Sales Books

If you are in a group of hardcore U2 fans, and you say, "the U2 bible" or "the Pimm book", they will all know which book you mean. For collectors, bootleggers, and general fans, this is THE book. While Pimm has sadly passed away, well known U2 insider Caroline Von B. has taken over and kept this tradition alive. This is the U2 book that the U2 crew take on the road. Need I say more?

This is the ultimate compendium for the true U2 fan. Not only does it document every single show they've ever played but it gives a lot of background and behind the scenes info on the albums. When I found out this updated version of the book was coming out I got excited and now that I've received it I was not disappointed!

This is the updated version. The first book that came out covered U2 from their earliest stages up through to the beginnings of the Popmart tour. This one carries us through the Popmart tour right through to the end of the Elevation tour. Pretty much every U2 show ever played is covered to some extent, whether it's just with a setlist or a lengthy review. Each tour has a page or so dedicated to an overview and then each show is detailed to some extent. If you're just a fan of the band you'll get a kick out of many of the shows details (the pizza order/delivery from 1992 being fantastic). If you're a collector of shows this book is to U2 fans what Deadbase or those Tapers Compendium books are to Grateful Dead fans. It's either a lot of fun to read or a rich source of information. Just a blast.

On a side note most of the book is written by Pimm Jal de la Parra. I'm not sure if it says it anywhere but apparently he had passed away during the creation of this updated version. A few people had gotten together to finish it off for him. They most certainly did him proud.

Hands-down the best book for collectors, fans, completists and trivia buffs. Compiled from thousands of sources by devoted but objective fans, this book is a good read, reference book and very interesting look inside each tour. As a long time collector, I have always heard that if a setlist exists in this book, there is a recording of that show, somewhere in the world.

This book is hard to put down! Every U2 gig is detailed from setlists to attendance. Lots of photographs, some that have never been seen before. I love it!

I am a big matt groening fan so I bought this. One out of every 10 was funny and the others...

This book is really funny,and yet so realistic (apart from the talking bunnies). You can definitly see some simalarities between the charactors in the Simpsons and the characters in the book. I plan on buying all 5 books

I must say, Big Book of Hell is 10 times better than Huge Book of Hell. Funnier, less preachy, bigger, and just plain better. It's honest, and extremely observant of the little stupid things we do every day. Matt's detailed descriptions of school and work are so true, I wish I would have written them. Bongo's anti-school agenda is so funny and true. The strips with the eyes and Bongo strapped in a chair are among my favorites. Another thing Big Book has that Huge Book doesn't, is that it is TOUCHING! Witness the 8 Steps of Handling a Divorce (or something to that nature). I almost cried when I read it. In some ways, its more personal than Huge Book, other times, more universal. Which is why Greoning's work (and the Simpsons) are so brilliant: touching, personal yet universal, bitter yet hilarious, observant without being fake. Big Book also has TREMENDOUS re-read value. I highly suggest anyone looking for a laugh or some delicious insight to purchase Big Book of Hell.

It's one thing to say that life is hell and sit back and sulk. It's another thing to turn it into hysterical, scathing humor. Matt Groening's "... is Hell" series is by far the darkest and funniest exploration into our modern life. If Mark Twain were a cartoonist, this is what he would have produced. Compare these cartoons to those animated yellow people (Bart, Homer, et al.), and The Simpsons are no longer a dysfunctional family.

I've been a huge fan of the Simpsons since they first aired, and recently I decided to check out Matt Groening's other works. I bought this book used and it was worth every penny. The comics here are unlike any other. I particularly enjoy them because they are totally irreverent, yet honest about the state of American society today. Many of the 'School is Hell' series appear in this collection. They are my favorites--they get me through long nights of studying. It makes me wish there was a 'Life in Hell' TV series to go along with the Simpsons.

This book was given to me for my birthday and I read a little bit of it every day. It is one of the most special books I have ever received. There are countless insightful words to inspire, comfort, encourage and transform. If I need a quote for a presentation, or just some general insight on a topic I go to this book and always find something appropriate to take with me.

This book is wonderful for all your needs. The only person not quoted is my heroine Joan of Arc, but everybody else is there.

The people quoted are successful. They share their philosophies for this success. What more can you want in a book?

Buy it and get rich in life.

