Resources Books

This book is made up of many of the most important works wriiten about organizational behavior. Some are quite practica, while others are more theoretical. If this is the type of information that you are looking for, it is a great collection.

If you want to know where 95% of today's hot "new management ideas" come from, this is the reader! If you know this stuff you will be able to separate the wheat from the chaff in today's over-crowed management book market.

It,s true that our mode of behaving in the organization depends greatly on our values we have in our life. Also how we think affect our attitude toward our personal role in the organizing process. it,s not easy to become selfless and humble to fit better in the teams set up in the organization. We need some guide to reprogram ourselves in order to smooth our role we play in the organizing process. The book "Classics of organizational behavior" could be a base to clarify those items mentioned above and many other still to be known. Anyone working in an organization should have such great book in his/her collections. Very Truly Yours, Rodulfo Geerman

I use this book as a primary source for a graduate level Organization Development Course. It presents a comprehensive foundation of the field using original articles by the "founders" of OD. It is the only OD book I have found that gets all of this between its covers! Highly recommend. Dr. Lloyd Greene, Texas State University.

I was looking for something I could use as an SLP. I didn't realize that buying this as a package with the other Clear Speech book was redundant, since they are different volumes for the same book.

If you have some problem of English pronounciation,
You should use it.
Because it is really useful for them, and
it is really helpful.
So, you should use it if you have some problems.

Now, I've seen some pretty innovative approaches to illustrating pronunciation. But this takes the prize so far.

From the author's letter to teachers:

"For years, teachers have been asking me to write a version of my intermediate level book, Clear Speech, that would be usable for beginners. They said that it would make more sense to help students with pronunciation early, rather than wait until they have developed habits that are hard to overcome. Also, teachers often found that their beginning students became discouraged when people didn't understand what they were saying, and of course, a discouraged student is harder to teach. Teachers who were trying to help their beginning students with pronunciation expressed frustration with the limited results they were getting from traditional methods of drilling minimal pair (e.g., ship/sheep) or asking students to "sound out" the letters in print. [ e.g. "Do you want to go to the store? / Doo yoo wahnt too goh too thuh stor?" ] They were asking for a more effective approach.

All of this made sense to me. But the problems was that I just couldn't think of an approach that would work. For one thing, beginners simply don't have enough vocabulary to understand explanations. And with so much else to learn, there isn't much class time for pronunciation. One thing was clear to me: A really useful book had to be radically different from any other in the field, including my own intermediate level book."

The author has succeeded beyond everyone's expectations.

Conventional wisdom in the ESL/EFL world holds that pronunciation should not be taught at the beginning level. It's just too technical, requiring complicated descriptions and explanations for which beginning students don't have the vocabulary.

But if there were a way to make the material accessible? Even beginners need to communicate clearly -- intelligible speech fosters successful academic, work, and social interactions, and that's got to be encouraging for the student! Judy Gilbert's well-planned approach makes clear pronunciation truly accessible to beginners. The book -- rightly so -- limits the pronunciation points to those that are most urgently needed for intelligibility. The principle areas covered are: (1) the alphabet: using letters to spell out loud for clarification, (2) decoding spelling/reading words: using simple spelling rules to predict the pronunciation of a word, (3) syllable number: developing awareness of the number of syllables in words and phrases, being sure not to add unnecessary syllables or to omit necessary ones, (4) syllable stress: lengthening stressed vowels and reducing unstressed ones, (5) word connections: linking words together (this improves both listening comprehension and the smoothness of the student's speech), (6) the music of English: the pitch contours and rhythm of the language, and (7) articulation: t/d, s/z, l/r/n, and th.

There are some very cool things in this book for pronunciation teachers and learners. For example, there are tongue shape drawings looking from the back of the tongue to the front and out the mouth. Can't picture it? You'll have to see it to believe it! Along with the traditional front and side views, this new perspective really helps you visualize what's going on inside your mouth to produce a specific sound. I only wish there were drawings for all the American English vowels and consonants!! (But then it wouldn't be a beginning textbook, would it?)

I also like the vowel pronunciation rules. Example: the letters 'ai' are pronounced like the first letter [a] in the combination. Think: straight, complaint. Then, in the appendix, a percentage is given for how often the rule works, in this case, 95% of the time. This will give the student the confidence to guess how a new word is pronounced, take 'restraint', for example, but not stress out when the rule doesn't work, as in 'plaid'.

