Research Books

This book really gets its point across! It provides all of the basics of clear and direct business communication, succinctly and effectively. If you are new to the business world, put this book in your library *now*! I can't think of a better college/business school graduation gift under $50!

If you're part of the corporate world, you should recognize that communication skills are at the top of the "must have" list in order to succeed. Lonnie Pacelli has written a compact guide that can help improve that area of your professional existence... The Truth About Getting Your Point Across... And Nothing But the Truth.

Contents: The Truth About You and Your Recipient; The Truth About Setting Direction; The Truth About Running Meetings; The Truth About Developing Effective Presentations; The Truth About Writing Status Reports; The Truth About Brainstorming; The Truth About Problem Solving; The Truth About Interviewing; The Truth About Giving Feedback; The Truth About Being A Good Listener; The Truth About Informal Communications; The Truth About Influencing Those Who Don't Work For You; The Truth About Communicating Globally; References

The book is divided up into 59 two to four page "truths" that cover an aspect of communication. For instance, in the Communicating Globally chapter, #59 is "Just Because They Can Speak Your Native Tongue Doesn't Mean They Understand Everything You Say". Oh, so true. He then relates an incident from his experience speaking in front of a Japanese group that appeared to understand what he was presenting. Only later he found out that he spoke too quickly and used a number of unfamiliar terms. From that, he came up with a number of suggestions to help you avoid that same problem. Short, valuable, and to the point. Personally, I really dug into the Developing Effective Presentations chapter. Some things I've already done right, like Truth #18 - Entertaining An Audience Breeds Effective Learning. But other things I need to take to heart, like #21 - Develop Content Once - Use It A Thousand Times. I need to make sure I have my presentation material organized such that it's easy to reuse and adapt to different audiences.

There's a lot of value in this book, and you'll walk away with a few new things to work on every time you read it. Definitely a good volume to have on your bookshelf.

Knowing how to communicate clearly is one of the most critical skills in management. Without clear communications you cannot lead. Lonnie boils down many great ideas into crisp advice. The points discussed in his book are not only practical but immediately applicable, and will increase the effectiveness of any manager when applied. I highly recommend this book.

Presents 59 "truths" about:
your recipients;
setting direction;
running meetings;
developing effective presentations;
writing status reports;
brainstorming;
problem solving;
interviewing;
giving feedback;
being a good listener;
informal communications;
influencing those who don't work for you;
and communicating globally.

Pacelli makes his points with clarity and brevity. Filled with sound advice. Highly recommended.

The Truth About Getting Your Point Across...And Nothing But the Truth is an experience-based, practical guide for anyone who needs to get his or her point across in just about any setting. Whether you are a first-line manager in a large corporation, a CEO of a small business, or a president of a PTA, this book will help you navigate difficult communication situations and give you some very practical tips for dealing with a wide range of communications challenges.

The book contains 59 short chapters, or "truths", grouped into 13 real-life parts, as follows:

Part I: The Truth About You and Your Recipient

Part II: The Truth About Setting Direction

Part III: The Truth About Running Meetings

Part IV: The Truth About Developing Effective Presentations

Part V: The Truth About Writing Status Reports

Part VI: The Truth About Brainstorming

Part VII: The Truth About Problem Solving

Part VIII: The Truth About Interviewing

Part IX: The Truth About Giving Feedback

Part X: The Truth About Being a Good Listener

Part XI: The Truth About Informal Communications

Part XII: The Truth About Influencing Those Who Don't Work for You

Part XIII: The Truth About Communicating Globally

You'll find that some of the parts may apply and others may not; but there is enough breadth in categories that you will likely find at least a couple of the truths relevant and helpful to you. Each of the 59 truths is focused on a specific topic and contains a number of practical take-aways that you as the reader will easily glean from the reading. The truths are catchy, easy to read, and relevant to today. Here are examples of a few truth titles:


* "Truth 12: Watch the pontificator!"

* "Truth 30: Biased facilitators torpedo brainstorming sessions"

* "Truth 47: Don't hang out a therapist shingle unless you're a therapist"

* "Truth 52: Be accessible, not open-door"

* "Truth 59: Just because they can speak in your native tongue doesn't mean they understand everything you say"

Each truth is self-contained, so you can either jump around and read only the truths which you're most interested in or read the entire book, which will take you a couple of hours to get through.



