Book Description
Harvard Professor Henry Spearman--an ingenious amateur sleuth who uses economics to size up every situation--is sent by an American entrepreneur to Cambridge, England. His mission is to scout out for purchase the most famous house in economic science: Balliol Croft, the former dwelling place of Professor Alfred Marshall, John Maynard Keynes's teacher and the font of modern economic theory. A near miss for the American entrepreneur and the shocking and bizarre murder of Nigel Hart, the master of Bishop's College, soon make it clear that the whole affair is risky business. When a second corpse turns up, Henry Spearman is jolted into realizing that his own life is in peril as he finds himself face to face with the most diabolical killer of his experience.
Customer Reviews:
Indifference.......2007-06-03
I thought this book was pretty bad. Since this is a book written by economists, I expected it to be strong in economic ideas and weak in character development and writing style. I found the exact opposite. The writing is pleasant and engaging, but the economic "lectures" and discussions between the characters are little more than bickering. I did not find anything interesting in terms of economic ideas. It was one emotional, incomplete argument after another; I felt like these were high schoolers in AP Econ with British accents. The inane references to Cambridge, Harvard, Oxford, and the inner workings of academic relationships which amount to immature rivalries and political affiliation are absolutely unnerving. I get the feeling that the professors who wrote this either are very vain and conscious of the schools people go to, or are criticizing it and it is over my head. Whatever, bad vibes. I do not recommend this book.
MURDER: NOT MEANS AND MOTIVES, BUT GAINS AND LOSSES.......2006-04-03
Set in 1965, Henry Spearman is a Harvard professor of economics who travels to Cambridge, England, to negotiate the purchase of the house of the famous economist Alfred Mashall on behalf of his foundation. While he is there he delivers a witty and insightful lecture in free market economics and with masterful insight predicts the demise of the Communist system. The house sale does not go according to plan, but shortly after he is enjoying the civilised surroundings, when a gruesome and baffling murder takes place in a nearby college. The house sale is turning out to be more complicated than anyone imagined, even for a brilliant economist. Henry Spearman is forced to turn detective, and a formidable analyst he makes.
Although it may sound unlikely, the authors of this book (Marshall Jevons is a pseudonym), make a series of mini-lectures and debates from the lips of the professor into both an entertaining way to learn some principles of economics and an undeniable tool for solving crime. Written in 1995, this book is the third in the Spearman murder series, and is an impressively improved model over the first which was written in 1978. The prose is OK, the descriptions are kept under control, the cut-and-thrust of debate has some real flashes of humour and wordplay. The lessons in economics (for you are indubitably to be enlightened as well as entertained), are generally well integrated into the proceedings, helped by the fact that it is set in Cambridge, which is full of intellectuals and uni-types (not the same thing), who like the flashing blade of debate. And, for the murder mayhem mystery addict (I am more of a `Dirty Harry' type myself - I read these things for the Economics 101), there is enough by way of twists of the plot and a fair sprinkling of red herring to make it worth your while. And, if this has not already been made into a film, it would make a decent thriller sans the mini-lectures, but keeping the Communista-free market debate and the cocktail party.
OK, no plot spoilers, so what lessons in econs can u get here? (and I had to read this book twice to winkle these out, so heads up) -
1. Adverse selection in situations of buying used cars and insurance policies, asymmetry in information theory
2. The economic notion of why people buy anything - utility
3. Love considered as an `interdependent utility function' [I kid u not]
4. Intro. to some famous names: Marshall, Pigou, Keynes, Adam Smith
5. Elasticity of demand and tax
6. No such thing as a `fair' price - the `right' price according to interacting factors.
7. Why Communism Will Fail - Humpty-Dumpty theorem of instability - the critical factor of systemic information summarised by rapidly flexible market prices as opposed to slow inflexible planned prices [r u keepg up w this?] Natural selection can only act if there is variation: communism/socialism deludes itself into thinking that this reality does not constrain them. Eg, Communist cold cream versus Revlon and Helena Rubenstein cosmetics.
8. Q: If Communism is so obviously going to fail, why does it appeal to intellectuals? (A: they think that because they are so clever, they will be in charge in such a society - socialista paternalism! Ooo - does that hurt?)
9. Price effect of supply and demand of joint products, eg straw and wheat, beef and leather
10. Banana split versus fruit cocktail: theory of (psychological) indifference in economic choice [ignores radomicity and free will, too simple model, nature abhors a deadlock]
11. Appendectomy and the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility.
12. Economics of running a stables by `Hobson's Choice' (historical example)
13. Efficient allocation of scarce resources by price/most valued use
14. Why have economic theory? Analogy of the map as guide to reality, not reality itself [did they get this from `Mere Christianity' by C.S. Lewis, theology as a map to God?]
