Stanley Books

A balanced and gently stated explanation of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Intended for young children (age 8 and up) but appropriate for an older audience. 90 pages, illustrated with photographs, published 1994.

Particularly illuminating and helpful, this brief text discusses the various feelings of the people who were interned during the war, as well as the context of their community involvement before, during, and after the conflict, by tracing the specific story of Shi Nomura.

Japanese Americans who were living in the mainland US were required to leave their real and personal property, their communities and their friends, their businesses and their professions, their schools and their places of worship, to be detained in the internment camps. Their property was confiscated, their citizenship revoked. Many thousands of American citizens were discharged from the US military and labeled "enemy combatants," despite their US citizenship and worthy service records. Yet not even one Japanese American person was ever found guilty of disloyalty to the US or of war crimes of any sort. To the contrary, many youth volunteered from within the camps to serve their nation through the 100th battalion and the segregated 442nd infantry division. The 442nd division lived up to its motto, "Go for broke!" by becoming the most highly decorated unit ever in US history. Translation services provided by military intelligence in the 100th battalion -- highly educated Americans usually of Japanese ethnicity -- enabled the US to understand and act upon intercepted foreign messages.

Sharing these stories -- the stories of fellow Americans' struggle to prove their loyalty to their own country -- is a way to honor them, their sacrifices, and their contributions. Going forward with this understanding, perhaps we will be better able to avoid treating other Americans of any ethnicity with such unwarranted discriminatory action.

Highly recommended.

This book tells us how it could happen. Japanese-Americans were the subject of constant pressure and segregation in Hawaii and California as well as the rest of the United States. Apparently the Japanese were excellent farmers and the whites were no competition for their success so laws were passed, no male immigrants, no female immigrants, no citizenship, citizenship doesn't really matter, etc. The story is pretty stunning and it really covers how the idea of internment could happen. Hate a group of people, refuse them the right to assimilate and then send them off without rights when there is an excuse to do so. I think it could happen again. It would be better if it didn't though.

In this book called I Am An American that I read is a really good book because it is for the kids at the reading level of 9-12 (ages to). If you wanted to know the story. Well in the story their is a yough boy and his family that were intered with others. Also in this story is based one a true one, it is almost like a biography. As I was thinking about this story I realized that is was a very educational it makes you think about the world itself. When I was reading some other reviews I saw one and it caught my attention and I had to write about it. It was about a girl who had experienced what went on in the book. As I was reading on in this review it said that the girl and her family were interned too, just like the boy in the girl in the review. The girl's name that was interned with her family was Shi Nomura. I think being interned is like you having to pack up all of your things and then moving out of the place where you were and then never returning. I think that is just like being interned because you can never go back. And then I started to read another review and it mentioned that this whole thing happened during World War II, and that was one of the worst wars that went on in the world years ago. They said that Japan and many other countries were over world order. "Freedom has a Tousand charms to show". I used this because the people that were interned probably thought that they were going to be free because it makes it seem like they were going to be free but they weren't, going to be free at all. I think that it was a good book because it tells how badly people were treated, it had said that it was a good book. Some people may say that it was not a good book because it might make kids think that when they grow up they will be treated that way. It also might make it seem that this is still going on. It also might make teens think that the world around them is unfair to different people (races). Then it might make teens feel that some people in the world are disrespectful to different people (races), and should be respect to them no matter what race the people are. And it could make them think that people have no kind of respect for others and instead of being mean to them. It is a good book however kids can read it, get an educational idea of their life and the world that surrounds it. I Am An American can get a teen or a child to start reading at the reading level of 9-12. If you by this book then you will enjoy reading it because it will tell you what went on in the world back then instead of now. If you read this book now you will think that "Life isn't the same".

Your Fellow Adolescent, Shanti Lipscomb

I read this boook because I had a history project all about Japanese Internment. Before I read this book I thought Japanese Interment was only about the Japanese in some camps. I didn't realize the injustice that we set upon these noble and great people. After reading this book I felt enraged at how the Japanese would have to sell or burn their beautiful and valuble items. I think they deserve so much more than a letter from the President. We should have a much better tribute toward them. I have always been proud of living in such a great state such as California, but I am not proud that they were the least tolerant of the Japanese.

