Richards Books

Rick Singer has outdone himself! If you thought his first book, "Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present," was wonderful, you haven't read anything yet. Singer has taken the word "mindfulness" to a new level and shows us how to apply it to every moment of our lives. A Japanese Proverb says, "Beginning is easy, continuing is hard." However, they obviously hadn't read Singer's new book, " Eastern Wisdom for Your Soul: 111 Meditations for Everyday Enlightenment" -- Rick has made it easy to begin and continue. -- Sue Vogan, author/radio show host

Richard A Singer, Jr. has found a way to guide everyone fortunate enough to read his book YOUR DAILY WALKS WITH THE GREAT MINDS to a life of contemplation and enrichment, not by seeking out seminars throughout the world, but instead by relying on time alone with his secure companionship of selected words and accompaniments. He quietly and gently supports our capacity to improve our physical and spiritual lives while at the same time sharing words on a daily basis from famous thinkers that expand our survey of history and appreciation for the human spirit.

Singer draws brief but significant single sentence quotes from a wide range of people - from famous physicians such as William Osler and Freud, to news commentators like Dan Rather, to painters like Van Gogh and Picasso, scientists like Einstein, philosophers like William James and Nietzsche, composers such as Beethoven, writers like Henry James, poets like Emerson, Whitman and Frost, and the many inspirational voices of the past like Gandhi, MLK, JFK, and Mother Theresa. Opening each day's 'walk' with such a thought, Singer then offers a related meditational though, follows that with instruction to enter our responses in a journal, and then extracts a pledge from this exercise to make a difference in our own lives and in the global community.

Self-help books are many: some are trendy and some are timeless. This little portable volume is one that will last far beyond the year that it is chronicled to accompany. Once again Richard Singer extends a firm and wise hand to increase our awareness of the past, our place in the present, and our choices for a future, richer because of the time we have spent with his generous spirit. Grady Harp, July 08

Richard Singer's book "Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present" will definitely change the way you look at life and become the person you were sent down here to be.
What can you look forward to when you get this book? The book is broken down into daily assignments...you read a quote from one of the great minds, then a short paragraph to guide you on your day along with a mind searching question which you answer. This short daily time enables you to gradually change your mindset and I have found that I think about my daily question and answer all day. I have a small notebook I take along with me and have all my short daily thoughts written down...which helps me keep the concepts I have learned so far fresh in my mind.
Another good thing is that Richard gives you a monthly reading assignment...a book written by a great mind, past and present. Having the whole month to read the assignment enables you to absorb the information.
I am gradually changing the way I look at my life and people around me have started noticing a change...more positive, more hopeful, more grateful to the abundance that I do have in my life...even if right now it's not the monetary abundance...but I am now hopeful and positive that that too will change very soon.
Thank you Richard...you have written a book that everyone can handle gradually...so even those who say "I have no time to read" can do this and will gradually want to read more.

Reviewed by Lisa Kisner for Reader Views (11/06)

If you have every wondered how to start finding peace within yourself, look no further than this book. Mr. Singer's book gives you the tools to change your life and be inspired to live each day to its' fullest. Day by day this book expands on wisdom imparted by a surprisingly diverse group of people, from well known spiritual leaders such as Gandhi to Jackie Collins, popular author. Mr. Singer provides you with a daily meditation based on the thought of the day. Questions for thought and personal journaling, as well as affirmations to carry through out the day, round off each day's mediations and help you find answers to your life questions. Also provided each month is a suggested reading that enhances the daily enlightenment exercises.

Mr. Singer walks the reader through his strategies for transformation. These include:

Modeling - gaining insight from the quotes and the people who said them,
Bibiotherapy - reading to gain knowledge and insight,
Mindfulness - applying the daily guidance throughout the day,
Journaling - express your thoughts and feelings in a personal notebook,
Visualizations- visualizing your transformation each day will help you achieve the results you want, and
Affirmations - internalizing and applying these truths throughout the day.

I found this book very easy to read. Every day's meditation can be completed in a few minutes. Subject and author indexes are provided should you have need for a specific topic of meditation on any given day. The suggested monthly readings fit well with the meditations and feature some of my favorite inspirational books. Each day's meditations, journaling exercise and affirmations related to some aspect of my life and challenged me to look inside myself and find my purpose. Every message was inspirational and left me wanting more. I found it impossible to read only one day at a time, even on my busiest days. I read the entire book in less than a week. Now, I look forward to each morning's message and journaling. Already I can say that I am further down the road to inner peace than before picking up this wonderful book, "Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds."

