France Books

The Drucker Foundation has done it again. Gathered a remarkable collection of thought leaders (see the list below) and asked them to write on a critical issue -- leading innovation.

Each chapter is short and easy to absorb, but the collection provides a powerful set of ideas about how leaders can make innovation happen in their organization, whether it's a business, a nonprofit, or a government.

Get a copy for yourself, and one for your boss!

International Thought leaders
James Burke, Jim Collins, Arie de Geus, Max De Pree, Charles Handy, Margaret J. Wheatley

Academics
Clayton M. Christensen (Harvard Business School), Howard Gardner & Kim Barberich (Harvard School of Education), Rosabeth Moss Kanter (Harvard Business School), Dorothy Leonard (Harvard Business School), Henry Mintzberg (McGill University), Jeffrey Pfeffer (Stanford Business School), Walter Swap (Tufts University) Dave Ulrich (University of Michigan)

Corporate leaders
John Kao (Idea Factory), Robert E. Knowling, Jr. (Internet Access Technologies), Ann Livermore (Hewlett-Packard), Bill Pollard (ServiceMaster), David S. Pottruck (Charles Schwab), Daniel Vasella (Novartis)

Consultants
M. Kathryn Clubb, Marshall Goldsmith

Government
William J. Bratton (former Chief of NYPD), Stephen Goldsmith (former mayor of Indianapolis)

Excellent compilation on Leadership attributes for innovation and is a collection of well written articles which made me think and connect to a real world phenomenon. I enjoy reading Peter Drucker's books and the content of the book has Peter Drucker's flavor to it. The Clarity and style of this book is truly outstanding.

Some 23 experts on management from academia and the private sector share their ideas on how you can take that bloated bureaucracy and turn it into a nimble and innovative machine. The book offers no quick fixes, as illustrated by the authors' observation that innovation is a culture, and not an event. Of special interest is the included list of practices that squelch innovation. We [...] recommend this book, which was inspired by management science pioneer Peter F. Drucker, for executives and all devoted students of the management arts.

Most collected volumes have a few good essays and then you can take or leave the rest. But all of the essays in this book are more than worth the price of the whole book. I was blown away by the depth of wisdom and insight in this collection. You get Charles Handy, Margaret Wheatley, Clayton Christensen, Jim Collins, and Rosabeth Moss Kanter.

I'm always pressed for time and I loved how each one of these essays offered me something I could use in my daily work. There are so many things that can get in the way of being an effective leader and this book helped me think in new ways and look at my organization-an myself-in a new way.

I get the Drucker Foundation's journal, Leader to Leader, and always get great stuff out of it. This collection met all of the expectations I had of a book from the Drucker Foundation.

Thrilled to know that the maps came in handy for many of you. I'm sorry that more could not be made--it was an issue of both cost and time. If you'd like to see more maps in the future, I encourage you to write our publisher, St. Martin Press.

I mean that in a good way.

When I was in college (I plead the Fifth on when that might have been), Let's Go ___ (insert country/continent of your choice) was known as the Bible of budget travel. It also provided little secrets that Fodor's and others didn't which helped my friends and I forge backroads and have more contact with local culture and people....while saving us money at the same time.

But 2 years ago, when I planned a return trip to Provence, I was heavily disappointed at France 2002. Prices were way off, descriptions of sites in Provencal towns didn't give myself or my hosts (an American and her French-born husband) enough information to decide what day trips to take or even what sites to see in Avignon, their hometown. Luckily, I had purchased Doring Kindersley's "Provence & the Cote D'Azur", which has the advantage of pictures and fine maps, before I left. We found that very helpful

Back to the book at hand, Let's Go 2004: I almost didn't look for it when I made plans to return to France this year to visit Flanders and Normandy. But after dissatisfaction with a number of other books, I decided to give it a chance.

I'm very glad I did. There have been a number of improvements. Prices were right on (almost a miracle considering the climb of the Euro)and descriptions of accomodations, etc. were highly accurate. The sites described made me change my mind about where I wanted to go in some instances; for example stopping to see the Bayeux tapestry after all when I had determined to focus only on the D-Day sites. Let's Go also frequently includes walking maps this year of various cities, such as Lille, as a way of getting oriented but also as a free site-seeing tour. (In Lille it helps, because the town is laid out like a maze).

