A Sportsman's Life: How I Built Orvis by Mixing Business and Sport

Amazon.com

In A Sportsman's Life, Leigh Perkins tells a vivid and passionate story about how he turned Orvis into one of the country's most noted fly-fishing and sporting companies. A pioneer in the mail-order business, Perkins boosted sales of the Manchester, Vermont, company from $500,000 annually to nearly $200 million. Perkins believes he succeeded by building a superior product and selling "a lifestyle" in his catalogs--an appreciation of fishing, bird hunting, and country living. "We found not just a niche but an identity," he writes. "It was an exciting place to work." Perkins said he was never afraid of trying something new. Long before the concept became standard, for example, he traded mailing lists with competitors. He also grew Orvis by launching fishing and hunting schools, expanding into women's clothing, involving customers through an Orvis newsletter, offering odd items like bean bags for dogs, and turning out high-quality fly rods and reels.

Perkins, who recently retired, lived the life he sold. Orvis united his love of sales with his love of the outdoors. The book is packed with gripping adventure tales about fly fishing for bonefish off the Florida Keys, hiking the backcountry of New Zealand, Argentina, and Mexico, encountering bear in Alaska and tiger in India, and once almost getting poisoned to death in Africa. He even includes chapters on his favorite bird-hunting dogs and his efforts to protect open space. Written with Geoffrey Norman, the book should appeal to both business and outdoors types. --Dan Ring

Book Description

When Leigh Perkins bought the Orvis Company in 1965, the fly-fishing and bird-hunting outfitter was a sleepy business with annual sales that had leveled off at $500,000. Over the next thirty years Perkins built Orvis's annual sales to $100 million by revolutionizing the catalog retail industry and reshaping the company's tradition-bound culture. He achieved this by blending his love of nature with his business acumen and bringing the commonsense approach he learned in the streams and on his hunts to his boardroom decision making.
The basic principles he used to run his business include:

The Customer Is Always Right. . . Even When You Know Damned Well He's Wrong: Perkins put such a high priority on customer service that he would personally man the phones at the height of the holiday season each year to keep in touch with his customers.

Product Excellence: Perkins made sure that everything Orvis sold was of the highest quality--even if that meant he had to fight the US government to get access to embargoed Chinese bamboo for fly rods.

Empower Your Employees: By promoting from within, and by empowering his employees to solve problems without manager involvement, Perkins built a loyal and talented team.
Living the outdoor life his catalog popularized, Perkins traveled all over the world to fish and hunt, from Argentina to New Zealand, while devoting his resources to conservation causes worldwide.

Customer Reviews:

An expert collection of sports history.......1999-02-21

Anyone who wants to know anything signifcant about US sports history ought ot read this book. Brad Herzog clearly demonstrates that he knows his stuff. He's also an outstanding writer. I'm looking for any other books he's written.

Entertaining and informative........1998-08-24

This is awesome reading. The book will provide years and years of colorful discussions and arguments. By reading the book, I learned so much about sports history.

This book is packed with one great story after another!.......1997-08-11

This book stimulates as much thought as discussion. While packed with information, Brad Herzog challenges the reader to contemplate both the contributions of each subject, and the ranking assigned each. His rankings are well thought-out,the writing good, and the book is engaging. I loved it!

Customer Reviews:

A WWII Memoir Like No Other.......2002-12-14

"Nobody on latrine duty ever got the Medal of Honor." This truism may be found in the wonderfully titled _The Day I Fired Alan Ladd and Other World War II Adventures_ (University of Missouri Press) by A. E. Hotchner. Hotchner may have done some latrine duty in his time, but it wasn't latrine duty that kept him from getting a Medal of Honor. It was show business. It is hard to be a hero, he reflects, but his book is a chronicle of how he sincerely tried to get a chance to show some heroism, and how (though he did his assigned Army Air Force duties with aplomb) he never got that chance. There are many fine memoirs of World War II service, with the last ones coming out now as that "Greatest Generation" passes on. This one is a funny, unique tale of typical military snafus that often sounds as if it was a chapter in _Catch-22_.