Helpful, readable, and affordable. I loved this book, good insight and original information. Perhaps not as large and expensive as other job books, but much more applicable; and I believe it got me a job.

Loved this book. I have been out of work for the past 14 months. I left a full time corporate position to be a full time caretaker for my father who recently passed on. Little did I know that getting back into the workplace would be so difficult. I feel penalized for having made the decision to do so. I am in my middle 50's and am realizing that my age is probably a factor in my employability.

This book was much better than the "what color is your parachute" book. The info is succint, practical, and gives
one hope of securing the right position for any reader.

After reading many job hunting books, including the "parachute book" I decided to visit my local Borders and gather more resources. After selecting 10 or so books to peruse, I decided on Mr. Wynett's book because it read well and got to the point of the search and how to make mine more effective.

Using the book, I restructured my resume and cover letter. I earnestly began soliciting myself with the new resume on February 1st. By the end of that week I received a few phone calls and emails of interest. In the next two weeks I scheduled 4 interviews that led to 2 offers and I accepted one today, February 20th.

I am not sure if it is coincidence or not, but, I have to believe the following the advice in the book and making the suggested resume changes are what did it for me. Having been unemployed since September 19, 2005, I am totally elated to have found a job with excellent pay and benefits. I actually did not settle, I got to pick and take control of my situation.

If you are looking for a book that deals with the business of job hunting and how to do it successfully, this is the book you need to read.

As a jaded laid-off former corporate drone/worker bee, this book breathes new life into the possibilities of being employed AND happy. From the beginning of this book, I realized that my attitude was all wrong. The first couple of chapters will get the fire started under your heels and give you inspiration to
start that dreaded job hunt or resume revision. My stomach used to turn at the thought of having to look at my resume, but perhaps that is why I never heard from anyone. "The Job Hunter's Crystal Ball" emphasizes the personal touch. My
resume has the personlity of a dial tone--on a good day. I actually look forward to a complete overhaul of my resume, really jazzing it up and having it convey my true abilities and nature to a prospective employer.

This book breaks down all of the manager/HR jargon that I needed to know. I found out what was probably happening to the endless resumes which I sent out after being canned. In addition, "The Job Hunter's Crystal Ball" opened my eyes
into how to answer the lamest questions one often encounters in a job interview. Ever more helpful, the book tackles the sticky SALARY issue. I was always lousy at this. Not anymore!!

I overcame all fears which I had about the application, resume and interview processes after reading this book. I felt confident that I could walk into Any Company, USA and seal the deal--pardon the cliche. It's true. Sure, some of the
info I knew, but the presentation and positive nature of the book really made me do a 180 in my attitude. I realize that an employer is not just looking at what you can do, but how well you can convince them that you are the wo/man for the job. I could never figure out why I wasn't getting jobs--I was smart enough, articulate enough, friendly enough, hardworking, etc. But something wasn't wowing them. The general advice I always receive is to "go in and sell yourself"; however, this book tells you HOW.

My options are open and I am trying to be more flexible regarding job opportunities. I think "The Job Hunter's Bible" would be just as appropriate, IMHO!

I thought I'd buy this to help teach history in school to my middle school ESOL students, I also am a fan of Diane Stanley, the illustrator. I didn't count on how absorbing the story would be and that I would be drawn into a world I barely knew existed. I had never heard of Princess Kaiulani before. I thought I would be reading about Queen Liliuokalani and it took me back a bit when I found out the story was about her niece. Kaiulani has a touching and very short life. I really want to read more about her. What more can an author hope for if they spur an interest in the subject they wrote about?

My daughter and I loved this book, even though the text was challenging for her as a 4-year old. The story of Princess Ka'iulani's childhood, and her bravery, poise, and eloquence in defending Hawaii when the Haoles brought in an army to depose Hawaii's queen, is beautifully told and made a deep impression. Also beautifully illustrated.

Gives children a real look at the history of Hawaii. A beautiful, sad and true story. Would like to buy a bunch more and give to children for gifts.