Another very charming thing about this edition is the sidebars and special reports from the authors, with titles such as "From the Road", "Local Legend", "In Recent News" and "On the Menu". Most of those I read in the Paris, Flanders and Normandy sections were helpful, and if not, they were interesting.

I would have liked to see other D-Day sites, such as St. Mere Eglise, discussed, but I also recognize that at 806 pages it's imposssible to put everything in. Thanks to Let's Go for getting the get up & go back!

By and large, this is a wonderful book, especially for young travelers on a tight budget. I was able to plan for and spend a wonderful 10-day vacation in France, visiting Bayeux, Paris, Annecy, and Nice, using only this guide. There is a tremendous amount of useful information, the vast majority of which was thankfully up-to-date. The commentary is lively and interesting, and although their recommendations for accommodations, food, sights, etc. at times appear a tad inexplicable, even arbitrary, they are usually on the nose.

The only major flaw, which stood out rather starkly given the overall excellent nature of the guide, was that its stinginess when it comes to maps. Why, for example, would they only include detailed maps of half of Paris' 20 districts (unless they were trying to drum up business for "Let's Go: Paris")? Would it have been so hard or costly to tack another 10 or 20 pages onto the book, allowing them to add more maps and increase the size of those already included? I can't say that this oversight wasn't annoying, because when you're short on time and money the last thing you want to do is worry about is reacquiring your bearings.

Nevertheless, I still heartily recommend this book.

I've made >20 visits to France all together. Here are my reviews of the best guides....to meet you r exact needs.....I hope these are helpful and that you have a great visit! I always gauge the quality of my visit by how much I remember a year later......this review is designed to help you get the guide that will be sure YOU remember your trip many years into the future. Travel Safe and enjoy yourself to the max!

Let's Go
Let's Go is a great guide series that specializes in the niche interest details that turn a trip into a great and memorable experience. Started by and for college students, these guides are famous for the details provided by people who used the book the previous year. They continue to focus on providing a great experience inexpensively. If you want to know about the top restaurants, this is not for you (use Fodor's or Michelin). Let's Go does have a bewildering array of different guides though. Here's which is what:
Budget Guide is the main guide with incredibly detailed information and reviews on everything you can think of.
City Guide is just as intense but restricted to the single city.
PocketGuide is even smaller and features condensed information
MapGuide's are very good maps with public transportation and some other information (like museum hours, etc.)

Michelin
Famous for their quality reviews, the Red Michelin Guides are for hotels & Restaurants, the Green Michelin Guides are for main tourist destinations. However, the English language Green guide is the one most people use and it has now been supplemented with hotel and restaurant information. These are the serious review guides as the famous Michelin ratings are issued via these books.

Fodor's
Fodor's is the best selling guide among Americans. They have a bewildering array of different guides. Here's which is what:
The Gold Guide is the main book with good reviews of everything and lots of tours, walks, and just about everything else you could think of. It's not called the Gold guide for nothing though....it assumes you have money and are willing to spend it.
SeeIt! is a concise guide that extracts the most popular items from the Gold Guide
PocketGuide is designed for a quick first visit
UpCLOSE for independent travel that is cheap and well thought out
CityPack is a plastic pocket map with some guide information
Exploring is for cultural interests, lots of photos and designed to supplement the Gold guide

MapGuide
MapGuide is very easy to use and has the best location information for hotels, tourist attractions, museums, churches etc. that they manage to keep fairly up to date. It's great for teaching you how to use the Metro. The text sections are quick overviews, not reviews, but the strong suite here is brevity, not depth. I strongly recommend this for your first few times learning your way around the classic tourist sites and experiences. MapGuide is excellent as long as you are staying pretty much in the center of the city.

Time Out
The Time Out guides are very good. Easy reading, short reviews of restaurants, hotels, and other sites, with good public transport maps that go beyond the city centre. Many people who buy more than one guidebook end up liking this one best!

Blue Guides
Without doubt, the best of the walks guides.... the Blue Guide has been around since 1918 and has extremely well designed walks with lots of unique little side stops to hit on just about any interest you have. If you want to pick up the feel of the city, this is the best book to do that for you. This is one that you end up packing on your 10th trip, by which time it is well worn.

Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has City and Out To Eat Guides. They are all about the experience so they focus on doing, being, getting there, and this means they have the best detailed information, including both inexpensive and really spectacular restaurants and hotels, out-of-the-way places, weird things to see and do, the list is endless.

I stumbled across this little gem a few days before my wife finally dragged me to Paris in 1991. Lucky for me! Thanks to this work, we have come to love Paris, especially the Left Bank. Away from the tourist throngs, the reader can people watch and sip for literally hours reflecting upon Hemingway at the Brasserie Lipp, Picasso at the Cafe de Flore, Shirer at the Brasserie Balzar and so much more. It is truly amazing to me that these places still function just as they did 75 years ago and more. I considered myself a well educated and well traveled person, but this small volume has opened up a world that I knew about but never fully appreciated before and has made Paris one of my favorite vacation spots. To heck with the Louvre, this is what Paris is all about!

This wonderful little book makes a good companion for whichever Paris guidebook you plan to carry. It not only lists many interesting Cafes to visit, but also gives interesting background information on the famous writers and other celebrities who once hung out in them. It gives you an excuse to visit parts of Paris you might not otherwise visit. Great book.

This is the first book to take to France with you (or to give to a friend who is going). The history is brief, but it goes back two centuries.

Put this small guide in your pocket, order an expresso and croissant at the Deux Magots or Select, then read about what writers drank and wrote and met what friends at this same table. You will find a brief history, names of writers, and any dramatic events that occurred in these famous literary cafes--all of which still exist. Though the cafe where Hemingway and Fitgerald has changed its name several times, the wood and brass bar where the two men bellied up is still there just around the corner from the Dome. Bon appetit!

I picked up the book expecting the typical drivel so often encountered in this genre. Happily mistaken and captivated I was to discover the level of research and insight invested into this gem. Written with unbridled enthusiasm and discerning charm, Literary Paris is a must read. Bravo, Ms. Powell, bravo!

Wonderful book for bringing an additional literary and historical depth to the world's most beautiful city. The perfect book to carry along as you stroll from cafe to cafe.

I received this as a gift and loved it. I will review it again before my next trip to Paris (AFTER the US/Euro exchange rate moves in the US dollar direction,) and may take it with me. You can read a few pages at a time and this is great because I like to read a bit before bedtime. Since the entries are short you can finish one or two at a time. I got the feeling it would be great to travel to Paris with the author.

There are plenty of guide books to Paris, whatever your preference. Powell's attempt to provide a view of Paris through the lives of writers who have lived there is an inspired idea, as so many of these people have helped to shape Paris in our imaginations. It is delightful to think of walking through the streets of the city and thinking about the writers who have lived there. While the Cafe de Flore is happy to acknowledge that Sartre and de Beauvoir hung out there, it's more fun to think that one can find where Arthur Rimbaud invaded the life of Paul Verlaine, or where Janet Flanner liked to hang out to hold court. Beautifully designed and illustrated, I know I'll be using it on my next trip to Paris to enliven neighborhoods I thought I already knew.

It's wonderful to see this back in print again. The LITTLE TIM books are all wonderful stories to read aloud, and Edward Ardizzone's loose and casual-seeming line and watercolor paintings are prefect. Don't miss this treasure!!!! Share it with a child.

This is a picture book in the classic tradition. It is for older "little ones", probably five to eight years. Tim has wonderful adventures and learns a lot from the captain, who is an admirable hero.

As a kid this was the book I wanted to read again and again !

This is one of the best children's books I've read in a long time! My son and I were spellbound by the adventures of Tim, who wants to be a sailor. Both words and pictures create such a nautical feeling, you can almost smell the sea air as you read! Very exciting story, too! I think every little boy will want to go to sea after reading Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain!

Sophie Freud's new book is more than a history of a famous family in the 20thc, but a history of the century in itself. The long arc of Germany's attempt to achieve at least European, if not worldwide, supremacy, is told through the eyes of a family that lived it.

The book is neither long nor hard to read, therefore, I was disappointed when Sophie thanks her editors for helping her cut it down. I want to read it all. Basically the book is Sophie's mother's autobiography. Said Ernestine, who liked to be called Esti married Martin Freud, one of Sigmund Freud's sons. She wrote her book late in her life, and her writings are in Roman type, whereas Sophie's comments are in italics, and thus this whole book which was written AND edited by Sophie becomes a dual biography.