Pacelli draws upon his over 20 years of experience at Accenture and Microsoft to develop a concise and relevant guide to help you with your greatest business communication challenges. You'll find very little in the way of heady or theoretical views here. It's just practical stuff that works. You'll want to keep "The Truth About Getting Your Point Across" handy to refer back to again and again.

....and pioneering development in Jungian thought. Required reading in most Jungian analyst programs, it deals with the operation of the archetypes (Jung's early thinking about them, anyway). Difficult in places but not lacking in amplificatory material.

_Analytical Psychology_ is one of the most succinct, miserly, and potent of all of Carl Jung's works. Most if not all of Jung's most important concepts are crammed into this slim volume. For experienced readers of nonfiction philosophy and psychology, this might be the best place to start reading Jung, especially if all you want is a crash-course in Jung's most important ideas. This is by no means an introductory-level book. For beginners, I would recommend Jung's masterpiece, _Modern Man in Search of a Soul_ (although that one's only slightly easier). _Analytical Psychology_ is for people who are already familier with Jung and want to reach the apex of his psychology, or for experienced readers who want to lean as much as possible about Jungian psychology in as little time as possible. Be forewarned that this book is extremely dense, yet this is a result of the inherent complexity of the subject matter, and not so much a result of bad writing or bad translation. Overall, I would say the knowledge contained in this book is well worth the effort. This book is packed with useful information that can actually improve the quality of your life, increase understanding and control of situations, decrease neurosis, and lead to overall enlightenment. Highly recommended.

This is perhaps Jung's most concise work. It has high knowledge-density & not very high readability, yet it's deep truths resonate & imbue the reader with profound realizations--not only within the individual but also between the individual & society. As Jung states, p. 239 "mankind is, in essentials, psychologically still in a state of childhood." As with the great geniuses throughout time, Jung herein attempts to help people grow up (wake up to consciousness via the unconscious)--on one hand:

pp. 4-5 "The great problems of humanity were never yet solved by general laws, but only through regeneration of the attitudes of individuals...But still too few look inwards, to their own selves, and still fewer ask themselves whether the ends of human society might not best be served if each man tried to abolish the old order in himself, & to practice in his own person & in his own inward state those precepts, those victories which he preaches as every street corner, instead of always expecting these things of his fellow men. Every individual needs revolution, inner division, overthrow of the existing order, and renewal...here is the beginning of a cure for that blindness which reigns at the present hour." (1918)

On the other hand: pp. 220-1: "I always advise my patients not to cherish the naïve belief that what is of the greatest significance to them personally also has objective significance...the vast majority of people are quite incapable of putting themselves individually into the mind of another...The most we can do, and the best, is to have at least some inkling of his otherness, to respect it, & to guard against the outrageous stupidity of wishing to interpret it." Jung looks towards the future by seeking universal truths via individual encounters. As he states, p. 203 "There are truths which belong to the future, truths which belong to the past, & truths which belong to no time." This book is timeless.

This is one of Jung's finest although it makes some demands on the cerebral capacity of the reader. Its main benefit is that the Jungian notions here comes out in their full theoretical depth. It's imperative, namely, to get a thorough and deep understanding of Jungian psychology, otherwise you haven't understood it at all. Jungian psychology is plagued by this problem that the notions are shallowly understood. Not even the very central concept of the archetype is rightly understood in many quarters. But here Jung takes us to the deepest layers of his thinking. The archetype is described as a living complex within the psyche of the individual, as a reasonably autonomous personality with a certain conscious luminosity of its own. This goes for the god-complex, too, although, Jung underlines, this doesn't disprove the existence of a transcendental God. This book handles many important questions and constitutes in fact a survey of Jungian psychology: personal and collective unconscious, anima and animus, transcendental function, etc. As this book is Jungian psychology in a nutshell it could be recommended as introductory, provided that the reader is theoretically adept. In fact, I really recommend taking on this book early when studying Jung in order to avoid shallow miscomprehensions of his psychology. However, as the book thoroughly treats questions concerning the encounter with the unconscious, such as phenomena arising from the assimilation of the unconscious, it is very much directed towards professionals. This book will satisfy the appetite of any person with a theoretical disposition. /Mats W

This work is a comprehensive overview of Jung's major theories. The first essay reviews Jung's major discoveries concerning the unconscious contents of the human psyche: the personal and collective unconscious, Archetypes, and general approaches to including them in conscious awareness. The second essay deals with the specific issues involved in making the unconscious part of human consciousness through a process he called individuation.

