Why Smart People Do Dumb Things: Lessons from the New Science of Behavioral Economics

Book Description

Culled from business headlines and corporate files, this examination of the ultimate in boardroom breakdown describes, in entertaining anecdotes, the mega-mistakes made by highly regarded leaders in business and public life.

Customer Reviews:

Satisfied Customer.......2007-07-25

The item was delivered very, very quickly and in good conditions. I am very happy with my purchase. My only complaint is that the delivery time offered at the time of the purchase seems to be intentionally inflated. I am in favor of underpromossing and overdelivering but taken to an extreme this is sandbaging.

Must read for aspiring executives.......2000-08-14

I have spent my entire career on Wall Street and have witnessed first hand a lot of the pitfalls outlined in this book. It is easy to see it in others, but how can you stop doing it yourself? How do you keep yourself from doing dumb things especially when the more success you have, the less people are honest with you?

I highly recommend this book for aspiring executives and entrepreneurs, just to make sure that they stay humble and avoid some of the traps on the road to success. The book shocked me because it clearly provides examples of past presidents, celebrities, and business executives and then outlines step by step how and why they blew it.

The first half of the book had me wondering if it was too late for me, a president of a growing software company. But the second half of the book is full of recomendations and survival tips that are insightful and applicable. I make sure that anyone around me who aspires to any leadership position reads this book.

Book Description

This book brings together conceptual and empirical material in a systematic way. It provides readers with a basis for understanding mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructuring that are introduced into every session of Congress. The volume provides a complete review of takeovers and mergers in practice, M&A's in theory and practice, the strategic perspective of valuation, restructuring, M&A strategies and strategies for creating value. For CEOs, COOs, CFOs and other top level executives.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Subject... Boring Book.......2005-02-08

The subject of this book is quite interesting and the knowledgable authors add many insights into the field of Mergers and Aquisitions. However, the book is poorly written and designed. Simply opening the book will show colorless pages and bland figures that perfectly reflect the tone and content within. There is also a surprising number of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors (something I should not expect if I'm paying over $100 for a book).

Solid text to introduce this topic - readable and helpful.......2004-09-30

The fourth edition came out in 2003 and I am not familiar with earlier editions. In my view, this is a very good text. In its nearly 700 pages, it provides a solid and comprehensive overview of this interesting and important topic. Obviously, no textbook can be both a survey of the topic and provide complete coverage of every topic. This book goes deep enough that students being introduced to this topic will find plenty to work on and get enough information to develop a feel for all that is involved in changing corporate control and ownership structure for any number of reasons.

The book has 22 chapters in six parts. The six parts are:

1)Takeovers and Mergers in Practice
2)M&As - Theories and Empirical Tests
3)Valuation - The Strategic Perspective
4)Restructuring
5)M&A Strategies
6)Strategies for Creating Value

There are many end of chapter questions and dozens of mini-cases in the book. Plus, there are online resources for students available.

The book provides references at the end of each chapter for more in depth study, a glossary at the end, and an index.

This is a solid text that can also be read by the general reader interested in this topic.

I expected more.......2001-09-24

Considering the reputation of the primary author, I found the book to be ponderous to read and seemingly focused more on what the authors wanted to discuss than what might be really useful to students and those practicing M&A. The authors should have sought a more appropriate balance between theory and practice. This tome is weighted in favor of theory. It seems to spend more time addressing societal issues and issues of government policy than addressing the mechanics of how to plan for and implement transactions. In fact, only the last few pages of the book deal superficially with an approach to doing M&A.

The book also assumes substantial knowledge of accounting, finance and economics on the part of the reader. The dearth of examples also hinders the readers ability to readily understand how to apply complex concepts explained in torturous paragraphs of prose. It would have been helpful to use more illustrations to communicate concepts that are difficult for those of us that don't have Phds to understand.