If you are a seeker of truth and knowledge, "Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present" is a must read. The author created a masterpiece juxtaposition of both classical and contemporary thinkers most thought provoking works presented in a wonderful format which encourages the reader to record their own thoughts brought out by the myriad of masterminds presented so artfully in this work. The author definitely did his homework. An enthralling, mesmerising book, that no one's library is complete without. Do yourself a big favor; buy this book!

Rick Ferri has done it again. This is a wealth of information packed into 300+ pages. It makes for a great read and then a really good reference work. For price/value it cannot be beat!

I have taken advantage of the latest market volatility to confirm my long-term financial strategy. I ordered several books from Amazon on asset allocation and using low-cost index funds or ETFs for investment.

Rick Ferri's books (I also ordered his new ETF book) are well-researched, complete guides to sensible, long-term investing. He avoids the fads, and provides information in clear, understandable terms without all of the emotional "hype" present in many books about the capital markets.

In my opinion, Mr. Ferri's prior books (and the articles he has published in journals for financial professionals) have made me a better investor.

I highly recommend All About Index Funds.

This book does a good job of explaning the concept and history of index funds as well as the emerging presence of EFT's

I liked John Bogle's 1994 book on mutual funds better, but his book touched on facets Mr. Bogle's book did not. Of course that book was copyright 1994 IIRC.

I learned about indexing and the various indicies they emulate as well as the advantages and pitfalls of EFT's

A worth while read.

Members of AAII [...] have access to the 2007 EFT review which is excellent at analyzing the catagories and expenses of the various EFT's.

I'm a total noob to the market and investing but this book explained so much. I think its a must read for anyone looking into investing for their future and have no idea where to start.

I value Richard Ferri's books and this one is no exception. While the writing is easy to grasp, it is most complete. The book covers just about everything you need to know to master investing in index funds or ETFs.

Although the book is not about allocation (Ferri has a great book on that subject), it does discuss it. He shows how to actually cut risk by using a more aggressive approach.

I found the history of index funds most interesting. But I also appreciated the discussion of tax advantage in indexing, the different benchmarks, bonds and commodities.

This book can make you money if you read it, study it and apply it to your own investing. The more you know about and understand index funds and their close kin, ETFs, the better able you will be to profit by using them.

Highly recommended.

In this essay Richard Rubenstein contends that the Holocaust should be viewed within the context of a tradition of slavery that is deep rooted in western culture. Drawing on Max Weber, Rubenstein argues that the combination of unrestricted capitalism and protestantism helped to create the conditions necessary for the ultimate form of slavery as expressed in the Nazi death camps. Additional factors include a European trend toward viewing certain segments of a given population as expendable.

The analysis is thought provoking and intelligently written. My reservation is that while I agree that viewing the holocaust in this way leads one to the conclusion that under the right circumstances genocide on this scale could happen again , I also believe that there was something uniquely evil in the Nazi leadership that contributed to the Holocaust. Rubenstein's analysis focused on historical/economic/social forces at the expense of the personal responsibilty of Hitler and his inner circle. Despite that this is an important book that should be mandatory reading in any study of the Holocaust.

If you doubt his premise, think about World War I. The leaders of the nations of Europe and the US put their male citizens into soldier's uniforms, lined them up in close proximity to one another to dig trenches, ordered them into the trenches, and then gassed them. It was an extermination experiment. It's time we all woke up to the global death machine and its propaganda. Also read How the World Really Works.

In 1944, Polish Jew Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide, applying it to Jews and Poles alike. In this small but thought-provoking book, Richard L. Rubenstein approaches the German Nazi exterminationist policies in much the same vein, while stressing the role of the modern state bureaucracy to make it possible.

Probably the first step in genocide is the denial of the humanity of the intended victims: "Once the victim is categorized as belonging to a different species, the task of transforming him into a thing is immensely simplified...Before the Nazis assaulted the Jews, the Poles, the Russians, and the Gypsies, they were categorized as members of sub-human races."(p. 54). Terms such as Tiermenschen ("animal people") and Untermenschen ("subhumans") were commonly used. Rubenstein (p. 83) points out that Jews were often referred to as "a surplus population", but not the fact that the Germans also used this term for Poles.