In this work Jung suggests that there is a way for modern humans of Western descent to rekindle an experience with the unknown, transcendent reality. He challenges readers to reexamine their assumptions and preconceptions. He urges readers to examine their own experiences and to analyze them without prejudice or preconception, and Jung reports what he has discovered by so doing.

This volume is recommended to anyone who is ready to move to the next level in their reading of Jung; anyone who is involved with a process of psychological transformation and would like some guidance from a non-religious, "scientific" source, and anyone who desires an overview of Jung in his own words. Those unfamiliar with Jung's work might find this volume a bit intimidating.

Fresh insights into the marketing game! That is what this book offers. These are things you don't learn in school - you learn by doing and experience. Lots of sound and practical advice that any sales or marketeer can benefit from. If you don't think so, read the chapter on Trade Shows and then go to any trade show in your area and see what Paul is talking about. It will open your eyes! I highly recommend this book to any and all marketeers, junior and senior alike.

Paul DiModica's newest masterpiece identifies in a comprehensive step by step approach the key elements essential to distance your business from the competition. The principles and tools found in "Value Forward Marketing" communicate in simple terms how to develop and deliver strong buyer content and value up front, educate buyers, and capture more qualified leads. No matter which business you are in, "Value Forward Marketing" will instill the importance of connecting marketing methods and sales processes with the strategic pulse of your organization.

Business can be a complicated game and business advisors with an academic bent can make it even seem more complicated. That is why business advisors like Paul DiModica are so refreshing. Just as he had done for the areas of sales and sales management, Mr. DiModica has distilled the essence of business-to-business marketing into a book that is simple and readable for a broad audience. Most importantly, he has clearly identified the business purpose of marketing: to generate qualified leads for sales! There is no "fluff" in this book, just straightforward business wisdom. Highly recommended for senior executives who want to grow their business in any economy.

Finally, a marketing book packed with actionable steps that I can start today to improve business performance. Mr. DiModica has created a book that should be a must read by all CEO's, business owners and marketing professionals. The Value Forward Marketing book walks you through, step by step, how to develop a powerful marketing strategy and program that will make you stand-out from your competitors and drive new business.

Everyone in business should read this book.

Many businesses are still using 20 year old marketing techniques that don't work in the 21st century. Mr. DiModica's Value Forward Marketing is an excellent resource for any company that wants to create more inbound leads, which is his definition of what an effective marketing program should accomplish. This is a book full of practical ideas that can be implemented today, not just theory and hype. This book is a must read for anyone that owns or runs a business and wants to grow their business to the next level

The photos in this book are positively stunning! This book is great for the price, and it might help to pique your curiosity about the universe. I would recommend it for the novice astronomer or astrophotographer, as it will give you a goal to strive for! (However, I am sure that seasoned veterans will enjoy it as well.)

Actually it does say postcards above but I didn't notice when I bought it. Considering the price probably it couldn't have been anything else but just thought I'd point it out in case anyone else was going to miss it. Nice postcards of course, but only postcards.

David Malin is an astronomical photographer. In this book he shows his love for both astronomy and photography. He gives a lot of information about stars, globular nebula, supernovas, galaxies etc. etc. But he also explains how they are photographed! He describes all kinds of techniques that are used to make things visible that would otherwise stay undetected. The writer explains why it is better to make astronomical photos from three separate B/W plates with use of blue, green and red filters, instead of using regular colour film. He explains the reason behind using more than one plate for photographing faint objects. Or techniques like "unsharp masking" and "amplification". His story is illustrated throughout the book with many photos. Regularly the same object is shown with the use of varying techniques.

