Sales Books

The book reveals some great insights about consumer thinking models. To the point, well structured and very helpful for those of us that work for brand communications this publication is a great stepping stone for further consumer investigations.

On the treadmill of front-line marketing, it's easy to get caught up in the never-ending lists and deadlines, rather than stepping back to think more broadly and deeply about who we really are, who we're trying to reach and what we're really trying to accomplish.

As I read the Zaltmans' Marketing Metaphoria, it felt like a sudden holiday getaway that whisked me away from my lists and deadlines and into a calmer, almost meditative place. Readable and engaging, this book helped me step back and reflect on the great metaphors that make humans tick. The Zaltmans' genius is in not only identifying these metaphors, but also helping the reader understand their relevance in marketing and communication strategy. The book does a beautiful job illustrating how "deep metaphors" are the story elements and images that create meaning and purpose in people's lives. With many great examples they also illustrate how insightful marketers can use these deep metaphors to create meaning and purpose for companies, brands and products in people's lives.

Like any great holiday getaway, at the end I was not only refreshed and rejuvenated, but I was changed for the better. This book's vivid examples and passion for the subject make it irresistible for marketing professionals to look for themselves, their customers, brands and companies amongst the metaphors - and to begin "deep thinking" about their work.

For anyone interested in more than just superficial communication, marketing, image or brand, this book will provide gratifying insights that change how you understand and craft the stories you tell.

The Zaltmans' new book can truly be described as insightful. By way of transparency, I should point out that I am priveleged enough to have Jerry Zaltman's endorsement on the back cover of my own recently released book, "Brand Meaning." Though I have never met him, I know Jerry to be an astute and visionary commentator on consumer behavior. Anybody who has read "How Customers Think" will know that. What "Marketing Metaphoria" illustrates so well is that only by probing deep into the way people think about and view the world around them can one hope to connect with consumers in a visceral and enduring way. The book provides a framework for identifying such "implicit cognitive influences" (see back cover) - here in the form of deep matephors - and that is what makes it important reading.Brand Meaning

...as a professional who has introduced neuroscience into leadership, I can personally attest to the importance of "thinking more about our thinking" when it comes to why we do what we do. Though we all on some level know this, Zaltman has written brilliantly and pragmatically these sometimes forgotten truths that truly affect decision making. This is a classic!

By way of full disclosure, I was a graduate assistant for Jerry Zaltman when he was a Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Naturally, I've followed Jerry's many publications for these past 20 years and have never found the time I've invested in reading his latest ideas less than incredibly worthwhile.

Interestingly, I bought this book based solely on the title and my expectation that it would be full of new ideas and insights about how using metaphors in marketing tactics would influence consumer behavior. While this book does cover material related to that sort of thing, it really covers so much more. The first two chapters on thinking deeply, "Workable Wondering" and focusing on consumer similarities set the stage for how to take the insights and ideas from the next 7 chapters (one per each deep metaphor) and incorporate them into your own thinking. The last chapter ties things together and presents a number of ideas for how Deep Metaphors may influence a number of marketing strategies and tactics.

This book is written to stimulate your thinking about how Deep Metaphors apply in many areas of marketing and consumer behavior. It doesn't present a list of "to dos" or lay out a plan of action that you should follow. Instead, you'll find yourself seeing what you, your consumers and your competitors do in a new light.

Writing is a business and without understanding how to use traditional business techniques, you won't make a dime with your writing. Sedge takes readers through the process of understanding who their potential clients are and how to sell ideas to publishers so they can make a good living writing from home.

I've ordered a number of writer-writing related books, and have found some of them to be overly formal, overly simple, outdated, and just all around uninspiring. But this book was very useful and had me making notes and sticking post-its and thinking of little schemes of my own. His instructions were clear and easy to understand and were written with tension and rhythm so they read more like a story than "step by step, boring". I liked that! I also enjoyed his vivacity - you could tell he was an original thinker, a schemer kind of marketing person, which is what you need to be in today's market (no matter what you're selling). The tips he gave, or stories he told illustrating those tips, almost made me wish he didn't tell; they were so good and useful, I almost didn't want everyone to have access to them! However, there was plenty of room for your own interpretation and creation in the suggested ideas, it was more of a philosophy (concretely demonstrated) than a step by step guide, as I said. I want to say, "Thank you" to Michael Sedge for the book - great for anyone in marketing, not just writers (and we are all in marketing nowadays, or need to be) If you are a writer who wants to sell your work and grow your business,with style- then this book will suit you.

Michael Sedge, owner of Strawberry Media Agency and guru of marketing strategies great and small, has his finger on the pulse of struggling writers and authors everywhere because he has been there. Sedge has been able to parlay his writing skills into an impressive global business and shares his tricks of the trade in this fascinating volume.

Sedge focuses on, very simply, how to sell writing. He dubs his game plan "guerilla marketing," and he creates an orderly universe out of a terrifying and confusing market. He offers a powerful litany of ideas for: researching the marketplace; smoozing with secretaries and others who are in support positions; anticipating markets based on current events, dates, and trends; using personal style to create markets; maximizing profits and minimizing work; how to create publicity packets; and many other useful tips to new writers.