Thankfully, there are other books that are far more helpful in explaining both theory and application of M&A. I have found Mckinsey's book on Measuring and Managing Valuation to be a much better guide to understanding how to apply complex valuation techniques. Integration methodology is well explained in Marks and Clemente's Winning at Mergers. For an excellent detailed overview of M&A, see Depamphlis Mergers Acquisitions and Other Restructuring or Weston's other, more recent book on M&A.

Largely Disappointing.......2001-05-12

The book is really only useful for those interested in a literature survey, discussion of public policy, and somewhat tedious discussion of theoretical concepts.

Written by academics for academics!!!.......2001-04-14

On balance, this book provides a good overview of the subject and of recent academic studies. However, it is often theoretical and "ivory-towerish." There is relatively little that really instructs the reader about transactions are actually done. A great deal of time is devoted to discussing why they occur, but little practical insight is provided as to the challenges and issues that must be resolved. This book may be suitable for someone who is curious and interested in reading about M&A but provides little guidance for those interested in learning how to undertake transactions.

Average customer rating:
Integrated Science: Change Within Systems (Integrated Science)
Lee Anne Stiffler , and Stanford R. Hill
Manufacturer: Carolina Academic Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0890895945

Book Description

The integration of Tectonics/Geochemistry, up-to-date reviews by leading scientists as well as a broad topical coverage of the Archean, are some of the features of this particular volume. As geochronology has progressed in the last 20 years, the Archean has continued to attract interest. Advancements in the understanding of Archean crustal and mantle evolution have progressed rapidly since the first International Archean Symposium in Western Australia (1970). The landmark for the Archean was the NATO Advanced Study Institute at Leicester (1975). At this meeting the Archean truly "came of age". Investigators from many different disciplines focused their expertise on the early history of the earth. For the first time, the nature of the atmosphere, oceans, and life during the Archean was an important part of an Archean symposium. During the most recent Archean Symposium in Perth in 1990, there was a shift in interest from field and trace element data to the new rapidly evolving high-precision U/Pb geochronology of Archean rocks and to detailed structural studies of both low and high grade Archean terrains. The terrane concept so widely applied to the Phanerozoic was proposed for the Archean Yilgarn Province in Western Australia and is now widely accepted for the Archean (as evident by the articles in this book). Plate tectonics is now widely accepted as the principal process that controls the history of continents and oceans. There are, though, well substantiated differences between Archean and post-Archean rocks that indicate that Archean tectonic regimes must have differed in some respects from modern ones. The question of how and to what degree did Archean plate tectonics differ from modern plate tectonics is treated in many of the chapters of this book.

Altogether, the editor has presented a selection of articles that provide a fascinating insight into the latest observations in this field.

Book Description

Elementary Particles and Their Interactions. Concepts and Phenomena presents a well-written and thorough introduction to this field at the advanced undergraduate and graduate level. Students familiar with quantum mechanics, special relativity and classical electrodynamics will find easy access to modern particle physics and a rich source of illustrative examples, figures, tables, and problems with selected solutions. Further references guide the reader through the literature. This text should become a standard reference to particle physics and will be useful to students and lecturers alike.

Customer Reviews:

Number one textbook in particle physics.......2000-08-11

Cern Courier February 1999: An excellent Introduction for serious students of Particle Physics, this is basically a textbook of the Standard Model. All chapters have extensive suggestions for further reading and problems, some with solutions. It is up-to-date, including the MSW effect for neutrinos, neutral B mesons mixing etc...

From Jim Bogan 13 May 2000 : jim_bogan@hotmail.com

Dear authors,

Just a note to compliment you on your Excellent book which I recently purchased. I am very interested in the subject, but never saw as accessible a text as yours. I predict it will become the number one textbook in Particle physics. I was educated in 1974 vintage texts, this is an extraordinary leap forward.

Book Description

A suspenseful, deeply atmospheric tale of discovery, spirituality, and survival.