Accompanying the stories of these 2 women are many, many letters written by other members of the Freud family, and from them we can make our own judgements about the people and compare them to the ones that Sophie makes. These other letters are in various fonts.

The mother, Esti, seems at first to be a simple lovely girl in love with Martin, but Sigmund says of her "she is not only maliciously meshugge but also mad in the medical sense." We see this in the early years of their marriage. Talk about dysfunctional families!

The family split up in 1938: Esti and Sophie went to Paris, and Martin and his son, Walter, went to London. For the next 4 years mother and daughter struggled to keep alive, to find decent lodging and food, and to keep barely one step ahead of Hitler as he ran down France. Vichy France became a haven for the Freuds for a while, but eventually they went to Casablanca and then to Lisbon, and finally to the USA. (The movie "Casablanca" may have been fiction, but it was a fiction that many people really lived.)

I have to admire both women who essentially became trilingual in a very short time. For all of Esti's complaining and bitterness (her letters to Walter during the war years must have been devastating to the young man who could do nothing to help). But as a speech therapist, Esti, who first taught in Vienna, learned to teach both in France and then in the USA. Sophie went straight from the lycee in France (already a 2nd language for her) to Radcliffe College. Both women earned Ph.Ds.

Don't be dismayed by the family tree at the beginning. In fact, ignore it at first. However, I wish that dates had been included. The important characters will become clear upon reading. At times the book sounds like a novel, but it is not. Sophie and her brother were thus separated for most of their lives. Walter died not long before Sophie finished the book and his children found about 200 letters from their mother to him. Although most of this book was finished, Sophie had to incorporate many of them into her new publication.

This is a sad book, but who cannot say that the 20th c, esp. the first half, was not sad, in the deepest sense of the word? I enoyed the book thoroughly and I think you will as well. Do not expect to find out much about Sigmund however - that is reserved for other books. You will find out about many members of both the Freud and Drucker (Esti's family) families - some uplifting news and some destructive habits. Many of the Freud family were able to escape Austria, but many were not and were thus exterminated. The last page of the book which contains the final words of both Esti and Sophie (for now at least - let's hope she writes more) is indeed sad. I did not mind reading it early on. You choose.

Sophie Freud's recent book, Living Under the Shadow of the Freud Family, is most interesting and compelling. She masterfully interweaves perspectives on the private (and public) lives of her family and herself, thus offering a memoir that at times reads like a first-rate novel.

Professor Freud's wit, mischievousness, and clear-eyed vision pervades the various narratives and adds a most important and entertaining dimension--not only in her diary entries but in her numerous candid and often wonderfully blunt assessments of others (family members, professors, etc.) and in her self-reflexive comments (e.g. when she reflects puckishly that she may be writing this book to display her own achievements for the Annee Scolaire prize--"who knows, perhaps I am writing this book just for that purpose"). It is this kind of serious play, throughout, that makes this memoir so very readable and revealing, at the same time Sophie Freud's commentary or her mother's autobiographical narrative or numerous letters continue to remind readers of the shadow of her grandfather and other relatives (Tante Janne, her brother, her father, et al. ) and of the sinister shadow of Hitler and WW2 which impinges trenchantly on the lives of the Freud family, not to mention the world. I am reminded of the author, W.G, Sebald, photos included. In short, among other things, I have come away with a very deep and complex feeling for Professor Freud's mother, along with multiple insights into her own fascinating self.

This book is a fascinating read, both in terms of family dynamics and world history. Through letters, diaries and commentary from various family members, Sophie Freud (Sigmund Freud's granddaughter) gives life to her mother Esti, including her troubled marriage to Freud's son Martin, her struggle to be accepted by the Freud family, and her difficult relationships with her children. The book also has moments of historic drama, such as when Sophie and her mother flee Paris by bicycle two days before the Nazis invade. There are also bits of humor, such as when the teenage Sophie's diary reveals that she is much more concerned about boys, her figure, and finishing her qualifying exams than she is about the approaching Nazis. Overall, the book provides unique insight into a complicated (and famous) family at an especially charged time in history. I really enjoyed it.Living in the Shadow of the Freud Family

Sophie Freud, the author of this wonderful book, has kept a diary most of her life, as did her mother, Esti, along with many letters and documents of her fractured family. These documents are the scaffolding of a compelling story of romance, marriage, betrayal, escape and ultimately, the need to reinvent one's self in another country. Ms.Freud uses these papers (in French and German), along with her own commentary and that of her brother. The tale of her escape from Paris on a bicycle with her mother is vivid. She also uses photographs of her family and documents which increase the appeal of the book.
For anyone interested in a life of the twentieth century, with war, loss and emigration, this is a wonderful book.