Sedge throughly understands image, and scatters examples of how to seem larger than life in order to better promote oneself:

"Distancing yourself makes everything more profession, more `big league.' If you are requesting information about John Hendricks, founder and CEO of the Discovery Channel, would you expect to receive it directly from Hendricks? Of course not; he is much too busy for that. The company has a public relations office for such things. This is the exact image you want to present for your business."

Marketing Strategies For Writers is a bible for marketing. It is the type of book that should occupy the same space as the best writing books in a writer's collection. Sedge writes with humor, the earnestness of an excellent teacher trying to impart pearls of wisdom, and genuine compassion for the plight of writers everywhere. He gives writers hope with his abundant wisdom and optimism; and he prods and emphasizes with interesting tales of his own success.

Sedge is someone who should be listened to, as he has produced an incredible 2600 articles, several books, and tapes and scripts. His agency handles photography, marketing, writing, editing, and anything else that is required within the publishing field. He is truly the guru of marketing...and writing.

This is a super book. I work with writers every day- and this is the book I tell them to go buy. Every new writer needs this book. Congratulations- this book is fun and gives writers the information they need to know in today's marketplace. ...

Michael Sedge's latest book has only one purpose: To help you make a lot of money at writing. It is that simple, yet that outstanding. While other books on this topic are either broad overviews or blatant chest thumping, Marketing Strategies for Writers is neither. Sharing with the reader what has worked for him--and what hasn't--Sedge offers clear step by step advice. He also describes in detail how to make editors want YOU! Not just for writers, this book is an excellent reference for marketing in all fields. My wife runs a real-estate agency, and has bought a box of these books for her staff. Bound to be an instant classic. If you are serious about writing, this is the book for you.

This book is by far more than just a comprehensive collection of facts and figures. The author, having a no fear approach to technology, never looses sight of the business aspects. His understanding of mobility manifests itself not only in the awareness of tools, but rather in his holistic approach to make mobile technology work for you and your enterprise without having to reengineer your business processes.
Hence, anyone who feels the urge to implement mobile solutions in their business should first consult this book... or just spend a few thousand on consultancy. Your choice.

If you want to increase the effectiveness of your workforce, this is a must read book. The concepts are clearly laid out and it is written in an easy to understand language, explaining all the mobility buzzwords in laymans terms.

After reading this book I feel confident about talking to the vendors and consultants with all the latest solutions. A worthwhile investment for any manager with responsibility for field based sales people or service engineers.

Though the author uses mobilizing an enterprise in his title, he really means applying wireless technology to an already mobile enterprise. Many of the issues presented applies to standardizing mobile accessibility across the enterprise. The book starts off with an excellent analogy for untested technology - Magic, unknown, uncertain, untested, and unproven. This leverages his book for a thematic value throughout to make for an interesting development of current day technology.

To be fair, I did not read the entire book, only sections that I found interesting. However, the portions I did read, chpts 1-4, 10-12 were fascinating and on target in many respects.

The author lays out the framework for an elegant model categorizing technology providers and the corporate structure. As corporations begin aligning themselves into the categories mentioned, I was wondering where hybrid companies that have created versatile new concepts, especially outside of the US, would fit in his model.

Companies such as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) that aren't quite NOs, but have some of the skills and capabilities of WAGs or SIs since their main competency is in enabling the mobilization and reselling it and just renting space from NOs would fit.

Chapter 11 was extremely informative, but I am still perplexed by "wireless technology skills" and the author's definition of this, specifically in his SWOT analyses. Saying that an enterprise application vendor doesn't have these skills is unclear, especially as many of these enterprise app vendors are WAG vendors or Platform vendors. Companies such as Oracle or IBM are perfect examples where they do not suffer the same weaknesses. Does this present a major competitive advantage in the market?

A second point with respect to this very notion is that, in general, "wireless technology skills" can be easily emulated, learned, and implemented as many small companies are crowding the space and popping up regularly. This suggests that the real commoditization will be in the value of wireless technology skills rather than other segments rather than network operations (although there is always the possibility of both being commoditized)

The author suggests that there may be a convergence of enterprise app vendors and WAG vendors, the former gobbling up the latter. I think this is already in progress and will no doubt become a reality unless the smaller WAG vendors either become enterprise app vendors or can find specific niches where enterprise app vendors are unwilling to enter.

The book as a whole provided a business perspective to what seems to be a technical issue. It was clear in many respects, and filled with useful information to better understand what it means to manage a mobile system. Although there was some bias in selecting companies for case discussion, these are considered the norm in any competitive industry. The terse, crispness of the book with a solid, social element provides for good reading and highly informative review of the wireless industry today and tommorrow.

Pat Brans has done a masterful job of taking a complex subject such as mobility and wireless and boiling it down to its most important components. Besides his ability to explain wireless technology in simplistic terms, Brans delivers a compelling guide for business executives grappling with difficult decisions regarding why/when/how should I deploy mobility and what can our company expect to gain from a revenue generation/cost savings/customer satisfaction perpspective? Finally, the best part of this book is the abundant use of practical, real-world examples (such as the business process diagrams in Chapter 10 involving pharmaceutical sales reps) to help the reader clearly understand the benefits of mobility and wireless technology as applied to a business challenge.

Mr. Brans does a superb job of presenting much of what is going on in the wireless world today.

