Working Americans 1880-1999, Volume II: The Middle Class (Working Americans 1880-1999)

Book Description

"There is one thing that can be said about A Fool and His Money that cannot be said about any other volume of investment advice: You will never make a penny from the information in this book. No work on the subject of personal finance has even tried to make this claim before. That is because works on the subject of personal finance are all lying. John Rothchild is the only fully honest author in the genre."—from the Foreword by P. J. O'Rourke.

A veritable gold mine of comic insight into the predicament of an average investor's avid pursuit of wealth, A Fool and His Money is John Rothchild's critically acclaimed personal account of a year devoted to investing his money in the markets. The entire investment world—its characters, institutions, customs, and myths—passes under Rothchild's sharp and profoundly humorous scrutiny.

Acclaim for A Fool and His Money

"What makes this book so good is that Rothchild can explain things like naked puts . . . and leave the reader both edified and laughing. . . . Witty, fast-paced, and educational."—The Washington Post

"You'll relish John Rothchild's comic tale. . . . The book nears guaranteed delight."—Newsday

"A Fool and His Money may be the funniest book about investing ever written. It's a reader's capital gain."—New York Post

Customer Reviews:

A funny and informative book for the average investors.......2007-08-25

The lure of easy money in the stock market encourages more and more people to become investors. Mr. Rothchild decides to become one too, and his journey into the financial world is told in this engaging and hilarious book. He does a fantastic job of injecting life into the dull subject of finance and investment. I smile and laugh through much of the book. I like it even more than the classic The Money Game by Adam Smith.

This book was hilarious! .......2005-11-15

This book is definitely educational and funny! All the tips in the book sound funny but are real. I was laughing so hard from reading this book, my sides hurt...This information although written in 1987/1988 timeframe is definitely timeless! This book was nice break from serious investment books and should not be thought of as less because it is humorous... it kinda reminds you of the humor in the films that Michael Moore creates (although this info is legitimate).

Can the Average Investor Still Make Money??.......2004-10-30

+++++

This easy-to-read book, by former editor, author, and writer, John Rothchild, is a unique and hilarious book that tells us of his adventure as an average investor in the stock market.

Rothchild's original plan for writing this book was as follows:

"In the late summer of 1985, during an extraordinary bull market [rising market], I decided to drop everything and devote an entire year to learning how to invest, especially in stocks. I resolved to begin at the beginning, finding out as much as I could about the business and how it really operates, meanwhile putting my own funds [of $16,500] into whatever would make the biggest profit. After achieving [this] winning strategy, increasing my net worth, and achieving financial independence [or security], I'd return to tell you how I did it."

Rothchild learned how to invest by doing things such as watching late night television programs "on how to get rich;" going to financial planning places with their money managers; reading newsletters, business publications, and historical financial books; talking to successful investors in order to perhaps learn some inside information; and going to stockbrokers for information on hot stocks, making fully-informed investment decisions, and avoiding irrational markets.

During his journey, Rothchild does a good job in explaining the mechanics of investing especially in the stock market and imparting the psychology behind investing. Even though the author does a good job in explaining terms, I feel knowing some basics on investing before reading this book, will help the potential reader appreciate the humor and practical advice of this book even more. (There are over twenty short useful tips in boldface type peppered throughout this book.)

Finally, the title of this book "A Fool and his Money" gives an indication of what happened to Rothchild's investment. As a consequence, at the very end of this book, Rothchild has a short glossary of major investment and stock market terms that he has defined as a result of his experience. He defines the terms found in this review as follows:

(1) Average Investor: born loser
(2) Bull Market: a time when your neighbor's stocks are going up
(3) Successful investor: liar
(4) Inside information: something you wish they'd tell you; what everybody else has heard
(5) Stockbroker: salesperson for stocks, mutual funds, etc.; a person who will never go broke
(6) Money manager: expert who manages your financial affairs; someone to whom you pay a large fee so you'll have less money to manage
(7) Hot stock: stock everybody is buying; what your brokerage firm calls any stock it wants to sell
(8) Irrational market: a market that isn't doing what you want it too; every market
(9) Fully-informed investment decision: wild guess
(10) Financial security: perpetual care enjoyed by insurance companies, brokers, money managers, and others in the financial security industry.