There are many helpful graphics in the book. Two of my favorites are the extra-wide bolded letters for stressed vowels (I think you can visualize that) and the diminishing letters for continuant sounds (Thatsssokay. The storezzznearrrMain [the second and third s's, z's, and r's have decreasing font sizes]).

I've been looking for a book like this for a long time. Mostly, I do corporate accent and pronunciation training and executive speech coaching with foreign-born clients who have a high intermediate to advanced command of English. But occasionally, I am asked to train employees who have a lower level of English. This is definitely the book I'll choose for them! Trainees can apply the basic concepts they learn to company-specific vocabulary and technical terms.

I only wish all learners of North American English could start out with this book...

Philippe Rosinski's book is essential reading not only for global coaches but also for corporate leaders and business professionals who interact with diverse customers, clients and colleagues. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the diversity of cultural orientations, as well as specific tools and recommendations for broadening and leveraging different cultural orientations in the workplace.

The centerpiece of the book is a comprehensive model, The Cultural Orientations Framework, which provides a structured format for identifying, assessing, developing and leveraging cultural differences. This model can readily be implemented in the workplace, serving as an objective tool for raising an executive's awareness regarding his/her cultural orientation blind spots. As an executive coach working primarily with American executives who are focused on increasing the breadth and flexibility of their cultural orientations, I have found this book to be a valuable resource for enhancing the cross-cultural capabilities of global executives.

Let me be clear, I don't finish reading books these days unless they are good and I certainly don't bother writing reviews unless I think the book is top notch. So it is a pretty safe bet that if you like any of the other books that I have reviewed, you will like this one.

Coaching Across Cultures is another one of those - must have books - for any serious coach working with professionals. Even if you are not interested in an international practice, (and who isn't) this book still is required reading. The book is really about understanding and integrating our differences. Rosinski who lives currently in Belgium, is an Engineer and a MCC by training who has worked in Silicon Valley.

The book is a bit of a smorgasbord. However, it is well designed and packaged so that each section can be considered a self contained component on cultural issues. Part One makes the case for a cultural framework when coaching and points out the dangers of our assumptions and belief systems when working with others of any origin or background. Part Two provides a high level overview of the key components of developing a cross cultural mindset. Although generalized in content, it also provides concrete examples and practical applications of how this plays out in our interactions with others. Part Three is a bit more conceptual and is well suited to those who come from an organizational development perspective. Roskinski has created his own Global Scorecard approach that is tied into his Cultural Orientations Framework. For my reading, it seems thorough, usable and comprehensive.

Coaching Across Cultures is well documented with references, a glossary and some interesting appendixes. There is little to find fault. Perhaps that is because, Rosinski himself is careful never to find fault. He is a great diplomat and finds a place for all styles and approaches whether it is the transactional techniques of some North American coaching styles to the transformational style of others.

If there is one area that I find a little weak, it is his discussion of self-assessment as a precursor the organizational assessment through his Global Scorecard. Now I am the first to admit that assessments are not only my area of interest, it is my business - so I have a bias. That said, I found Rosinski focus on the tools he prefers (the MBTI specifically) left me with the impression that this is THE tool. I also believe that this was not Roskinki's intention - as he does mention a few others but not some that I would have expected. Now don't get me wrong, I love the MBTI and the others he includes but I thought that at least a few more should have been mentioned or acknowledged.

This is a solid, well-written and great new contribution to the field of coaching and working within the global setting. Don't just get this book - read it. I can almost guarantee it will have a positive affect on how you will interact in the future with your clients.

This is the first, and currently only, book on coaching cross-culturally. The author brings the multifaceted perspective of culture into the coaching equation. The book starts with an introduction to coaching and culture and then goes in depth in cultural perspectives. The author wraps up the book with a couple chapters integrating all this into coaching practice.

Coaching is defined as "the art of facilitating the unleashing of people's potential to reach meaningful, important objectives" (page 4). Surprisingly there is nothing distinctly cross-cultural in the definition. Such as "the art of facilitating in culturally relevant ways the unleashing of people's potential..." This definition could come from any book on coaching. Culture is defined broadly to include not just nations and peoples, but corporate culture as well.

The real meat of the book is the second section, nearly half the text. The author presents a series of Cultural Orientations each with tools for how to assess them through coaching. Orientations such as a sense of power and responsibility, time, identity and purpose, organization and communication each have a chapter devoted to them. The author begins each chapter with a presentation of the various cultural perspectives on the Orientation, for example, concerning time there are grids of scarce or plentiful; one activity at a time or multiple tasks; and past, present or future orientation. The author presents a tool for the coach to understand the client's orientation, and for the client (and teammates) to understand himself or herself. The final section is a synthesis of the theory into practice. The author illustrates how he uses his detailed Cultural Orientation grid during coaching sessions.