To be fair, I did not read the entire book, only sections that I found interesting. However, the portions I did read, chpts 1-4, 10-12 were fascinating and on target in many respects.

As corporations begin aligning themselves into the categories mentioned, I was wondering where hybrid companies that have created versatile new concepts, especially outside of the US, would fit in the model. Where would companies such as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) that aren't quite NOs but have some of the capabilities of (Wireless Application Gateway providers) WAGs or (System Integrators) SIs in enabling mobilization and reselling it -just renting space from NOs- fit in the author's model? There seemed to be a few missing gaps, but covered the US market fairly thoroughly.

Chapter 11 was extremely informative, but I am still perplexed by "wireless technology skills" and the author's definition of this, specifically in his SWOT analyses. Saying that an enterprise application vendor doesn't have wireless skills is unclear, especially as many of these enterprise app vendors are also WAG vendors or Platform vendors. Companies such as Oracle or IBM are perfect examples where they do not suffer the same weaknesses. Does this present a major competitive advantage in the market?

A second point with respect to this very notion is that, in general, "wireless technology skills" can be easily emulated, learned, and implemented as many small companies are crowding the space and popping up regularly. This suggests that the real commoditization will be in the value of wireless technology skills rather than other segments as the author suggests.

The book was exceptional in most other respects, containing detailed facts on the wireless markets, their evolution, and even an excellent resource base to acquire further knowledge. Even with the biased focus on a few select companies, the book covers the market's underlying agenda.

The author presented information with a terse crispness but added a social element in terms of context and example to make it readable. A great primer if you are an executive, a CIO, or someone making a decision to commit resources in mobile technology. Comparable to Wireless Crash Course by Bedell in quality, with more of a business perspective.

People who follow a dream or have a deep sense of purpose about their work are rewarded with an almost inexhaustible supply of energy. They use this energy to reach their goals. There has to be an inner reason for this commitment. Defining your own inner focus or purpose is the first step to maintaining and growing your energy. The second step is reading & implementing Mutual Respect. Mutual Respect forms the building blocks for your focus/purpose/mission.

If you are in the business of selling, Bob Beck hits the target on increasing your sales volume. As the Sales & Purchasing Manager of Parts Inc., I have seen immediate results from applying his recommendations. I give credit to the 'Quid Pro Quo' sales technique.

'Mutual Respect' has given me the valuable insight into what has made Bob Beck the Trusted Advisor,that he is today. The book has provided me with a practical and clear understanding of applicable sales techniques and methodology to succeed in the world of sales today. I highly recommend the book

Everyone, whether they consciously realize it or not, is constantly engaged in 'selling' and 'buying' by virtue of their interactions with others. Mutual Respect places many things into perspective which go beyond the boardroom and into the realm of everyday living. This book is not only helpful in many practical ways, but also acts as a reminder regarding human nature. Mutual Respect can be used as a guide in dealing with much more than the office because the principles can be applied to other areas such as parenting.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about how to better negotiate business or personal relations with others.

The book's main premise is that both buyer and seller should be engaged in a relationship of mutual respect. The seller should recognize that s/he provides information, ideas and services that can be of real value to the buyer. Sellers who exercise a discipline the author calls "quid pro quo selling" recognize that it is both fair and prudent to negotiate something in return from the buyer for each step the seller takes in a sales process.

It's a question of establishing and maintaining reciprocity. Without such mutuality, a seller may fool himself into thinking the sale is advancing when the prospect has little interest in buying.

For example, when a prospect suggests that a seller send out product literature, Beck suggests that the seller first get a commitment of when the prospect will review it with the seller. If the prospect won't commit at each step to some reciprocal action that helps the seller advance the sale, the seller should either request a different commitment or respectfully decline to take the next step. A prospect unwilling to make incremental commitments is not sufficiently interested. The seller should find or develop another who is more worthy of the investment of time and selling resources.

Beck says his method keeps the seller in control and the sales cycle moving forward. While some may debate whether a seller ever truly controls a sales cycle, the seller can and should control the terms of his own participation in every sale. The seller must always be wary that s/he can become a servant to a prospect who has little intention of buying. This point is so valuable that Beck could have spent a lot more time on it.

From chapters five through 17, Beck covers such topics as the value of writing personal business plans, prospecting, qualifying, asking effective questions, something he calls "prospect control," the dynamics of the sales cycle, responding to objections, defensible pricing, steps for a success presentation, etc. These topics are less clearly linked to the title of his book than the content of his first four chapters. A careful reader will wish at times the book were more thoroughly edited.

Even the seasoned sales professional can benefit from reviewing the ideas in these chapters. And sales people early in their careers will find much of practical value.

The author has come up with a fascinating idea for a book. I learned a lot about Saharan Africa and the countries he visited in West Africa. It took me awhile to finish the book because his digressions are sometimes a little too lengthy for me (he discusses a Mercedes factory at length and retells the Zen of Motorcycle Maintenance).

There are a number of interesting characters that he meets along the way and he does a good job of describing them. You truly feel like you have some insight into their personality as a reader. My only regret is that his world view comes across as slightly condescending, and even though he has travelled to these places multiple times (which indicates that he must have had some enjoyment), I found myself less interested in going there myself.