The book contains 66 B/W-photos and 149 colour photos (20 colour photos full page). Reproduction quality is good, as befits a book by a photographer. Only a side-by-side comparison with the coffee-table sized book "Magnificent Universe" by Ken Crosswell shows that in that book the photos are even better reproduced, although not by too big a margin. The paper quality is good (nice, thick paper). The book is well bound. Compared to "Magnificent Universe" I like the text more. This book is highly recommended.

This easy to read and understand book includes spectacular photographs and explanations of celestial sights and events. I flipped through it at Borders and bought it mainly for the pictures but it makes for good reading also. Malin takes you on a journey around the galaxy and to places further out, places like the galaxy M-83, which can be described in one word: incredible. He doesn't dazzle you with confusing technical terms. You almost feel like you're out on a clear, moonless, very dark night with a buddy who has a great telescope.

David Malin is one of the world's best astrophotographers. This book perfectly displays his work from the Anglo-Australian Observatory. The photos are stunning. Malin actually seems to be able to capture movement in his photos showing the universe is certainly not static. This book is a must for your library.

This book has some interesting material about different dimensions (densities) and how the moving into the fourth density, which is analagous to the heart chakra is our monumental move. I like this type of information the most, regarding the structure of reality and the evolution of our planet.

Most of the channeled writings are very boring and tedious to read and is written in a robotic type of language which is at times unintelligible. Also, the author went on about her life too long at some points, repeating the same experiences she had with her partners.

The attempt to make this book a comprehensive whole touching on all aspects of life seemed like overkill to me. Most of the latter part of the book is just not interesting or unique in its insights.

I do applaud the author's ambition to reach out to wanderer's/indigos/ freaks (whatever you want to call them/us), but this is not a book to read through, but to just find out what you're interested in and take that alone.

A Wanderer's Handbook, by Carla Rueckert, is simply one of the best metaphysical books ever written. Using carefully sequenced quotations from the non-physical entities she channels, Carla combines the personal, human experience of being on her path with the brilliant, beautifully worded, and exquisitely wise words of her spiritual contacts. Every important facet of the spiritual quest, experienced within the amnesia-cloaked physical lifetime--including the frustrations, failures, and heartaches--is fully developed in this terrific book. This book is simple enough to be studied by beginners, while at the same time being one of the most advanced books even put into print on the spiritual quest.

Many thanks to Mr. Ferguson for his succinct comments above. I would agree whole-heartedly with his review--particularly in regard to non-judgment. I have found no "thou shalt" statements in this book; only an above-board sharing of channeled service-to-others material, experiences of other spiritual seekers and some biblical references, with commentary by an articulate and obviously loving author.

"A Wanderer's Handbook" is arranged intelligently, allowing the reader to approach it in a variety of ways. One does not need to read from front to back, but may turn directly to pertinent chapters or simply i-ching. Also worthy of note is a glossary provided in the back for those terms a new seeker might find puzzling.

The path of spiritual seeking often feels like a lonely one, strewn with challenges and frustrations. The pure quality of non-judgment here, paired with the heartfelt honesty of the author and her contributors, creates a deep warmth in the book... an assurance of not being alone on this journey. I've found it to be an invaluable reference, both in day-to-day application and in times of emotional/spiritual pain.

A fabulous book that has never found its way to my shelf... it resides always on my coffee table, within easy reach.

I loved this book....The author is Carla, the woman who was the channel for the entity known as RA of the series "The Ra Material" published in the mid-eighties.

RA used the term "wanderers" to describe beings of a higher dimension/density that have chosen to incarnate as human beings and to join the last reaincarnational cycle ( 25,000 or more years) in service to humanity in order to help with the ascension/harvest process.

Ra stated that often wanderers had problems that were specific to them. Carla has dedicated much of her life to explore the wanderer phenomenon as well as being of service to them. In this book are years of her observations, extract from channelings from the Ra material, from the Qu'o group, extracts of letters and experiences of other wanderers on a variety of topics: spiritual growth, cosmology, health and even sex! Carla shares of many personal aspects of her life and of the lives of the other two memebrs of L/L research Don and Jim, with a candour and honesty that makes this book a real treat.