Two quotes which it should have
"I am not afraid... I was born to do this." -- Joan of Arc
"The Lord is your guardian... he is beside you at your right hand." -- Psalm 120, 5

I use this book often in writing for work and in writing for a spiritual workshop that I lead. Awesome!

This book has quotations for every occasion and for occasions that you never thought of. I use it to send my son positive quotations every day while he is in Marine Boot Camp.

This book is somewhat unique, not just because it focuses on positive quotations, but also because the way the quotes are categorized and subcategorized into rather unique groups. Overall I would say the book is great, but in my opinion, the quote selection, choice of categories, and balance of quotations in categories could have been better (the author really went overboard in some places, particularly in quotes about prayers, which takes up page after page after page). If you want a book of positive / spiritual /wise quotes, I definitely recommend this book, but would suggest that you buy A Collection of Wisdom by Rodney Ohebsion and Treausry of Spiritual Wisdom by Ando Zubko first.

An ideal read for anyone looking to increase their profile and brand awareness. The book uses traditional marketing concepts and applies them to the art of self promotion......Brilliant!!!!

Debbie has produced yet another very readable, interesting, and motivating collection of real-life people who have figured out ways to best promote themselves succesfully. Keep it coming, Debbie, as shamelessly as you can!

I love books that bring together the best of the best and Confessions of Shameless Self-Promoters featuring my friend, Deb Haggerty, is no exception. I am continually looking for new tools to share with writers and speakers who are trying to market themselves and their products. This book is now a featured book on my Web site and in the reference section in my handouts.

Ideas, tips, and strategies are packaged in an easy-to-read book. I love the fact that those featured don't just talk about success, they go out and grab it. Confessions of Shameless Self-Promoters is motivational and fun and doesn't make a person feel guilty for what they haven't done. Instead it inspires them to do something every day to further their goals.

At first I didn't like the title because I hate self promotion. I look at the most effective promotion as building relationships. Once I started reading the various chapters I realized the title is actually misleading because every person in the book preaches relationship building. Networking, referrals, branding, Internet marketing, direct mail, media, and more or covered in depth and well by some of the top people out there. I highly recommend this practical resource for anyone regardless of their business or product.

Maybe it was my fault for not reading the book description better, but I really expected a lot more from this book than what it was able to deliver. The book is essentially a hodge-podge of stories from 68 different "marketing gurus" (mostly speakers and business "coaches"). Unfortunately, there are very few sections that are universally applicable. Instead, the book contains war story after war story -- a very few of which might actually be relavent to you and your business. However, the work required to dredge up this occassional "nugget" isn't worth the effort. Instead, I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy of C.J. Hayden's "Get Client's Now!" For anyone interested in building a personal brand, I would also recommend Robert Bly's "Become a Recognized Authority..." Finally, for consultants and other business service professionals, I'd recommend Brody, D'Angelo, Kerley, and Zick's "Power Marketing for Consultants," Shenson and Wilson's "138 Quick Ideas to Get More Clients," and Robert Gentle's "Consultant -- Market Yourself." In short, this book has been a huge disappointment. In fact, I suspect that most of the positive reviews are from some of the "68 marketing gurus" and not from objective readers. Overall grade: C-/D+

As I was about to read this book, frankly, I was somewhat deterred by its title just as I was before reading Marilyn Ross's Shameless Marketing for Brazen Hussies. Titles such as these seem so blatant, so self-serving, so crass, so....

In fact, the same can be said of the content in these two books as well as in Allen's Confessions of Shameless Internet Promoters. And that is precisely the key point: because each of us receives each day (on average) about 3,000 (or is it 30,000?) "messages" of various kinds, it is more difficult now than ever before to penetrate all the noise and all the clutter. We now live in what Tom Davenport and John Beck call "the attention economy." The most valuable currency is gaining the interest and attention of others and then, over time, earning their respect and trust.

As a result, we should feel no shame when aggressively promoting ourselves if we do so with honesty and integrity; people buy from other people, not from companies. Nor should we feel any shame when aggressively promoting a product or service if it is of sufficient quality, fills a legitimate need, is priced fairly, and delivers substantial value. To those who complain that women seem "brazen" when doing so, I say "Get over it."