I liked this book. Some other travel books I liked even more are Learning to Bow, The Ridiculous Race, Hitching Rides With Buddha, and an old classic, Iron and Silk.

Taking guidance from Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," Alain de Botton, Paul
Bowles and Saint Exupery, the author drives from Amsterdam to Burkina Faso in his Mercedes 190;
his intent to sell the car in Africa. Along the way, he captured the essence of West Africa, its used car trade, rampant bribery and an engrossing wanderlust. A quick, fun read for the transcontinental plane ride.

I find that travel writing is one of the best ways to attune to one's inner gonzo. Perhaps it's best explained by the saying truth is stranger than fiction. Indeed, the mere experience of finding yourself in sand-swept Nouakchott, Mauritania, just after leaving a comfy flat in Amsterdam can hammer home said reality is a fine feeling to savor.

Especially from the comfort of a good book, which is what My Mercedes is Not for Sale: From Amsterdam to Ouagadougou...an Auto Mis-adventure across the Sahara delivers. Jeroen van Bergeijk tells the story of his seemingly innocuous quest to deliver his car, a Mercedes-Benz 190 D through Saharan Africa in a grand quest to...wait for it...sell it.

But it is so much more than that. After a brief introduction to the culture of Mercedes-Benz as well as his own car, he immediately takes the reader to the dust, deception, poverty, corruption and overall culture of Western Africa and its obsession with the automotive throwaways of Europe. Peppered with the historical outlook of various historical/literary visitors such as James Riley, Mungo Park, and Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the culture becomes more engrossing. It's a comedic, frightening, even meaningful romp through countries like Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Togo and Burkina Faso in search of some adventure as well as a quick sale.

The great thing about this book is that it's not geared toward the hardcore car enthusiast, but rather the culture of someplace deemed exotic or authentic; the car is merely the vehicle, ahem, of such authenticity. Which is, he states, in the spirit of Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (to which he often refers), the act of trying to grasp the essence of a place. As the book progresses, he seems to get a whole lot of it, perhaps more than he bargains for.

Africa's authentic essence is timelessness. "Things in Africa come in two forms," he states, "broken and not broken". With the insistence that life is thus lived according to the phrase "god willing" or "inshallah", time really has no place here. He states that for these people, there is no future; everything, every decision is done for the moment for survival.

This sentiment is evident through all characters encountered along the way, from the ever-predictable corrupt border officials (regardless of country), to roving bands of car thieves and drug traffickers, desert guides, car merchants/repairmen, to everyday citizens looking to employ the fine art of finagling or chep-chep, just to make their daily ends meet.

But aside from the corruption, poverty and lawlessness, van Bergeijk also finds a sense of serenity and exquisite freedom in his journey. Meeting colorful tourists and expats along the way he realizes how Africa is a destination for people running away from something, that it has comfort to offer.

In the end, this is an extremely fast and engaging read about an often overlooked area of the world in which is found an essence that's worth deeper examination. It truly is an authentic work, well worth reading.

Dutch journalist Jeroen van Bergeijk drove through Europe and Morocco, and into Burkina Faso. He had bought a 1988 Mercedes 190D in the Netherlands for the equivalent of $1,200, hoping to sell it for a profit. He describes his objective:

"There are ads like this on the Dutch Internet auction site marktplaats.nl all the time: 'For sale: 1988 Mercedes 190 D Price: $1,400 136,400 miles. Alarm. Black 4-door. Excellent condition. Recent checkup, oil change, safety and emissions inspection.' This one gets my attention because everything about it seems right: the kind of Mercedes I'm looking for, a reasonable asking price, not too many miles, and a recent inspection. 'My phone hasn't stopped ringing,' the owner says when I call his cell phone number on a Saturday morning. 'You can have a look, but the first good offer gets it.' I drive immediately to one of the new suburbs just outside The Hague. The owner's name is Ronald. He works for the police. And so, the implication is, can be trusted. Ronald is a well-built man with close-cropped hair, about what you'd expect for a police officer.T aciturn, a bit stern, but not unfriendly. We stroll to his Mercedes, which seems rather out of place among the brand-new gleaming mid-class cars parked on Ronald's tidy little street. The finish is dull. There's a crack in the bumper. The sunroof doesn't open anymore. The driver's seat sags, and the doors don't lock."

"I couldn't get that cab in Ouagadougou out of my mind. On the plane home to Amsterdam, I'd obsessed about how that car had wound up there. I imagined a Dutch aid worker who'd gotten the Mercedes from his uncle and imported it through the port in neighboring Benin. Maybe an African immigrant to the Netherlands had bought the car and sent it to his family in Burkina Faso. Or some adventurous Dutchman had driven that Mercedes 190 straight through the Sahara to Ouagadougou to sell it there to the highest bidder. But what really happened? How did a Dutch car end up in Africa?"

van Bergeijk has written an interesting account of his journey, alluding often to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. He's practical -- he took an off-road driving course before leaving home -- but not that practical; he knows nothing about repairing the car.

Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg takes him to task on that discrepancy in an interview in "The Wall Street Journal."

"WSJ: Throughout this book you refer to Robert M. Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." Yet you didn't do your own repairs, and appeared completely reliant on others. What happened?