15. Contrast between deductive and inductive reason
16. Competition bids up the price
17. Contrast value in use and value in exchange
This is the sort of book that sets you thinking and the lessons do outweigh the novel itself. If you want to track a bit more economistic fiction I also recommend `The Choice' by Russell Roberts: the English economist David Ricardo is summoned back from the grave to comment on international free trade versus protectionism in twentieth century America. Very well written, high level of integration between the morals, the economics, the politics, and the pure political theory. For a good all-round introduction (by an ex-Marxist) try `Basic Economics' by Thomas Sowell, no maths required. Enjoy!
A short review.......2003-12-25
This is a good, clean murder mystery with economics lessons thrown in. The setting is very nice in the universities of Cambridge, England. The characters are developed well, and there are not too many to keep track of. A surprise ending. Worth reading.
A good mystery with some easy to grasp economics lessons........1999-06-27
I highly recommend this book. Besides being an enjoyable read, it also teaches some basic economic concepts. Taking place in England in the 1960's, the book has an enjoyable feel.
Perhaps the highest praise I can say for it is that I have read it 3 times. Something I generally never do with murder mysteries.
A Serial Thriller!.......1999-04-08
A Deadly Indifference is a well written book. The logic used by Henry Spearman is superb. I am a student enrolled in an economics class and all of the economic facts used in the book are true. This book has more twists and turns than the Texas Tornado.
The book is not dull and boring like most other books are. This allows the reader to become one with the story. Every move, every thought. Henry Spearman is a world-class sleuth. Buy this book! Even if you don't have to do a report on it!
Average customer rating:
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The Power of eCommunications
Laurie Benson
Manufacturer: HRD PRESS, INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0874257565 |
Book Description
Electronic communication is here to stay and using the right tools effectively is essential to your success. Yet few companies provide training in this changing area. This cutting-edge book is full of guidelines and things to consider to get what you want when communicating through e-mail, instant message, voice mail, conference calls, web conferences and videoconferences.
Learn how to "ecommunicate" clearly and professionally when participating or leading a virtual team . . . working from a home office…or building and managing professional relationships across cities, states or countries.
Topics include: Delivering bad news via e-mail, cellular phones, and voice mail, humor in electronic communications, and ecommunication protocol—including offensive language, showing emotion and response time.
Learn how to:
Get the most out of conference calls—whether you're a presenter or participant
Turn web conferences and videoconferences into results-getting virtual meetings
A checklist of things to remember before you send your next e-mail
Deal with all the e-mail you receive
Use instant messaging to connect with virtual teams
Do's and don'ts when using voice mail
Conduct virtual job interviews
Prepare for and conduct the conference call, and tips for following up
Minimize your legal liability when using electronic communica
Product Description
Africa has more native cereals than any other continent, a legacy that has largely been bypassed in modern times. This book draws attention to traditional African cereals & their potential for expanding & diversifying African & world food supplies. A number of grains -- including African rice, finger millet, fonio, pearl millet, sorghum, tef, & other cultivated & wild grains -- are discussed with attention paid to their uses, nutrition agronomy, harvesting, & prospects & limitations for use. Includes information on species, distribution, cultivated varieties, & environmental requirements. Photographs
Book Description
The best-selling general psychiatry text since 1972, Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry is now in its thoroughly updated Tenth Edition. This complete, concise overview of the entire field of psychiatry is a staple board review text for psychiatry residents and is popular with a broad range of students in medicine, clinical psychology, social work, nursing, and occupational therapy, as well as practitioners in all these areas. The book is DSM-IV-TR compatible and replete with case studies and tables, including ICD-10 diagnostic coding tables. You will also receive access to the complete, fully searchable online text, an online test bank of approximately 100 multiple-choice questions and full answers, and an online image bank at www.synopsisofpsychiatry.com.
Customer Reviews:
Necessary knowledge.......2007-09-30
This condensed easy-to-read volume provides useful necessary contemporary knowledge about the brain,current drugs and therapies. I highly recommend it as an adjunct quickie-reference along-side the dsm
Very Helpful.......2007-09-15
I just satarted working, leading group therapy and this product has helped greatly in Diagnosis and writing notes.
Univ. MS. Psychiatry Residents Text for Study........2007-07-19
Excellent book. Major review book for teaching for all 1st Year Residents in Psychiatry at Univ.MS. Medical Center/Psychiatry Dept. All residents use this as a major text for their studies in all years of Psychiatry Residency.
Best Psychiatry Textbook for Residency .......2007-02-01
This book helps you understand the important concepts in paychiatryu, use it with other books for your preparation. Good source of review with its companion questions and answers book.