Hotchner was eager to do his duty, and he knew just what he wanted to do, become a combat Navy pilot, because he admired the naval attire Dick Powell had worn in a movie. He persuaded a friend to join him in application to Navy pilot training. The friend got in; Hotchner failed his depth perception test. He then persuaded another friend to join him in regular naval officer training. The friend got in, and Hotchner was disqualified for flat feet. But he did get to enlist in the Army Air Force, and was overjoyed to apply to bombardier school. But somehow, his personnel file indicated he had written a musical in college, so he was required to write one for "I Am an American Day." He wrote as badly as he could, and the troops loved it. Hotchner got accepted to bombardier school, but General Fickle liked the show so much, he ordered Hotchner to perform it in all the states under his command instead. Eventually he was going to go into combat, but since he had theatrical experience, his next commander figured he was just the one to make a film about patrolling for U-boats, instead of actually patrolling for U-boats. When he finally was shipped to Europe, he learned in passage that Germany had surrendered.

Hotchner may have turned his repeated disappointments into amusement after many years, but his slim volume reads wonderfully well as one big joke on himself. He has breezy raconteurship for so many funny stories, but there are some episodes that are serious reflections on his times. He has a meaningful encounter with Clark Gable, for instance, going through excruciating military training as a way of getting through the pain of the death of his wife Carole Lombard. He tells us about how New Yorkers wouldn't let a man in uniform pay for his own dinner and drinks, and he shows how women were liberated at the time occupationally and sexually. It isn't his fault this isn't a memoir full of battle heroism, but the war effort was diverse, and his is a unique story.

Book Description

For thousands of years, humanity has been involved in a symbiotic relationship with plants. Not only have plants supplied mankind with a never-ending food source, but have also served us in another way. This book uncovers the natural link between man, consciousness, and God. This discovery may at first seem abstract, wishful thinking, or even impossible; yet as evidence presented on these pages unfolds, one may find that its understanding does not require as much of a leap of faith as first thought. The author believes this to be the most significant discovery in the entire field of religious knowledge ever to happen in the history of mankind. Should people explore this knowledge, it may allow many to put aside their differences, and join in the understanding that each and every one of us may now experience that which has been, until this time, hidden away in the recesses of our spiritual history. According to the author, we may at last be able to open ourselves to an entirely new and valuable consciousness.

Customer Reviews:

MANNA IS MONATOMIC GOLD .......2005-10-02

This is an excellent book and a good read but, the author's interpretation of what Manna and Highward-Fire Stone and also the use and function of the Ark of The Covenant is wrong. Laurence Gardner has the truth of these substances in "Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark". That truth being that they are monatomic gold.

Big brother censorship.......2005-04-24

I have written critically of this book two times before and both have been erased from Amazons website. So much for freedom of expression. This book is not worth the paper its printed on and it is dangerous because the author indirectly promotes the use of a mushroom that can cause toxic liver failure. Otherwise its poorly written garbage for the national enquirer crowd.

Excellent & full of pioneering ideas on religious history.......2004-10-07

I've spent many years researching many of the ideas that James Arthur has laid out in this book. Arthur is probably the first to recognize the proper relationship between macro (Astrotheology) worship and micro (entheogen) worship.

To some who've not researched the ideas in this book, they may come across as "new agey". This could not be farther from the truth. A study of the "precession of the equinoxes" in the Oxford OED will alone tell volumes on the merit of Arthur's research.

Other recommended scholars for those skeptical:
Archarya S., G.A. Wells, Jordan Maxwell, Gordon Wasson, Clark Heinrich, Kersey Graves, Manly P. Hall, Terence McKenna, Ernest Brussenbark, Carl Ruck, Jonathan Ott, and Christian Ratsch. There is also a free video called the Pharmacratic Inquisition that may be found by doing a search online.

The bad: This book could definetly use a colour edition!

To set the record straight:
The Amanita does contain Ibotenic Acid and Muscimol. As the other reviewer mentioned, the Ibotenic Acid is decarboxylated (converted) into Muscimol when roasted or dried, and passed thru the body. Ibotenic acid is mildly toxic. There are reports of Muscarine (a poison) being found in European species at 0.0003% which is too small an amount to effect a toxic reaction. The amount of Muscarine in American species has not been studied, and could be higher.
These mushrooms should not be eaten raw. Many mycology books WRONGLY list Amanita muscaria and pantherina as poisonous.

Here are the facts from Pharmacotheon by Jon Ott:
"Deaths following the ingestion of Amanita muscaria have not been documented sufficiently to permit the conclusion that this is a lethal mushroom when ingested by healthy persons. In two cases of ingestion of considerable quantities of both raw and cooked mushrooms, the patients experienced some discomfort but recovered quickly and completely."

