The Retail Revolution: Market Transformation, Investment, and Labor in the Modern Department Store

Book Description

Finally information that explains proper social manners for every type of business situation. The Professional Development Series is designed to guide and teach both professionals and students the social skills necessary to compete and succeed in today's global environment.Covering such topics as Team Dynamics, Leadership in Organizations, Career Planning and Networking and Business Etiquette and Protocol, these short, comprehensive books will provide the reader immediate "know-how" to feel comfortable in any type of professional situation. Available by themselves or in bundles, these will prove to be a must have for every business person. Team Dynamics will focus on essential elements of a team, becoming a good team player, barriers to successful teamwork, effective team meetings and attributes of a great team leader.

Book Description

Focusing on the Galileo Mission, the story will relate this remarkable spacecraft's protracted gestation and the ordeal of its long haul out to Jupiter and its ultimate triumph: 5 years exploration within the Jovian system. The story spans a full quarter of a century, drawing on the press conferences, technical papers and essays of engineers and scientists involved in the mission which provide a real sense of participation as the discoveries poured in - it will bring the mission of the Galileo spacecraft to life and provide a more engaging account than would simply be achieved by recounting scientific results. The book will conclude with a snapshot "look ahead" into the Cassini flyby of Jupiter in December 2000 shortly after publication - the book released to coincide with this media event.

Customer Reviews:

A marvelous story.......2001-08-01

This book takes you on a ride with the famous robot spacecraft Galileo. Although the first couple chapters describe the spacecraft and deal briefly with the administrative headaches and unfortunate events that led to the greatly delayed launch, the bulk of the book literally follows the robot around as it makes its 6-year interplanetary journey and subsequent groundbreaking observations of remote Jupiter and the Galilean moons.

Despite communications being severely hindered by the early loss of the high-gain antenna, Galileo was still able to send back lots of high-resolution pictures of the Jovian system as well as tons of readings from other instruments. Many of these pictures are printed in this book. The previous reviewer was correct in stating that the pictures on the Internet look better due to more dramatic image scale, but this is a paperback book and the pictures had to be shrunk to fit in. Nevertheless, many of the photographs are stunning, especially of Europa and Io, the two moons closest to Jupiter.

The story really sheds light on how much was lost due to the failure of the main antenna, because instead of a few high-resolution shots of selected areas of the surface like we got, all four moons would have been covered in glorious detail. Anyway, it's still remarkable what the programming team was able to achieve with data compression.

Also, the accounting of the numerous radiation-induced glitches and resets suffered by Galileo helps us understand how incredibly hostile Jovian space is. If a well-shielded electronic device encounters so many problems with radiation out there, how much worse would it be for living creatures??

Overall, a fantastic telling of an incredible story, somewhat accessible to the layman but especially so to the amateur astronomer or space science enthusiast.

The cover is not everything..........2001-04-17

I bought this book because I have made generally good experiences with books in this series, however, I was deeply disappointed by it. David Harland tries to cover the whole of the Galileo mission, but overall, I consider the book a failure. If you want to read a 500p+ NASA press release, this book might be for you. If you want a summary of the Galileo mission, without many repetitions, with factual scientific information on a popular level, however, this book is not for you. Many things, for example the cause for the Galileo launch delay and many important scientific results, are never really spelt out, the illustrations (all in black and white, by the way, despite what the cover might imply) are all the same JPEGs that you can get cheaper from NASAs web-site, and without the strong JPEG aliases that suggest that somebody tried to compress them even more, and I just could continue with that. This is unfortunate, however, since seldomly an author has attempted to cover the results of a space mission as important as Galileo, in such a detail. Because such an attempt is laudable, I give the book 2 stars instead of one.