Unwieldy, unhelpful.......2006-10-08
Some people swear by this book; I don't get it. It's a pain to either read or to use as a reference The layout of this book is busier than that of an undergraduate textbook. For no apparent reason, brain images are slapped into sections of some disorders and not others. Ditto for lists of empirical studies. The authors feel it necessary to reprint as a box the DSM-IV criteria for every disorder--only the box appears in different places for different chapters. In fact, the structure of each chapter seems somewhat different, even across chapters on similar disorders. I'm not really sure about this, though, as the organizational structure of the chapters continues to elude me. And it definitely lacks some information that most people would find helpful. For instance, there are (I believe) only two decision trees in this 1400 page opus. And lots of space is wasted. It's unclear what the first 250 or so pages are doing in this book, doing a slapdash job of covering the entire lifecycle, the brain, Jean Piaget, Freud, IQ testing, and anthropology. These are bracketed by chapter 1, on interviewing, and chapter 7, on doing clinical examinations. Why those two chapters are not consecutive is anyone's guess. Do I need to go into the writing? It fluctuates between platitudes and stupefying detail. The case histories are well-written, but they are generally taken from the DSM-IV Casebook.
I only give it two stars because it does have a lot of information. I'm sure I will never open this book again, and I could really use a synopsis of psychiatry.
Average customer rating:
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Progress in Standardization of Aquatic Toxicity Tests (Setac Special Publications Series)
Amadeu Soares , and
Peter Calow
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Groundwater
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ASIN: 0873718453 |
Book Description
Progress in Standardization of Aquatic Toxicity Tests provides a critical evaluation of the level of standardization achieved by freshwater and marine ecotoxicity tests used to evaluate potential risk of new chemicals and wastewater effluents. Tests at the sub-cellular, individual, laboratory microcosm, and ecosystem levels are presented and critically evaluated. The influence of environmental and genetic heterogeneity on test standardization is also discussed. The book will be an excellent reference for industry professionals, consultants, regulatory officials, and students working in the ecotoxicology field.
Book Description
The Penobscot, Penns Creek, the Little River, Guadalupe, Firehole, Copper River--these streams and ninety-four others like them provide the best trout fishing in America say members of Trout Unlimited (TU). With a dozen or more streams in each of eight regions, one of America’s one hundred best trout streams flows within a few hours’ drive of most of the nation’s anglers. These are the rivers that anglers dream of visiting. Describing species, hatches, the flies and lures, and when to fish, each profile contains information and maps that boosts angler success. Profiles present, as well, the environmental challenges facing each stream and the role that TU and others play in protecting the fishery. Extensive interviews with anglers for whom each stream is “home water,” add depth to personal observations formed when award-winning writer and angler, John Ross, fished many of these streams himself.
Many who buy the book set out to fish all the streams. For others, the guide is an essential ingredient in the planning of fishing and family vacations. It’s a book that’s as at home next to a fly tyer’s bench as it is tucked in the console between the seats of a pickup truck. A portion of the sale of each book goes to Trout Unlimited to help protect and sustain coldwater fisheries.
Book Description
The purpose of this work is not so much to gratify the curiosity of the uninitiated as to furnish a guide for the neophytes of the Order, by means of which their progress from grade to grade may be facilitated.
Customer Reviews:
A Timely Revision.......2001-12-04
A compact and affordable text for beginners as well as practising Masons. The explanatory notes at the end of the book are helpful in providing token insight not only into the mysteries, but also into the mechanics of the Masonic Lodge.
Product Description
A SMALL HARDCOVER , MASONIC RITUAL AND MONITOR
Product Description
A 1964 REVISED ED. HARDCOVER.
MASONIC RITUAL AND MONITOR
Book Description
Art lovers who travel and travelers who love art will embrace the new 2005 edition of this illustrated, portable guide. It offers unparalleled coverage of major art exhibitions at more than 400 museums in the U.S. and abroad, using the extensive resources of The New York Times and its outstanding cultural reportage. In addition, respected New York Times writers have contributed two informative new essays on the current art scene. AUTHOR BIO: Alan Riding is chief European culture correspondent for The New York Times, based in Paris. Roberta Smith is an art critic at The Times. Susan Mermelstein is an editor at The Times.
Books:
- A Guide for the Young Economist
- A Theory of Incentives in Procurement and Regulation
- American Trade Politics, Fourth Edition
- An Introduction to Efficiency and Productivity Analysis, 2nd Edition
- An Introduction to the Structural Econometrics of Auction Data
- Basic Marketing, 14/e: Package #1: Text, Student CD, PowerWeb & Apps 2003-2004
- Business Forecasting with ForecastX Software & Student CD
- Business Geography and New Real Estate Market Analysis (Spatial Information Systems)
- Calculo Editorial - Fundamentos Economicos
- Central Bank Strategy, Credibility, and Independence: Theory and Evidence
Books Index
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