be an interesting curiosity, but if you're an enthusiast, you'll love it.

My Great Grandfather

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-22

I am actually Harry Traver's great-granddaughter. Of course I never got the chance to meet him. But from what I have heard and read about him in this book, he is an amazing man. His son Spencer Traver and my father John Traver shall continue to keep his tradition alive. This book is a must-have for any roller-coaster buffs. Enjoy!

Harvard Business Review on Change (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)

Published in Paperback by Harvard Business School Press (1998-09)

Authors: John P. Kotter, James Collins, Richard Pascale, Jeanie Daniel Duck, Jerry Porras, and Anthony Athos

List price: $22.00

New price: $3.74
Used price: $2.12

Average review score:

Tight, Concise and Has Executive Summaries

Helpful Votes: 11 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2001-05-23

Do you prefer tight, concise articles compared to eloquent tomes, simply because you don't have the time to read as much as you might like? If that's the case, then here is a great book on change management just for you. This collection is one in a series from the Harvard Business Review, and is just about the most wide-ranging printed resource that this writer has found available for taking on corporate change.

There are articles from such leading authorities on change management as John Kotter (Leading Change), Paul Strebel, and more. Each article opens with an executive summary, helping you decide if you want to tackle that article then and there, or move on to another that fits your interests of the moment.

Sooner or later, change is about people altering the status quo, and those in charge often turn a blind eye to the fact that leadership is singularly the most important issue when an organization has to implement major changes. This is followed closely by teamwork, of which there won't be any without leadership.

Inside the covers you'll find the collected knowledge, opinions and counsel of those executives and consultants who have dealt with change at all levels. If your schedule doesn't permit you to leisurely meander through hundreds of pages to find a few workable ideas upon which to build some change solutions, then this collection should be highly recommended for you.

A positive goldmine

Helpful Votes: 19 out of 20 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-07

In the nicest possible sense, this book isn't exactly what the title claims. All to often discussions of change management tend to concentrate on the people side of things and ignore the less glamerous topics such as re-tooling, revised administrative and reporting procedures and so on.
So, just to keep the record straight, this book is primarily concerned with the personnel aspects of change, with all other aspects of the overall process taking a very secondary part in the proceedings.

And now, on with the review:

One of the ways I judge a book like this is by the number of highlights I've made (makes it so much easier to refer back to the key points).
Sometimes I'll go through an entire book and be lucky to have half a dozen highlighted passage.

NOT here, though.

Without a hint of exaggeration I found numerous points worth highlighting in every one of the eight reprinted articles.

Of course this is not entirely surprising given the list of contributors, which includes such "leaders of the pack" as John Cotter ("Leading Change"), Richard Pascale and Anthony Athos ("The Reinvention Roller Coaster"), and Jerry Porras (Building Your Company's Vision").

I'd also like to commend the article "Managing Change : The Art of Balancing", by Jeanie Daniel Duck, (which ended up with highlighting on nearly every page!).

So, whilst the material is not exactly new (the various items appeared in the Harvard Business Review between 1992 and 1998), I'd suggest this well-chosen set of articles is as important now as when the articles were first published.

Very good, and in addition.

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2003-06-18

This is a very good series of articles. In addition, I strongly recommend "Strategic Organizational Change" by Beitler. It is time and money well spent.

Adapt or Perish

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-30

This is one in a series of several dozen volumes that comprise the "Harvard Business Review Paperback Series." Each offers direct, convenient, and inexpensive access to the best thinking on the given subject in articles originally published by the Harvard Business School Review. I strongly recommend all of the volumes in the series. The individual titles are listed at this Web site: www.hbsp.harvard.edu. The authors of various articles are among the world's most highly regarded experts on the given subject. Each volume has been carefully edited. Supplementary commentaries are also provided in most of the volumes, as is an "About the Contributors" section that usually includes suggestions of other sources that some readers may wish to explore.

In this volume, the reader is provided with eight articles whose authors provide a variety of perspectives on how to strengthen an organization by making necessary changes while minimizing fear, frustration, and resistance. All of the articles first appeared in the HBR from January-February, 1992, to May-June, 1997; some but remarkably little of the material is dated. Here are some of the important business issues to which the contributors direct their (and our) attention:

Which seem to be the most common mistakes made by executives? ("Leading Change" John P. Kotter)
Comment: Kotter identifies eight and suggests how to avoid or repair them.

How to avoid a vague and fuzzy vision concept? ("Building Your Company's Vision," James C. Collins and Jerry I Porras)
Comment: Collins and Porras offer a framework that has two principal parts: core ideology and envisioned future. It was in this article that they introduced their concept of the "Big Hairy Audacious Goal" (BHAG).

How to focus only on what is most important? ("Managing Change: The Art of Balancing," Jeanie Daniel Duck)
Comment: When managing change, "the challenge is to innovate mental work, not to replicate physical work. The goal is to teach [everyone involved] how to think strategically, recognize patterns, and anticipate problems and opportunities before they occur."

Why is context so important to beneficial reinvention? ("The Reinvention Roller Coaster: Risking the Present for a Powerful Future," Tracy Goss, Richard Pascale, and Anthony Athos)
Comment: The authors assert that reinvention is not changing what is, but creating what isn't. They explain the importance of assembling a critical mass of key stakeholders, completing an organizational audit, creating urgency while discussing the "undiscussable," harnessing contention, and effectively engineering organizational breakdowns [i.e. what Joseph Schumpeter characterizes as "creative destruction].

What can be learned from the experiences of troubled companies that have fallen victim to "a syndrome with four discernible stages"? ("Changing the Mind of the Corporation," Roger Martin)
Comment: Martin explains what the syndrome is, and, how to avoid or escape from it.

How to accommodate the fact that employees and those who supervise them see change differently? ("Why Do Employees Resist Change?," Paul Strebel)
Comment: Strebel explains what "personal compacts" are, and, how they can they help to reduce resistance to change initiatives.

What to do when an organization seems to be on "death's door"? ("Reshaping an Industry: Lockheed Martin's Survival Story," Norman R. Augustine)
Comment: Augustine offers various "sometimes painful" lessons he learned about best practices when attempting to restructure an endangered organization. He served as chairman and CEO of Martin Marietta for eight years until it became part of Lockheed Martin where he also served as chairman and CEO.

What do results-driven improvement programs involve? ("Successful Change Programs Begin with Results," Robert H. Schaefer and Harvey A. Thomson)
Comment: Early in this article, Schaefer and Thomson observe that most improvement efforts "have as much impact on company performance as a rain dance has on the weather." Then on page 195, they provide an especially informative graphic by which to compare and contrast activity-centered programs with results-driven programs. They then

Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out other volumes in the Harvard Business Review Paperback Series, especially HBR on Leading Through Change and HBR on Becoming a High Performance Manager. Also, James O'Toole's Leading Change, Enterprise Architecture As Strategy co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson, Ram Charan's Know-How, Richard Ogle's Smart World, and Seeing What's Next co-authored by Clayton M. Christensen, Scott D. Anthony, and Erik A. Roth.

Good book! Just don't buy the eBook copy!

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2003-09-16

It's a decent book that outline the necessary steps and precautions that need to re-engineer your company. However, I made a mistake by buying the eBook copy of this book because I needed it right the way. However, for this eBook, I cannot print any of the pages and, worse yet, I can't view the book on another PC. So my suggestion is that DON'T BUY eBOOK, it's the worst investment you can make.

Richard Books