Analysis and Algorithms for Service Parts Supply Chains (Springer Series in Operations Research and Financial Engineering)

Book Description

Services requiring parts has become a $1.5 trillion business annually worldwide, creating a tremendous incentive to manage the logistics of these parts efficiently by making planning and operational decisions in a rational and rigorous manner. This book provides a broad overview of modeling approaches and solution methodologies for addressing service parts inventory problems found in high-powered technology and aerospace applications. The focus in this work is on the management of high cost, low demand rate service parts found in multi-echelon settings.

This unique book, with its breadth of topics and mathematical treatment, begins by first demonstrating the optimality of an order-up-to policy [or (s-1,s)] in certain environments. This policy is used in the real world and studied throughout the text. The fundamental mathematical building blocks for modeling and solving applications of stochastic process and optimization techniques to service parts management problems are summarized extensively. A wide range of exact and approximate mathematical models of multi-echelon systems is developed and used in practice to estimate future inventory investment and part repair requirements.

The text may be used in a variety of courses for first-year graduate students or senior undergraduates, as well as for practitioners, requiring only a background in stochastic processes and optimization. It will serve as an excellent reference for key mathematical concepts and a guide to modeling a variety of multi-echelon service parts planning and operational problems.

Customer Reviews:

Important Contribution to Service Parts Management Body of Knowledge.......2006-02-28

In my 25-year career in the equipment service business, a few books stand out as being the most noteworthy contributions to the management of service parts. They include Robert G. Brown's Advanced Service Parts Inventory Control (1982), Joseph D. Patton Jr.'s Service Parts Management (1984), and Craig C. Sherbrooke's Optimal Inventory Modeling of Systems: Multi-Echelon Techniques (1992). This new volume by Muckstadt stands to be the most significant contribution to the business of managing service parts since Sherbrooke's volume.

Brown's book teaches the practitioner how to apply the principles and methods developed by him and others to the practical management of service parts. Brown's pioneering work in forecasting and inventory control methodologies forms the basis of current practice across many industries. Patton's volume (along with it's subsequent revisions) is a practitioner's desk reference that provides a convenient overview of the issues and methods employed in the industry from the viewpoint of one with years of experience managing and consulting to the industry. Sherbrooke produced pioneering work in the area of service inventory supply optimization while working at the RAND Corporation for Department of Defense applications in the military. In fact, the most sophisticated service parts supply optimization methodologies in existence today are outgrowths of Sherbrooke's original work at RAND and further research by the Operations Research community.

This new text by Muckstadt is an important contribution in three ways. First, it pulls together in one text much of the significant research related to service parts supply chain optimization to date. Researchers, consultants and practitioners will find that the 260-reference bibliography itself is worth the cost in timesavings in researching the many papers that have been written on the subject. Second, it teaches students of Operations Research the underlying concepts and how to specify and formulate optimization models for service parts applications. Graduate students who complete the material in the text will be well prepared to conduct further research of their own. Finally, Chapters 6 and 10 present valuable new approaches heretofore never published. The time-based service objectives in Chapter 6 directly reflect the manner in which service contracts in high technology industries are written. Decision models that operate in real-time such as those described in Chapter 10 offer the greatest potential for advancing the effectiveness of service parts supply chains.

Book Description

Knowledge Capitalism probes the surface of contemporary economic and social change, revealing how the shift to a knowledge-based economy is redefining firms, empowering individuals, and reshaping the links between learning and work. Using economic, management and knowledge-based theories, supported by empirical data and illustrations from leading companies, Knowledge Capitalism describes the emergence of a new breed of capitalist, one dependent on knowledge rather than physical resources. The author argues that industrial-era models of firm-market boundaries, work arrangements, and ownership and control are inhibiting firms and individuals success in the emerging knowledge economy. New models are proposed based on knowledge-centred organisation, knowledge-led growth, and knowledge supply as distinct from labour supply or flexible employment. Continuous learning is shown to be critical to firms as integrators of disparate knowledge resources, and the only practical route for individuals to become free agents. Knowledge Capitalism illuminates the new business landscape and provides a practical tool-set for business practitioners and theorists to interpret and manage change in a rapidly deconstructing economic environment.

Customer Reviews:

Tremendous book. A great reference........2001-09-24

Burton-Jones' account of the knowledge based economy is the best I have found. I've nearly finished my PhD and have read many books! Most books by academics while good for my thesis yield few useful insights for practice. Unfortunately books written by practitioners are mostly useless. They are too light weight to add any value at all (not just for me, my consulting friends tell me the same thing!). This book strikes a great middle-road. Burton-Jones is a practitioner but he seems to have read everything academics have read! It's original, well researched, well written, and carefully argued enough to be very useful for my research and teaching while still practical enough be a great reference for managers. I particularly liked Burton-Jones' Knowledge Supply Model, his Knowledge Growth Model of the firm, and his clear 'Implications' sections concluding his chapters. It's a great book. If you want an introduction to the knowledge economy it is perfect. If you are serious about the knowledge economy or knowledge management, it should be on your bookshelf (or your desk). If you teach knowledge management or economics (particularly in grad school/MBA), get it.