In this volume, Allen introduces each of the 13 chapters with her own thoughts about the given subject (e.g. "You Cannot Not Market" and "Building Your Unique Brand Recognition") and then several of the 68 guest contributors share their own thoughts, feelings, experiences, advice, etc. Inevitably, the value of individual segments will be determined almost entirely by the specific deeds and interests of each reader. All of the contributors' comments are worth sharing but not all of them are immediately relevant to each reader's circumstances. However, I think the entire book should be read and then re-read. Circumstances change, frequently without warning. We may need tomorrow or next week what we do not need today. In The Art of War, Sun Tzu observes that every battle is won or lost before it is fought. There is much to be said for "shameless" preparation.

For many, Chapter One ("An Introduction to Shameless Self Promotion") may well be the most valuable portion of the book because it provides all manner of reassurances that shameless self promotion really is legitimate, indeed imperative in today's marketplace IF (huge "if") it is conducted with honesty and integrity as well as tenacity. Allen provides a brief quotation on the title page of each chapter. For Chapter One, "If you don't blow your own horn someone else will use it as a spittoon." (Anonymous) Brief contributions by five marketing "gurus" -- Jeffrey Storie, Mark Victor Hansen, Don Taylor, Dana Burke, and Rick Segel -- then follow.

While reading this book, I frequently made connections between it and another book I read recently, Phillip McGraw's Self Matters: Creating Your Life from Inside Out. Directly or indirectly, Allen and most of her 68 contributors assert that effective promotion of one's self is wholly dependent upon having a strong sense of self-confidence and self-worth. Stated another way, the effectiveness of self promotion in the external world is wholly dependent on creating and then nourishing a healthy inner self. I agree with McGraw that self not only matters, it is all that we have. It does much more than identify us: it defines us. If we do not value it, why should anyone else?

Ignore the overheated words and phrases. Read all the lines but also read between them. Absorb and digest what Allen and her associates have to say. Then re-read at least the first chapter. This book has much of value to say about both self and promotion: the health of the former determines the effectiveness of the latter.

Many of those who begin reading this book looking for specific strategies and tactics will indeed find them but also something else of much greater value: a better understanding of themselves and, especially, of what may have delayed, diminished or even prevented their success in life until now. Who knows? You may be among them. Most of us are.

Manchester's book is so well-written and well-researched that the reader is carried back in time to that fateful weekend. The details which come forth are not to be found in many of today's books about JFK, which seem to be concerned with either scandal or with solving the question of conspiracy. This book is especially interesting because it was written within a few years of the assassination. RFK was still alive when the book was published. I believe the closeness of the book to the events in question have helped Manchester stay close to the events and away from speculation. Highly recommended.

If you look at the map of the Flight Path of Air Force One from
Love Field to Andrews AFB in the appendix of the book, one of the towns underneath: Hope, Arkansas (Willliam Jefferson Clinton's birthplace). Hope is also mentioned in the book as a representatation of small town America. Now that's freaky. Future editions of the book should footnote.

However, given the large number of positive reviews here, most of which I agree with, it's worth noting that this book was published around the time there was considerable dissatisfaction and questions being raised about the findings of the Warren Commission and that Manchester I feel, truly gives short shrift to Lyndon Johnson and the transition that took place. To suggest that this was an easy time for Johnson or that there was some desire on the part of the Vice-President to usurp power without regard to the feelings of the Kennedy family or Bobby Kennedy in particular is utter nonsense. Upon reading this material I suggest people also give Max Holland's 'The Kennedy Assassination Tapes' a read as well. Holland's compilation of the taped discussions between Johnson and others in the days and years after Nov. 22 tell a very different story than what Manchester would have us believe.

On my seventh birthday, November 22, 1963, I returned home from school and was told that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated earlier in the day in Dallas, Texas. Even for a seven-year-old schoolboy the gravity of event was striking.

For the next forty years, because of my own curiosity and because the event was continually thrust upon me by the media, I studied the sad event from every possible angle. I considered the views of those propounding the prospect of the lone shooter, the single bullet. I listened to the views of those sure that a conspiracy of monumental proportions had taken the President. In short, I have heard every possible explanation and still the evidence--in my view--leads backs to the beginning.

In "The Death of a President," William Manchester, one of the greatest authors of our time and one renowned for his concise, almost obsessive, research was called upon by Jacqueline Kennedy to attempt to set the record straight. The work was published in 1967, four years after the assassination. His research was characteristically pointed, considering every detail, every venue, every person involved. The result: the only book needed to understand the "crime of the century."