To see that someone as evolved as Carla, privilidged to have been the channel for some of the most profound channelled matearial ever, and for her to let us know that she too has struggled with her humaness is a precious gift for us all. I am truly grateful for this book. If you have enjoyed the Ra material you will love this book.

This book was just what I needed, if you're a wanderer or think you might be this is an excellent companion!

This book has now become part one of "Eagles Over The Pacific".
It is a brilliant book, 10 out of 10. It has everything to keep you going through it again and again....

This is the standard to which all military unit histories should conform. There is a wealth of information here - from training to combat deployment to VJ Day. The text covers the personalities, battles and tactics, and contains many personal accounts. The photos are superb and plentiful, and are complemented by color photos. Even better are the 55 color aircraft profiles, covering markings and camoflage from beginning to end. I wish that all of the unit histories that I own were produced to this standard.

All the accolades are fully deserved - this is simply the best war history of any air unit fighting in any war for any side. Of course the author had some of the most incredible action aerial photography ever taken to base his work on, and the photos alone make the book worth its price. The cameras used to record the action in such detail with such high shutter speeds would not be out of place today, so it can only be imagined how cutting-edge they must have been over 60 years ago.

This work belongs on every aviation enthusiast's bookshelf. I'd add an extra star if I could!

This is probably one of the finest USAAF unit histories ever produced, it chronicles the air operations of the 345th Bomb Group , the " AIR APACHES ", formed in 1942, and who served in the South West Pacific and Philippines up to 1945. Flying the superb B-25 Mitchell twin engine bomber, they fought through the New Guinea campaign, Dutch East Indies, Philippines, & to the end of the war, including raids thru the South China Sea, Chinese Coast & Japan.

................... 1996, 4th revised edition, hard bound in dust jacket, 8 1/2 x 11, glossy page stock, 448 pages, 634 B&W photos, 53 rare color photos, 48 magnificent color aircraft profiles, 5 combat action paintings and 13 highly detailed maps. numerous appendices, bibliog, index..

Having an Uncle that served with the 345th, I found the detail to be amazing. The accounts and memories of the people interviewed glues you to your seat and gives a fresh perspective of what it was like when war wasn't so cut and dry. Excellent pictures and text. My personal interest made it even more interesting. I found it to be very accurate and concise.

This is good but a book that more accurately describes what is expected and required is the Spritual Centers in Man (also by Manly P. Hall). I have it under its original title, An Essay on the Fundamental Principles of Operative Occultism which is more accurate in description. Anyways, Spiritual Centers does talk about the various spiritual centers but what I like about it most is the beginning subject matter which is the requirements of the occult student and what he or her should expect on the path of Occult Studies, the subject that this book obviously purports.

In the age when the number of false prophets grows like mushrooms after rain, this book will help an aspirant avoid the many pitfalls that are thrown under his feet. Painfully honest and to the point, this book gives best advice to those who aspire to become students, disciples, or some day adepts of the BL - no, ambition will not get you there. Those who have sight will see the wisdom, which they need to have to qualify for the entrance into the Eternal. The ABC of occult studies; a book which will be my permanent companion. My most sincere gratitude goes to Mr. Hall for living such priceless jewel for future generations.

The pursuit of knowledge, the practice of service to one's fellows, hardship and suffering and ultimately, a true comprehension and temperance of our lower natures, all combine to lead us to a better understanding of our existence. In this curious and important essay, Hall describes the shared destinies of all of us; and that is our pursuit of truth and our conscious or unconscious hunger for a meaningful relationship with the Divine. He warns and laments about our modern tendencies to material gain and instant gratification in all things worldly. Over time, he suggests, the methods used in attaining material gratification has translated into our spiritual endeavours. One cannot deny the plethora of `expert' advise out there, presenting in many guises, to attain Wisdom in "ten easy steps". Become an all-powerful, influential guru and mammoth success, getting rich in the process. For a substantial fee, ladies and gentleman, we can show you the secrets of the ancients and throw in a no-fail diet to boot. This, of course, is not the road to Wisdom. The true road, Hall suggests, is a long and arduous one, fraught with suffering and difficult lessons, where one's hope lies in one's sincere labour, courage, true aspiration and egoless silence.