In conclusion, this is a practical and hilarious book that serves as a warning to the average investor!!

(originally published 1988; acknowledgements; 31 chapters; postscript; glossary; main narrative of 250 pages)

+++++

Buyers Remorse, the average investor's story.......2004-06-28

"A fool and his money" is the story of buyers remorse of one very lucky investor, who walked away with 50 percent of his money. Zero game means one person is a winner and another person is a loser. John got a bad taste, as he discovered the hazards of his margin being called and being forced too come up with 8600 dollars, too cover his investments and learned once again the average investor can not afford too invest. Bottom line, the lucky disappear into anomity, no one knows there name only their story; the losers feed the winners; and the winners are always looking for new losers.

John made a few mistakes, acted on weak advice, and held on too long after realizing his mistake. John gave some very insightful information about mutal fund managers. At the time of the book 9200 fund managers were controlling 75 percent of the wealth. John says, mutal fund managers don't outperform the averages because they collaborate between each other on selection. Outperformance is shunned because it distinquishes one mutal fund manager above another and makes the other look bad; and his claim for why mutal fund managers don't beat the average.

The Federal Reserve buy Bonds and use bonds too control the money supply. The Bonds represent assets which banks can loan money against increasing the available money supply to the consumer. If inflation increases, the Fed sells Bonds decreasing the money supply and increasing the interest rate. So, the Fed regulates inflations by controlling the amount of money supply.

A reality check for the average investor.......2002-07-28

This book was first published in 1988, after the 1987 crash. The wisdom and essence of the book is still as valuable now in 2002. It is entertaining as well as educational. The author went out of his way to describe his experience or experiments in various areas of investing, giving knowledge and first hand information on how the investment world runs from different perspectives. The author took a year to study investing and invest with his real money, with the assignment of writing this book about it at the end. As a result, his investment decisions and variety and frequency of his investment may be atypical of an average investor. However, his description of the phychology of an average investor is quite accurate.

Fool and His Money, the Odyssey of an Average Investor

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Fool and His Money, the Odyssey of an Average Investor

Manufacturer: NY: Viking, 1988
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HFJ5AO

A Fool and His Money: The Odyssey of an Average Investor

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A Fool and His Money: The Odyssey of an Average Investor
John Rothchild
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIWRTA

Customer Reviews:

Tactile - Visual Learning.......2007-03-15

Another piece of the coloring book puzzle that goes with the Anatomy, Biology, Botany, Geography, Human Brain, Human Evolution, Microbiology, Snowflakes, Zoology books. There should be/was/is also an Earth Science coloring book.

These are excellent books for hands-on, minds-on learning to form mental maps and internalize the knowledge. I use them all the time for teaching Earth Science, Biology, AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, Meteorology and Geomorphology at the high school and university levels. Students immediately grasp concepts and relationships. Wonderful! When people needed to know about the dissolution of Yugoslovia I went to the Geography book. It is the same for every topic, including physics.

Social science teachers often need a clear one-page illustration of a map or concept to help illustrate language, political and economic relationships. These are excellent tools!

I can't review what I don't have. .......2007-01-28

This book is arriving 3 months later than first promised (maybe longer?). I anticipate that it will be very useful; I hope that I am correct.

The numerical rating category needs to have a N/A choice. I can't rate what I can't see.

Customer Reviews:

amazing anthology.......2002-12-08

an amazing anthology spanning 3000 years of Greek poetry, starting with Homer and going up to modern times, including Cavafy. The poems come all in the original ancient, medieval and modern Greek texts. But the editor of this volume, Professor Constantine Trypanis, has provided an English prose translation for each at the bottom of the page.

Book Description

This A-to-Z encyclopedia provides students and nonspecialists with concise, accurate, and engaging definitions and descriptions of important people and terms relating to Early Tudor England. Covering the period from 1485 to 1558, the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I, the book contains nearly 400 cross-referenced entries. Entries feature:

Key events

Movements

Groups

Treaties

Publications

Important people

And more Along with well-known figures of the day, this book includes significant but less familiar individuals, for whom detailed information is elusive. The encyclopedia includes lists of additional readings, maps, genealogical charts, an extensive bibliography, a subject index, a list of Tudor-themed historical novels, a guide to related entries, and an annotated listing of Tudor Web sites. Illustrated by over 40 drawings and photographs, the encyclopedia also offers numerous useful appendices, including listings of European monarchs, holders of English titles of nobility, holders of major offices of state, sessions and speakers of Parliament, governors of Ireland, major battles and rebellions, 16th-century popes, and bishops of the Early Tudor Church.