Brilliant account of one of Nasa's finest hours.......2000-12-31

At last ... someone's written the full story of this amazing mission. The story of Galileo - a true space odyssey for 2001 - is long and complex, involving much trial and tribulation. Harland has decided to concentrate on the discoveries rather than the drama - the failed antenna, launch delays and uncooperative tape recorder - although he does cover these topics well and with authority. This book comes into its own with the description of the often mind-boggling discoveries made at Jupiter, and the lesser-trumpeted but equally-impressive observations made at Venus, the Asteroid Belt and of the Earth-Moon system. I particularly liked the account of the kamikaze Jupiter Atmospheric Probe - the little package of instruments despatched into the atmosphere of the giant planet itself and which, despite all the telecoms foul-ups, still managed to send back reams of priceless information to earth from the interior of a gas giant! And all this, with 1980s technology. Thee is full coverage of the discoveries made at Europa and Io, the ''sexiest'' part of the mission. The account of the geology of Io is particularly good, and the chapter dealing with Europa is as up-to-date as could be hoped for. Harland does not ignore Callisto and Ganymede either - these moons have not had the coverage of their more glamorous siblings - yet under their icy crusts there may lurk, as Harland says, dark oceans. Jupiter itself gets a good show here, with an in-depth account of the bizarre meteorological processes operating on this photogenic planet. Some of the more ''obscure'' stuff is covered in detail too. Tis is Harland's forte - covering the nitty-gritty of a space mission, the often arcane details that other accounts leave out. Thus we learn all about Jupiter's complex magnetic field, the tiny moonlets some of which are smaller than cities, and some fascinating stuff about interplanetary dust. This is a good read, quite technical at times but there is a substantial glossary at the back for those of us who have difficulty distinguishing out faculae from our calderas. Buy this book if you are interested in space. Brilliant.

Jovian Sojourn.......2000-12-27

In the author's preface to his latest book, JUPITER ODYSSEY: THE STORY OF NASA'S GALILEO MISSION, renowned science writer David M. Harland notes that while the NASA History Office will publish the "official" history of the Galileo Project in 2003, he is only providing an account of the spacecraft's journey and its scientific discoveries. After reading the book, though, one might well conclude that Harland is being too modest and that he has accomplished much more. Like his previous book, EXPLORING THE MOON: THE APOLLO EXPEDITIONS, Harland does not merely chronicle a highly successful scientific endeavor, he also adds his considerable knowledge of planetary science to the task of interweaving an interesting narrative with a highly readable interpretation of the science results; in this case, from Galileo's exploration of the jovian system, as well as from the many targets of opportunity en route to Jupiter. From the inception of the Galileo Project in the mid-1970's, through its repeated launch delays (culminating in a launch in 1989), through the end of its primary and extended missions at the turn of the century, Harland literally traces the circuitous, politically volatile, and often star-crossed journey of this highly successful robotic explorer. Unlike his colleagues in this genre (e.g. Henry S.F. Cooper, Eric Burgess, Jeffrey Kluger, etc.) Harland provides more than just a serial history. In addition to first-person accounts from many of the key scientists and engineers on the mission, he draws on a plethora of primary sources that include formally published, peer-reviewed science papers and conference proceedings to give the reader a very thorough lesson on the Galileo Mission. The book is abundantly footnoted and richly illustrated with hundreds of images, many of which have been composited and mosaicked by the author from original datasets. A minor drawback is that the illustrations are all black and white, but Harland does provide full references so that one may access the original data in the Galileo archives, which are fully accessible via the Internet. I highly recommend JUPITER ODYSSEY to all readers, beginner to advanced, all of who will surely gain new insight into one of the most successful interplanetary missions ever flown.

Book Description

Thomas Perry’s novels of suspense have been celebrated for their “dazzling ingenuity” (The New York Times Book Review) and for writing that is “as sharp as a sushi knife” (Los Angeles Times). By turns horrifying and erotic, Perry’s new thriller takes us on a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that pits two women against each other: a beautiful serial killer and the detective who is determined to stop her.

When the cousin of Los Angeles underworld figure Hugo Poole is found shot to death in his Portland, Oregon, home, police find nothing at the scene of the crime except several long strands of blond hair hinting that a second victim may have been involved. Hotel security tapes from the victim’s last vacation reveal an out-of-focus picture of a young blond woman entering and leaving his room. Could she also be a murder victim?

Portland homicide detective Catherine Hobbes is determined to solve the case and locate the missing blonde, but her feelings, and the investigation, are complicated when Hugo hires private detective Joe Pitt to perform a parallel investigation. As the Joe and Catherine form an uneasy alliance, the murder count rises–and both realize that the pretty young woman in the security tapes is not a victim at all.

As Catherine follows the evidence, she finds herself in a deadly contest with an unpredictable adversary capable of changing her appearance and identity at will. Catherine must use everything she knows, as a homicide detective and as a woman, to stop a murderer who kills on impulse and with ease, and who becomes more efficient and elusive with each crime.

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Customer Reviews:

nightlife.......2007-08-23

The twists and turns in this book keeps you on the edge of your seat. I found myself enjoying an evil serial killer way too much. I highly recommend this book.