Fay Stanley's very worthy true story, "The Last Princess," is the tale of the life of Princess Ka'ilulani of Hawaii (or "Hawai'i" as it's more correctly spelled throughout the book). The book is illustrated by Fay Stanley's daughter, Diane Stanley, and this mother-daughter team has come up with a captivating and sad true story about a portion of history little of us know anything about.

Princess Ka'iulani was the niece of the king of Hawaii when she was born towards the coming of the 20th century. Great rejoicing attended her birth, as the king himself had no children. By all accounts, Ka'iulani was cheerful, beautiful, polite, kind, intelligent, and more than worthy of taking over the throne when the time came. Unfortunately, Americans intervened and little by little usurped the king's power. By the time Ka'iulani returned to the island after her schooling in England, the Hawaiian islands were an entirely different place--and not for the better.

Ka'iulani appealed to President Grover Cleveland's better nature and although he did his best to help her, upon leaving the White House after his presidency, Ka'iulani now had no American political friends. It was far more in America's interests to annex Hawaii to America than it was to help this charming, serious princess regain her rightful access to the Hawaiian throne.

This is a terrifically absorbing tale. Ka'iulani is presented beautifully by the illustrations, which show different aspects of her personality while always emphasizing her dignity and popularity among the Hawaiian people. The two Stanley ladies have taken a little-known subject and presented it to us with power and handsome decoration, and the end result is highly compelling.

Being able to laugh at one's self is a sure sign of confidence. "Laugh for God's Sake: Where Jewish Humor and Jewish Ethics Meet" seeks to speak of Jewish humor and how it seems to not be exclusionary to gentiles and touches upon the very fundamental things that makes us all human. Hoping to teach readers the value of ethics as they laugh along the book, "Laugh for God's Sake: Where Jewish Humor and Jewish Ethics Meet" is a top pick for both Judaic Studies and Humor collections.

"Laugh for God's sake: where Jewish humor and Jewish ethics meet" is an erudite analysis of the intersection of humor and ethics in Jewish tradition. It is, first of all, a great read. Not a joke book, but filled with lots of jokes nonetheless.

Simply reading the Table of Contents makes one impatient to get to the body of the book, and the body of the book does not disappoint.

Very few of the jokes are really funny but with them and between them Rabbi Schachter imparts to the reader insights into Jewish thought and belief. A few examples are the following: Rabbinical legislation can amend biblical law -- by taking the sin out of interest on loans helped Jews in this world. They gained an early leg up in finance and banking. Gossip is a greater evil than Jewish comedians (they have the good jokes) might lead you to believe. Jews have always had and continue to have hope for a better life in this world (as opposed to another world) despite the incredible disasters and suffering they have experienced in this world.

This book does something you would have thought was impossible. It is at once very serious and very funny, intertwining a description of Jewish ethics with garlands of traditional jokes by and about Jews.

The insight upon which Rabbi Schachter builds his analysis is that jokes reflect the culture that produces them and, in the case of Jews, that jokes especially reflect what their inventors thought about right and wrong, good and bad. After an introduction, each chapter of the book examines a set of ethical convictions -- about, say, loyalty or truthfulness -- and then collects a set of jokes that illuminate the (sometime ambivalent) Jewish attitudes towards these convictions. The final product is a mosaic of traditional Jewish attitudes towards ethics that is more subtle and nuanced than any straightfoward explication could be.

Some of the jokes in this book are funny by themselves (you'll find yourself retelling them), and some are poignant rather than funny. Both sorts of jokes serve the author's purpose. The book's cumulative impact is that it leaves one with a deeper understanding and appreciation of Jewish humor and the very serious things it says about Jewish life and belief.

This is one of Farwell's earliest works. I think I have read everything he has written and I am always amazed at the high quality and readability. This book is about Henry M. Stanley, and Africa through his eyes. Farwell refuses to allow modern prejudices to enter into the story. Stanley is unique - emotionless yet idealistic, shy yet driven. Read this book not only to find out about the man, but for the incredible adventures. For an excellent 1 volume history of African exploration, read Africa Explored by Christopher Hibbert.