This book is helpful for those interested in the cross-cultural issues. The book gets a bit lost in trying to reach a wide audience by focusing on at least three audience needs: skills for coaching people of other cultures, cross-cultural team awareness, and personal cultural awareness. The niche this book best fits would be a multicultural team trying to understand each other and how a team leader might coach them through that process of understanding.

The book is not solely dedicated to the international arena but for everyone who works with people from different organizations and backgrounds. The author's aim is to raise the level of awareness of cultural orientations and suggests how to use differences constructively. The book breaks out of the usual confines of cultural assumptions to find creative solutions. It introduces coaching and cross-cultural concepts, provides a framework for integrating coaching and cultural perspectives, and examines numerous cultural orientations. Rosinski presents a Culture Orientations Framework to assess and profile culture, and a Global Scorecard to help set targets at all levels. Chapters discuss how to leverage power and responsibility, time management, identity and purpose, organizational arrangements, notions of territory and boundaries, communication patterns, and modes of thinking. This is a very thoughtful treatment of an unusual and highly important subject.

Probably the best, easy-to-read book regarding coaching and mentoring for self-taught, busy managers.

This is a great "how to" book. It has plenty of "laundry lists" that all coaches must keep in mind at all times. It is one of the most comprehensive coaching books that I've seen for a long time. This "on my desk" book is guarranted to have plenty of high-liteing and dog-ears within a short period of time. This is a must for new or seasoned coaches and coaches-of-coaches.

First, let me disclose that I am a client of the author. So perhaps I should be upset with Mr. Brounstein for putting out a book that has the same information I paid him thousands of dollars to teach me. Buy the book.

Remember the first time you dealt with a difficult employee - the knot in your stomach as you called them into your office. Learn about giving constructive feedback instead of criticism, and you may just turn a problem employee into a model employee - it happened to me. The knot may not go away completely, but with this technique it will definitely be more manageable. Buy the book.

Work smarter not harder. Learn about Results-based Performance Management, and get results, not just busy employees. Teach your employees to manage themselves by holding them accountable for results, not just activities that you give them to do. Buy the book.

Learn about coaching techniques such as Tutoring With Questions that will get your employees to start answering their own questions - and getting the right answers. Buy the book.

About a year ago I suddenly found myself in charge of 100 employees that had been thrown together from different cultures as the result of mergers and corporate realignment. Through the techniques I learned from Marty that are revealed in this book, I have been able to build an effective team of managers who in turn have helped me turn the organization around. A year ago, we were missing committed deadlines one after another. Now, we consistently meet and often beat our commitments. I often refer to my copy of the book for a refresher on Marty's techniques and regularly refer my managers to the book when they run into difficult situations. Buy the book.

Just in case I forgot to mention it: Buy the book.

This would be an informational book for people who are coaching or mentoring others. There are lots of helpful tips on how to get others to work for you, not against you. These tips can be helpful when you want people to try their best.

Fekete hits the nail on the head with this one. Her premise is that like people, companies have distinct personalities. And, like people, companies have definite preferences for gathering information and communicating it, for making decisions and structuring work, for dealing with difficult times, behaving during conflict, and seeking their source of energy and strength. Their collective preferences regarding these essential acts provide the basic components of company personality.

This is an extremely valuable new book that can be helpful to CEOs, senior management and marketing executives, enabling them to recognize their company as a distinct personality and use this understanding to translate self-awareness into sound business practices and attitude.

I am someone who has spent about 20 years working in several organizations with different management flavors, in different gegraphies and I have always wondered why some companies thrive and the others simply survive, if not worse.

Companies are People, Too (CAP2) is an amazing "Finger on the Pulse" that any organization MUST undertake in order to Thrive.

CAP2 - both as in inward looking excercise (introspection) and an forward /upward looking (growth, long term plans) excercise that companies with an eye on the bottom line, value add to customers and shareholders must undertake.

CAP2 is not the usual "run of the mill" I've been there, seen it, did it and here is my account kinda book that seemingly fills up the cases of most bookstores. CAP2 is a factual documentary - almost a Bible for Managers / Owners / Aspiring Entrepreneurs and just about anyone who wants his or her or their business to thrive. CAP2 is the bottom line of Management Truth Seekers and I believe it should be included as a mandatory part of good management school curriculum.