"Mr. Van Bergeijk: I'm not a very good mechanic. He describes the tension between the hippy, groovy thing, and the square, do-your-own-repair sensibility. He sees that division everywhere in America. It's the same division between Eastern and Western philosophies. I have similar tensions. I'd like to repair my car myself, but I can't be bothered."

That answer didn't satisfy me, frankly; Van Bergeijk's book lacked the tension I was entranced with in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Van Bergeijk has written a journal of a sometimes pleasant, sometimes unpleasant learning experience. In particular he was struck by the grimness of the countries he visited, but was surprised to find "upbeat people" everywhere he went.

The photographs are extraordinary -- gigantic loads of materials and people on trucks for example. A very good sampling appears on Van Bergeijk's excellent website which is devoted in large measure to his journey. His writing is clear and generally insightful. I had stopped by a Manhattan bookstore for his book signing, but in the event spent a very pleasant two hours with his book instead at a nearby Starbucks. Somehow reading about the journey seemed more satisfying than waiting in line and then briefly talking with the author. And so it proved to be.

Robert C. Ross 2008

Jeroen Van Bergeijk's adventure across Western Africa in an old 1988 Mercedes 190 D is both thoroughly entertaining, as well as educational, and as an added bonus, throws in a bit of ethical debate along the way. The author is a brilliant commentator, who writes very well. This adventure was in fact two road trips with two 190's as you find out if you read the acknowledgement pages after the tale, but the story is written so well that you just can't tell it's not one adventure. Basic goal of Bergeijk's adventure was to buy an old car in Holland and drive it through the Sahara Desert and the African countries along the way, and sell it for a nice profit to an African who would greatly benefit from owning a Mercedes in the coastal city of Ouagadougou. Don't know where that is, doesn't matter, Bergeijk provides a map! He also provides a few photographs in the middle of the book as well. Along Bergeijk's journey he experiences the best and worst that Western African countries have to offer. From having to outrun car loads of robbers in Morocco, dealing with corrupt border guards demanding their 'gifts' at each country's border, corrupt police, eccentric travellers, putting a loud rude American in his place for complaining about having to pay $10 because he forgot to get a visa by pointing out no one from that African country could turn up at American immigration without a visa, produce $10 and be waved in, and of course there's a nice twist to that story, to breaking down in the middle of the Sahara, Bergeijk had one big road trip!

Along the way the reader will also learn a fair bit out the Mercedes company, African history and the tales of the misfortunes of those who, shipwrecked, explored it or were sent by European government's to plan Railways between their colonies.

My Mercedes is Not For Sale is a very interesting read. Bergeijk's a journalist and not a comedian so it doesn't have the humour of writers like Dave Gorman or Danny Wallace, but it does share the same trait of travelling for a unique and bizarre reason that their book's do.

Check this book out!

Caryl Phillips knows how to tell a story. He's a citizen of the world and I appreciate his imagination and perspective.

I read this book for a general lit class first semester of last year and became entranced by it. This book is magnetic, it pulls you in and you are left to helplessly turn the pages while your eyes devour each carefully chosen word, which are strung together to make an unforgettable novel. I am a biochemistry major, but have a profound love of reading and writing. When I had to write a paper on this novel last year, i found the maximum of 10 pages stifling. There is just so much to this book, the literally angles and interwoven humanity through each masterfully-crafted tale contained within it, leaves one open to a vast sea of topics on which to write. I hope to one day teach a class which intertwines literature and science, this will certainly be a book on the list. Everyone should be exposed to the extreme humanity of this novel.

when i got this book, i didn't think i was going to be overwhelmed. sure, the premise was noble, but i expected it to be dry and preachy

boy was i wrong...

instead of telling you prejudice is wrong, caryl shows you in four plot lines, ecah worthy of their own novel. eva's story is the most compelling. we get to see the horror of the holocaust and how it shapes her life; even after eva is away from it, the nightmares continue. othello's story is interesting because we see the jews through his eyes as he tries to assmilate in venetian society, denying his identity in the process. you can also learn about the history of the jews and how they came to be a maligned people.

while none of the stories ever come together, they share a common thread : prejudice; how it affects the victims and the perpetrators. the parts of the novel which phillips graphically shows the holocaust horror took my breath away and made me angry that humans commited the crimes they did...

Caryl Phillips' novel, The Nature of Blood, is an unusual read with its four major storylines shifting the readers focus around the globe and through time. The amazingly wonderful thing is how the author is able to adroitly pull all of these threads together to create a marvelous whole. The tales of prejudice tell a horrifyingly universal story but the individual characters within the stories speak of some hope amidst the anguish. It is a cleverly crafted work that turns history on its head in showing how times change but human emotions remain steadfastly consistent, both good and bad. A short, interesting, powerful read.

The Nature of Blood is an extraordinary novel that embeds individual stories within the larger history of racial politics in Europe. Stephen is a doctor and a militant living in Palestine just before the creation of the state of Israel. A doctor and an indoctrinator, he visits refuge camps where Jews wait to gain entrance into Palestine. The novel then leaps back in time to another camp, though this one more horrific: the concentration camp where young Eva barely lives, physically weak and emotionally numb. Here, she meets Gerry, one of the Americans who liberate the camp, and he becomes a small, tenuous lifeline. Eva's story forms the heart of the story, as we glimpse both happier times and the depth of the psychological toll her short life has taken. The novel then tumbles even further back in time, to 15th century Venice, where Jews live in walled ghettoes and can be accused of crimes based on rumor. Here, we meet Othello, who explores Venice as a new resident, acutely aware of his outsider status in Venetian society. Phillips briefly delves into other lives: Malka, an Ethiopian Jew who has traveled to Palestine, only to find that her skin color makes her unemployable; and Servadio, a Jewish banker unjustly accused of sacrificing a Christian boy.