Is this kind of man even made anymore?!

I just finished reading this a second time (last was 1998), and it amazed me even more this time around.

If you ever think you've gotten into a tough situation, read about HMS & realize that, in fact, your situation is really quite trivial.

Excellent biography of Stanley, who had an incredible life. He was illegitimate, abandoned by his mother, put into a work-house, and had an all-round awful childhood until meeting the kindly fellow in America who adopted him. But the meat of the book is Stanley's three major trips in Africa: to find Livingstone, to explore and continue Livingstone's work, and to relieve Emin Pasha. Each involves amazing hardships and adventures and Farwell does a wonderful job of giving lots of detail and colour as he relates these exciting trips. Worth reading by anyone who has an interest in Burton but isn't sure what to turn to next.

Henry M. Stanley was the first human to cross equatorial Africa. And he did it roughly four times, fighting beast, insects, disease and the most violent, primitive peoples ever encountered by an explorer. This account of his entire life is fascinating: raised in a Scottish orphanage, adopted by a New Orleans merchant, fought in the Civil War on the side of the South, journalist and -- all training for the hardships of his true calling -- explorer. On his first trip he finds Stanley to deliver the famous quote -- two more trips each more astounding than the preceding are to follow. He retires as a hero of the British exploration community. This book is a gem, well written by an author who rightly reveres deeply his subject. This is a must read for anyone who enjoyed "Undaunted Courage." Stanley is 20 Lewis and Clark's rolled into one man. Maps are good for a paperback.

I ordered this book and tell ya what. It has the best information I've seen yet that indicates, through scientific research that THC helps stop or reduce pain...something the herb consumers have known for a long time. Interested in medicine such as Marinol for pain? Get this book, then give it to your doctor. THC Delta-9, is now schedule III, prescribable by doctors for "other than approved label use"....

A must have if you want to arm yourself with scientifically proven facts on this very controversially subject. I was so excited to find out what the Institute of Medicine had to say about cannabis, that I went out and told everyone I know. A true gem. Let's get this information out to everyone! And to all of those who helped put this book on the shelf, thank you! so much.

You can read this book for free at the Institute of Medicines site. Do a title search at google.

This book is the result of a $900,000 two year study of the known facts on marijuana, including a review of recent literature and interviews with patients. It was requested by "Drug Czar" McCaffrey after medical marijuana had become legal in California. No doubt McCaffrey was hoping the Institute of Medicine would come out against it. However, when finally released in March 1999, the Institute of Medicine report not only confirmed that marijuana has legitimate medical uses and is remarkably safe, it also demolished the myths that marijuana leads to harder drugs or that it causes "amotivational syndrome".

Did you know that 32% of all nicotine users develop a psychological dependency on their drug, as do 15% of all alcohol users versus only 9% of marijuana users? The book is full of useful facts like these.

If you want to get involved in the debate about what drug policy will serve us best you should read this book. Thank you, Mr McCaffrey :-)

A Science Fiction Story

Interplanetary interpersonal communication.


4 out of 5

My copy is an original 1962 paperback from "The Lancer Science Fiction Library" Lancer Books Inc.

This book contains five stories written by Stanley G. Weinbaum during his short writing career:

1. A Martian Odyssey (1934)
2. The Adaptive Ultimate (1935)
3. The Lotus Eaters (1935)
4. Proteous Island (1936)
5. Brink of Infinity (1936)

All of these stories were great. I liked The Adaptive Ultimate the least, though it was still entertaining. All were of the Sci-Fi or Fantasy genre except "Brink of Infinity" which was more of a mathematical thriller (is that a genre?)

"The Lotus Eaters" is a sequel to "Parasite Planet" (not included in this book but available elsewhere.)

If you like the Sci-Fi/Fantasy of the 30's and before (such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Clifford Simak, Jack Williamson, etc.) you should like these stories.

Stanley Weinbaum didn't write very many stories before his literary career was cut short by cancer; those he did write were amazing though. He was able to stretch your imagination with fantastic but believable aliens and bizarre societies. One of my favorite characters is "Tweel," a strange but loveable alien who travels by leaping high in the air and landing on his nose. There are many other totally strange characters throughout the collection of short stories as well. He does a great job of making the adventurers humorous and mind-expanding at the same time.