Good, but not his best. .......2007-07-30

As a fan of Thomas Perry's, I was a bit disappointed in this book. He does his usual wonderful job of creating settings and bringing action to life. Each scene is carefully crafted, and many are full of the kind of suspense at which he so often excels. The premise of the book is compelling and it has one of the best beginnings he's written.

So why three stars? Perry is a master at describing settings, creating unlikely but richly defined characters, and, most of all, fascinating pursuits with a stream of identity changes mixed in. In Nightlife, this combination of skills never really gels into a tight story.

1. The ending is frightfully predictable. Long before the final clash, you can see it coming; and, when it does it's abrupt and uninteresting.

2. The romance is superfluous. It adds nothing substantive to either the plot, or our understanding of Catherine Hobbes, the heroine of the story.

3. The events are episodes that are somewhat loosely connected. The continuity of the pursuit that fuels his best works such as Butcher's Boy and the early Jane Whitfield books is missing.

Read this one at the beach or while on an airplane. It's Perry after all, and still worth the time.

Could be better.......2007-07-21

The complaints by some of the other reviewers are for the most part valid. The book has its moments, but it becomes a little too predictable. The serial killer just keeps staying a few steps ahead of her pursuers. The choices of what to do with the characters are not all that great. And the ending is silly. Perry has done much better in other works.

Disappointing.......2007-07-21

NIGHTLIFE is my first Thomas Perry novel. It will be my last. The story could have been great, the characters are interesting but that's it. The writing is pedestrian, predictable and often boring. You can speed read through most of the action, especially the second half of the book. After having just read Martin Cruz Smith, Elmore Leonard and Steve Yarbrough, Perry was a miss for me.

Couldn't put it down.......2007-05-30

Thomas Perry always delivers and this is no exception. A great read.

Average customer rating:

Nightlife A Novel
Thomas Perry
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VNV5OG

Amazon.com

Editors Alan Brinkley and Davis Dyer have compiled an excellent reference volume with The Reader's Companion to the American Presidency, a set of intelligent minibiographies on the commanders in chief. Everyone gets his due, from George Washington to Bill Clinton (whose entry is current enough to cover his impeachment in 1998 and Senate trial in 1999). Even William Henry Harrison, the man who served for only a month--he reportedly caught a fatal cold at his inauguration--receives seven pages of attention. "If Harrison's presidency was insignificant," writes Marc W. Kruman, "his pursuit of the office transformed the history of American presidential elections." Several of the contributors offer reduced versions of full-length biographies they have already written, such as William McFeely on Ulysses S. Grant and Robert Dallek on Lyndon B. Johnson. Some of the authors editorialize only casually, while others come down hard on their subjects, such as Roger Morris on Richard Nixon: "There was also something dark and ugly about his long and never peaceful public career, in which muck and money were inescapable, inseparable from politics or policy." By and large, however, the entries are respectful each is a good summary of its man, and all include a brief bibliographic note suggesting to readers where they can go to learn more. The Reader's Companion to the American Presidency is a welcome addition to any personal library on U.S. history. --John J. Miller

Book Description

What makes some presidents triumphant leaders and others disastrous failures? How has the presidency evolved from the institution established by the Founding Fathers? Which president was the first to be elected with no previous political experience? In this wonderfully engaging book, readers will discover the answers to such questions and gain a rich understanding of the personalities, policies, and tragic flaws of our nation's chief executives. With forty-one essays in all, by such eminent historians as Eric Foner, Joyce Appleby, James Henretta, Alan Taylor, Jean Baker, Robert Dallek, Drew McCoy, and Karen Orren, THE READER'S COMPANION showcases some of the most provocative interpretive history being written today. Was Madison, for example, an indecisive bungler who led his country to war or a principled politician whose leadership was appropriate to his time? Ranging from the tragedy of Hoover's administration to Johnson's Great Society, from Carter's human rights agenda to the current administration's challenges, these engagingly written pieces shed light on the hubris, and sometimes the brilliance, of our leaders. Fully illustrated with timelines, data boxes, and short essays on presidential families, this book is an indispensable resource for the serious historian and the curious reader alike.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Presidential Resource.......2006-06-14

(originally posted May 5, 2000)
The Reader's Companion to the American Presidency serves as a nice overview of the Presidents without being a mere laundry list of facts and "did you know?" trivia. The essay contributions of dozens of well-respected historians give a concise, but remarkably comprehensive overview of each President's administration and background. A timeline at the bottom of the page and sidebars about U.S. population, immigration, commerce statistics, and information about the first family nicely complement each section. While the essays offer insights about the accomplishments and failures of each man, the book avoids being overly "heavy-handed" or judgmental.
A great feature is the "For Further Reading & Research" section which recommends biographies and reveals where one can find the President's papers for more in-depth reading of the President and his times. The book is not photo-heavy, but many of the black-and-white photos offered are refreshingly different from the ones we might be used to seeing (e.g. Gilbert Stuart's rendition of Washington is absent). This professional and well-organized hardcover would make a great gift and first-stop resource for anyone's library.