This short essay is recommended to anyone interested in sound and universal advice in their pursuit of a greater understanding of themselves and existence.

In this short work by Manly Hall, he digresses into the little known subject of how the ancient masters of the mystery schools go about teaching their students. Much has changed in the way of secret societies since the days of Plato and Pythagoras, however, the principles are generally the same. Silence is still of utmost importance. In the times of Pythagoras, silence was not only a virtue, but something your life depended upon. Today, you will not get crucified or burned at the stake for revealing secrets from a society, however, your integrity and Will are disseminated. Silence today stands as a virtue more than anything, but one that most people neglect. This short book also looks into the practices of the Student, Disciple and Initiate, as the basic three grades of the practitioner once they have entered a mystery school. Even today all of these attitudes that Hall speaks about have complete practicality in today's culture. It is less about environment and more about the demeanor of the practitioner. If one does not take in all of the ideas represented in this book, surely one or two of them will cling to the readers mind as not only possible, but inspirational. For those that have been practicing the secret arts for a period of time, this book may serve as a good reminder of why they are doing what they do to begin with.

This is the shortest introduction to the depths of esoteric knowledge you will ever find. If you are on the Path, you will feel like it was written just for you. If you aren't, don't even bother.

Everything! Pepper Miller is an industry expert and her knowledge shines through clearly as she defines the African American "Filter". This illuminates African American culture and makes it understandable to all ethnicities in the U.S. - White, Latino, Asian, Everyone!

I discovered from What's Black About It that I fall into the apparently prevalent category of Marketing execs who think that just putting one black face into an ad will make the campaign acceptable to African-Americans. This is a top-notch read with some great insights. Given the huge Census/PR buzz around Hispanic growth figures we are so caught up in allocating monies to Latino targets that we have done ourselves an injustice by virtually ignoring this all-important segment of America.

What's Black about it? Has excellent format, utilizing

sidebars to describe the meanings of the discussions. This book is very easy to read and gives many examples of African American
cultures and habits. This kind of information is certainly important to those promoting marketing in this area.

I think that the book could be used as a suppliment in schools, where Black History is being taught.

John H. Hunter- Chicago, Illinois

DNA for Cultural Cues to Effectively Reach Blacks

As a black moderator I am often asked how black perspectives differ from other ethnic groups. Pepper Miller and Herb Kemp in What's Black About It? both affirm and enlighten me on key cultural cues. They illuminate the black experience while highlighting the best practices needed to succeed in marketing to African Americans. From the importance of brands to blacks' relationship with time (which has been elevated from `CP Time' to Kairos Time) they provide a DNA map of insights to help you capture your share of a changing African-American market.

Lisa Gaines McDonald
President, Research Explorers

This is an absolute must-read for those in the advertising/marketing profession but especially those whose focus is specifically African American advertising. I especially encourage those new to the field to grab a copy "What's Black About It?" because in spite of all of the research, time and preparation it takes to produce a client presentation, at the end some clients still ask the proverbial question - "What's Black About It?"

This is handy tool that brings to the forefront new insights and dispells stereotypes. For those in this industry, you'll find that you spend more time educating clients about who African Americans really are and how much they impact EVERYTHING; "What's Black About It?" is filled with statistics and facts that make the ride much smoother. I give this book two thumbs up and encourage all to purchase. Thanks Pepper and Herb for a job well done.

A. Sikes
Strategic Planner

We own the 1959 edition of this book, with Mom and Dad straight out of a Gimble's advertisement, and all the astronauts sport Johnny Unitas buzz cut flat tops. After page three and a cheery wave goodbye to Mom not a woman is to be seen in this most male of explorations (unless you count the Garrison cap on the soda jerk at the space station). "Space, the final frontier...." Indeed.

My daughter loves it.

I mean, she loves it.

The illustrations look like John Water's camp to me now, and the text reads like the pulp science fiction/science fact from which it drew its inspiration, and the whole thin veneer of science on the tale is a mess. My favourite is the "Diner" at the space station where two regular guys are getting a cup-o-joe while a soda jerk in a white paper Garrison cap serves them.