First of all, this is not a "book", it is a book-on-tape. And second, this book won the MARK TIME GOLD AWARD presented by the Firesign Theatre for "The Best Science Fiction of the Year".Remarkable how these facts are deemed unimportant by some otherwise professional reviewers and how this and other superlative work gets overshadowed by tongue-in-cheek celebrity fodder the Alien Voices people rush to market and the public eats like pablum because of familiarity with the voicesand pictures of the people doing them. This version is true Science Fiction presented in professional style and acted with clarity, reverence to material and with believability befitting works of this stature and beauty.This is a true gem worthy of notice and deserving a stronger look than others of its ilk.From the first minute on it pulls you in and makes you care about Jarvis and his treacherous journey across Martian soil to try to reunite with his crew back on the ship. His encounters with the alien life there make you feel as though you were truly on the journey with him, and Tweel (voiced by a human, I think) becomes a link to the powerful force of adaptability we all possess as human beings in Jarvis. The music gently guides, rather than assault us throughout the story, but also audibly reminds us of the terror inherent on this planet when need arises.From beginning to end, this piece mesmerizes and enchants without resorting to maudlin overexplanation of a character's action. Hats off to Star Quest and their cast, and I look forward to your next venture! Thank You!

really appreciated .book was very useful to me as Iam able to use it for my exams in the final s of my BDS programme .really helpful

The best source on the subject. A must read for all practicing dentists. An excellent review of the things we all learned in dental school but may have forgotten.

Very useful for reviews, and even basics, on a topic that is very important for dental professionals to keep up on. Could use another update since the topic needs to be kept current such as in the areas of diabetes and heart problems. Looking forward to the next edition!

Dr. Malamed's book sets the standard for managing emergencies in the dental office; I remember it from my oral surgery rotation in 1985-86. Almost anyone knows his name and this book shows why! Buy it and read it before it is needed (at an inopportune time)!

Kafka's writing works at many levels. I am sure almost every school of Literary Criticism makes its own special narrative of Gregor Samsa's transformation into an insect, and the subsequent trials and tribulations he knows.
On one level Samsa is Kafka and he is telling us the story of his own self- contempt, the world of his own family relations, the world in which a powerful dominating father reduces his son to nothing more than an object of disturbance and villification.
On another level Samsa is clearly the artist seeking his own form of transformation and expression. He is the outcast in a Society which refuses to recognize him for what he is.
On a third level we are seeing a historical prophecy for what is to happen to Kafka's world and family - that they are to be destroyed mercilessly by those ' superior beings' who morally are most evil.
One of the startling elements in the story is seeing how once its premise is given, and Samsa is an insect, how he operates on that basis. The tremedous seriousness with which he takes himself indicates perhaps Kafka's questioning of the possibility of truly making ' redeemed lives' lives of blessedness given the circumstances of the social and political milieu given here.
Kafka imagines himself, imagines his own being crushed, and yet continues beyond this story to others.
There is a sense as I write this that I have not gotten it right. I have the feeling that I missed the story in a certain way.
Perhaps this too is part of the experience the reading of Kafka gives. The world does not only fail to meet our specifications for it, even those parts of it we choose to focus on have their own strange pathways to different kinds of meaning.
These multiple readings taken together perhaps provide some ense of who Kafka is , and what his work means.
But do they really?

Professor Stanley Korngold translates Franz Kafka's novella, "The Metamorphosis" (1915), and edits this Norton Critical Edition. Even though Korngold's translation was done in 1971, it stands as an excellent idiomatic rendition of the original German manuscript. Korngold includes in this volume a section entitled "Kafka's Manuscript Revisions," which reflects more recent German scholarship. Korngold's page-by-page annotations to the novella elucidate details which serve to clarify the text for close readings. Following the novella, ("Die Verlandlung," in German), is a section of pertinent exerpts of Kafka's Letters and Diaries. The next section of the volume, "Criticism," contains a collection of seven essays, which were written between 1970-1995. A Chronology of Kafka's life and work and a Selected Biography are also included.