Another great book in the sketchbook series wandering through the Loire. High quality paper and printing, great art work and relaxed prose make for a fabulous book - highly recommended

I purchased this book because I had seen other books with paintings by Fabrice Maireau, and really liked them. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this even more than I thought I would, before I purchased. I hadn't realized the area has been classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and the sketchbook helps provide an insite to the area.

thank you very much!!!!!not only the book arrived in a reasonably short time, but it was in perfect conditions, really as new!I'll buy again from this seller.

we were in the Loire valley May-2005, we took a lot of pictures, but the drawing in this book are even more close to the images left in mind.

We love London, and this sketchbook reminds us of our past trips. The text by Marcus Binney also supports the sketches. Although they are only considered sketches, I love the artwork. I am now getting other sketchbooks by Graham Byfield, and by the publisher, St. Martins Press.

Graham Byfield's watercolor impressions of the city of London beautifully captures the spirit of the city, be it Central London, the East End, West London, North London, or South of the River. The watercolors are sumptuous to look at [the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, St James' Palace, Berkeley Square] - each is a work of beauty and paints a vivid picture in one's mind. The notes accompanying the watercolors provide us with more information on the buildings and make for interesting reading. All in all, a wonderful collection of watercolors about London, and a must-have for collectors.

the quality of the book is one of the best features to me. It is a very heavy paper stock and really helps carry the sketchbook feel, along with the little hand written notes on the sides. overall a great book for anyone who loves london.

This is a beautiful work of art for anyone who loves to look outside the well known sites of London, although that is there as well. I thorougly enjoy picking it up and having a read about the various sections and looking at the illustrations that will remind you of your time there or desire to go. The layout and illustrations brings to mind what a Grand Tour participant would have created upon visiting a new city.

Wonderful, just wonderful.

Rene Chartrand provides in this series an insightful look into the French army of this period, its formations and basic organization as well as the caliber of its troops, with great detail to its unforms which are well illustrated by Eufene Leliepvre.

Truly on an organizational level the French army is quite impressive though its performance a shadow of what it had been under its previous monarch.

This book provides a lot of information about French Colonial and Naval troops that would be very hard to find anywhere else. A must read for any French and Indain War New France reenactors.

All five books in this series are magnificent. What makes them great is that they are not in the usual Osprey fashion. Their is no chronology of dates at the begging taking up space; Chartrand jumps right in with organization details, tactics, equipment, armament, and each regiments uniform distinction as it changed through Louis XV reign. The plates are outstanding. Usually for Osprey their only three figures per plate. Not here, 5 and more a plate. With that number it's not cluttered and doesn't detract from the detail. On a last note, I will never have to buy anything else to help me paint my Seven Year War French figures.

This is an interesting, highly accurate work, as are all of Rene Chartrand's books, which covers a period not usually well-covered, or covered at all. The addition of Maitre Eugene Leliepvre's lively, accurate, and colorful artwork only adds to the value and accuracy.

The early history of French light troops is one of trial and error, fits and starts, that tried to catch up to the excellent light troops of the Austrian army that so troubled the French throughout the early and mid eighteenth century. Here in all their Gallic splendor are the regiments of foreign born hussars, dragoons, uhlans, and whatever else the imaginative, energetic, and not always efficient soldiers thought up to raise and send into the fire in central Europe.

Told in a descriptive and accurate fashion, the book is a must for every afficionado of the period. It is also a very good introduction for the later Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods where the French light troops came into their own and began to dominate battlefields.

The addition of Eugene Leliepvre's superb artwork is a definite plus for the book, and ensures it will be used for years to come. This book belongs on the shelf of every enthusiast of this period and the later Napoleonic and revolutionary periods.