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Demand fueling more E85 pumps in Iowa: the Grow Iowa Values Fund will add $13 million in the next three years for conversions. : An article from: Business Record (Des Moines)
Sarah Bzdega
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000G1GEJO
Release Date: 2006-06-02

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Art museum readying for multi-million dollar renovation: Lamar Street area will be busy with construction projects for next few years.(Mississippi Museum ... article from: Mississippi Business Journal
George McNeill
Manufacturer: Venture Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000ALTQNQ
Release Date: 2005-07-25

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Mississippi Business Journal, published by Venture Publications on June 13, 2005. The length of the article is 1018 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Art museum readying for multi-million dollar renovation: Lamar Street area will be busy with construction projects for next few years.(Mississippi Museum of Art's)
Author: George McNeill
Publication: Mississippi Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 13, 2005
Publisher: Venture Publications
Volume: 27 Issue: 24 Page: S19(1)

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Chunghwa Telecom Aiming to Add One Million ADSL Customers Next Year.(asymmetrical digital subscriber line, 2002)(Brief Article): An article from: XDSL News

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Chunghwa Telecom Aiming to Add One Million ADSL Customers Next Year.(asymmetrical digital subscriber line, 2002)(Brief Article): An article from: XDSL News

Manufacturer: Information Gatekeepers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from XDSL News, published by Information Gatekeepers, Inc. on October 1, 2001. The length of the article is 426 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Chunghwa Telecom Aiming to Add One Million ADSL Customers Next Year.(asymmetrical digital subscriber line, 2002)(Brief Article)
Publication: XDSL News (Newsletter)
Date: October 1, 2001
Publisher: Information Gatekeepers, Inc.
Volume: 5 Issue: 10 Page: 3

Article Type: Brief Article

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Homeland security: CDC prepares for possible Smallpox; Feds plan to have 300 million doses of vaccine on hand by late next year. (Rapid Deployment Teams ... An article from: Skin & Allergy News

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Homeland security: CDC prepares for possible Smallpox; Feds plan to have 300 million doses of vaccine on hand by late next year. (Rapid Deployment Teams ... An article from: Skin & Allergy News
Betsy Bates
Manufacturer: International Medical News Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008INL7I
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Skin & Allergy News, published by International Medical News Group on December 1, 2001. The length of the article is 864 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Homeland security: CDC prepares for possible Smallpox; Feds plan to have 300 million doses of vaccine on hand by late next year. (Rapid Deployment Teams Created).(Brief Article)
Author: Betsy Bates
Publication: Skin & Allergy News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2001
Publisher: International Medical News Group
Volume: 32 Issue: 12 Page: 1(2)

Article Type: Brief Article

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IRAN: INVITATION TO BID ON CONSTRUCTION OF PROPOSED 1.1 MILLION TON PER YEAR OLEFINS PLANT IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED TO BE ISSUED WITHIN THE NEXT 2 MONTHS, ... & Plant Operations in the Developing World

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IRAN: INVITATION TO BID ON CONSTRUCTION OF PROPOSED 1.1 MILLION TON PER YEAR OLEFINS PLANT IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED TO BE ISSUED WITHIN THE NEXT 2 MONTHS, ... & Plant Operations in the Developing World

Manufacturer: Worldwide Projects, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00098SGS6
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from WWP-Report on Engineering Construct & Plant Operations in the Developing World, published by Worldwide Projects, Inc. on June 1, 1999. The length of the article is 638 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: IRAN: INVITATION TO BID ON CONSTRUCTION OF PROPOSED 1.1 MILLION TON PER YEAR OLEFINS PLANT IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED TO BE ISSUED WITHIN THE NEXT 2 MONTHS, NATIONAL PETROCHEMICAL CO. (NPC) [IRAN] - Order #: 067099.
Publication: WWP-Report on Engineering Construct & Plant Operations in the Developing World (Newsletter)
Date: June 1, 1999
Publisher: Worldwide Projects, Inc.
Volume: 8 Issue: 6 Page: NA

