Sales Books

This superb collection shows now-gone buildings and architectural treasures of our beloved city's past. These remarkable black-and-white photos show famous vanished bridges, churches, buildings and arenas, including the Colesium (nominating site of four Presidents). The City's downtown and surrounding areas were rebuildt after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, in the largest building boom in U.S. history. Wood gave way to brick, steel, and concrete - the fire led to strict building codes - and many structures rose as the city expanded from 320,000 people in 1871 to 3.4 million by 1930. Readers learn about our city's history, plus the valuable contributions from world-famous architects and planners like Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, Miles Van De Roh, Mortimer Adler, and Daniel Burham. Today, many call Chicago the nation's architectural marvel - yet we also lost many famous structures as this superb book shows.

I'd have liked more photos of rail structures (Chicago was and probably remains the world's railroad capital), but it's a minor flaw. This is a superb book about a great city and its architectural past.

The well written story and photos of Chicago are great. It was amazing the number of outstanding architectural building that were built and torn down in such a short number of years.
Having grown up in Chicagoland during the 40' & 50's, I found myself depressed to see such destruction - only to be replaced by glass and aluminum boxes. Even efforts to save the outstanding and much beloved main lobby at the Chicago and Northwestern station failed in the name of the almighty dollar!

First of all...Mr. Lowe obviously has a deep rooted love for our wonderful city of Chicago. Most importantly...he is ensuring future generations and historians the ability to reference so many facts. This simply said...is an incredible work of love and a dedicated effort.
Thank You Mr. Lowe...my children's children will know what an important part that Chicago has played as our nation grew and prospered.

L. Curt Erler Author of "Southside Kid"

Stunning photos of a beautiful city. This book is truly a step back to a time when buildings were built to withstand centuries, although tragically these examples did not. Chicago has some of the most impressive examples of architecture in the country and this book is a powerful archive of not only what the city was, but what it is today. I wish there was a similar book on the buildings of Detroit, many of which are sadly slipping into oblivion.

There is much to enjoy here even if one does not have a special interest in architecture. As a lifelong Chicagoan, I especially liked the photo of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church (p. 79) which occurs in the formerly Polish neighborhood that I grew up in. I also enjoyed the old maps of the Chicago area from the 1600's.

This book will pry open even the coldest heart. I've purchased over a hundred copies and have given them as wedding gifts, as well as to people having relationship problems with a friend or family member. I've never heard a negative comment. The chapter on Forgiveness is my favorite.

this is a great book about relationships.it can help you with all the aspects of life and how a good relationship can work.i would recomend this book to anyone wanting to improve the relationship.

I don't think anyone ever knew more about love than Leo Buscaglia. I saw him speak several times on televsion, and found myself captivated by his gentle spirit and wisdom. I've heard some people say that Buscaglia goes TOO far with the hugging and the loving and the shaing. But sometimes it's good to go TOO far.

This book is also very accessable; easy to digest. I read it all in one day...much less intellectual than "The Art of Loving" by Erich Fromm.

More books need to be written about love. It can be very inspirational to read this book, especially during particularly stressful times in my life. Thank you Leo.

Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

After reading this book I have decided that I am going to give this book away as a gift to nearly everyone I possibly can. I started learning about Leo in my psychology class when we started studying love. Leo is one of the greatest people ever to learn about love from. You can tell through his writing that if you were to ever meet him, he'd love you. What an incredible gift. Leo is no longer alive and the world should shed a tear for loosing such a great man. Thankfully, he left us everything he knew about love.

Loving Each Other is one of those simple yet life changing books. A lot of the things he said it was as if I should have known but I didn't until he said it. Incredibly encouraging this book gives a person in any loving relationship something to think about. If you love someone, anyone, you should read this book and learn how to love better and love more.

I couldn't say enough about this book. I do encourage you to buy and read it, then pass it on. This book could change the world.