I suggest buying a copy of Ott's book (if you can find one $80 to $200) and read the details on the research. Many enjoy it's use, and many others don't. My personal experiences with this substance have been for the most part good. I have consumed up to 60 grams by in Tea in one sitting. The Amanita muscaria is also well known in Germany and other countries for its effectiveness in treating certain health problems.

A most intriguing read with a lasting impact........2004-04-14

There are enough ties among the various world traditions in this book to make a solid case that the mushrooms (Amanitas and Psilocybin) are foundational to religious origins. It makes a lot of sense that the plants (drugs) of the old world received a status of renoun around the world when you consider the trade value these plants have and still engender. I agree that the future of mankind does not embrace a continuing prohibition of these incredible plants but, rather, humanity will once again respect and use these plants as they were meant to be used, as tools for enlightenment.

Having been a Bible studier for most of my life I am gratified to report that understanding the Bible is greatly enhansed by reading Mushrooms and Mankind. The esoteric symbolism is unveiled and I now understand much that was previously a mystery to me. This is the greatest impact I could never have imagined coming from a book about Psychedelic mushrooms.

On another note, the reviewer Derick Pillion misrepresented what this book actually says I've read his review and whether it is a misunderstanding or an intentional fabrication, his review is not factual.

This book is packed with connections between mushrooms, myth and religion and I can now see even more of them that were not in the book. I found it to be a valuable stepping-stone in my own research and quest for understanding.

Sometimes things are not always what they seem........2004-02-26

The book is very dense in information. I've now read it three times and I think that the author is truly inspired. It is amazing how many ideas in one small book could expose the foundations of society, government and religion as fraudulent. The tome shreds reality as most people in the western world believe it to be. I look at things differently now and the world would be a much different place if everybody were to read this book. This book just might change your perceptions of the world in a positive way, it did mine. Certainly an underground classic.

Average customer rating:
Player's Guide to Clerics and Druids (Dungeons & Dragons d20 Fantasy Roleplaying)
James Maliszewski , and Mike Mearls
Manufacturer: White Wolf Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Creature Collection: Savage Bestiary (Sword & Sorcery)

ASIN: 1588461483

Book Description

One of the best selling options books ever. This newly updated classic will show you how to play the options game where profits of 100% or more are not unusual and where you can earn profits of 100% to 300% on any one trading day.

Customer Reviews:

I agree: DON'T BUY THE NEWSLETTER.......2006-05-12

I bought a 13-week subscription to his newsletter after reading this book; the book is pretty good [although they leave a lot of information out--I would like more information on how the "Option Trading Box" works. I thought this would be in the e-mail newsletter or on his Website--it's NOT].

The part that bothers me about his Website newsletter: his exit points--which he says are so important in the book--are nonexistent on the Website. It's not very well presented, and I would give his newsletter a 1: pretty risky, low returns.

I think I also do better trading on my own than I would with his help from looking at his current issue and archives. I papertraded a couple of his trades, and they're not doing all that well. STICK WITH THE MOTLEY FOOL!! At least they prorate your subscription if you don't like it!

There are NO refunds for the newsletter.

Good but dated book.......2006-04-24

Good solid information about options trading. It is indeed 'Complete'. I am annoyed, however, that this 'revised and updated' edition persists in using antiquated fractional notation in the charts and text. Thus throughout the book you see prices listed as 4-7/8 or 10-1/4. Converting this book to decimals would have forced Mr. Trester to use modern examples, instead of those from the 1970's and that would have also benefited this fine work. The option tables in the back of the book at least are in decimal form and should prove quite useful.

Worthwhile, but don't write home........2005-06-26

For an education in options this book is a double-edged sword. You will learn far more than you ever may have thought there was to options but, if you aren't careful, you can break your brain on the information.

My greatest reason for speaking in favor of Trester is simply this: he takes some of the long upheld principles of sound stock investment and translates them to options investing. That alone gives the book value. In addition, he shows you how it is possible, using options, to generate a regular income instead of simply buying stock and generating income when it goes up, though that is not necessarily a bad idea. Until I read this book, I would have only thought that possible with a business or real estate. I was wrong and I'm grateful.

Having said that, the shortcomings of the book are equally revealing. The comprehensiveness of the book actually works against it. While it was very enlightening to learn about futures contracts and their related options, it was not long before I ended up skipping all those chapters because Trester (rightly) warns of this as soemthing only much further down the line. Thus anything beyond a brief introduction (and the book goes WAY beyond it) to this area is a waste of pages.