Customer Reviews:

Offering precise and concise definitions and descriptions .......2004-11-11

Compiled and organized by historian, academician, and author John A. Wagner Bosworth Field To Bloody Mary: An Encyclopedia Of The Early Tudors is a 600-page encyclopedia offering precise and concise definitions and descriptions of the significant men and women of Early Tudor England. Also providing informative definitions of Tudor England terminology, Bosworth Field To Bloody Mary spans the period of 1485 to 1558 and encompasses the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I. Featuring almost 400 cross-referenced entries, students are provided with information about key events, movements, groups, treaties, publications, and more. Enhanced with maps, genealogical charts, bibliography, a subject list, a listing of Tudor-themed historical novels, an annotated listing of Tudor websites, Bosworth Field To Bloody Mary is a strongly recommended and core addition to personal, academic, and community library British History collections.

Tudor England: An Encyclopedia (Special -Reference)

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Tudor England: An Encyclopedia (Special -Reference)
Arthur Kinney
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 0815307934

Book Description

First encyclopedia devoted entirely to Tudor England
England under the Tudors moved from a monarchy threatened by pretenders through the strong rule of Henry VIII to a time when Elizabeth I's advisors implored her to marry to protect the Tudor succesion. This was also an age of courtiers and churchmen, poets and soldiers, explorers and pirates, vagabonds and players, religious exiles and martyrs, anonymous women and powerful widows. For the first time the vitality of their lives and the rich backdrop for this century of rules, thinkers, and writers -"the Age of Shakespeare"-is captured in a comprehensive encyclopedia.

Special features
*Context for English Renaissance and Shakespearean studies in one volume
*First comprehensive reference in the field
*Over 700 entries
*over 240 contributors
*Over 100 illustrations
*Detailed Tudor chronology
*Appendix of bibliographical essays

Also includes an 8-page color insert.

Book Description

Traditional textiles are one of the most important and widely collected categories of Southeast Asian art. Formed from an extensive range of locally produced and imported raw materials and an astonishing variety of techniques, Southeast Asian textiles are used to fashion a variety of objects-items from everyday clothing to sacred and ceremonial regalia. This authoritative study considers the various ways Southeast Asian textile artisans reacted over the centuries to the steady stream of new ideas and materials arriving from India, China, the Islamic world, and Europe.Originally published in 1990 by the Australian National Gallery and Oxford University Press of Australia, Textiles of Southeast Asia remains the definitive work on Southeast Asian textiles. This revised edition contains a new foreword and updated color photographs. Unlike other books on the subject, Textiles of Southeast Asia is arranged thematically rather than by country. The result is a strong cultural focus and an analysis of how history influenced the region's textile traditions."

Customer Reviews:

Impressive study of a fascinating subject........2006-02-19

This is an excellent book, meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated. It's approach is thematic with an emphasis on various influences that shaped the history and styles of Southeast Asian textile, as well as the cultural significance that textile played in the region. The works examined were primarily drawn from the excellent collection of the National Gallery of Australia. The commentary on each work is detailed in terms of the techniques and motifs. Although it is quite comprehensive in coverage, because it is organized thematically rather than geographically, if you are looking for the styles and examples of a particular culture, you'll have to pick through the book. Historical photographs offer additional insights into how the textiles were used throughout the Southeast Asia. The writing is good and easy to follow once you get accustomed to the technical terms. I am new to this subject and my reading probably has not yet assessed the full extent of the book's merit.

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The Fruits of Pinyin
Difficult Reading for a 33 yr old Undergraduate
The Romanization System is Now a Serious Problem
I can't believe it...
Brian Wayne Wells, Esquire, reviews "East Asia."