CAP2 comes cheap for the richness that it contains within. CAP2 is the harvest of a great deal of thought, observation, uncanny instinct and utlimately Divine Wisdom.

CAP2 is for those that are born to suceed, who will themselves to suceed.

CAP2 is and will be a hall mark book, a once in a lifetime effort. Sandra Fekete needs to be honored, congratulated and thanked for such a wonderful and timely contribution for people who strive to make better organizations.

This book offers an in-depth description of how personality traits can be used to help understand a company's culture, using the well-known Myers-Briggs system.
What makes this book so interesting is that it provides a system for understanding company personalities and corporate culture in a new way - yet it uses a system that many of us are already familiar with (the MBTI). It's very easy to understand even without understanding the MBTI.
The book contains a sample questionnaire, then covers each of the 16 types in much more detail. For each of the 16 company personality types, the book gives a Snapshot, Characteristic Strengths, Characteristic Weaknesses, Work Environment, Values, Communication Style, Sources of Energy, Signs of Stress, Behavior during Conflict, Approaches to Managing Change, Ideal Clients, Core Values and a Case Study company.
As if that wasn't enough, it goes on to look at leadership styles, again with a sample questionaire and detailed step-by-step instructions on how to use the results be a more effective leader.
The book has a great deal of good information packaged in a way that is useful and well-organized. The information is practical, easy to follow and able to be applied immediately.

In his very influential book, "Emotional Intelligence," Daniel Goleman said that self-awareness is the core emotional competency, but how do you build self-awareness and how do you translate it into action? In "Companies Are People, Too," Sandra Fekete provides us with a clear and highly practical approach to answering those questions.

Most of us think of organizations as "things," not people, but organizations are comprised of people who build its culture, the shared beliefs, values, and norms that define its purpose and operating style. In addition, most of us think of "self-awareness" as applying to individuals; we don't think of organizations as becoming self-aware, but Fekete explains that organizations need to do precisely that if they plan to be successful and fulfill their mission.

The book uses the 16 types identified by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to help an organization build awareness of its unique personality. This is an excellent choice because many people in organizations are familiar with the MBTI and regard it as an effective tool. I happen to like the MBTI, and have used it in executive coaching and team building, but Fekete has taken the approach far beyond these applications by showing how an organization can use what it learns about its personality to shape all facets of its operation, from strategic planning to building brand identity. I especially like the suggestions given for how an organization can leverage its strengths, and identify and overcome its weaknesses. This extremely well written and timely book is must reading for leaders, and for consultants and others working with organizations to build their future.

After a good start our small group lost some energy. We got copies of this book and read it--each of us involved in starting a new group. We became a group ourselves as we prepared to do small group ministry. It was an exhilerating experience. This a valuable and useful tool. It is nicely written. A pleasure to read. -W. Edward Harris, Indianapolis, In

This book is a terrific "how to" guide for creating and nurturing small church groups that will in turn nurture their members. If you have questions about why small groups have not worked in your church, or started well, but couldn't maintain their momentum, this is the book for you.

Sometimes called "covenant groups," the small groups of this model have "covenant" as their cornerstone. Each group writes up a covenant for how they will conduct the group and how they will minister to each other, their church, and the larger community in which they live.

By following the basic structure given in this book, your small group can become a little community within your church, rather than just a casual gathering of people who may or may not show up. If your congregation has any fears about growing and losing the intimate feeling of their church, small groups such as the ones described are the answer.

In addition to giving step-by-step instructions for creating the groups, Rev. Hill provides many examples from covenant groups from all sizes of churches. The sample information at the back of the book (pamphlets, forms, training, etc.) are very helpful for getting your program up and running without having to start from scratch.

As someone involved in small group ministry, I have found this book indispensible. It incorporates the experiences of many who have been working in the vineyards and lays out in a clear and concise way how to organize and maintain small group ministry in a religious community. Great book!

If you are thinking about integrating small group ministry into the life of your congregation, this book is a must have. This volume is a wonderful survey of small group ministry in the Unitarian Universalist Association as of its printing. It describes the many ways congregations "do" small groups as well as points out key elements of all groups.

I am the VP of Marketing and Communications at a small company and I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for this book. With the everyday stresses I face in production, goals, co-workers, etc., it is extraordinary to have found someone that can clearly teach the Systems Thinking Approach® to strategic management who also understands the lack of time available to train upper management these days. I recommend this book to any management professional that needs to learn tips on accomplishing his or her goals and who lacks the time for more hands on training.