In 1988 the book was reprinted and Manchester wrote a new forward to his masterpiece. He mentions how individuals came to him wondering whether he would update and modify his original work due to "new developments" in chronicling the story. He observed at the time that, in his view, "the cruel fact" was that there were no new developments.

Having studied, as I said, the event in considerable detail, I echo Manchester's profound sentiment. There simply is nothing that holds up under severe scrutiny.

Conspiracy theorists claim that it is just impossible that someone like Oswald, a crazy loner, could kill someone like Kennedy as the result of the shallowest of motives. They want to believe that something weightier, darker and more sinister than simple hatred and ego had to be at the root of things. Why?

I would ask them to step back just a few years to when Reagan was President. Consider a lone gunman, John Hinckley, who squeezes off at least three shots before being subdued, wounding Reagan, Brady and a secret service agent in the process. His motive? He wanted to get the attention of a girl, of the actress, Jodie Foster. The shallowest of motives, nothing more. So why is it that we can accept Hinckley's dementia without crying conspiracy but have such difficulty when it comes to Oswald? Quite simply Reagan survived. I believe that, had Reagan died, the nation would have erupted into the same conspiracy craze that has gripped our minds since 1963.

"The Death of a President," so well researched, so well written, is and should be the first and last word. It's been nearly forty years since Manchester completed his study and, despite all of the other books, all of the other theories, this is really the only work that any serious student of that sad day in Dallas need consider.

Douglas McAllister

As the leading civilian authority on the Secret Service, I modestly recommend this classic and controversial book for the many Secret Service/ primary witness interviews Manchester conducted between 1964-1965 (he spoke to 20+agents; I spoke to 70+). That said, several agents I spoke to, three of whom also spoke to Manchester, including Rufus Youngblood, Sam Kinney, and Jerry Behn, among others, denounced this book. Most importantly, ASAIC FLOYD BORING IS QUOTED IN THE BOOK BUT WAS NOT INTERVIEWED FOR IT (AS VERIFIED BY BORING TO MYSELF) AND HE VEHEMENTLY DENIES THE VERACITY OF THE INFO. ATTRIBUTED TO HIM!!

Vince Palamara-JFK/ Secret Service expert (History Channel, author of two books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.)
Pittsburgh, PA

A great technical resource for all types of media used in making art dolls. Work shown is amazing.

great book, wonderful instructions, not for amateurs, more advanced i think. the dolls featured are amazing.

I have this book for 2 years now,and I have to say it is intelligently written. There is a mass of information,well organized,some details in constuction,and on the whole,it is a great volume to have in your collection on art dolls.

Too often craft/art books are whatever the subject is by-the-numbers. Do this, do that, voila you have a finished project just like mine. This is so much more and exactly what it should be. Layers of information. Beautiful examples. A book that inspires you to choose your own path. This is the best type of creativity inspiring book. I purchased this along with "500 Handmade Dolls" (which shares many of the same artists work) and have found hours of enjoyment. Very well done book.

LIKE ANATOMY OF THE DOLL THIS BOOK OF SUSANNA'S IS ALSO A MUST
HAVE.I AM NOW ADDICTED.

I read the true story of the My Lia Massacre when it first came out, and then knew why when we came back we were called baby killers. Now that I have read this book on My Lia I wonder how they let something like that happen and what makes me mad is that nothing more has been done about the people that done it all. I personelly think that all the people that took part should be put in jail and left there, but other then that it was an excellent book to read.