But it is a children's book, so it doesn't matter. The Cat-In-The-Hat could pop up on the last page and no child would bat an eyelash until they are 10 years old.

Innocent in a way that the "back to The Future" movies aren't. A delightful book for children, girls and boys alike.

I remember this book well, although not perfectly, from thirty years ago. I thought back to it occasionally, and a few things cleared up.

Even with an illustration of it, I missunderstood the description of the mooncar going through the crater. For some reason, I imagined the car falling down a deep hole, driving across the bottom, and floating back up the other side.

The illustrator did get one thing wrong: The text described tiny rockets firing to turn the spaceship. The picture showed the spaceship going around in a loop, when in reality, it continued going straight in its path, just rotating to point the tail toward the moon.

When reading it, I always wondered how we got back to Earth. It seemed to me a whole lot more dangerous.

This is an "impressionable" book of colossal proportions. The subject matter absolutely fascinated, inspired, challenged, and motivated a generation of American "rocket scientists" that would eventually come to operate the Space Shuttle and the Space Station. I am one of those. Born in 1960, I would end up participating in a work-study program with NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center, earn an Aerospace Engineering degree, and operate the Space Shuttle--on the ground, that is! Of course, I am sure it stimulated many others that chose different fields of endeavor.

As a young "Cat In The Hat" reader I was enormously fascinated with this book. Yes, this book was distributed by mail to many young readers, right along with "Green Eggs and Ham." What a time in history to begin learning. Imagine training to read with the imagination of Dr. Suess, to experience the creativity of Walt Disney, and be exposed to a vision of space travel by Wernher von Braun and his followers--all while the Mercury, Gemini and Saturn/Apollo programs hit the headlines and the TV screens!

With over forty years having passed, I suggest reading it again-or for the first time. On the one hand, you will find that much is fulfilled. Alas, on the other hand, the fact that the title is addressed to "YOU" should cause us all to reflect on the promises one generation makes to another...and inspire us all to action once again. This time to enable all those who would like to Go To The Moon!

This was one of the first books I was ever given, sometime certainly before my second birthday. Twenty-eight years later I get a chill down my spine recalling the detailed, Von Braun-meets-Chesley Bonestell elucidation of how I "was" heading spaceward. I believed it, too - the rest of my life, as exciting as it's been in so many ways, has been a bit of a disappointment by contrast. Seminal and a bit melancholy, too - reality has been so tawdry ever since.

I agree with all of the reviews posted here I was learning to read in the late sixtes/early seventies and I remember this book very well. I must have read it a few hundred times.
Well, imagine my surprise last week when my dad found it in the attic and asked if I wanted it for my 4 year old. As I dug into the pile of books he found I found not only my copy, but my sisters edition from 10 years earlier. The c-right on my sisters was dated 1959 mine was 1971. The art and the text were redone. The same authors but two different illustrators. By 1971 we had a functioning moon program and we were a more "politically correct" society.
The art in the 59 edition is more in the vein of 50's fantasy. One of the big draws in the 59 edition is that you will be able to see what's going on by watching a Television. The 71 edition is clearly based on Apollo. In the 59 edition there are no female "Spacemen", by 71 one there are female astronauts in the book.
Seeing the two side by side is a great history lesson. and a real trip down memory lane for me.

John Warden was the strategist of the air campaign in the 1991 Gulf War. In 1998, he updated his influential book. A must read for anyone interested in the military, its past, present and future.

John Warden's book earned high praise because of its author's role in planning operation Desert Storm, but although the book is a very good synthesis of air warfare theory it is not either groundbreaking or revolutionary. In fact most of its arguments were presented for the first time by the pioneers of air power of the 1920s and 30s like Giulio Duhet and William Mitschell. Warden's contribution has more to do with the revival of those forgotten theories and the presentation of a complete picture of aerial operations instead of inventing new methods of war. Central to his thesis is the idea that air superiority is crucial, that a campaign will be lost if the enemy has it, that in many circumsatnces it alone can win a war, and that its possession is needed before other actions on the ground or in the air can be undertaken.