This book is a great resource on many, many applications of Systems Thinking" using the 50+ years of scientific research by the Society of General Systems Research--which is what makes it stand out from other books on Systems Thinking that have no research base.

These tools make it easy for someone to pick up the book, look at the Tools List and select the one you need right now. Thus, you do not have to read the entire book to find it extremely useful. It is a must to have in the Library of every executive, planner, trainer, OD professional and project management expert.

Considering that systems theory is not one of my favorite subjects, I was hesitant to read this book when my daughter recommended it. However, after briefly skimming through the prologue, I found the author to be very honest and easy to understand in his concepts. I am not much of a reader, especially on "how to" types of books, but I have found that Haines' concept of working backwards is quite useful and simple. The whole "H" or "helicopter" analogy as he likes to call it is very easy for me to understand. Being a visual learner, I finally get what people mean when they say the "whole" picture. I have yet to put his advice into practice, but if anything, I enjoyed his examples and how easy it has been for me to read this huge paperback. The first 100 or so pages are the essence or the key, so you could definitely just read those and still put the concepts to practice.

"Simplicity in Thinking" is the best way to describe this book. The subject of Systems Thinking is explained in a thorough yet simple manner. There are a lot of visuals in the book which give clear examples of the concepts. Overall, the concepts in this book have provided me with numerous ways to dramatically improve my management skills in a minimal amount of time.

This book gives plenty of resourceful information including how to find great discounts and knowing when a site is secure enough to send your credit card information over the internet. Once you've read this book you'll want to keep it close by as a quick reference whenever you shop online.

Great information and hints on how to use the Web for shopping. Specific internet addresses are included for best sites for cooking, electronics, etc. Easy to follow and locate your topic of choice.

I highly recommend that anyone who would like to become an on-line shopper use this book as their first on-line purchase,then read it from cover to cover. The information provided will answer many questions about security, privacy, warranties, etc.

Preston Gralla, no stranger to the Internet scene, has written The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Shopping to educate current and prospective online shoppers about the pros and cons of online shopping. Gralla offers plenty of sound advice people should read up on before spending their time and money shopping online.

The book features an incredible wealth of information including some of the better Websites to buy certain items from, where to find important decision-making information before making online purchases, how to avoid being taken in by online scam artists, sales tax information, using credit cards to make online purchases, user warrantees, return policies, and other important purchasing considerations!

Readers will receive a solid lesson on nearly every aspect of online buying. They can compare cars, homes, computers, cameras, and other items before parting with their money. They have access to a number of consumer organizations that can alert them about problem companies, dealers, and products. They also have access to one another!

One topic that has caught the attention of many online shoppers in recent times is the online auctioning of merchandise. Just about anyone can join in and submit online bids for just about anything imaginable under the sun. Beware though! As of this writing there has already been cases of online fraud and child involvement. This fascinating aspect of online shopping requires close scrutiny. Gralla devotes a lot of attention to this matter and so should we!

For those considering going into business for themselves, there is still plenty of time for them to join in the fun and thrill of going into business online. Web developers will gain important online marketing strategies from this book that can be used to create effective business Websites for themselves and for others!

Risks, fears, and concerns aside, online shopping has taken off and will no doubt achieve further popularity in the years to come. This book will help shape the lives of those involved with the various aspects of this fast growing industry, whether as consumers or as marketers. Prepare yourself to shop more intelligently. Make informed purchases. This outstanding book will guide you all the way. It will make a difference!

THE CONQUEST OF NATURE: WATER, LANDSCAPE, AND THE MAKING OF MODERN GERMANY is a recommended pick for any library strong in modern Western history in general and German history and culture in particular. Both college-level and general-interest lending collections will appreciate the fine reproductions of paintings, maps and photos which go into a survey linking culture, politic and environmental issues in German history to modern times. It's a key component of any comprehensive collection on German issues and background.

In this masterful and original account the author takes the reader on a virtual tour de force examination of the way in which nature was changed, conquered, preserved, destroyed and manipulated in Germany between the time of Fredrick the Great and the present. The author notes that to "write about the shaping of the modern German landscape is to write about how modern Germany itself was shaped." It begins with the tale of the draining of the Oderburch, a great swamp on the river Oder from Oderberg to Lebus. This swamp along with others was progressively drained and settled in the 18th century. Colonists were brought in and the wolves were hunted to extinction. This was a frontier like any other and the author compares it to other conquests of nature in the New World and South Africa. It was a "conquest from barbarism". This use of science and technology to tame the wild beast of nature is as old as man itself but found a special expression in Germany.