This is a (not surprisingly) beautiful and very accurate portrayal of Maasai life. It was written by Teplit Ole Saitoti, himself a Maasai straddling a modern lifestyle, with that of an elder in his home village. Carol Beckwith is one of the most sensitive and talented "human anthropology" photographers the world has ever known. She gets photos no one else can, by living the villagers' lifestyles. The result of the collaboration is the view of Maasai life from within.

Buy anything you see her name on. You will not be disappointed.

When I first saw the Maasai book I thought to myself, "Oh great another huge boring book I have to read." However when I opened to the first page the magnificent photographs of the book captured me. I was amazed at the quality of them as well as moved by many of the pictures. This book takes you through the journey of the life of a Maasai. It all starts out with an introduction of the Masaai, then talks about youth, circumcision, warriors, elders, and then wraps it all up with a personal reflection by the author on the Masaai. The book was both informative and interesting at the same time.
Previously I had studied the Masaai in school and thought I learned everything. However when I picked up this book I found out that there was much to learn. Some of the interesting facts I learned included the back-story on how the Masaai originated, how they transition from warrior to adulthood, and the importance of elders in the Masaai society. The author's personal reflection about the Masaai talked about how the modern world is affecting the Maasai today. The book began talking about simple Masaai childhood. Childhood was brief and explained what the kids did around the village. Some of the games they engaged in however surprised me because of the danger factor involved in them. It then slowly transitioned to the awkward teenage stage, which is probably the hardest for the people in the society to go through. In the society it is the stage right before circumcision. The book really gave me an inside view of what it's like to be a preteen in that society. It did such a good job that I was able to understand why kids would want to get circumcised in the first place. After that it transitions to the actual process of circumcision, which after reading the book seems pretty scary if you ask me. That was the only part I actually had learned in class. However it also talked about the many processes, which occur after circumcision. The process of this is both physically and mentally challenging but according to the book pays off in the end. This was definitely one of the most interesting parts of the book because I could sort of relate to them in a way, since I am a teen myself.
After finishing the that chapter and looking at many great photos, the book starts to talk about the intense process of warrior hood. I was surprised how much the Maasai value certain things in warrior hood such as their hair. After warrior hood the book briefly talks about lives of the elders then it moves onto the personal reflection. It began with the quote, "From the farm, the tragic fate of the disappearing Maasai tribe on the other side of the river could be followed from year to year. They were fighters who had stopped fighting a dying lion with his claws clipped, a castrated nation. Their spears have been taken from them, their big dashing shields even, and in the Game Reserve the lions followed their herds of cattle." That quote came from the author Isak Dinesen who wrote the book Out of Africa.
The author then began talking about his personal reflection of the Maasai today and explained how modern civilization was enclosing on the Maasai fast. He, being a Maasai himself talked about how the Maasai must adjust to society for their own protection. According to the author since civilization is advancing so quickly the Maasai cannot fight against it and as the old expression goes, "Can't beat them, join them." Unfortunately the Maasai are defenseless to civilization and must take up the basic aspects of it such as education, land, and resources. At the second page of the personal reflection the author talks about the conflict the Maasai have faced with regarding land. Ever since 1901 the Maasai have had conflict with the Europeans. In 1910 their land was taken over for colonization. According to the Author by now the government has taken over the Maasai land and has taken away a lot ever since the Europeans invaded in the first place. In the end he wrote down suggestions for what the government should do to better improve life for the Maasai. He finally ends on the note that although the Maasai are facing difficult obstacles right now, they will still pull through in the end. So if you like books with information, great photography, and a nice smell this book is definitely for you.

This book is beautiful. It has beautiful photography, and beautiful text by a man who is of the Masai tribe. I was sad, however, to read that the author of the text (Tepilit Ole Saitoti) says that the Masai way of life is destined for extinction. Though this is inevitable for most indigenous peoples.

Tepilit Ole Saitoti's commentary and insight into his people really make the photographs come to life (the cover photograph is of the author's brother). This is not so much a book as it is an experience, aided by its "over-sized" coffee table format book that gives you the feeling of "stepping" into the beautiful Kenyan landscape. Reading this beautiful book is the next best thing to being able to visit this beautiful land and see these fascinating people in person (which is something I hope to do at some point in my life). What a beautiful land the Masai live in!