The denationalization of those intended for genocide was also significant: "Unfortunately, the Nazis clearly understood the importance of the question of statelessness. When they began to deport Jews from such occupied nations as France, Bulgaria, and Hungary, they insisted that the deportees be stripped of their citizenship by their respective governments no later than the day of deportation. There was no need to denationalize Polish and Russian Jews because the Nazis had destroyed the state apparatus as soon as they occupied the territory. The absence of a state apparatus in Poland and occupied Russia was an indication of the ultimate fate of the Poles and the Russians had the Germans won."(pp. 32-33).

While the mass shootings and gassings of Jews were already well underway, the Germans set their sights higher. Rubenstein cites an October 13, 1942 letter by Otto Thierack, the German minister of justice: "With a view of freeing the German people of Poles, Russians, Jews, and Gypsies, and with a view to making the eastern territories which have been incorporated into the Reich available for settlement by German nationals, I intend to turn over criminal jurisdiction over Poles, Russians, Jews and Gypsies to the Reichsfuhrer-SS (Himmler). In doing so, I stand on the principle that the administration of justice can make only a small contribution to the extermination of these peoples." (p. 34). Richard L. Rubenstein comments: "Soviet domination of Eastern Europe was closer to that of a classical tyranny than was the German occupation. The German aims were far more radical. They sought to create a society of total domination involving initially the enslavement and extermination of the Jews and eventually similar treatment to other subject peoples. They were determined to clear a Lebensraum, a living space, for German settlement."(p. 76).

Of course, owing at least in part to the much greater numbers of Poles than Jews, and despite the fact that 2-3 million Polish gentiles (including half of all educated Poles) were murdered before the Germans before the latter were finally driven out of Poland, the overall extermination of the Poles was more of a long-term German project. In this regard, practical methods of mass sterilization were actively being developed (p. 49), with the 3 million Russian POWs to be the first large-scale victims (p. 50). The Nazi goal was clear: "As we have noted, had the Germans won the war, mass sterilization would have been an important aspect of their program for the subject peoples. It must be remembered that with both the Nazis and the Bolsheviks, victory inevitably led to an intensification rather than a diminution of terror. Mass sterilizations of Poles, Russians and, in the more distance future, the French and the Italians, would have permitted the Germans to exploit the vanquished at their own convenience in the certain knowledge that the subject peoples' national existence was at an end. Whether extermination or killing was the means of securing absolute dominance or whether a certain number of the vanquished might be permitted to reproduce in exactly calculable quantities would have depended solely on the requirements of the German masters. The victims would have had as little control over their own destiny as cattle in a stockyard. In a society of total domination, helots could be killed, bred, or sterilized at will."(p. 52).

Richard L. Rubenstein also picks up where scholars such as Hannah Arendt and Isaiah Trunk left off in discussing the role of the Judenrate (the Jewish community councils) and its central role in the Nazi extermination of Jews (p. 3). Although the degree of Judenrate-German collaboration differed from place to place, the reader may be stunned by the degree to which the collaborationist actions of some Judenrate eliminated the need for large numbers of Germans and non-Jewish collaborators in the roundup of Jews for extermination: "In almost all of the killing operations, the German personnel were short-handed. It is estimated that only fifty SS personnel and 200 Lett and Ukrainian auxiliaries were assigned to the Warsaw Ghetto which hade a population of five hundred thousand at its peak, almost all of whom perished."(pp. 74-75).

Few incidents have exposed man's inhumanity to man like the Holocaust. Richard Rubenstein in his pamphlet "The Cunning of History," attempts to demystify the Holocaust to show it as not only an event that happened, but also as one capable of happening, again.
Rubenstein establishes a linkage between the Reformation and the concentration camps. He asserts that the contemporary culture of death was the apex of ideas forged way back to Martin Luther's schism from the Catholic church. He establishes that without the active collusion of business interests, a docile citizenry and the military, the extermination of Jews might not have occurred. The complicity of Britain and America is barely treated, but the little touched on is informative.
A Century of Progress, the last chapter in the book, exposes the excesses of power as not inherent in the executive, but rather in the structure of government. To Rubenstein, an American president "can resort, if not to overt terror, at least to extralegal bureaucratic harassment to secure the compliance of the governed."
While a very good book, The Cunning tends to skip over events that could interrupt the narrative, like his definition of bureaucracy. Far from being a mindset unique to Nazi Germany, the rationalization and disenchantment of the natural existed since the Enlightenment. The Nazis set up concentration camps not because of bureaucracy, but because there was economic incentive. Rubenstein also posits that men have no natural rights - A dreadful propostion considering that if rights are granted by the state, those rights can be taken away. (A point he had repeatedly emphasized.)
Notwithstanding these kinks, The Cunning of History is a stimulating book with much to tell us about our past, as well as our future.