Furthermore, I was disappointed by the scarcity, almost complete lack, of number work. Trester instead recommended using the included charts, using a piece of software (namely HIS software), or subscribe to his newsletter (he has another one that may or may not have replaced the one named in his book). While it's understandable that Trester would not advocate gathering the data and working the formulas manually when there are dozens of programs to do the work for you, by barely discussing those formulas he comes across as advising the reader to skip the education, let the work be done for you and accept the results of the workhorse. To that, I can only say two words: technical foul.

In fairness, some of those numbers DO just have to be accepted in the end (like the fair value of a given option) because it is nothing more than a matter of time and statistics, and generating those numbers for yourself is reinventing the wheel. That however is the exception and not the rule.

In conclusion, if you want an eye-opening first book to introduce you to options, I can honestly recommend this one. If you want a single definitive reference to use for the rest of your options trading career, either keep your money altogether, or be ready to pony up again for a book to supplement this one.

A very good option book.......2003-09-27

If you are a fan of Lawrence McMillian and love to thread through pages of frivolous information, you probably won't enjoy this book.

The Complete Option Player is 46 chapters and 500 pages of powerful information. Once you begin reading, you won't want to put this book down.

You will find insider secrets and other advice that you will not find anywhere else.

Chapter 38 - Option pricing is probably the most important chapter in the book, especially for new traders. Trester also includes call and put option tables to assist the investor.

Overall, a very good book and a great supplement to Wall Street Money Machine #1 and #2. I would also recommend Wall Street Money Machine #4, which is all about option trading in addition to this book.

Hope you're not the visual type.......2003-06-04

If you are brand new to options and you are not the visual type (there isn't a single graph in this book) and you like cute little cartoons, then this book is for you.

Most of this book focuses on various naked strategies which work great in certain markets, but can be instant death in others. Also, there is very limited information on resources to use in your research.

From a literary point, the flow of the book is quite good, so I could see someone reading it from cover-to-cover. If you are a self-help person, you'll love this book, but you will still have the same issue that after you finish it, you may feel better, but you aren't any smarter.

Go do some searches on the web for info. Optionetics.com, optionvue.com, and 21stCenturyOptionsEducation.com are all good places to start. _The Stock Market Course_ by Fontanills and Gentile (Optionetics) is great and for general trading info and an attitude adjustment, check out _Trading for a Living_ by Elder.

Happy Trading!

Average customer rating:
The Complete Option Player ( winning Strategy & Tactics in the New Options game.)
Kenneth R. Trester
Manufacturer: inves trek Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000V65QHK

Book Description

Theis book includes relevant Scripture passages and questions about famous-and not so famous-women of the Bible.

Customer Reviews:

Her Name Is Woman.......2007-09-30

Gien Karssen is timeless in her presentation of the women of the Bible. You will love how she brings to light ideas and images you seldom hear. I have taught from her two books, three times and each time, new insights are revealed through her commentary.

A helpful resource.......2007-09-06

I picked this book up in conjunction with a Bible study on women of the Bible I was evaluating, but ended up just reading the book on its own. Overall, it was a good read. Mrs. Karssen's book serves well as one part of a two-part encyclopedia of some women of the Bible, and can either be read devotionally (there are Scripture readings at the beginning of each chapter), in conjunction with a Bible study, or just as one would read an average book.

In this day of confusion about the biblical view of women, with lots of people misreading and feeling pity for those of us who joyfully and gratefully accept the role God has given us in our homes, society, and His Church, Mrs. Karssen takes care to explain Jesus' view and treatment of women in one of the chapters about Mary, Martha's sister:

"He started by giving His friendship...Up until that time a wide gulf had existed between men and women. After all, didn't the Jewish men thank God every morning in their prayers that He had created them 'not as a slave, nor a heathen, nor a woman?'... 'It would be better that the Articles of the Law be burned than that their contents be revealed to a woman publicly,' said their rabbis.

"He had introduced a new respect for women. He had offered her possibilities that had been unknown until then. He had lifted her to His plan.... The purpose of her existence had become clear in listening to this Man. A conviction grew within her, 'I am created for God. I exist because of Him.' (pp. 168, 175)

As I read through HER NAME IS WOMAN, as often happens with Bible lessons, there were some characters that resonated more strongly with me right now than others. Some were reminders to me of what I ought to be doing; some were cautionary, showing me the end result if I continue in some sinful path or other. Some chapters contain my highlights throughout, some chapters aren't marked up at all.