Anyone interested in this book would probably find OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT interesting as well. OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT is written by Malidoma Some of the Dagara tribe from Burkina Faso, in West Africa. It is the story of Malidoma's escape from a missionary school (he had been kidnapped), journey back to his village as a teenager, and initiation into the Dagara tribe.

This book made me travel to Tanzania and Kenia, in my thoughts.
Very good pictures and very real too. It's a book that shows us another culture and ways of living. Worth reading.

Having just spent a month in Africa working in orpahages while also being able to take a tour of a Maasia Village in Kenya, this book reminded me exactly of my experiences there.
The Maasia are incredible people and this book shows those of you who have not had the chance to meet them how amazing their culture is.
The pictures are breathtaking. I felt as if I was back in their homeland.
Great literature as well.
Highly recommended

I liked this book because it was extremely helpful, low-cost and also concise and to the point. Being new to a media relations position, I was happy to find such a great product that gave me insight into working the best way with the media from a pro who's been on both sides of the fence.

I could have skipped getting my master's degree in communications and just read this book. TONS of useful information and great tips from real journalists David has worked with. Appreciate David's real world experience on both the PR and journalism side.

Before I read this book, I had a very uneducated view of how to get on the news. This book has helped me get 2 different "earned" media coverages on my business in a matter of weeks! A must have for anyone who is running for office, owns a business, or somebody who just wants to get on the news.

If your business is dealing with the media, this is one of the best books you can find out there. It reviews, in a very modern way, how media relations should be practiced, with special attention as to what the reporters think from their end. PR folks can be pests at times, and this helps them keep focus on what's really important. It's a good book all the way through.

This book is filled with helpful information for those trying to connect with the media in one way or another. However, it is also helpful in the education process of understanding what we see when watching or reading news stories. If viewers and readers think it's only about the news, they are mistaken and Henderson explains why.

I took notes while reading this book, writing down information that will save me time and money when it comes to ways of doing promotions. Henderson has the experience and savvy of knowing how to reach the media and shares it implementing a compelling writing style that's easy to read.

Gone are the days of the newsboys in the street shouting, "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!" Or, maybe not. Maybe yesterday's newsboys are today's bloggers.

Being a blogger, when I think of it that way, I am filled with a sense of awe and responsibility.

Henderson's "Making News" is a helpful tool to bear that in mind.

I use Outlook 2007 in my business. As a sole proprietor, data accumulates and I wanted a comprehensive program to store various bits of info for future reference. I also wanted to be able to find it easily, sort and create specific customized reports. This book gives me concise instructions that I refer back to regularly in order to accomplish these tasks and and has truly assisted me in becoming more competent with Business Contacts 2007. Well Done!

This book is well written and layed out. It follows an easy to follow format that allows the reader to view screenshots with instruction, allowing interactive use of the book if you have the software installed. Business Contact Manager can be a little overwhelming for novices or those new to outlook. The author bridges this gap by keeping things very simple for the novice but offering more advanced insights to the power users. This is a great reference book to have for BCM until you become proficient with daily use. Highly recommend.

This is without question the best book available for Outlook Business Contact Manager. We had previously purchased two other books on the subject, however they were both difficult to read and reference.

I am so thankful that I found this book. I keep it right on my desk and if I ever have a question, I can quickly and easily find the answer.

It's easy to use, read and extremely easy to reference. It has become the must have resource for everyone in our office. If you are using Outlook Business Contact Manager this book is a must.

Even though I wasn't sold on using MS BCM, my IT department didn't provide my choice. After reading through a list of books, I settled on this one. It is my first one with these authors and I cannot recommend it enough.

It was well written and comes more from the business perspective, which makes it a real value for me. My IT folks could never have explained to our department as clearly as this book. I found it easy to use and it even inspired me to dig a little deeper into the software.

Thanks for the great text! I am much further along now than I could have imagined. Will be sure to look for more by these folks.