East Asia: Tradition and Transformation
John King Fairbank , Edwin O. Reischauer , and Albert M. Craig
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0395450233

Customer Reviews:

The Fruits of Pinyin.......2005-05-08

Having had my own problems with pinyin, I understand J Barry's frustration when he says: "This is a fine book, one I have assigned for years in my introductory classes along with deBary's Sources of Chinese Tradition Vol. 1. Now, however,there is a new edition of Sources using the newer pinyin romanization system. Reischauer still uses the old Wade-Giles system. So I can't assign it any longer - I can't expect my students to have the two basic books in the course use different romanizations. Could not Houghton-Mifflin redo Reischauer using pinyin? It could be done with no effort by using a simple replace function on a computer."

I do hope that Houghton-Mifflin holds its ground and replaces nothing. The Chinese PRC decreed the Pinyin system in 1957, co-opted most Western academics (especially the younger generation) in the 70's, dealing a major blow to traditional, a-political scholarship. Of course you "can't expect your students to have the two basic books in the course use different romanizations." That was the whole point -- force out the "old Wade-Giles system", and the scholarship that employs it. Simple politics. . . and it works; evidently the price we pay for "progress" -- toward what?

Yes, E.O.Reischauer (1910-1990) still used the "old" Wade-Giles system " - would not "traditional" be a more neutral adjective? -and he might well object to changing what he had written simply to conform to current political fashion. . .Actually,I suppose the coauthor, John K. Fairbank (1907-1991), is responsible for keeping Wade-Giles, since he was the China expert and Reischauer represented Japan. I don't know anything about Fairbank's political leanings -- only that I was told that he could become furious when addressed as "Fairbanks," which (he would impatiently explain) "is a town in Alaska!"

Difficult Reading for a 33 yr old Undergraduate.......2003-06-23

I'm reading this book for an lower division undergraduate course in East Asian History. It's better for an upper division course. The book is well indexed, however, there is no bibliography. The only extra is a section that acknowledges the illustrations, which is not very helpful for me. There is a timeline of the dynasties of each country in the back of the book, but it is so tiny it is not helpful. Anyone know of an East Asian wall chart timeline? The topics of each dynasty focus on economics, arts and literature, military, Buddhism and Confucianism, growth and development, declines and failings. East Asian history is interesting. However, there is way too much information in this one book which makes it very difficult to follow, recall, and understand. If instructors choose to use this book, please provide additional optional resources (like a timeline wall chart) because this book does not point the reader to seek other resources. A good book will have a bibliography. Since this book does not, I conclude the authors think this is the only book one needs to read, which it is not.

The Romanization System is Now a Serious Problem.......2003-05-29

This is a fine book, one I have assigned for years in my introductory classes along with de Bary's Sources of Chinese Tradition Vol. 1. Now, however, there is a new edition of Sources using the newer pinyin romanization system. Reischauer still uses the old Wade-Giles system. So I can't assign it any longer - I can't expect my students to have the two basic books in the course use different romanizations. Could not Houghton-Mifflin redo Reischauer using pinyin? It could be done with no effort by using a simple replace function on a computer.

I can't believe it..........2003-02-08

I remember buying this textbook back in the '80's for a course at Harvard taught by the professors themselves. Back then, the book cost [money]. I can't believe they now want over [money]for it. That's insane. Sure, it's full of factual information, but it's hardly unique information -- these are historical facts available anywhere, with very little opinion or perspective or even personality woven in. (Indeed, the book is as dry as the Gobi Desert.) Furthermore, they first wrote this book back in 1975. Updating it could not have required that much labor, particularly since Harvard already pays these profs to do nothing but talk about Asia. Professors are getting away with extortion knowing they have a captive audience (students) required to buy their textbook. Yes, it's a good textbook. Is it worth over [money]? Not for a Chinese minute. Here's hoping that they're donating their royalties to North Korean famine relief.

Brian Wayne Wells, Esquire, reviews "East Asia.".......1998-05-17

This book, originally published in 1973, is authored by John K. Fairbank, Edwin O. Reischauer and Albert M. Craig. It has been revised and updated over the years so that it has remained a very popular upper level undergraduate and graduate level text in many college courses on Japan, China and South East Asia.

It is an excellent survey of these countries written by the United States'foremost scholars of East Asian history. The book suffers only from the attempt to cover too much ground. The histories of countries as vast and important to the world economy as Japan and China cannot be adequately told in a combined volume especially when lumped together with the additional nations of Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.