As the treatment of mental health disorders continues to expand outwards, beyond the domain of psychiatric institutions, the nature and implications of intensified psychiatric intervention is a cause for concern for all of us.

A social worker, teacher, and community activist, Diana Ralph takes on contemporary community mental health systems. In a meticulously researched and highly readable work, the growth and change in the definition and treatment of mental health disorders is subjected to a concerned and scholarly scrutiny.

Ralph finds available theories, from the liberal to the Marxist to the radical antipsychiatry approaches, inadequate in accounting for these changes. Instead, she locates the ideological origins of community psychiatry within the tradition of industrial psychology, and is able to show how its operation is linked to the needs of contemporary industrial management in their efforts to diffuse dissatisfaction and alienation in the workplace.
--- from book's back cover

Compiled and edited by Nic Maclellan, Louise Michel: Rebel Lives is the dramatic biography of Louise Michel, the fiery leader of the 1871 Paris Commune, a short-lived workers' government created when the city population rose up to exert its will. Also known as "The Red Virgin", Louise Michel was a rebel who spent much of her life on the run, in exile, in jail, or in danger of being locked in a mental asylum. "Louise Michel" tells the story of her life by directly collecting and editing her own words from her memoirs and the insights of her contemporaries. Her story is presented with her sharp-eyed criticism of a society and an era where the only lucrative trade for a woman was prostitution, and tributes to her life and efforts from such prominent figures as Emma Goldman, Victor Hugo, Karl Marx, and much more.

Kliatt, November 2004

MACLELLAN, Nic (ed): Louise Michel (Rebel Lives) Ocean Books.

Louise Michel. a relatively unknown figure outside of her native France, was an activist, an anarchist, and a fighter against racism who is known principally for her role in the short-lived French Commune in the spring of 1871.

A local rebellion, the Paris Commune was a reaction against the provisional government set up by the French after the defeat of Napoleon III by the Prussian armies in the Franco-Prussian War. Michel, a schoolteacher who had read widely in political theory, was fully embroiled in this brief moment of revolutionary ferment, organizing meetings, writing tracts, speaking, and even firing her gun as a fighter in the ranks.

Deported to New Caledonia at the fall of the Commune. she continued to write; and alone among her fellow deportees, championed the native Kanaks, a local tribe that attempted to rebel against French colonial rule. Back in France, she continued to live as she believed, travelling and speaking for the radical and anarchist causes she promoted.

What makes the Rebel Lives series valuable is its presentation of primary source material once the historical background has been carefully laid out in an introduction. Not only are excerpts from Michel's autobiography and letters included, but also brief pieces taken from the works of Engels and Marx writing on the Commune as well as short citations from many others, including Lenin, Emma Goldman (who calls Michel "a complete woman"), and Howard Zinn. Selected reading lists contain books and Web sites in both French and English. A unique resource.

Patricia Moore. Brookline, MA

"Since it seems that any heart which beats for freedom has the right only to a small lump of lead, I demand my share. If you let me live, I shall never stop crying for vengeance, and I shall avenge my brothers by denouncing the[ir] murderers" (p.101).

So said Louise Michel before the court passed sentence on her for participating in the rebellion that became the Paris Commune. The court did not execute her. Instead, it sent her into exile at the prison colony in New Caledonia 20,000 miles from Paris. Even there Michel advocated for the indigenous people of the island (the Kanaks) in their struggle against the French occupiers.

Michel was dubbed the "Red Virgin": "red" because she was an anarchist and "virgin" because her sexual orientation was unclear (as if this mattered) and because she was unattractive. I don't see it. She had a great and beautiful spirit, and I have fallen in love with her.

Ocean Press is to be commended for providing a good introduction to the person of Louise Michel and the times that stirred her and she helped to shape. Through the writings of such notables as Bakunin, Kropotkin, Marx, Engles, Lenin, Emma Goldman, Howard Zinn, the editor's introduction (Nic Maclellan) and Michels herself, we learn about her mixed proletarian and bourgeoisie background, her undying devotion to her mother, her days as a school teacher, her militancy and leadership role during the Paris Commune, her exile in New Caledonia, her return to Paris and her prescient feminism. All in a mere 115 pages. It is quite a feat.