This is definitely one of the best book on the market for Outlook Business Contact Manager. It's easy to use and easy to reference. It has become a resource for everyone in our office. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone working with Business Contact Manager!

The authors present a very well structured concept around the discovery of customer value, followed by various strategies to capture that value potential. Great balance between theory and case examples.

Solid book on CS- long read!
Many good points-
Wish there was a cliff notes version

This book provides comprehensive material on Relationship theory and how organizations can move from a product centered setup to a customer focused one. There are lots of very interesting examples. It is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in Customer Relationship management.

The book is voluminous and covers the concepts in about 500 pages. I felt though, that the same concepts were repeated over and over again many times. It could have been more concise to fit it in about half the number of pages.

Yet, if you read through the entire book patiently, you won't forget any of the key aspects of building a successful business that is oriented arounds its customers rather than just its products or services. You will learn how to manage your customers and the building blocks of of any relationship. I perform a Relationship manager's job in an organization that is already customer centric and does most of what the book recommends, and found this book to add very useful additional insights to what I am already doing in my work life.

Also, you may find that some of the material in the book is more relevant if read a few years ago. Today, many companies are already in the type of customer oriented setup with a Customer manager assigned and empowered to make all decisions, so its likely that, like myself, you may be in an organization that is already organized in a customer centric manner. In this case, you'll have to skip or skim through the chapters that talk a lot about how existing organizations can move from a product centric setup to a customer centric setup. In other words, I felt the book is not 100% current given where Corporate America is. Further, there is a heavy dominance of recommendations more suited for a retail or product based organizations rather than services oriented type of organizations.

Regardless, a must read and offers great value to anyone buying it, especially for fundamentals on Relationship theory and management.

This book fills in the empty space of academic books in CRM. Most of the publications and articles I've read deal with research on the subject and companies selling their programs. In this book Peppers and Rogers compiled a comprehensive text with theory, research and contributions from other authors that are a valuable tool for the under and graduate level.

This very extensive text on customer relationship management leaves nothing unsaid or unexplained. Authors and editors Don Peppers and Martha Rogers tackle the subject with admirable organization, clarity and depth. They define every important term and do not lose the reader in marketing jargon - a rare virtue in a book about marketing. The text, including contributions from other well-known experts in the field, propounds a well-developed theory of customer relationship management (CRM) and sets out numerous examples to illustrate, explain and clarify the theory. Useful as a handbook, textbook or reference manual, the book covers - among many other core subjects - customer identification and differentiation, customer feedback, an analysis of retailing and basic tools for CRM. We highly recommend this book to service-oriented managers and executives. To form profitable relationships with your customers, first get friendly with Peppers and Rogers.

Simple, straithforward and to the point (hitting the mark). Good advice that does not just sound good, but is being presented in a very practical hands-on way. Very well written, very practical to implement (take your own step-by-step actions). A definite good buy and destined to become a classic.

As someone who coaches independent professionals on how to find new clients, I especially like the advice in this book on targeting. If you don't have a target you spread yourself too thin. There is much to be gained from this book. -- Henry DeVries, founder, New Client Marketing Institute

It's difficult to market a service - you're marketing the invisible. It's even more difficult to find a services-specific book on marketing. Anthony Putman cuts right to the bone with his ideas, approach and presentation. This is the best marketing book I have ever read. And, I have bought dozens to give to my friends in the service industries.

Of all the books I've read on "Marketing Your Services" this has to be the best. The reason is that Putman gives the most comprehensive, in-depth and holistic view of marketing I've ever seen in print. He looks at marketing your services not as a chore you need to get through but as a fun and challenging activity to improve the success of your business. Everything is covered here, from finding your niche to taking care of clients. The style is fun and informal and includes many stories and real life examples. This is a "must have" book if you want to attract new clients.

I read lots of business start-up books since I help people start successful businesses for a living. Finding a book written by someone who has something new to say is rare. This is a book which is not just a recycle of someone else's work.

Most books are written for product-based businesses so the 4 p's of marketing are applicable, but service businesses are really different. You can't taste, touch, or otherwise inspect a service before you buy.