These disparate stories are connected through centuries of European mistrust of outsiders, a wariness that periodically gives rise to bursts of hatred and cruelty. The betrayed can become the betrayers. While history gives these stories context, the characters give them power. Eva's unreliable narration evokes the brutality of the Holocaust as powerfully as the details themselves. Stephen's decision to return to Palestine has significance and poignancy, especially because we realize what happens to those he leaves behind. The historical aspect lends a sense of predestination as well - an inescapability - because the reader knows that Othello will become irrationally jealous and will kill both Desdemona and himself, that Eva's adolescence will be cruelly interrupted by the Nazis, that Palestine will become Israel, and that racism and the fear of the other will continue indefinitely throughout the future of humanity.

The Nature of Blood is not a long novel, but its impact is huge. I highly recommend it for readers of literary fiction who are likely to find the elegant prose as engaging as the stories themselves.

"Elementary" and "My Dear Watson" do appear in these stories, but not together in the same phrase. That out of the way, these are absorbing stories that reward the rereading with gentle humor, action, cultural and linguistic ("Halloa!") history, and even "mystery."

I use the quotation marks advisedly. Part of the secret of Holmes' near-mystical powers is that Doyle consciously controls how much of the mystery he reveals in advance, so that in most stories even an aspiring Holmes can not dope out the mysteries based on the information given. This reveals more about the author than the stories, making Doyle interesting enough to make me want to know more, so I read Martin Booth's The Doctor and the Detective: A Biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Doyle's life story is every bit as interesting as the ones he creates.

I have been a fan of Sherlock Holmes from the time I was a boy. I am not alone. How else could you explain the longevity of a character who was created primarily as a mass entertainment in the Strand Magazine, the Victorian equivalent of a television show. But, unlike his contemporaries in the Strand, Holmes has gained immortality. As time passes, he moves in and out of fashion, sometimes newly popular and cool, and at others hopelessly old fashioned and quaint. But, there's something about that monomaniacal probably bi-polar, self destructive and vain character that keeps him bouncing back.
I have many editions of Holmes stories, in print, in film and in television episodes, most remarkably and satisfyingly, the Granada series with Jeremy Brett, but I had to have this one.
In most of the collections the one thing that is achingly absent is the series of drawings by Sydney Paget. In "The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes," that defect is corrected.
"Here," the flyleaf proclaims, "are the original Sherlock Holmes stories ... as they first appeared in the British Magazine, the Strand." These are facsimiles of the pages of the magazine, so the layout of the narrative in two columns with illustrations inserted in the text, is exactly as it was a hundred years ago, down to the choice of font.
All of the stories are not here. This is not a "Complete Sherlock Holmes." (That volume, sadly, is out of print and is only available, in limited quantities, at some booksellers.) However, all of the stories that were published in their own volumes as The Adventures, The Memoirs, and The Return are here, as well as the serialization of The Hound of the Baskervilles. So, since the stories are available elsewhere, I shall concentrate on the illustrations which are really what make this volume distinctive.
Sydney Paget, who along with Sir John Tenniel, pretty much defined Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century illustration, is the source of much of how we visualize Holmes. He is the man who created the cape and deerstalker that has come to be most associated with the character. (The calabash pipe was the contribution of stage actor William Gillette.) In Paget's illustrations we see Holmes expertly portrayed in all his bi-polar glory, from his languid despair over the lack of imagination in crime to the monomaniacal pursuit of a clue once his interest is aroused. The clients who seek his aid and the villains he threatens are no less clearly drawn. Paget is meticulous in his presentation of significant detail and, as good illustrations should, match perfectly with the moment in the text when the imaginative "snapshot" is taken. He is, perhaps, at his most impressive, though, when the scene calls for darkness, as in the attack by the Hound. The brilliant highlights surrounded by the subtle grays, with just enough detail to suggest the scene, cast against almost complete darkness, is pure genius. Paget is a master of light. As far as I know, this is the only place where the original illustrations and the text appear together and fully justifies its purchase even if, as I have, you possess many other versions of the tales.

Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes / 0-7858-1325-X

This collection contains the following stories from the following collections:

ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
- Scandal in Bohemia
- Red-Headed League
- Case of Identity
- Boscombe Valley Mystery
- Five Orange Pips
- Man with the Twisted Lip
- Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
- Adventure of the Speckled Band
- Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
- Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
- Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
- Adventure of the Copper Beeches

MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
- Adventure of the Silver Blaze
- Adventure of the Cardboard Box
- Adventure of the Yellow Face
- Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk
- Adventure of the "Gloria Scott"
- Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual
- Adventure of the Reigate Squires
- Adventure of the Crooked Man
- Adventure of the Resident Patient
- Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
- Adventure of the Naval Treaty
- Adventure of the Final Problem

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
- Adventure of the Empty House
- Adventure of the Norwood Builder
- Adventure of the Dancing Men
- Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
- Adventure of the Priory School
- Adventure of Black Peter
- Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
- Adventure of the Six Napoleons
- Adventure of the Three Students
- Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
- Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
- Adventure of the Abbey Grange
- Adventure of the Second Stain

This is a very extensive collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, although the collection is not comprehensive - the stories contained in The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes are missing, and the Study in Scarlet is absent as well. The illustrations are quite good, and occur at a frequency of about once a page, and add - surprisingly - a great deal to the narrative. I highly recommend this collection if you have not been exposed to Sherlock Holmes or if you are looking to consolidate your collection in a single, tightly-bound, illustrated volume.