Professor Rubenstein was my most fascinating and challenging professor at FSU during the 1970s. His range of intellectual inquiry makes him a "Renaissance" man. He has written numerous provocative and important books.

And I am re-reading the books thirty plus years later.

I have been collecting the graphic novel series for about 8 years last month I moved and lost the whole collection if anyone knows how I can get this collection again please let me know thank you Jamie

This work of fantasy rivals some of the best of the century, with superb artwork by Wendy Pini, and a brilliantly planned storyline by Wendy and Richard Pini. Follow the adventures of a tribe of woodland elves who are forced to abandon their forest dwelling in the face of fire. Tricked by their fickle friends the trolls, they find themselves lost in the desert, where they find...But thats for you to find out when you read this work of art. Full of emotions that anyone can relate to, and characters who clash, and come together to form grand friendships and rivalries that will keep you reading through the whole series of Eight full color, and unfortunately, out of print Elfquest Stories.

I loved the hardcover edition. With the full color illustrations. Of course the whole story line. Is amazing! Love it!

Where does one begin to review a masterpiece like this? Even more thought provoking, where does one end? This book's praises cannot be sang too often. The artwork and color are astonishing. They will leave your jaw hanging open, and your mind thirsting for more. Is emotions are so clear, you can feel Cutter's heartache, Leetah's mixed emotions, and Rayek's hate and mistrust of the new strangers. Read this book, and I promise you will not be disappointed, but don't take my word for it. Go on, see for yourself.

Where do you begin with a book like this? Even more thought provoking, where do you end? Not enough can be said about this book. The artwork is astonishing and the colors will leave your jaw hanging open and your mind thirsting for more. You feel the heartache of Cutter, the mixed emotions of Leetah, and Rayek's hate and distrust of the new strangers. Buy this book, and I promise, you will not be disappointed, but don't take my word for it. Go on, see for yourself.

Even if this book was selling for retail, I'd still suggest heading out and buying a copy as soon as possible. It's THE book that can lead a potential entrepreneur from a vague feeling of "I need to start a business" to actually overseeing a successful venture. There are no theoretical Harvard Business School theories here. These techniques work, and are explained in a way that anyone with an average intelligence can understand. Further, it encourages excitement, and stimulates motivation so that dreamers can bring their ideas to light.

I can't recommend this book enough. I'd give it seven stars if I could.

I stumbled across this book shortly after starting my 3rd company (1991). This baby is chock-full of truly interesting, readable prose.
Invaluable references.
"Real Life" examples of entrepreneur's in the trenches.
VC's at the bargaining table.

Lessons such as "The Okie Mechanic", "Establish Your Mini-Incomes", "The 40-Inch Hardboiled Egg" and others are as applicable today as they were back in '77. Replace "manufacturing plant" with "web development team" and you'll never know the difference.

Richard White and his band of 17+ consultants, VC's and company founders (primarily Silicon Valley but the stories are from all over the map) made this book happen. How Chilton got hold of it, and why they have not wrapped a complete business program around it is beyond me.

At times, you cannot find this book anywhere on the used market. Ocassionally booksellers show a few dozen copies. Either way, get yourself a copy, and pick up 3 for your closest friends, business partners and your kids.

You won't regret it.

I've used this as a sound guide in consulting to hundreds of clients. it never ceases to bring forth some associative wisdom and true-stories from the client... and leads the way in solving many an issue.

Oh, and for those who have loaned it out never to see it again?

Good. Get yourself another copy to give away.
I believe I'm on number 34 or 35.