A Great Presidential Resource.......2000-05-05

The Reader's Companion to the American Presidency serves as a nice overview of the Presidents without being a mere laundry list of facts and "did you know?" trivia. The essay contributions of dozens of well-respected historians give a concise, but remarkably comprehensive overview of each President's administration and background. A timeline at the bottom of the page and sidebars about U.S. population, immigration, commerce statistics, and information about the first family nicely complement each section. While the essays offer insights about the accomplishments and failures of each man, the book avoids being overly "heavy-handed" or judgmental.

A great feature is the "For Further Reading & Research" section which recommends biographies and reveals where one can find the President's papers for more in-depth reading of the President and his times. The book is not photo-heavy, but many of the black-and-white photos offered are refreshingly different from the ones we might be used to seeing (e.g. Gilbert Stuart's rendition of Washington is absent). This professional and well-organized hardcover would make a great gift and first-stop resource for anyone's library.

An objective view of POTUS........2000-03-12

Washington was a great President, right? Lincoln's presidency was without blemish, correct? Bill Clinton was the only President to have an affair or two? Well what if these things happened before? How does each President stack up against the other? This book might just have the answers you're looking for.

Historians like Eric Foner, Joyce Appleby, Alan Taylor, Jean Baker, Karen Orren and others put together 41 essays on the man who has held the highest political office in the land and they give the insight into the up and downs of the administration.

You'll read about the triumphs, the failures, the wins, the losses and the scandals, all put into the proper perspective of the time in which they took place. Excellent companion to any history book, with information that you may not find anywhere else.

If you are looking to increase your knowledge of the President and are looking for a straight forward, unbiased reading than this book should be on your list. The authors and editors have give you a first rate book and at a price that is sure to make everyone happy.

Average customer rating:

Mixed Bag

a very powerful book

Heart-wrenching Reality of Southern Poverty

Keeper of the Moon
Tim McLaurin
Manufacturer: Down Home Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1878086685

Customer Reviews:

Mixed Bag.......2001-08-29

I enjoyed this book, but I think some of the praise here and on the back cover is a tad overblown.
I think McLaurin is a good writer, and "Keeper Of The Moon" is a good book. He spends a lot of time recreating conversations he didn't witness, or was just too young to remember, but that's a quibble. This is the kind of book a lot of us say we're going to write, but all too few of us ever get around to doing it.
But I have trouble with McLaurin and other "southern" writers who dip into fits of that reverse-snobbery they call "southern pride." Being from the south myself (Virginia, admittedly not the deep south but the home of the Presidents and Robert E. Lee, don't ya know---I do say "ya'll" several times a day), I still don't understand the theory that dying in needless hunting and drunken driving accidents, having children while still in middle school, getting in knife fights, or living in poverty because you spend all your money on booze, drugs, and hookers is somehow a proud tradition. Call me crazy, but I think there's a lot more to the south, or any other part of the country, than that.

a very powerful book.......1999-05-05

every southerner should read this and all of tim mclaurin's works. his perspective and view of growing up in the south touches on some truths that every native person of the south has been exposed to. the stories of the relationships in this and all of mclaurin's books are almost too real. rarely have i read anyone's work who could express such complex feelings with such clarity. tim mclaurin, like ferrol sams and pat conroy, is one of the best the south has to offer.

Heart-wrenching Reality of Southern Poverty.......1997-11-05

Reading Tim McLaurin is like talking with a friend. In Keeper of the Moon, he recalls his painful childhood - a childhood of poverty that he didn't even recognize as poverty until he left it. The stories in this collection are so real you can feel the cold, shed the tears, and know the lonliness of the author. His memories are all to familiar to those of us who grew up during the same era and with the same in-bred prejudices and misconceptions. We all saw or knew or were related to the same characters he describes so vividly. Some of us were lucky enough not to have to work a farm, birthing swine or watching our dads drink themselves into oblivion, but we saw it all around us and felt its impact. It all comes home with a vengence while reading his boyhood stories. If you never lived it, you will through his eyes and his words. Read it more than once; you will learn something new each and every time you do. Savor it for the truths revealed; cherish it for the lessons learned and for the sheer joy of reading a masterful artist's work.