While I'm not sure I enjoyed the book as "a good read" like many other books in my library, it is an invaluable resource to keep on hand, and I look forward to using it for many years to come.

Biblical Women.......2007-08-06

Theis book includes relevant Scripture passages and questions about famous-and not so famous-women of the Bible. Among the women covered: Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Potiphar's wife, Miriam, Rahab, Peninnah, Hannah, the Queen of Shebah, the widow of Zarephath, the Shunammite, the Jewish maid of Naaman, Esther, Job's wife, Mary the mother of Jesus, Elizabeth, Anna, Mary and Martha of Bethany, the woman at the well, Dorcas, Lydia, Priscilla. Foreword is by Corrie Ten Boom

God Cares About Me!.......2001-01-05

This has to be the most practical Bible study ever written. When I first became a Christian I felt that there weren't many women to identify with in the Bible. There are, in reality, so many! Their lessons are as timely now as they were in Biblical days. I feel as if I understand more how God wants me to live my life, and how I can glorify Him as only a woman can!

Recommended reading for men also!.......2000-05-11

This book, is of superb literary reading. Wonderful for the theology student, the woman's group leader (a study is contained at the end of each chapter), and also for personal reading. You realise how important women were, and still are to God. Women are becoming more recognised... and through this book, you understand how, whether you work, are a Mum at home, a female church leader, a young or older woman YOUR personal importance to God... Gien Karssen is wonderful in the range of women she chooses. The only conclusions she draws are with the use of Biblical evidence, and not hear say or traditional beliefs. The only downfall? That there is no book 3.

Average customer rating:

Too long, too clever, both by half

Mumford had a gift for writing, but this tome gets lofty

Good Until the Last Hundred or So Pages

tricks

A comparative analysis of cities

The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects
Lewis Mumford
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Rural | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Urban Planning & Development | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0156180359

Amazon.com

Lewis Mumford's massive historical study brings together a wide array of evidence--from the earliest group habitats to medieval towns to the modern centers of commerce (as well as dozens of black-and-white illustrations)--to show how the urban form has changed throughout human civilization. His tone is ultimately somewhat pessimistic: Mumford was deeply concerned with what he viewed as the dehumanizing aspects of the metropolitan trend, which he deemed "a world of professional illusionists and their credulous victims." (In another typically unrestrained criticism, he dubbed the Pentagon a Bronze Age monument to humanity's basest impulses, as well as an "effete and worthless baroque conceit.") Mumford hoped for a rediscovery of urban principles that emphasized humanity's organic relationship to its environment. The City in History remains a powerfully influential work, one that has shaped the agendas of urban planners, sociologists, and social critics since its publication in the 1960s.

Book Description

The city’s development from ancient times to the modern age. Winner of the National Book Award. “One of the major works of scholarship of the twentieth century” (Christian Science Monitor). Index; illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Too long, too clever, both by half.......2007-05-27

This is a canonical work, and perhaps deservedly so. By that I mean that it certainly covers a lot of ground, for which he deserves credit. Unfortunately, Mumford tries too hard to shove history into Karl Marx's neat little Hegelian theory and ultimately fails to bring his analysis close to a successful conclusion. And for something that pretends to be The History of The City, it certainly lacks the non-Western perspective, as if this was the work not of a world historian but of a well-traveled American or Englishman.

As an example of the first problem, his explanation of early cities leaves much to be desired. Here we have neolithic man living in villages and tending crops. Rather than simply offering a few suggestions as to how the city and king-based government came about, he forces the dialectic into the tale by bringing paleolithic man back and putting him in the place of the brutal warlord-king. Rex ex machina. It was truly bizarre and forces all of the explanations to be backwards from what is most likely the truth. Mumford seems to imply that the savage, paleolithic hunter-gatherers came back, built cities, and then forced the farmers to move into them when I suspect a much more organic process was involved in response to ... what? Marauding bands of warriors? What is the relevant scarcity that would have caused people to gradually transfer their own sovereignty to the king? Mumsford's treatment of the subject is unsophisticated.

As another reviewer has pointed out, he does seem to hit his stride when he comes to Classical Greece, has disdain for the Romans that makes you wonder whether he had been personally impacted by their city life, and then comes back into his stride when discussing the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. I actually found this to be an enlightening section of the book; it explains what I like about cities like Rothenburg, and what I dislike about Washington D.C. In fact, I think one could skip ahead to that part, and stop reading once you hit the early 19th century.