Putman's chapter on pricing justifies the price of this book by itself. The book is also helpful in dealing with price objections, a critical part of any business. While it's pricing component is not new, the method provides a great baseline for your business.

I particularly liked the method by which Putman helps entrepreneurs creates benefit statements. People don't buy based on a feature list.

This book is an excellent collection of 'lectures' by Einstein himself and present the 'eventual' form of the Special & General Theories of Relativity (as in the 1950s). A handy accompaniment to undergraduate study in relativity, the book is a *mathematical* exposition into its broad features - and is NOT by any means a popular/lay account of what the theories mean. The title of the book may be a little dis-orienting in this regard - but the subtitle should lay to rest any doubts!

Einstein starts with pre-relativity physics formulated in the language of tensors and moves on to present the Special Theory using the same apparatus. The next two chapters delve really deep into the philosophy of the General Theory (GR) complete with equations. The Appendices are further advanced topics in GR - and may be of interest only to graduate students.

For a non-physicist like me, with a sufficent background in the requisite mathematics and some prior exposure to the topic, this book was a real treat. It is a classic well worth its place in a personal library. This book is, however, not recommended for those who are looking for something along the lines of Hawkings' A Brief History of Time.

The Meaning of Relativity is an advanced book. The title should have made it clear. Einstein delves here into what his theory
actually MEANS. That is, what must we change (if anything...) in our world conception, in the way we think, as a consequence of his immense discovery. Just think that he meddled with time, a concept static since so long that it is registered deep in our DNA: our concept of time goes back to the epoch where our main purpose was to survive the day
(sounds familiar? No, no, it was different! It was permanent. What you experience now is transient...)
So what? Read it! It is a marvellous book. Perhaps you will have to reach for other, more elementary, books, in this enterprise. All right! That almost characterizes a book worth reading. So... go on! It will repay your efforts. It IS doable. You will come out, for instance, with a precise CONSTRUCTION OF SPACE! Your brains will be enriched.You deserve that!

Laymen, such as myself, are familiar with the equation e=mc2; yet how many of us non-scientists actually know what this means? Einstein explains this in a series of four lectures. While the explaination is clear, the mathematics behind it (and the implications of relativity theory) are far from easy for the layperson to understand.

The first section on space and time in pre-relativity physics provides the foundation for exactly why his theories are so revolutionary. I was able to digest this without much difficulty. The real challenges (for me at least) began with his explaination of special and general relativity - that space, time and light are dependent on each other, and in fact are (hence the name) all relative ... a real mind-bender. Sadly, I was unable to make it through the second half of the lecture on general relativity - too abstract for one who is not a scientist by training or vocation.

Nonetheless it is a worthwhile (if difficult) read. For those who are weak in mathematics (Euclidian geometry or below) much of the details will be incomprehensable; don't let this dissuade you - part of the genius of Einstein is his ability to explain what the mathematics proves. A seminal work in science, and highly recommended for those with the patience, training or deeply committed interest in the subject.

There are numerous books on general relativity currently on the market, and these range in difficulty from those written for the beginner or the layman, those written for graduate students in physics, and research monographs covering specialized topics. It is always refreshing to go back to the originator of the subject, and take part in his special insights on the topic. Philosophers and historians of science can definitely benefit from a perusal of this book.

The author begins this book with a discussion of the origin of the concepts of space-time, the emphasis being partly philosophical and partly psychological, and the reader can see the origin of the author's operationalism in reading this introduction. He is clearly against the philosophers who attempt to remove concepts from experience and put them in his words "in the intangible heights of the a priori". The motion of rigid bodies is used to set up a discussion of Euclidean geometry and linear orthogonal transformations. The author emphasizes the role of the physicist in discerning whether a system of geometry is true or not, contrary to the pure mathematician. Examples of geometrical invariants, such as the Cartesian line element and the volume element are discussed, along with the role of vectors and tensors. Both of these are used as means by which one can give expression to the independence of Cartesian coordinates. Maxwell's equations are put in tensor notation as an example of covariance with respect to Cartesian coordinate transformations. All of this is done to motivate the theories of special and general relativity.