Mark Alan Effinger
RichContent.com

P.S. Another winner is Mark Paul's "How To Attract More Customers in Good TImes and Bad". Highly recommended for getting clarity in your customer acquisition process and pricing models.

31 years later and on my second copy, this is STILL the one I keep coming back to when it's time to start up something very special. Written by someone who's been there - done that and is willing to tell all. Unlike most business books that claim so much yet deliver so little, this one comes through in spades. Want to fire up a new company --- the right way --- the first time --- and do it with others you can motivate all along the way? If so, then look no further. Definately aging well.

The Entrepreneur's Manual came highly recommended, so I tracked down a copy. I'm glad I did -- it's very good. Don't judge this book by its cover. Or by the old-fashioned printing fonts and style. This book's contents hold up very well for their age. In fact, I have nothing as good on my shelf even today.

Much like Dale Carnegie's books, Richard White's book stands the test of time. Anyone starting up a new company will have plenty of advice. But good advice? That is rare. You will find good advice here. Better, on the topics it covers, than you will find anywhere else.

One of the best, if not THE Best, Business Start-Up book...

Rich White died some years back, he was working on the updated version of EM. The complete revision was nearing completion when he took sick. To the best of my knowledge the revision was never submitted to Chilton.

Rich was a close and dear friend, we sent many a hour *brainstorming* and sometimes *barnstorming* new ideas....

I spoke to him 3 days before he died.

He was exactly as he sounds in his book...

His friends do indeed miss him...

04-23-2007

Ain't no drama like family drama because family drama don't stop.. You will certainly enjoy this book along with others by Marcus Major!! This is a feel good book about how we deal with family, friends and relationships.

Marcus Major has written an eloquent tribute that delves into
the intricacies of family life, especially the nuances & intimacies of marriage. I also enjoyed his candor with the male aspect on views of marriage and friendship. I love this book! I can't wait to see how Jasmine evolves as a young woman.

I have been following Marcus Major since his first short story that was published in "Got to Be Real". Once again I have to say that I am pleased with his story telling abilities. Reading this book was like talking to an old friend telling stories about his families trials, tribulations, but the unity and love that keeps them together.

I would recommend this book to anyone, and I already have!

This is a very good read. The Moore family had real good members that made the story enjoyable to read. I would recommend this book to others.

This was my first time reading a book by Marcus Major and it I must admit it was really a great & refreshing read. The characters were well developed and I just love the way the Moore sons protected there mother and treated there own wives. All & All this was a good read and I recommend it to others..

When people ask why I love flying so much, I'm always tempted to give them a copy of A Gift of Wings. My father gave me this book on my 16th birthday along with vouchers for my first flying lessons. Nearly twenty years later, I value this book nearly as much as the memories I have of learning to fly. In this collection of short stories from the sixties and seventies, Richard Bach manages to capture the allure of aviation with an extremely rare talent. I have now read this book at least a dozen times and it never fails to rekindle my passion for flight. Before any student pilot is taught anything about the practicalities of flying a plane, they should first be required to read this book. If you're a pilot, you'll immeadiately love this book and if you aren't a pilot, it will make you want to become one.

One of the greatest books written for people who love flying, or to inspire someone to pursue learning to fly.

Richard Bach has a gift of using metaphore to write his experience.... You don't have to be a Pilot nor a Seagull to get caught in his web.... His uinque way of enfolding one into his story, is most delightful...

IF your ready for a very unique experience, in reading, be careful.... You'll have a hard time putting the book down, and not wanting to read more of him,and in the process, you just might learn something about yourself.....

I've been hooked,(as you will) for years on his books...

If you love flying, or the feeling of freedom that comes with flight (and who doesn't?), then you will absolutely adore this Richard Bach amazing creation. Beautifully written, it will expand your horizons and touch your soul!
Arlene Millman
author of BOOMERANG - A MIRACLE TRILOGY

I'll paraphrase the intro from the front of this book: "This book consists of a bunch of short essays written for magazines like AOPA and other amateur pilot publications. Some of the stories were written a long time ago and are not well-written but I have not updated them."

In many respects, that sums up my take on this book. Many poorly written stories about how smart amateur pilots feel after doing something stupid and not getting killed. I guess you have to be a pilot to buy into this. I am not a pilot.

Reading this book is like being on a Greyhound bus for 9 hours next to a Cessna salesman. It's all about "clear air", and "God's skies", etc. You're not alive if you're not flying. Gimme a break.