Sherlock Holmes is one enduring character, written with the analytical reader in mind, with Conan Doyle presenting the logic and the reasoning as detailed as the story itself.

This particular edition, is the perfect one. Comfortably large size, easy on the eyes, hardbound is elegant and somehow I found it very easy to position it anyways I wanted, whether I was sitting upright with the book on the desk, or when in travel with the book on my lap, lying on my side with the book on the left. I thought this is important to mention , now ofcourse to the content..

The higlight of this edition is the illustration collection by Sydney Paget, as they appeared when it was first published. It is significant to read the stories with Sydney Paget's illustrations, since Sydney Paget practically defined the way Sherlock Holmes appeared. though Conan Doyle's descriptins can lead one to visualize Holmes, it was Sydney who set it on paper. and the fact that he was working along with Conan Doyle, brings in the authenticity and approval of the visual representation of the stories. Sydney Paget ofcourse is a master illustrator, with fascinating black and white illustrations capturing all the drama in the stories.

The book contains,
37 short stories and a complete novel from The Strand Magazine. With all 356 original illustrations by Sidney Paget.

Stories included are
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, published in The Strand between July, 1891 and December, 1892 (12 stories);
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Published in The Strand as additional episodes between December, 1892 and November, 1893 (12 stories);
The Hound of the Baskervilles, published in The Strand between August, 1901 and April, 1902; and
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, published in The Strand between October, 1903 and January, 1905 (13 stories).

This book contains some of the greatest mystery stories the world has ever known. Throughout the book, through the eyes of Holmes' friend and assistant Watson, who recalls the things he sees and hears while in his friends company. This book also features illustrations that create a further interest in the story itself. Doyle shows his genious by leading the reader throughout each story (while successfully hooking them) and providing them with all the necessary clues to solve it. Of course none of it ever ties up in your mind which further compells you to read on faster and faster. When always at the very end, you see how Sherlock's genious (kindly provided by Doyle's genious) ties everything together very effectively by using the famous deducted theory which was concocted by Doyle and is used in every single Sherlock Holmes novel/story. This is a fabulous book and it will make you thirst for more. This is not a book to pass up!

Heard this story as a child from my grandparents who were on German background. This story is just like they told it. Beautiful illustrations complete the story that swirled in my head so many years ago!!

Ok.I HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK.I hope that you don`t hurt my reviews for this,but in a way,I HAVE read this book.I am in this play,so I have read this script.And since the play is going to be on Saturday,(5th) and Sunday(6th) and also for the next weekend,I have to read this script over and over and over again.I think that this book is a very good book.In the play I am Miss Applebee but I think that this book is very good it must be.

When I was about seven-years-old a family member gave me a recording, (78s) of the Pied Piper of Hamelin narrated by Ingrid Bergman. As I listened, I could see the characters in my head and never tired of the story.

A month ago I bought the book for my eight-year-old granddaughter who lives about eight hundred miles away from me, because I was afraid with the passing of one more generation, the story might be forgotten.

It is a lovely book, written by Robert Browning more than a century ago. The drawings are perfect, given the dated language used in this book. And the story has a simple message, about honoring our promises.

Sadly, my granddaughter glanced at the book and was clearly not interested. I wanted to read it with her, intending to make clear the English used by Browning.

So, a tale almost twelve hundred years old bit the dust, at least in our family it did.

But if you are a lover of this fable, it is worth your time to try it out on the children in your family. They will be the richer for it.

This book would be a wonderful treasure for the pictures alone. Kate Greenaway, noted children's illustrator, has created a magical world of beautiful children, innocent faces, and romantic, nostalgic costumes. The colors on these pages are breathtaking, and the details (although Greenaway is always faulted for not drawing hands and feet well) are superb. This story is not for very young children, as it contains some troublesome themes. For the older child, perhaps 7+, the story might provoke some interesting post-read family discussions about honesty, trust, and the actual state of the children at the end of the tale. This is even a beautiful book to give to adults, as the messages about human nature can be appreciated on a deeper level.

"Rats!
They fought the dogs, and killed the cats,
And bit the babies in the cradles,
And ate the cheeses out of the vats,
And licked the soup from the cook's own ladles,
Split open the kegs of salted sprats,
Made nests inside men's Sunday hats,
And even spoiled the women's chats,
By drowning their speaking
With shrieking and squeaking
In fifty different sharps and flats."

Robert Browning (1812-1889) first published his poem "The Pied Piper of Hamelin, A Child's Story" in 1842, based on an old German legend which may or may not have had some basis in historical fact. Browning was a serious poet; even in a poem filled with playful rhymes written specifically for children, he did not "dumb down" his language, but expected his readers to do a little work in understanding some of his "big words."