The theory of spectial relativity is treated in chapter 2, the author introducing his famous principle of special relativity. The author poses the problem of calculating the coordinates and time in an inertial system moving with uniform translation relative to another. He shows how this problem is solved by assuming that time and space are absolute, and if the coordinate axes of the systems are parallel to one another, the Galilean transformations result. Newton's equations of motion are covariant under these transformations, but Maxwell equations are not (but the author chooses not to show this explicitly). He then gives an in-depth discussion of how the Lorentz transformations arise as being those that guarantee the covariance of the Maxwell equations. The author also discusses the signature of the Lorentz metric and how it is related to the light cone. He ends the chapter by developing the energy tensor of the electromagnetic field and matter.

The author's rejection of inertial frames as being priveleged leads him in the beginning of the next chapter to a short philosophical critique of the principle of inertia. This leads to a discussion of the principle of equivalence and to the origin of the general theory of relativity, a theory which the author developed, amazingly, single-handedly, and which he clearly believes is very much superior to classical mechanics. The intuition to be gained by reading this chapter is invaluable for serious students of general relativity. One can see the simplicity and power of the author's arguments, relying on keen physical intuition and sound use of mathematics. In particular, the author's heuristic derivation of the gravitational field equations from Poisson's equation is briliant. In addition, he is not ashamed to interject philosophical argumentation into his writing, particularly in his discussion of Mach's principle. Such discussions are becoming more rare among physicists at the present time.

Einstein's theory seeks to unite time, space and impliedly
distance and light phenomena into a rational set of equations which are congruent to the Euclidian geometry. In essence,
the concept of time is meaningless except in relation to
light . Without light, there would be no reference point
for measuring distance in space because the whole area would
be dark and unidentifiable for scientific measurement and
comparison purposes. The use of the volumetric triple integral
seeks to make a measurement on 3-planes. i.e. x,y and z
Later in the work, Einstein explains that the laws of
configuration of rigid bodies with respect to K' do not agree
with the laws of configuration of rigid bodies that are
in accordance with Euclidean geometry. He provides an example
wherein two similar clocks rotate simultaneously on the
periphery and the center of a circle, then judged from K- the
clock on the periphery will go slower than the clock at the
center. He explains this difference as the result of the
gravitational field influence as determinants in the metric
laws of the space and time continuum. What happens when the
clocks are in a perfect vacuum? In addition, time travel is
a function of how light travels. Finite differences in the
radii of the clocks (periphery and center) imply distances with
slight changes in respect to the time light takes to travel
from one end of the radii (periphery or center) to the other.
In the Riemann Tensor, Einstein depicts an amorphous masse
dependent upon the path of displacement. The outline of the
masse approximates a square so that the area or volume is
determinate by approximation to the closest geometric form
to the amorphous masse i.e. a square

On page 92, Einstein states that the rate of a clock is slower
the greater is the masse of the ponderable matter in the
neighborhood. This comports with the theory and computation
of inertia. As the base and height increases, the inertial
computation is geometrically greater in accordance with the
formulas of inertia [ ((b x h^3)/12) ]. In the discussion of
Mach, Einstein states that the inertia of a body must increase
when ponderable masses are piled in the neighborhood. This is
proven by computing inertia utilizing more massive bases and
heights. As the base and height increases, the inertial
computation is geometrically greater thereby proving that the
inertia of a body must increase when ponderable masses are
piled up in the neighborhood.

Einstein discusses the theory of Mach in relation to inertia
and the mutual action of bodies. The actual measurement of
Mach has at least 3 different levels; namely, subsonic,
sonic and supersonic measurements

Einstein argues that the hypothesis that the universe is
infinite and Euclidean at infinity is complicated from the
relativistic point of view. The universe expands and contracts .
Accordingly, the nature tends to approximate non-Euclidean
or quasi-Euclidean objects in the evolution toward the
expansive and infinite state which Einstein postulates as
potentially Euclidean in order.