After that, the book becomes a one-sided discussion of the evils of capitalism. Once again, Mumford stops being a historian and tries to interpret everything through a Marxist lens. For a counterpoint to this, I would recommend some of the work of T. S. Ashton.

I tend, however, to agree with Mumford on his observations about the impact of the automobile, but not the cause of it. Capitalism, the belief that government should be confined to a night watchman role, is the opposite of a system which provides government subsidization of the automobile culture the way we do in the US. Prior to the railroads, many turnpikes were privately owned and operated, but Americans loved first the idea of the railroad and then the idea of a system that freed men from dependence on the railroad ... to which they had given birth just 60 years before. The result today is a system which we keep trying to control by ever larger public projects and programs.

In the end, Mumford fails to provide any substantive suggestion as to which way we should turn to create a more livable city. The suburbs and freeways, as unpopular as they are, seem to still be dominant, but I think a generation of people exposed to Mumford's description of the livable Medieval city are starting to do something about it. Unfortunately, the people who share Mumford's politics are now the defenders of the status quo, defending their own investments, opposing building, and forcing people to spend ever more time on the concrete-and-asphault shackles that bind our cities.

Mumford had a gift for writing, but this tome gets lofty.......2004-07-31

I'd agree with some of the other reviewers who found the first 3/4 of this book interesting and insightful and who were put off by the last portion. Mumford has a dexterous command of language and weaves prosaic citations and factual listings with poetic and metamorphic digestions. Though this book is an extremely long and at times a very dry 570 pages, I was rarely bored enough to put it down for too long. Mumford has a keen intellect and his pen touches on nearly every aspect of human development and interaction, even in contexts that one would think are not directly related to city life or urban growth. Here we see that city-man has cast an inescapable cultural legacy: religion, economics, epistemology/philosophy, politics & government and even biology are and have been in constant dialog with urban forces, dramatized by symbolic manifestations of rural and urban, man and woman, individual and communal, organic and mechanical. As a repository for cultural and historical development in the west, this book should have much more attention that it does nowadays.

Mumford's analysis of the development of western cities since the inception of agriculturally-based sedentary communities is for the most part highly critical of the social and organization manifestations of the cities of the ancient world. He waxes with a somewhat fair disposition on the democracy that gripped Athens in the 5th century, yet from then until the Middle Ages, he suggests a kind of downward spiral of avarice, destruction, homogeneity and inanity (i.e. Rome) A revival of his conception of beneficent communitas arises with the guild-guided Middle Age towns, but this is ultimately usurped by the emergence and domination of mercantilism and the contemporous rise of state politics and economies. The industrial revolution saw urban cityscapes that offered a cultural vibrance below even that of Rome. Today's cities according to Mumford are a cancerous legacy of these preceding few centuries, whose doom is intertwined with their insatiable appetite for growth through ecological imbalance and resource depletion.
One might think from the title and aim of this book that it would be a survey, yet Mumford's dissection of the most heinous eras in urban culture, Rome and the Modern Era (from c.1600) play into his deconstructionist framework which he uses to villify capitalism and industry and likewise acquaint the two with greed, luxury at the cost of inhuman exploitation. While this is fine, and he does make a number of interesting observations, it glosses over any contribution whatsoever these periods made to urban culture; the reader is given an unbalanced account of each era, and leads one to wonder if there were any positive contributions whatsoever.
Finally, Mumford's exhaustive treatise on the failures of civilization, the untapped creative potential of the human mind-which is basically what this book is about- in the end offers no real solid retort or solution. The two concepts he does point to for a model of regional civic interaction - the electrical grid and the interlibrary loan system do seem to have a modern syncrete in the Internet, a network of easily availble cultural capital. Mumford is undoubtably a humanist and several times yearns for cities to allow humans to unlock their full creative and biological faculties, followed by a stream of dreamy platitudes that do little to qualify what this kind of feeling or sentiment concretely would entail. This is perhaps the biggest disappointment in this otherwise well-written book.

Good Until the Last Hundred or So Pages.......2004-04-06

After two hundred pages I wanted to give this book five stars, but after finishing it, I was almost ready to give it three stars.

This book is what it says it is, "The City in History". Starting in the neolithic era, Mumford marches through all of recorded time and place (place being limited to the Near East, Greece, Rome, Europe and America) to bring, you, the reader, his thoughts on the role and "prospects" of the city.