The major problem with this work is that from the beginning, it tries to explain the My Lai massacre as a function of the corruption inherent in the Vietnam War. It is reminiscent of Jospeh Caputo's attempts to exonerate himself by blaming the war for the corruption of his soul and his order to assasinate two suspected Vietnamese spies. The problem with both of these approaches is that the events are never placed in their proper context, that is, as occuring during a war whrer millions of soldiers served honorably. Instead, the event transcends time and space and is explained as product of the impersonal forces of war and their effects on the soldiers who served in Vietnam. My Lai, then becomes the epitome of this "Zietgiest", if you will, of the corrupting influence of war and its effeects on the participants.
Granted, the behavior of the men of the Americal division in the My lai episode is simply unforgivable, but plenty of heroic soldiers served in the division, as did millions of other soldiers in Vietnam without the requisite number of massacres one should expect if the war was so traumatizing and corrupting. A better approach would be to explore the personal flaws of those involved and begin an explanation from there. The real tragedy is not the effect of the war on the perpetrators, but the real human failure of those who participated and the circumstance they would find themselves in that exploitred their deficiencies of character. The victims are truly victims because they were subjected to the actions of these men not because of something they did, but by the mere juxtoposition of events that allowed these terribly flawed men to enounter them in war.
It seems disingenous, as well an insult to the victims and those who served honorably, to blame this event on impersonal forces such as the "corrupting nature of war" rather than focusing the blame squarely on those individuals responsible. If not, the tendency is to transcend space and time, take the event out of context and view as a manifestation of an American Holocaust in Vietnam. Nothing could be further form the truth. The authors should be reminded that those who cannot distinguish between a tragedy and a holocaust yearn to be taught the difference.

I thought that Lt Calley was made a scapegoat for the
event that happened at My Lia, but after reading the book.
I find that he was a coldblooded killer,and cause many other young men to be the same way. I will never understand why Cpt Medina,and the other oficers involved in this incident was not brought to trail. The order given by these Oficers were just as much the cause of the problem, as were the men that did the actual killing.
I served two tours in Nam , and I thank God that I never
witnessed any such thing. I would probably have been brought to trail myself for killing those that would do such a coldhearted
thing.
However I must say that I am exremely proud of those that did not participate in the shooting.

An excellent and even-handed book. As a father of four, I would take my helmet off to Thompson and hope that I would have done the same thing in those circumstances.

However, as a jumpy eighteen-year-old who had spent three months seeing his buddies slaughtered in booby trap after booby trap, having their heads blown off by snipers you never see or get to track, Army trucks full of draftees decimated by grenades thrown by smiling elderly villagers and children, I really don't know how much I would have given a damn for any village anywhere in that country.

Yes, the massacre was wrong, and thank God for men like Thompson, but if anybody is going to judge My Lai or any other total breakdown of discipline and artificially-sustained morality, it should be men and women who have served in extreme combat environments, not bourgeois middle-class Liberals who have never had to get their hands dirty.

Vietnam was a filthy war, and because it never had a distinct purpose or Win Scenario driving it, it was a pointless war. Ironically, one of the things that triggered My Lai was the very fear and frustration generated by the VC's own tactics, including the mutilation of American corpses and the constant goading and provocation that GI's had to endure.

This was the same Enemy that massacred French garrisons and lined the approach roads with the severed heads of the defenders to demoralize the relief columns. The same Enemy that even booby trapped live babies in order to kill American soldiers and shock them into a state of psychological collapse.

Read the book, by all means, and be outraged. Yet while the massacre can never be justified, with the kind of background, only some of which I have just outlined, it can perhaps be understood - above all, as others have rightly said, in the absence of strong leadership and the stability provided by having a good sprinkling of experienced Vets throughout the Company.

No, it should never have happened, but then, neither should the War.

My family fled Vietnam in 1979 and settled in the U.S. I always believed that the Americans were the "good guys" in the Vietnam War. After reading this book, I now have a much different view. I see the conflict as something that is much more complex than what I was taught in high school. The Viet Congs committed many atrocities during the war, but it seems as though the Americans committed just as many--if not more--atrocities. The My Lai Massacre is a shining example of the low regard that a large number of American soldiers had for Vietnamese peasants.

I highly recommend this book as it debunks the myths surrounding the Vietnam War. In addition, the authors call into question the moral character of not only the "grunts" that gunned down old men, women, children, and even babies, but also the officers high up the chain of command that tried to cover up the massacre. Moreover, the authors are highly critical of the military justice system that basically looked the other way even in the face of overwhelming evidence that a massacre indeed did occur.

The book serves as an important reminder of the horrendous nature of war where good young boys can turn into cold-blooded killers. In light of the recent events in Haditha, Mukaradeeb, and Hamdania, among others, we need to learn from past mistakes so that we don't repeat them.

This book is really good. however my main problem with is that it is mainly good for the American resort market, and not so useful in European circumstances speciall in smaller individual cityhotels.
I have to stress that it is very well written but not what i was looking for.
It is also abit dated. nevertheless I think everyone working this field shoud read it!