Second Moon (Keepers of the Maser Series, Volume 1)

Average customer rating:

a must in its genre...

Second Moon (Keepers of the Maser Series, Volume 1)
Massimiliano Frezzato
Manufacturer: Heavy Metal Magazine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1882931246

Customer Reviews:

a must in its genre..........2000-06-09

I bought all 3 of Frezzato's "Les Gardiens du Maser" (in french, but i read one of them in english, in Heavy Metal mag). I loved them all very much, Frezzato's art is stunning, such attention to details impress me very much. The characters are very enjoyable and have personas that compels you to have more and more to read about them. The fictional world they live in is very realistic technology-wise. The gizmos they carry, the vehicules, the robots, the evil dwarves are all so interesting... i can't wait for the rest of the books to come out.

Average customer rating:

Keeper of the Moon

Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Average customer rating:

Keeper Of the Moon a Southern Boyhood
Tim McLaurin
Manufacturer: W.W. Norton and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LCGDLW

Caldecott Medal Set (Officer Buckle and Gloria, Owl Moon, Finders Keepers, So You Want to Be President)

Average customer rating:

Caldecott Medal Set (Officer Buckle and Gloria, Owl Moon, Finders Keepers, So You Want to Be President)
Jane Yolen, Will and Nicolas, William Lipkind and Nicolas Mordvinoff, Judith St. George Peggy Rathmann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VUNAWO

Average customer rating:

Keeper of the Moon

Manufacturer: W.W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 9991677690

Book Description

This is the most authoritative account available of the presidency of Georges Pompidou. Pompidou consolidated the constitutional changes made by de Gaulle, to the extent that he is now regarded as the Fifth Republic's second founding father, and continued his haughty attitudes to foreign policy. He also launched a program of modernization and industrialization: under Pompidou France saw both the climax and the end of the postwar boom. Serge Berstein and Jean-Pierre Rioux analyze the politics of the period, and also give an overview of France's economy, culture and society.

Customer Reviews:

Airline book.......2007-01-09

Was interested in this because I, too, have trained for responding to a major airline disaster. Learned alot from this book.

Great Handbook on Poise: "a lost art".......2006-02-10

Though not necessarily the author's intent, I deeply appreciated this writer's insights regarding communication skills (both verbal & nonverbal), self-presentation, discernment, and crises managment.

I recommend EXIT ROW for individuals pursuing corporate careers, (especially in areas of communications, marketing or sales) or emergency management professions.

Author took no payment for the book.......2003-10-05

In response to doubletrouble... I read in a newspaper article that the author is giving 100% of the proceeds of this book to a children's charity. So, anyhow, I felt the book very interesting and a great testimony about airplane crashes and crisis workers! Everyone involved in the Sept 11th activation should read it. It was very moving.

Response to doubletroublefive-o.......2003-10-05

Review for Exit Row and response to doubletroublefive-o

I was deeply touched by this book, and surprised to find it contained much more than the title and subtitle hinted at. Not everyone is going to get the same thing out of a book, but in all fairness and honesty, I can only conclude that doubletroublefive-o did not read to the end of the book. Had he or she done so, the full picture would have come clear.

In a serendipitous way, two survivors of Flight 965 (one of the actual crash, the other the aftermath) meet and allow their lives to be enhanced by the other. Together they create a project to benefit orphans around the world, building swingsets as evidence of their love and concern. In truth, Mercedes became an orphan as a result of the crash, even though she was an adult by then. I can attest to that, because it's the way I felt the day my second parent died and I was already an adult and parent of several children myself. The loss of parents, so closely allied with our past, helps us empathize with those who are orphaned in a more profound sense as children.
Connected with this is the fact that the author mentions (to me a foreshadowing) the loss of her father at age 7, the details of which she doesn't learn for many years.

I applaud the writer of this book and her close ally and friend who helped inspire it. This book is one more proof that mankind has the capacity to turn tragedy into a lasting expression of gratitude for life.

Don't bother!.......2003-08-21

This book was NOTHING like what I expected. The author leads you to believe she was thrusted into a traumatic experience that changed her life. Her experience dealing with plane crash victim's families was brief and inconsequential! It appears she wanted to benefit financially from an event she was only slightly involved in. I'd give it 0 stars if I could.

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