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IRAN: INVITATION TO BID ON CONSTRUCTION OF PROPOSED 1.1 MILLION TON PER YEAR OLEFINS PLANT IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED TO BE ISSUED WITHIN THE NEXT 2 MONTHS, ... Gas & Petrochemicals in the Developing World

Manufacturer: Worldwide Projects, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00098SHL2
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from WWP- Report on Oil Gas & Petrochemicals in the Developing World, published by Worldwide Projects, Inc. on June 1, 1999. The length of the article is 638 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: IRAN: INVITATION TO BID ON CONSTRUCTION OF PROPOSED 1.1 MILLION TON PER YEAR OLEFINS PLANT IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED TO BE ISSUED WITHIN THE NEXT 2 MONTHS, NATIONAL PETROCHEMICAL CO. (NPC) [IRAN] - Order #: 067099.
Publication: WWP- Report on Oil Gas & Petrochemicals in the Developing World (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 1999
Publisher: Worldwide Projects, Inc.
Volume: 8 Issue: 6 Page: NA

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IRAN: INVITATION TO BID ON CONSTRUCTION OF PROPOSED 1.1 MILLION TON PER YEAR OLEFINS PLANT IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED TO BE ISSUED WITHIN THE NEXT 2 MONTHS, ... Opportunities in Africa & the Middle East

Manufacturer: Worldwide Projects, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00098SGAE
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from WWP-Business Opportunities in Africa & the Middle East, published by Worldwide Projects, Inc. on June 1, 1999. The length of the article is 638 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: IRAN: INVITATION TO BID ON CONSTRUCTION OF PROPOSED 1.1 MILLION TON PER YEAR OLEFINS PLANT IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED TO BE ISSUED WITHIN THE NEXT 2 MONTHS, NATIONAL PETROCHEMICAL CO. (NPC) [IRAN] - Order #: 067099.
Publication: WWP-Business Opportunities in Africa & the Middle East (Newsletter)
Date: June 1, 1999
Publisher: Worldwide Projects, Inc.
Volume: 8 Issue: 6 Page: NA

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Mississippi State alums, fans fueling condo boom: Starkville could see $50 million in condo and related construction in next five years.(Focus Real Estate) ... article from: Mississippi Business Journal

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Mississippi State alums, fans fueling condo boom: Starkville could see $50 million in condo and related construction in next five years.(Focus Real Estate) ... article from: Mississippi Business Journal
Becky Gillette
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000BGWZ1A
Release Date: 2005-09-16

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Mississippi Business Journal, published by Thomson Gale on August 29, 2005. The length of the article is 1577 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Mississippi State alums, fans fueling condo boom: Starkville could see $50 million in condo and related construction in next five years.(Focus Real Estate)
Author: Becky Gillette
Publication: Mississippi Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 29, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 27 Issue: 35 Page: 20(2)

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Number of individuals working in virtual home offices to increase by 15.1 million in the next 5 years.: An article from: Research Studies-Business Communications, Inc.

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Number of individuals working in virtual home offices to increase by 15.1 million in the next 5 years.: An article from: Research Studies-Business Communications, Inc.

Manufacturer: Business Communications Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008DITIO
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Research Studies-Business Communications, Inc., published by Business Communications Company, Inc. on December 17, 2002. The length of the article is 669 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Number of individuals working in virtual home offices to increase by 15.1 million in the next 5 years.
Publication: Research Studies-Business Communications, Inc. (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 17, 2002
Publisher: Business Communications Company, Inc.
Page: 1(2)

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Parts Unlimited plans $45 million in facilities expansions next year. : An article from: Powersports Business

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Parts Unlimited plans $45 million in facilities expansions next year. : An article from: Powersports Business
Guido Ebert
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Accessories | Automotive | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Industry | Automotive | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Parts | Automotive | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000AQGBUW
Release Date: 2005-08-05