I recommend you go read Ernest K. Gann's "Fate is the Hunter", about professional pilots who spend their whole lives in the air and still get killed, or nearly so, because of circumstances they have no control over.

Just drop this book off at the General Aviation office at your local airport and give those guys something to read till the weather clears.

This volume of poetry is nothing less than an express route to a powerful experiential understanding of a large sector of men - especially white men who grew up in "mainstream," "conventional," "middle class" families in the U.S. It is a courageous exposé, revealing the eerie reality lurking beneath what routinely passes for normality in contemporary Western society.

Rick's book made such an impact on me that I asked him if I could use some of his poems to tell his story in my own book, Drinking the Dragon: Stories of the Dark Nights of Soul. I was especially glad to find him, since it has not been as easy to find males as it has females to discuss their vulnerability and despair during a transformative dark night experience. What made Rick's book so inspiring was that he did not stay in the dark night, but moved through it to "a more conscious manhood."

Rick Belden's collection of Iron Man poems is a moving journey into one man's heart of darkness. Belden's examination of the most covert reaches of the male soul is so raw and visceral, so heartbreakingly honest, sometimes I was tempted to look away. But he brings such insight and compassion to the task, averting my eyes was not an option. These brave poems taught me a lot about what it means to be a man. They also taught me a lot about what it means to be human.


Iron Man Family Outing : Poems About Transition Into A More Conscious Manhood

As a psychotherapist who works with wounded men and male sex addicts, this book has been an invaluable resource to my practice. Mr Belden's poetry strikes a resonate cord for my clients whose childhood was marred by disappointment and emotionally restrictive relationships. The poem "Fused at the Wound" is brilliant and speaks to both men who are recovering from their wounds, but also to my female clients. I applaud Mr. Belden work that resulted into this book.
Ross Rosenberg, M.Ed. LCPC

As a psychotherapist, I heartily recommend Iron Man Outing for men with histories of abuse and trauma as an honest and validating account of one man's struggle with his identity and relationships. Rick Belden has created a soul-bearing account of his life, and has brilliantly exposed the complexity of his emotional struggle towards healing and wholeness.

I just cannot praise this book enough. Ellman's biography of Joyce is amazing, bewildering, daunting (at least in its length) and wonderful -- not coincidently, just like James Joyce. One caveat: I imagine a reader might be quite confused if s/he read this before reading any of Joyce's major works (Ulysses or Finnegans Wake). I am kicking myself that I didn't read this biography years ago! Truly a marvelous work -- and a must for readers of Joyce.

For those of you interested in a biography of James Joyce that's as erudite as his works themselves, then Ellmann's "James Joyce" is most definitely for you. This is a product of years of interviews and correspondence with many of Joyce's friends and family members; and Ellmann's love for both the writer and the man radiate through every page. His sections on the key themes and events that inspired both "Ulysses" and "Finnegans Wake" are invaluable. Moreover, you'll find yourself chuckling a great deal of time, and even shedding a few tears, as I did. My only critique of the book, albeit fairly minor, is not so much directed at the author as it is at the publisher: there is little room in the margins for notes, as well as very sparse flyleaves; hence for those of you who like to engage a book with gushing pen in hand, then you'll find the layout of this book quite restraining, as I did. One might counter this critique, however, with the perhaps granted point that it leaves all the more canvas space on which to overlay layers and layers of brush strokes much needed when attempting to paint the life of this very complex, gifted, and charming man.

In all things about James Joyce, no one has exhibited more of an acute understanding of the man and his works than Richard Ellmann. He is the bridge by which readers who have not read Joyce or do not understand what they have read by him to the inner workings of the artist and his life.

This biography, "James Joyce" has been around for decades, virtually unchallenged. He presents to the reader all the facets of Joyce's life and personality. This is no mere star-gazing. Along with all the great things about Joyce, he also examines his weakness: his superstitions, his drinking, his occasional selfishnes, his sexual complexities, and his failure to really take care of his family. We get to see Joyce in all his dimensions and from several perspectives. That makes this book not only the best biography of James Joyce but one of the classic biographies of all time.

Richard Ellmann's biography of James Joyce is hands down among the three best or the best biography written in the 20th century. For anyone with a serious interest in Joyce or his writings, will truly enjoy getting to know Joyce and his writings through this book.