Professor Korngold has done a masterful job with this edition of "The Metamorphosis." Kafka's masterpiece, according to Korngold, "...is perfect, even as it incessantly provokes criticism." For the transformation of Gregor Samsa into the "monstrous vermin" disturbs readers who want and need to "control" the text. To do otherwise is to accept the hopelessness that is at the center of Samsa's existence. For the uninitiated readers, who are often first-year university students in required literature courses, "The Metamorphosis" often defies facile interpretation. Thus, the critical essays, which include poststructuralist, psychoanalytic, feminist, cultural, and historicist literary theories about the novella, are very helpful to frustrated students who may have been given essay assignments. Of particular note is Korngold's critical discussion of Kafka's "literalization of the metaphor."

My suggestion is to read "The Metamorphosis" first (in this excellent Korngold translation) and to note one's immediate reactions to the text. Then, one can explore the other sections of this critical edition at one's leisure. Finally, one can re-read the text again. ("The Metamorphosis" is short enough that it can easily be read in one sitting.)

This Norton Critical Edition is highly recommended for inclusion in first-year university literature curriculae, as well as for AP high school English or World Literature courses. Franz Kafka was one of the literary geniuses of the twentieth century, and "The Metamorphosis" is an excellent introduction to his writings.

Professor Stanley Korngold translates Franz Kafka's novella, "The Metamorphosis" (1915), and edits this Norton Critical Edition. Even though Korngold's translation was done in 1971, it stands as an excellent idiomatic rendition of the original German manuscript. Korngold includes in this volume a section entitled "Kafka's Manuscript Revisions," which reflects more recent German scholarship. Korngold's page-by-page annotations to the novella elucidate details which serve to clarify the text for close readings. Following the novella, ("Die Verlandlung," in German), is a section of pertinent exerpts of Kafka's Letters and Diaries. The next section of the volume, "Criticism," contains a collection of seven essays, which were written between 1970-1995. A Chronology of Kafka's life and work and a Selected Biography are also included.

Professor Korngold has done a masterful job with this edition of "The Metamorphosis." Kafka's masterpiece, according to Korngold, "...is perfect, even as it incessantly provokes criticism." For the transformation of Gregor Samsa into the "monstrous vermin" disturbs readers who want and need to "control" the text. To do otherwise is to accept the hopelessness that is at the center of Samsa's existence. For the uninitiated readers, who are often first-year university students in required literature courses, "The Metamorphosis" often defies facile interpretation. Thus, the critical essays, which include poststructuralist, psychoanalytic, feminist, cultural, and historicist literary theories about the novella, are very helpful to frustrated students who may have been given essay assignments. Of particular note is Korngold's critical discussion of Kafka's "literalization of the metaphor."

My suggestion is to read "The Metamorphosis" first (in this excellent Korngold translation) and to note one's immediate reactions to the text. Then, one can explore the other sections of this critical edition at one's leisure. Finally, one can re-read the text again. ("The Metamorphosis" is short enough that it can easily be read in one sitting.)

This Norton Critical Edition is highly recommended for inclusion in first-year university literature curriculae, as well as for AP high school English or World Literature courses. Franz Kafka was one of the literary geniuses of the twentieth century, and "The Metamorphosis" is an excellent introduction to his writings.

For the reader new to Kafka as a writer, there is a lot of baggage to be thrown off: everything implied by the cliche 'Kafkaesque' we've gathered from films, other books and the like (alienation, angst, modern man and the Absurd, the terror of totalitarian bureaucracy, etc.); everything, in other words, that has made a caricature of an original vision.

So, for the first-time reader of Kafka, there are some pleasant surprises in 'the Metamorphosis'. The novella is often very funny - Gregor's orientation to his condition (he enjoys running up the walls and hanging off the ceiling) and the reaction of his family and manager provoke some priceless farcical set-pieces. It is a Gothic story - about a salesman who turns into a monstrous vermin, and the aghast reaction of his family; there are some unexpected frissons in the story we would normally expect from the horror genre. It is a portrait of a complacent middle-class family in decline, a la Galsworthy, or a study of the artist in an impoverished family with a weak but aggressive father, like Joyce's 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'. There are even elments of sentimental melodrama in the way Kafka loads up the sympathy for his monster in the face of almost caricatured hostility - I found myself welling up once or twice.