Great to read. very good book.

Just finished it. Had to write a review. In summary: The Best Marketing Book Ever!

Very interesting and helpful
From real pro!
Not a textbook, fun and easy to read

I normally don't take the time to write book reviews, but this book was so amazing that I felt obligated to comment. It is succinct, well-written, and extremely easy to read. The ideas in this book can be applied to any type of hospitality product. Mr. Raza supplements the text by giving links to websites the readers can visit to obtain more information.

The chapters:
1) Hospitality and Marketing
2) The Market
3) Products
4) Branding
5) Advertising
6) How to Create Better Brochures and Collateral Materials
7) Public Relations
8) Promotions
9) 25 Proven Ways to Reach Travel Agents
10) Coop Marketing: How to Get the Best Results from Marketing Through Wholesalers and Tour Operators
11) Internet Marketing
12) Loyalty Marketing
13) Marketing Operations
14) Behind the Budget
Appendix: The Marketing Plan

This is a fantastic book! It is a very truthful and open approach to this business. Definitely something to take a look at considering all of us could use some extra income in this new economic market. If you are looking for information about the tools and systems you will need to consider if you are going to think about selling other people's stuff ... this is the book to get.

It shipped quickly and was in good shape. I bought this from an outside vendor. Started reading it. Very clear good information in it.

Skips book How to Start and Run an eBay Consignment Business is the best resource for zeroing in on becoming a successful Trading Assistant. There are many other books out there, but most of them cover many things about eBay. Skip covers every aspect of the business. I have been an successful TA for many years and still refer back to this book.

Short and sweet, this book gives you all the essentials of starting your own eBay consignment business. Everything from business licenses, to finding consignors, to taking great auction photographs is mentioned. This is a great starting point for those looking to start their own consignment store.

About 85% of the book is in Titanium Ebay, and in the exact same words. Its just cut and paste. If this is your first Skip McGraph book, this is excellent way to start.

I love McGraph style, and incisive info on the Ebay business. He tells you insider secrets of PowerSellers, and their tactics. But the best are the cases he makes, examples of what to buy, how to sell it and profit. He opens up your mind that almost everything sells.

This is an awesome book, not only for people of color, but for everyone. I was so mesmerized by the contents; the adorable pictures and quotes, were a breath of fresh air. Before I knew it, I had gone through the entire book before I even left the store. I've been married for 26 years and have a wonderful wonderful relationship. I knew that this was a gift I wanted to share with my husband to express once again, how very much I love him. My hats off to the author and photographer and the precious models, they really get it!

I discovered this book last year and presented it to my husband for Valentine's Day. The pictures are darling and I found my self wanting to dedicate each page to my sweetie. I have been so inspired by this book that I have recommended it to the Married Couples Ministry at my church. I've come up with an idea for an icebreaker at our annual Valentine party using the book's theme. We'll do a contest to get it each couple to come up with ways to express or show their love. Responses can be in various categories such as the most romantic or humorous, least expensive, with the children, etc. We'll give away the I Love You Because calenders to the best responses. We're also encouraging people to buy an ad in the program booklet and surprise their valentine with their own I Love You reason. Thanks for the inspiration.

Great book.
Think of it as a hundred Kim Anderson greeting cards.
It's the perfect gift for that special person in your life...

This is one of the best finds I've run across all year. I first saw the book at my 10 year old goddaughter's house. Her father bought it for her because he liked it. She thought it was okay but the adults, like me, who saw it laying on the family's coffee table were the ones who fell in love with it. Unfortunately, while her father always finds the best books to share with his family, he also manages to get the last copy. I couldn't believe this absolutely wonderful book was out of print. I searched everywhere for one for myself for months. When I finally found a source for it, I bought several to give to each of my best friends. When the books arrived, I wished I'd bought more because I loved it so. The pictures are wonderful. The sentiments; incredibly personal professions of love, gratitude and friendship. The combination of the photos and captions made it easy for me to tell my friends and family how important they were to me. This book is a fabulous gift to give to those people special to you. So when you buy it, buy more than one. Give the copies freely to the ones you love but don't forget to keep one for yourself. If you don't you'll regret it.

What a great tribute to love.