Warden also places emphasis on thorough training saying that if something is going to be done in war, it ought to be practiced in peace, and if it has not be practiced, losses are likely to be high and the plan is unlikely to go as expected. He analyzes the three kinds of inderdiction (distant, indermediate and close) and he gives an interesting definition of the term "close air support": "It is an air operation that theoritically could and would be done by ground forces on their own, if sufficient troops or artillery were available".

The author repeats often the great value of striking the enemy's center of gravity, that timing is everything in the commitment of air reserves and that ground and naval forces can serve as an adjunct to air forces in the battle for air superiority. His opinion that fighting defensively is the worst way to fight an air war is uneiversally accepted as is his thesis that numbers are important, so important that a primary goal of the operational commander ought to be to make sure that his forces outnumber the enemy every time they meet. Modern research using the Lancaster equations has also proved his argument that the large force almost always inflicts greater absolute casualties on the smaller force and thath it also suffers less in the process.

John Warden also explains in the Epilogue how his concept of ideas was implemented in the Desert Storm campaign of 1991. In that case the enemy was visualized as a target system of five concentric rings (leadership, key production, infrastructure, population and field forces) with the leadership ring at the center. In the case of Iraq, the US goal was "to reduce the energy level of the entire system enough to reach our peace objectives" which were to eject "Iraq out of Kuwait and an Iraq that would not be a strategically threatening regional superpower for the next decade".

On the minus side of the book are the extremely poor black and white pictures.

A fresh and renovated review on a complicated topic such as Strategy. Interesting and updated points of view with a simple and easy language. A must for any military aviator.

Colonel John A. Warden III was one of the most distinguished officers of his generation. A veteran fighter pilot, he was--is--as well a true defense intellectual--not the sort of individual often touted by the so-called "defense reform movement," but a true warrior-scholar in the classic image of, say, a J. F. C. Fuller--or a George Patton. Not one to shy away from controversy, Warden was convinced in the 1980's that the United States Air Force--had strayed away from its first principles. It had become a stove-piped, tribal organization, riven by discord and confusion between its "strategic" and "tactical" communities. Warden, in this brilliant work (written as a thesis at the National Defense University), posited an exciting new vision of the centrality of air power in national defense. This book served as an important departure point for the service's subsequent "Global Reach--Global Power" strategic planning framework issued in 1990. By that time, Warden was running Checkmate, a key office in Air Force planning. Through his own initiative and vision, he and a small team of "weapons officers" planned Instant Thunder, the first major response to Saddam Hussein's aggression in the Gulf. Warden briefed Instant Thunder to the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff (the Chief was away), and then on his suggestion to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Colin Powell. Powell sent him to CENTCOM to brief Norman Schwarzkopf. His reaction was enthusiastic, and Warden was directed to brief Instant Thunder in the Gulf, to the CENTAF air component commander, General Charles Horner. Horner, brilliant in his own right, accepted much of what Warden said. But the personal chemistry between the two men was bad, and Warden returned to the States, leaving behind a small staff of acolytes and experts, most notably Lt. Col. David A. Deptula. It was the partnership of Deptula, Gen. Buster Glosson, Gen. Horner, and (back in Checkmate) John Warden that made the Desert Storm air campaign a success. After the war, Warden became commander of the Air Command and Staff College, making notable (and badly needed) changes to its curriculum. This book is a "must read" by anyone who would consider themselves a military and/or air power professional. There are Americans alive today because of John Warden's work. Warden never made general, largely because of petty jealousies by senior people above him. He was--is--a consumate professional and true patriot: never complaining, never self-advocating, always keeping true to his core beliefs. But his truest legacy is this book and the thinking it has inspired--thinking that has lead to five notable American victories over the last decade. Buy it, read it, keep it, use it!

Col. Warden adds new material to this important work on strategy, especially new material on what happened after the Gulf War. This book is many things. It is a history of airpower. It is a fresh look at the application of airpower. It is a guide for anyone in the military or business world who wants to compete or attack a system. Very readable. With Col Warden's reputation as the architect of the Air Campaign against Iraq, he has demonstrated that he can apply his ideas in real world situations. Outstanding read.