Book Description

East Asian Higher Education: Traditions and Transformations puts East Asian sociopolitical developments in new light by providing new and little-known materials which will be welcomed by researchers in the field. Nineteen scholars cover Burma, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, North Korea, The Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

One main theme of the book is that universities and the administration and proliferation of higher education provide excellent insight into East Asia's ancient, colonial and post-war history and progress.

The book provides incisive analyses of leading issues such as tyranny versus democracy, state-funded schools versus proprietary schools, elitists versus populists, and quality versus quantity.

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Revolution in the Village: Tradition and Transformation in North Vietnam, 1925-1988
Hy V. Luong
Manufacturer: Univ of Hawaii Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Rice and Man: Agricultural Ecology in Southeast Asia

Golden Peninsula: Culture and Adaptation in Mainland Southeast Asia (Shaps Library of Asian Studies)

Vietnamese Tradition on Trial, 1920-1945

ASIN: 0824813820

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East Asia; Tradition and Transformation
John King; Craig, Albert M.; Reischauer, Edwin O. Fairbank
Manufacturer: Allen & Unwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OA5IIU

Book Description

In Search of the Lost Cord is a scientific detective story, the stuff of science fiction en route to science fact. People trapped by the limitation of paralyzed limbs, rendered useless by devastating, catastrophic injuries to their spinal cords, may one day walk again. If the research is successful . . . if the scientists hit on the right strategy for approaching the problem, we may yet see miracles happen.

In her new book, science journalist Luba Vikhanski profiles the rapidly developing field of spinal cord injury research. She explains the field's greatest scientific challenges and introduces us to the pioneers who are working toward what would be a startling breakthrough. Perhaps the most riveting aspect of this international effort is the fact that each of these scientists is approaching the problem in very different ways. In the worldwide race to claim the prize of a cure, we witness a drama in the making.

Who will cross the finish line first? Will it be the Swiss scientist Martin Schwab, who has actually managed to heal spinal cords in rats and has restored their ability to walk? Will it be Wise Young, a Rutgers scientist who is pinning his research hopes on drug therapies? Or could Lars Olson of the Swedish Karolinska Institute hold the key to success in his efforts to construct a bridge of slender nerve filaments to connect a once-severed spinal cord? His rats are already flexing their legs.

These scientists, and others with unique and creative approaches of their own, have dared to tackle this seemingly unsolvable problem of spinal cord regeneration. Like all major medical and scientific breakthroughs, the “Eureka” moment often seems obvious in hindsight. Perhaps we'll have the same perspective when the puzzle of spinal cord regeneration is solved and the nerves are indeed healed. Until that time, there's a race to the finish line, and suspense is building. In Search of the Lost Cord is a trackside seat.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating..........2007-06-02

Rarely do I read such an informative and riveting account of a scientific topic. I read it cover to cover and wanted to know more. It is a very comprehensive and satisfying history of spinal cord research!

A medical book that reads like a mystery.......2002-01-26

In this extremely well written book, Luba Vihanski reviews one hundred years of research on spinal record regeneration. She describes the many angles from which this topic has been approached. She explains what was previously believed and what the experiments demonstrated. Many diagrams and photographs make the topic more clear. The researchers involved are not left out in the dark: You get a feeling that you know them.

This account is illuminating and very easy to read, even for a neophyte like me without medical training. One piece of advice: read the appendix on the spinal cord before and after injury before you read the rest of the book.

Book Description

Kent Ryden does not deny that the natural landscape of New England is shaped by many centuries of human manipulation, but he also takes the view that nature is everywhere, close to home as well as in more remote wilderness, in the city and in the countryside. In Landscape with Figures he dissolves the border between culture and nature to merge ideas about nature, experiences in nature, and material alterations of nature.

Ryden takes his readers from the printed page directly to the field and back again-. He often bypasses books and goes to the trees from which they are made and the landscapes they evoke, then returns with a renewed appreciation for just what an interdisciplinary, historically informed approach can bring to our understanding of the natural world. By exploring McPhee's The Pine Barrens and Ehrlich's The Solace of Open Spaces, the coastal fiction of New England, surveying and Thoreau's The Maine Woods, Maine's abandoned Cumberland and Oxford Canal, and the natural bases for New England's historical identity, Ryden demonstrates again and again that nature and history are kaleidoscopically linked.

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