The next section of the book examines the taming of the Rhine river and the harnessing of it to agriculture and the state. The book takes the reader on a wonderful journey alongside the German engineers and statesmen and visionaries who tried the utmost to control flooding and build ports and canals such as Wilhelmshaven. Land reclamation followed. Once again people had to settle and colonize the new areas. The same was being done across Europe, for instance South of Rome where in the 1920s and 1930s colonists would be set to colonizing the Malarial swamps.

But where once colonizing and reclamation were peaceful pursuits they eventually turned sinister with the advent of Nazism and the decision to reclaim the East for German settlers. The idea was that the `barbaric' Slavic peoples could be harnessed as well or removed from the swamps they were `indigenous' to. Propaganda saw them as growing out of the swamps themselves. The `dead space' of the Pripet marshes. Everywhere German `model villages' were designed to replace the `natural' villages that seethed with disease and closed spaces in the `east'.

A brilliant book that weaves together so many topics and is hard to put down, the subject seems staid, but is fascinating.

Seth J. Frantzman

There are many fine environmental histories of North America but seemingly very few of Europe. Following a brief description of how the end of the Ice Age produced the sodden, water-filled plains of central and northern Germany, this book explores how man created the modern German landscape by straightening the Rhine River and "reclaiming" the southern coast of the North Sea and other watery regions. The maps are useful. Great stuff, I wish there were more books on the transformation of the European environment over the past 12,000 years.

This is quite a book.

There are a number of books on how the he U.S. Army Corp of Engineers has modified rivers like the Mississippi in the United States (with more or less success, witness Katrina). This is the first one I've seen on what was done in Northern Europe. The projects in Germany were monumental in scale, taking some 250 years to accomplish. This is part of what made Germany into a nation.

It is quite interesting as it talks not only about what was done but about other aspects such as the health, econonic, cultural, and political aspects. The Nazi's for instance looked at the work done as proof of the natural superiority of the German people.

With all of the success of the projects, the book at the end turns to the problems the efforts have caused: flooding, fish habitat destroyed. In essence all of the problems we are having with these same areas in the United States.

The book fills an important void by asking whether the Internet and might affect land use in the United States-particularly whether it could have dramatic and largely negative consequences on large habitats in previously rural areas.

At first glance, this connection is not obvious. But, as Levitt notes, virtually every significant innovation in transportation and communications technologies (such as highways, telephones, and electricity) have spurred decentralization.

Starting from this premise, the various contributors offer readable, in-depth analyses of whether the Internet is having such impacts and, in an interesting twist, how organizations concerned about habitat preservation can tap the power of the Internet to further their goals.

The result is a volume that should be read by anyone interested in the intertwined fate of rural communities and the natural habitats that surround them.

The book fills an important void by asking whether the Internet and might affect land use in the United States-particularly whether it could have dramatic and largely negative consequences on large habitats in previously rural areas.

At first glance, this connection is not obvious. But, as Levitt and his collaborators notes, virtually every significant innovation in transportation and communications technologies (such as highways, telephones, and electricity) have spurred decentralization.

Starting from this premise, the various contributors offer readable, in-depth analyses of whether the Internet is having such impacts and, in an interesting twist, how organizations concerned about habitat preservation can tap the power of the Internet to further their goals. The result is a volume that should be read by anyone interested in the intertwined fate of rural communities and the natural habitats that surround them.

I am interested in both new networks, American history and conservation, so I was not surprised that the content of this book was so strong. I WAS surprised that it was so well-written and that the connections between the past and the future were so thoughtfully drawn. I really enjoyed this book.

A very valuable and thought-provoking read, both personally and professionally. The book's historical sweep is impressive. Its range of contributors is also very broad and impressive - while I follow a good bit in the environment and conservation, this book offers many perspectives that I had not considered previously. A good book for those who love the dynamics of history, are fascinated by technology and its leaps, who protect and manage natural resources.

The book takes on the vexing questions of "When does change realize progress? And when does it not?" By juxtaposing nature and man's interaction with it, with the rapidly changing world of high technology, the book requires consideration of these questions. CONSERVATION IN THE INTERNET AGE makes one inclined to believe that people serious about the directions of land use and conservation need to be thinking about what Leviit calls "new networks." (I certainly didn't know what this meant before reading the book!) Overall, the book provides hope that new analysis and communications technologies will advance prudent long-term protection of land, water, and other natural resources.