Kate Greenaway (1846-1901) was one of the most famous and popular illustrators of children's literature in the latter part of the 19th Century. She had grown up loving Browning's poem, and shortly before his death she requested and received his permission to republish it accompanied by her own illustrations. This edition was initially published in 1888 under the imprint of George Routledge & Sons, which was at that same time in the process of splitting between Routledge and Frederick Warne. Starting in 1889 all subsequent editions carried the Warne imprint. The book continued to be popular, and Frederick Warne has issued reprints from time to time, well into the late 20th Century. This Warne edition is not in print at present, but used copies with various reprint dates are available from Amazon Marketplace sellers.

However, two different reprint editions are currently available, each with the complete original text and illustrations, and each presented with loving care from an eminently respectable publisher, in well-made but modestly priced editions. The Dover reprint (ISBN 0486296199) is full-size, in a sturdy paperback; the Alfred A Knopf/Borzoi/Everyman's Library reprint (ISBN 0679428127) is part of their Children's Classics series, in a very sturdily constructed hardcover with sewn sections that will not crack with use, but the page size is somewhat smaller. Both are beautiful books, and either is an excellent value.

As noted in the Editorial Reviews above, there have been other editions of "The Pied Piper," with different illustrations, and at least one seems to have been issued with the poem itself "retold" to make the language simpler; neither of those reviews is discussing this original version. Some readers may prefer one or another of these different versions. But anyone wanting to stick with Browning's original full text and Greenaway's original charming, muted and subtle illustrations should choose between the Dover or the Everyman's, or visit Amazon's Marketplace sellers to look for a copy of the Frederick Warne.

Brilliant read, not as fundamental as Doctors or The Class, but still something worth occupying a book shelf.

Prizes is an truly terriffic book. It has a plot similar to that of a daytime soap opera, however, it is much more sophisticated and realistic. Although very exciting with many interesting twists and turns, the book displays a strong theme of man's selfish nature, and causes one to take a serious look at the ethics of the world today. The themes of great human achievment and perseverence are also prominent. I enjoyed "Prizes" thouroughly, and I strongly recommend it for readers seeking a well developed, entertaining story.

First, the characters are great. Their descriptions are very thorough. You can almost see them, as if they really are true persons. Second, the plot of the story is very well-defined. Third, the flow of the story is well-timed.

This is the second book I've read from Erich Segal, the first being "The Class", and all I can say is that its a very, very enjoyable book to read. I can't put it down. After this, I'm looking forward to buying his other books as well. Good work, Mr. Segal.

Erich Segal proved that he knows how to pull our emotional chains as well as any contemporary writer in Love Story and Oliver's Story. He may well just have done it again in Prizes, the engrossing tale of three brilliant individuals. Their professional quests plus their lives and romances make for rapt reading.

Child prodigy Isabel da Costa has made a significant discovery, creating a formula that Einstein was unable to piece together. Sandy Raven, his personal life bordering on destruction, has capped his dedication to research by reversing the aging process in cells, and Adam Coopersmith, a physician, has developed an almost miraculous drug to help women who have been unable to become pregnant. His already full life is further complicated by his marriage to a career-minded lawyer and his introduction to Anya, an irresistible Russian emigre. Beckoning all of them is the ultimate accolade, a Nobel Prize.

A compulsively readable tale.

- Gail Cooke

This book will leave a mark on your heart and your soul. It has always been said that the animal kingdom treats its members with much more kindness than humans do and this book is a testament to the compassion and love that our animal world has for itself and all the rest of us!

I can't believe this book is out of print. Reading it is like opening up a treasure chest and finding one gem after another. Each animal story touched me and opened my eyes and my heart to the world of animals. The stories are short and easy to read, and I found myself having a hard time stopping to take a break sometimes, I kept wanting to hear more stories. A great book to read outloud to your children too, my son was also awed by the stories. I was amazed at how smart and how compassionate animals really are. There are some interesting animal facts included too as side notes. I highly recommend this book!

The first time I read this book I thought it was one of the most wonderful books I ever read. I thought the same thing the second time I read it. I loved every story. And the best part is it doesn't just give you stories about animals and what they've done to people to change their lives, or save them. But it also gives you notes on how to return the kindness. And even stories on how people helped animals. Some of the stuff in this book is almost to hard to belive, but if you think animals are wonderous creatures that deserve the love and respect that all living things want, then you will belive everything in this book. I did. After you read the stories in this book, you'll have a different out look on all creaturs, even ants. All the stories in this book are just wonderful and amazing. My 5th grade teacher read two of the stories in this book to my whole class, after that I looked for the book. And obviously found it. Anybody who loves and cherishes their animals will love this book. Or if you just love animals and want a good read, this book would be a perfect choice.

The stories in this book will make you realize the lessons, gifts, and teachings available from all of God's creatures. This is a book for the simple pet owner to the most avid animal right's activist. No household bookshelf should be without a copy.

This book is a must-have if you know an animal lover or if you are one yourself. It tells many wonderful stories on animals acting in brave ways to show kindness to people and to other animals. It's very inspirational and it makes you respect animals a lot more.