In the beginning, it's an exhilerating ride. Mumford is not shy about advancing bold arguments. Although the book starts with sections on the city in Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, he doesn't really get excited until he gets to Ancient Greece. I'd say it's clear from the text that Mumford is a fan of Ancient Greece, particularly Athens between the 7th and 6th century B.C.

Then it's off to Rome. Mumford is a harsh critic of Roman culture. His critique of the Roman method of burial (take bodies just outside city limits, dump, bury) contrains so much righteous indigination you might think the Romans were still pottering around when he wrote this book.

After Rome, we get an equally stirring defense of the Middle (don't call them "Dark" around Mumford) Ages. Mumford is a big fan of the city in the late middle ages. As an example, Mumford uses Amsterdam. Specifically, what Mumford likes about this time period is the community involvement by the ruling elites.

Like many other social critics, Mumford is not a huge fan of the impact that capitalism and industrialization have had on the modern city. Unlike some of the other reveiwers below, I don't really hold that against him. He was writing in the sixties, people!!!

However, I do admit that by the last hundred or so pages, when Mumford starts despairing of the future of the city, the whole tirade started to get tired.

I'm not sure I would recommend this for a general reader.

tricks.......2003-10-19

this book is fine. go get it from the library and learn the origins of the city. critique civilization and its facets with other books and never mind intellectual/acedemia. educate yourself. civilizations origins are the origins of humanity's current polarized state.

"Computers serve as much more efficient storage centers for knowledge than all the libraries in any city ever could and the Internet has made the entire World into an interlocking community."

you dont know how to hunt and gather do you? i wonder why he was so hellbent on technology when you sit here rambling off all the knowledge you assimilated from a urban system that taught you how to forget your genetic roots and what kept humanity alive for millions of years. nothing a computer will ever do or help regain. you know how to survive in the city and nothing more. you are tied to machinery like he stated. this is not community. you dont consider criminals part of your community yet civilization and urban wastelandscapes create them. jails are more efficient? farming is more efficent yet destroys how much top soil? at least you have 6 billion mouths to feed now. neo-luddistic? nope. just a solid fact.

A comparative analysis of cities.......2002-07-16

Lewis Mumford deftly explores the formation and development of the city from its early Mesopotamian and Egyptian roots to its modern day manifestations. It is the logical extension of his earlier works on the subject, in particular "The Culture of Cities," which has been partially absorbed into this volume. Of particular interest to meis his analysis of the walled versus open cities, and the sharply opposing world views of the progenitors of these cities.

Mumford was particularly drawn to the early Hellenic and later medieval town planning ideals. He noted how the early cities knew their limits, and established satellite communities, rather than continually extend their boundaries. Loose-knit federations were formed, which were much more democratic than were the Roman and Baroque regimental cities.

He charts the evolution of modern city planning ideals, very critical of Le Corbusier's "Radiant City" and other megalomaniac ideas which arose in the 20th century. Mumford favored the "garden city" ideals of Ebeneezer Howard, which recognized the destructive impact of industrialization on urban centers; rather than those schemes which extolled the industrial city as the city of the future.

Mumford is careful not to over reach, or at least let you know when he is forming suppositions. His annotated bibliography is immense, and probably the single most compelling aspect of this book for those who want to read more on the subject. The new Harcourt paperback edition, which came when I ordered this volume, has a more handsome cover than that shown in this listing.

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The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects
Mumford, Lewis
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City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects
Lewis Mumford
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City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects.
Lewis Mumford
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The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects
Lewis Mumford
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The City in History : Its Origins, Its Transformations and Its Prospects
Lewis Mumford
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City In History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects
Lewis Mumford
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Lewis Mumford
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Lewis Mumford
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The City in History: Its origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects
Lewis Mumford
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Book Description

In his widely praised book, award-winning psychologist Jonathan Haidt examines the world's philosophical wisdom through the lens of psychological science, showing how a deeper understanding of enduring maxims-like Do unto others as you would have others do unto you, or What doesn't kill you makes you stronger-can enrich and even transform our lives.

Customer Reviews:

Stunningly Insightful.......2007-10-11

Jonathan Haidt is a truly gifted explainer. This is one of the best books of its kind and I predict Haidt's work in the future will have a remarkable impact on the field of moral psychology.