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Powersports Business, published by Thomson Gale on September 27, 2004. The length of the article is 1094 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Parts Unlimited plans $45 million in facilities expansions next year.
Author: Guido Ebert
Publication: Powersports Business (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 27, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 7 Issue: 13 Page: 5(1)

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Book Description

Dubbed by the New York Times as "one of the most sought-after legal academics in the county," William Ian Miller presents the arcane worlds of the Old Norse studies in a way sure to attract the interest of a wide range of readers. Bloodtaking and Peacemaking delves beneath the chaos and brutality of the Norse world to discover a complex interplay of ordering and disordering impulses. Miller's unique and engaging readings of ancient Iceland's sagas and extensive legal code reconstruct and illuminate the society that produced them.

People in the saga world negotiated a maze of violent possibility, with strategies that frequently put life and limb in the balance. But there was a paradox in striking the balance—one could not get even without going one better. Miller shows how blood vengeance, law, and peacemaking were inextricably bound together in the feuding process.

This book offers fascinating insights into the politics of a stateless society, its methods of social control, and the role that a uniquely sophisticated and self-conscious law played in the construction of Icelandic society.

"Illuminating."—Rory McTurk, Times Literary Supplement

"An impressive achievement in ethnohistory; it is an amalgam of historical research with legal and anthropological interpretation. What is more, and rarer, is that it is a pleasure to read due to the inclusion of narrative case material from the sagas themselves."—Dan Bauer, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

Customer Reviews:

Opens a Wide New World..........2002-03-26

I read this book while a student in Miller's semi-infamous class "Blood Feuds" at the University of Michigan Law School. I went into the class thinking that it would be interesting and fun, but that I wouldn't learn much from it, since I already had such an extensive familiarity with the Icelandic sagas: as an undergraduate I had translated some of them from Old Norse to English, and I had read most of the rest of them several times over in English translation.

Yes, it was interesting and yes, it was fun, but man! were my eyes opened as to how much I had to learn about the sagas and about the culture within which they were written.

There are two main reasons to read this book. First, to learn history. The history of ninth to fourteenth century Iceland is incredible, and the culture fascinating. Theirs was a culture that knew no central or even local government, no law enforcement infrastructure, and no arms control. And yet the Icelanders developed a complex system of law, essentially codifying the blood feud (which tradition still governs dispute resolution in places like Afghanistan and rural Macedonia), according to which civil injustice could be roughly corrected. Their example has much to teach us about human nature unadulterated by the State.

Second, Bloodtaking is an unparalleled gateway into the sagas as literature. Despite my intimate familiarity with every line of, for example, Hrafnkel's saga, until I read Miller's book I had only the most inadequate appreciation for how tightly it is constructed, how elegantly and efficiently it was drafted. The sagas are only vaguely comparable to the very best English-language short stories; the skill that went into them is comparable to that of a Dante or a Shakespeare.

A modern reader is not culturally prepared to receive the sagas as they would have been by a medieval Icelander. Miller's book provides the small set of cultural factoids that create relevance where otherwise detail might seem pointless or obscure, and reveals the saga-writers' penchant for humorous understatement and emphasis by ellipse. Armed with a relatively small set of cultural facts and with an eye for a small set of saga tropes, the reader has access to a whole new literary world.

Whatever your bent, Bloodtaking makes for fascinating reading.

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Bloodtaking and Peacemaking: Feud, Law, and Society in Saga Iceland
William Ian Miller
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Norse & Icelandic Sagas | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OPJD3Q

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Paradise Mislaid: Birth, Death & the Human Predicament of Being Biological
E. J. Applewhite
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Consciousness & Thought | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Humanism | Movements | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0312059442

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Paradise Mislaid - Birth, Death & the Human Predicament of Being Biological
E.J. Applewhite
Manufacturer: New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NVCHR0

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PARADISE MISLAID BIRTH, DEATH, AND THE HUMAN PREDICAMENT OF BEING BIOLOGICAL
E. J. Applewhite
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JWBOTA

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