Einstein argues against an infinite space by stating:

" 1. From the standpoint of the theory of relativity , to postulate a closed universe is very much simpler than to postulate the corresponding boundary condition at infinity
of the quasi-Euclidian structure of the universe.

2. The idea that Mach expressed, that inertia depends upon the mutual action of bodies, is contained, to a first approximation,
in the equations of the theory of relativity; it follows from these equations that inertia depends, at least in part upon
mutual actions between masses.

3. An infinite universe is possible only if the mean density
of matter in the universe vanishes. Although such an assumption is logically possible, it is less probable than the assumption that there is a finite mean density of matter in the universe."

Critique:

The idea of a closed universe is simpler. It comports with experience. For instance, why does Haley's Comet return every
75 years. The idea of an infinite universe would imply the existence of a less dense outer-superstructure. As objects hurled in space, they would be drawn into the less dense regions. The idea of a bounded universe implies a boundary
to ricochet speeding objects. Otherwise, every speeding object
would continue into an infinite universe with a denseless
path of space.

To prove the third postulate, scientists must have better information on the mean density at the outer edges of the universe. Does density remain constant or does it evaporate
with greater distances toward the universe boundary regions?
If a boundary exists as postulated in the finite universe,
what is the boundary? Is the boundary a wall in space?
If so, what exists beyond the wall? At the corners of the universe, what structures exist to modulate areas of higher
density and less density or infinitestimal density?
In addition, there is a theory of an expanding universe.
How does the universe expand and what outer region accomodates
this expansion. The idea of an expanding universe admits to
an expanding boundary. Again, this poses the earlier question.
i.e. There must be free space to accomodate an expanding
universe. Is this free space dense or denseless.

This concept is similar to a computer gigobyte superstructure.
Users can define different regions on the computer disc.
These regions consist of utilized space and free space.
Conceptually, the universe may be seen in the same way.
It consists of both bounded and unbounded space.

I am a Web analyst, and I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in, or must report to management about their comapny's Web site. There are other great writers on the subject (Jim Sterne, Bryan Eisenberg, Jim Novo), but Hurol's book has the great advantage of being really to the point. This book WILL help you start an analysis practive whithin your company (which I urge you to do!). Once it's done, move on to the above mentioned authors. The book will tell you about filters (are they important!), actionable metrics, marketing issues, etc. This excellent work is really worth reading.

I can't believe I'm going to be the only fan of this book once its popularity spreads further out of the author's native Australia. It is the best book yet that I have read on the topic of Web site measurement and analysis. Admittedly there aren't that many out there yet on this increasingly hot topic but it is infinitely better than, say, "Web Site Analysis and Reporting" and soon I'll be able to judge how it compares to Jim Sterne's book "Web Metrics" which is just out.

Why do I like it? Hurol Inan, the author, spent eleven years at Andersen Consulting and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, which helps ensure that the focus is a commercial one and based on a wealth of business experience. Furthermore, far from being too `management consulting' to be intelligible and practical, the book addresses operational and implementation issues as well as giving enough technical detail without being overwhelming.

That said, I found the first half of the book, which is more business and marketing in focus, to be superior to the second half which is a little light at times on the operational and implementation side of things. That does mean it is easy to read, however, and communicates the key concepts, practices and approaches clearly and succinctly.

Definitely worth a read. The accompanying Web site is also a good resource of supplementary information including vendor details.

Ashley Friedlein
CEO: e-consultancy
Author: 1) "Web Project Management: Delivering Successful Commercial Web Sites" 2) "Maintaining and Evolving Successful Commercial Web Sites: Managing Change, Content, Customer Relationships and Site Measurement" (pub. Oct 2002)

The information presented in this book, is like its style and presentation, simple, immediately accessible and implementable.

The book may not apply to highly trained and experienced web designers, but will serve as a terrific information source for non-ICT people that need to get an immediate grasp of the key concepts, the terminology, the possible applications and ultimately in implementing the strategies and ideas.

This is a terrific, and ongoing introduction into this important area of website marketing.