I've read maybe a few thousand reviews of other titles on this website but this is the first book I've felt I needed to comment on. I comment mainly because I noted that two reviewers gave this book "4 stars". What unmitigated gall!

Richard Ellmann's biography is the most definitive and complete examination of James Joyce that has been written. This extensive work examines Joyce's life from his birth to his death. Ellmann's narrative derives from Joyce's letters as well as accounts from Joyce's brother, Stanislaus. The book is most revealing in offering an understanding of the process it took for Joyce to come up with his most monumental works, ULYSSES AND FINNEGANS WAKE. Ellmann states that Joyce intentionally made it difficult for anyone to understand what he wrote. He wanted to keep his critics, academics and scholars, guessing of what significance his nonsensical gibberish creation represented. In addition, Ellmann intertwines events that occurred in Joyce's life that show how they closely resemble the characters in the works he produced, such as his early work, A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN.

James Joyce most likely can be considered a "starving artist." He would go without a new pair of shoes until they wore down to the soles, but looked debonair and sophisticated with non-matching suits. In the beginning, he aspired to be a work within the realms of Jesuit studies, but later opted for a writing career that would take him from Trieste, Paris, and Zurich. Joyce struggled with poverty through out his life even as his most famous works were published. Monetary problems and health conditions that affected his eyesight never hindered his creative process. If he lost his eyesight, he probably would have continued to write blind. Joyce appeared to be an eccentric and stubborn man. However, Ellmann shows a caring and supporting man who loved his wife and children, and most of all, his father, John Stanislaus Joyce.

In terms to history and literature, Ellmann constantly references Joyce's fascination with Shakespeare, ancient civilization and history. This is best displayed in ULYSSES, but one significant footnote is that he did not appear to care for American history. He makes a minute reference to Ulysses S. Grant in ULYSSES, but he did not even know who the man was; Joyce loathed the United States. Also, Ellmann offers a birds-eye view of what his cohorts thought of his work. Gertrude Stein as well as Ernest Hemingway praised and envied Joyce's contributions to Modernism.

Ellmann examines a tremendous amount of information within his narrative. When one completes JAMES JOYCE, what else do you need to know about this genuine writer who used his craft as a means of getting back home, but never quite made it there? But he preferred Zurich and its snow-capped mountains as home rather than the complexities of his former Dublin. JAMES JOYCE is the springboard one needs when beginning a study of Joyce the man and his works, which should begin with PORTRAIT and ending with WAKE.

I came in not knowing much of anything about the music industry...and after reading this book from cover to cover (its a long book), I can say I learned a lot. The book is very easy to read, with real and made-up examples, and simple language. The author does a great job breaking down the rules of the industry. It does not tell you how to run your operation or how to market a hit record...it just lays out all the rules for you to either follow, break, or bend.

The best chapters were about song ownership, copyrights, publishing, royalties, and taxes. Actually, the taxes chapter was really enlightening. You can tell a lawyer wrote this book from that chapter.

I've been in a band for several years, and unfortunately, everyone else that has been in my band has never had the experience of running it as a business. We have been skating by all these years just doing gigs, but now we are planning on releasing a CD and this definitely makes things more complicated. This book has been a godsend. Very informative and USEFUL information. Other music law type books are informative, but haven't been very useful on the level we needed it. You can use what is in this book right away. Its easy to read and understand.

Like all carpenters needing important tools to build a house, this book is the tool for all musicians. It covers all the important music business information and will help cut down unnecessary misfortune for musicians. Definitely a MUST BUY!!!

This offers a great foundation to Music Law. It is clear & easy to read w/ room in the margins for notes. Richard Stim even mentions a few legal loopholes you can benefit from.

You can also recieve free book updates on the Nolo website, which is a cool perk.

There comes a time in a musician or band's career when they get serious about what they're doing and need to start focusing on legal aspects of their endeavors. This book is and indispensable reference for that situation.

The book is written in easy to understand layman's terms. It covers a fairly broad range of subjects, and provides pointers to other resources for more in depth cover of the covered subjects.

One more notable point about the book is the pre-fabricated contracts and legal forms that it comes with. They seem to be solid, could be useful in a number of situations, and are explained thoroughly.