Avegare Book at Best.......2007-10-04

The book is alright.It is written in an accessible style which might appeal to the masses but peppering the book with quotes from Greek Mythology and famous philosophers isn't enough when there is little new information in the book. There are better books out there on philosophy, psychotherapy, evolution, evolutionary psychology, science, history, art and neuroscience from which one can gleam most of the information and even more.

Coming from a Third world country let me tell you a secret...sometimes being content isn't enough. When one is surrounded by so much violence, corruption, pollution, poverty and population, self-help books help little. There are some basic problems of Governance, Economy and human psychology as shaped by evolution which cause a lot of fiction in our lives and earth's ultimate health. These are never addressed or perhaps one has to close one's mind to such issues to be *really* happy (deluded).

Another problem not addressed is the issue of community which often means leaving others out. How does one define a community? Does one have to belong to a certain caste, creed, income group, religion, color to belong? Being a Hindu Brahmin (by birth though I definitely don't condone caste system and don't consider myself nothing more than a concerned earth dweller) from India, the violence of Identity is not lost of me. Can we come to terms with individuality and community on all levels? How is individuality effecting life in Developed World?

How does one reconcile which changing face of urban society in Developed World? How does one face Globalization? Can one be really happy in today's multi-ethnic society when our evolution makes us vary of strangers? If yes, how do we make this happen?
How does one live with the guilt of living in an affluent society when so many live on so little? How does survive in today's ever changing world of technology, where job security is very tentative? How does one live with guilt of destroying so much bio-diversity on the planet?

These questions cause real problems in real people's lives. I think self-help books can help only so much and this one in particular doesn't address lot of very important questions facing today's world which cannot be addressed by positive psychology alone.

insightful synthesis.......2007-10-02

This is the best understanding of human nature I have encountered. A very good systhesis of a positive psychology.

Ancient wisdom or not???.......2007-10-01

If you are interested in positive psychology this book is well worth adding to your library as it takes such a different tack on the subject. As part of his university studies Haidt took courses in both philosophy (including ancient beliefs) and psychology. Before he became interested in positive psychology Haidt extensively studied the psychology of morality. His background strongly influences this book.

Haidt has combed the history of literature to discover a series of quotations that represent the major beliefs that were once held about the subject of how to achieve happiness. Haidt compares these beliefs to the modern findings of psychology. This approach takes the subject in new directions not previously covered by other authors. Chapter 7, for example, examines the belief that adversity, if it does not destroy you, makes you stronger. To give a little of the book away Haidt often finds that the historical beliefs were partly true but need to be modified in some way.

Haidt is uniquely qualified to discuss the benefits of religion in attaining happiness and some of the most interesting passages in the book revolve around psychological speculation on that subject. Could we be genetically programmed, through evolution, to share group beliefs? It is important to note that Haidt's book serves the function of pointing out new areas needing psychological studied rather than providing all the answers in the form of controlled experiment reports. Sometimes the evidence just isn't there, the evolution of religion being a case in point.

If I have one small criticism it is that Haidt does not seem to spend enough time on each subject to fully cement it in the mind of the reader. At only 243 pages this is a short book and may need to be read several times before the information 'sticks' to you. Haidt possibly wrote the book in this way because some of the material has been covered excellently in detail in other books such as Stefan Klein's .

Insightful synthesis of experimental psychology and philosophy.......2007-08-27

Haidt integrates the tenets of positive psychology with the wisdom of various philosophical traditions to weave a practical guide to modern life. Any of the dozens of insights he provides could be game changers if applied thoughtfully. There are gems strewn about here that will delight the reader and serve as justification for multiple readings. I bought extra copies and have been giving them to friends--something I've never done before with other books that I have admired. Buy this book; if you are disappointed after having read even half of it, I'd be interested to know whether you have already reached enlightenment or are incapable of appreciating the concept of the well examined life. This is one of those few books that may change the way you live your life.

Customer Reviews:

Important Environmental Perspectives in a Readable Format.......2005-08-12

Whit Gibbons does an excellent job of presenting some of the most critical issues our world faces today (e.g., loss of biodiversity, impacts of humans on the environment) in a extremely easy to read and enjoyable format. A must read for anybody truly concerned about the environment in which they, and their children, live.

A worthy message, told with a sense of humor.......1998-08-11

Many of Dr. Gibbons anecdotes and reminiscences are extremely funny, however the real reason to read this book is for the simple, plain-spoken justifications for the preservation of biodiversity.

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