You are not going to find such an useful review of the state of the art in Web Metrics in any other book. The content is clear and structured. Perhaps the only weakness is the length of the book. Hurol Inan has knowledge enough on the subject to expand the information about specific metrics that are just defined, but not thoroughly explained in the book. Fortunately, the companion website helps to expand some of the topics in the book. Additionally, other books on the topic seems more like a presentation of the services provided by the author rather than a true explanation on web metric. Fortunately, Hurol Inan writes in a much more objective style.

In summary, an extremely useful introduction.

I am responsible for the web metrics in a financial corporation in California. This is the first book I have come across that brings the much needed business perspective to our online initiatives (not biased towards online marketing and advertising).

Equipped with the ideas and the framework put forward in the book, I was able to influence the direction of our web site. It was full with material that helped me raised the awareness of measurement across our organisation. Additionally, it also provided some starting points towards the implementation of web metrics.

This book is definitely one of the first when it comes to web site management.

I like the style of the book as well. Well written, to the point.

I found the book to be useful as a beginners guide to the media and media relations. It is a very quick read.

PR can be the most effective guerilla marketing available to companies that are trying to capture a bigger piece of the pie in their niche. Ms. Stewart has taken away the fear any executive may feel in dealing with the media and PR by writing a logical step by step book. I can definitely testify that her professionalism and realism in how to deal with the media has had a major effect on our company.

Media Training 101 gives strong fundamentals for anyone new in dealing with the news media. This book should be a part of any PR pro's library.

When being interviewed by media, it is tempting to do a `brain dump,' and give them as much information as you can. This can backfire, though. Faced with an information overload, the journalist has to pick-and-choose through all the data to construct her story. She probably has room only for a few of your points, and she may not choose the ones that you would like.

Politicians understand this. When they do interviews, they focus on `talking points.' The politician prepares by selecting three or four points they want to get across during the interview. The preparation allows them to get their message across clearly and succinctly.

You should do something similar to this to prepare for your encounters with the media. In 'Media Training 101,' Sally Stewart recommends that you have five focused and concise Key Message Points.

Key Message Point #1 is a general statement about your company. It might include facts such as how long you have been in business, what you sell, or where you are located.

Key Message Point #2 gives financial information. For example, revenues, growth percentage or number of units sold. Don't overload on statistics. Choose something easy to understand.

Key Message Point #3 identifies your target market. What characteristics do your customers share? Are they consumers or businesses? Are they in a specific industry? Are they located in the same geographic area? What need do they have that your product or service fills? You might also mention your share of the market, if it is impressive.

Key Message Point #4 addresses the company's future growth. Are you expanding into foreign markets, creating new products (or identifying new uses for existing products) to appeal to new types of customers, opening a new location or adding more employees?

Key Message Point #5 can be anything not covered in the other four points. It is a way to point out the uniqueness of your company. You might mention awards or other recognition your company has received, the specialized training or experience of your staff, or whatever you would want customers and the public to know about your business and what makes it special.

Once you have your Key Message Points, you are prepared for an interview at any time. This is important, because you won't always have a lot of advance notice of an interview. In some cases, you will have only minutes (if that) to prepare. With your Key Message Points you will know what to say-and when to stop talking.

Cathy Stucker
Author and Marketing/Publicity Consultant

This book gives you the essentials about dealing with the media, starting with interviews and calls from reporters. Sally Stewart, former journalist and PR practitioner, delivers the nitty-gritty. Her advice to recognize reporters' financial and emotional pressures is particularly useful. Reporters have two clear priorities, she says, to write good stories and to go home. If you want their good will, try a little respect, she suggests, although she displays considerable cynicism and negativity about them. Her lessons include getting reporters to pay attention and which reporters to contact and how, be it by phone, e-mail or fax. Stewart tells you how to deal with unexpected calls from the press, and how to decide whether or not you want to be part of a story. If you do, here's how to make the most of it. And if you don't, this book tells you how to extricate yourself, if possible. Along the way Stewart explains how to dress for a television appearance. If this paragraph mentions any core skill you don't already have, we have a newsflash for you: get the book.