This is not to diminish Kafka's dark and frightening vision, just to suggest how much of his art depends on play, with narrative modes and genres, with narration, with reader's expectations. The horror, anxiety, unease, if you like, is actually quite marginal on the surface - the oppressive vastness of his familiar bedroom as perceived by Gregor in his new form; the endless vista of an adjacent hospital. It's under this surface that the true anxiety lies - the gaps in the narration, the unreliability of Gregor's perceptions and interpretations, the ambiguity of Kafka's language, the witholding and gradual unfolding of details. There don't seem to be any mirrors in the Samsa household, but the story is full of mirror-like tableaux - the portrait of the lady in furs; the photo of Gregor as a young soldier; the image of domestic life viewed every evening by Gregor in darkness.

If only all classics were treated with the respect of this edition. the translation is mostly smooth and fresh, with occasionally clumsy constructions and jarring Americanisms (are there really trolleys and foyers in Kafka's world?). The critical apparatus provides endless intellectual nourishment - manuscript revisions revealing the precision of Kafka's writing; an account of the story's genesis, creation and background through letters, diaries and related Kafka works; and seven critical essays from perspectives as varied as feminism, psychoanalysis, new-historicism and linguistics, some infected by the usual blights of literary criticism (e.g. undigested globs of French theory making argument and prose impenetrable; distortion of text to produce biased interpretaions), but which insightfully open up the astonishing density and ambiguity of a 40-page fable, offering ingenious, mutually excluxive, even contradictory readings that are all very plausible, and yet ultimately miss Kafka's elusive enigma.

A friendly and enjoyable tale of success in the retail business and how success was accomplished. Stanley Marcus recounts the growth of his family business and the stories of customer demands and customer service that created a hugely profitable and customer orientated retail empire.

While customer service is the primary focus of the book, creating innovative and exclusive items for the very wealthy provides a glimpse into how the rich find ways to dispose of their money. Marcus was a master of imaginative packages.

I bought 4 copies of the original edition and gave them away to people in sales. There is no better book for a young, or old, sales person to read.

I've read two books by S. Marcus - "Quest for the Best" and "Minding the Store". Both are fascinating.
Without any doubt, Stanley Marcus is the most talented American retailer of the 20th century. You will find out from this lively narrative what made him the best - impeccable taste, discriminate merchandising, extensive knowledge of manufacturing, business vision, professional honesty and breadth of intellectual interests. If you aspire to be a specialty retailer, drop 99% of the books about selling, they will not show you a worthy real-life example of how to run a store that customers can not resist to visit. Marcus does not hold back any secrets how he did it.
Read, laugh and get inspired.

I guess it was my Business degree & marketing background I brought to the Architecture Masters program that made the Dean feel this might be my best contribution to the profession. Why else would he have presented me with this book upon defending my thesis project & graduating - was it really almost 30 years ago?

Now #2 of 4 kids is graduating college in advertising and I can't resist getting her this insightful, revealing history of a magic retail legacy that began in our home town. In fact, my mother grew up in the Adolphus - the marketing ally of Neimans - why else the memorable Thanksgiving parades? So this book certainly has roots to love for marketing majors, Dallasites, those in the fine arts, fashion. But it is more - much more.

The book teaches the rewards of quality, value and commitments to the good of the customer. It's not the mystique of the His & Hers fabulous Christmas catalogue gifts that make cash flow, its the quality of the $10 dresses. It's not the suit, it's the fitting; it's not the price, it's the value; it's not the steak, it's the sizzle. I hope the book passes on the value of ethics, its rewards, mystique and satisfaction, while proving the theory is all true and still alive & well today. Besides all that, it's a fun book to read.

This book, like "Quest for the Best" is an absolutely fascinating look into the world of high-end retailing. It should be in every business student's library.