A Good Read!.......2001-04-17

This book falls squarely into the apocalyptic tradition of business literature. It preaches the end of the world, and exhorts readers to repent and prepare for a new world unlike anything they have known. Burton-Jones has absorbed, organized and presented a mass of data to support his message. The data themselves are worth the price of the book, because they provide ample raw material from which to draw one's own conclusions about the validity of the author's thesis. He has trademarked certain key phrases in the book, and the frequent appearance of the superscript "TM" is a helpful reminder to the reader to remember that this book is at least in part a sales pitch for a consultancy practice. But it is nonetheless important to read this book because while Burton-Jones may be wrong about some things, he is clearly right that a big global economic change is underway, and he sets forth in clear, if colorless, prose a reasonably plausible explanation of what it is and why it is happening. We [...] recommend the book to owners, managers, individuals, students, teachers, and policy-makers.

Book Description

Accurate risk assessment is critical to pesticide regulation. This authoritative reference provides an exhaustive evaluation of current agrochemical environmental fate studies, a critical review of current EPA pesticide assessment guidelines, and a wide variety of environmental simulation models. Divided into four sections, this well-organized book provides a wealth of data and information vital to anyone involved in environmental exposure assessment, groundwater, surface water, and water contamination, pesticide regulation, and environmental simulation modeling. At your fingertips, you will have the latest information on the development of meaningful environmental fate data and how this information will result in accurate assessment of potential environmental and human hazards. The inadequacy of current regulatory guidelines and the resulting nonscientific assessment of agrochemical environmental fate are discussed in detail. A wide variety of environmental fate studies are included to demonstrate the current use of data to assess environmental fate and potential hazards associated with agrochemical use. Finally, ten chapters discuss the use of computer models that have been developed for analyzing and integrating data from a variety of environmental fate studies on agrochemicals used under various field conditions.

Agrochemical Fate and Movement: Perspectives and Scale of Study (Acs Symposium Series)

Average customer rating:

Agrochemical Fate and Movement: Perspectives and Scale of Study (Acs Symposium Series)

Manufacturer: An American Chemical Society Publication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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Agronomy | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Insecticides & Pesticides | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0841236089

Book Description

This book emphasizes the importance of scale-of-study when evaluating the environmental fate and transport characteristics of field-applied pesticides, including insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides. The volume examines pesticide usage and its potential impact on non-target natural resources and the dominant issues surrounding pestidice movement in a variety of geophysical locations and environmental systems.

Book Description

As Dr. Engel emphasizes in this "enticing, well-referenced, [and] entertaining book" (Science), we can learn a lot about human health by studying animal behavior in the wild. Indeed, some of the natural, holistic, and alternative human medicine being practiced today arose through the observation of wild animals. In this groundbreaking work, Dr. Engel points out fascinating parallels between animal and human medicine. She offers intriguing examples of how animals prevent and cure sickness and poisonings, heal open wounds, balance their diets, and regulate fertility. For instance, *chimpanzees carefully eat bitter-tasting plant "medicines" that counter intestinal parasites *elephants roam miles to find the clay they ingest to counter dietary toxins *broken-legged chicks have been known to eat analgesic foods that alleviate pain. By observing wild health we may discover (or rediscover) ways to benefit our own health. As Craig Stotlz of the Washington Post noted, this "highly readable assessment . . . triggers more outside-the-double-helix thoughts about human health than anything I've read recently."

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Read: Healthy Living using "Nature's Pharmacy" .......2007-06-09

Have you ever wondered what happens to a wild animal that breaks a leg? What does it do if it gets infested with parasite worms, or if there is are many infectious bugs around?

Read this book to find out.

The author takes a very scientific approach explaining how there are important differences between romantic notions about animals magically knowing exactly what they need to stay well vs. hard scientific evidence of an animal intentionally seeking and engaging in self-medication.

In truth, animals don't magically know what is good for them, for when animals raised in captivity are let go in the wild, they can die from eating poisonous plants that no one taught them to avoid. It is also exceptionally difficult to meet a scientist's rigid definition of self-medication which entails a observation in the wild of 1) an animal is visibly unwell 2) it starts eating things that it normally does not eat 3) it goes out of its way to find those things to eat 4) it becomes visibly better after consuming the unusual `food' in a reasonably short period of time and 5) there is a clear cause and effect link between the treatment and the condition.

Such observations are hard to make because most animals are healthy and fit most of the time just by living a naturally healthy lifestyle with varied diet, plenty of exercise etc. If you get plenty of vitamin C in your diet, you will never get scurvy. Similarly, many animals from mice to primates to elephants eat clay on a regular basis - it seems to prevent many forms of disease.

Yet such examples do exist. A most interesting one is the widespread consumption of rough textured bitter leaves which are carefully folded up accordion-style before eating by primates. The texture and folding is used to catch and mechanically expel worms.

Animals have been observed chewing on the root of a specific tree known to protect against malaria, during times of heavy infestation. Animals watch other animals to see what is safe to eat, or to see what they are eating when sick.

Native people have watched what animals eat to learn how to treat human ills. Bears are a particularly good source of information. Western societies have in turn, learned much from native peoples about medicine.

There is a lot to learn from this book, both in terms of what we can apply in our lives, as well as just remarkable facts from nature. Like: why do so many animals seemingly intentionally get drunk on fermenting fruit? Could it be that alcohol reduces stress which is keeps animals healthy and thus has an adaptive benefit?

Did you know that when a giraffe starts eating leaves from a tree, the leaves turn bitter in 10-15 minutes. Furthermore, the nearby trees sense this is going on, and their leaves turn bitter as well. Yet this only happens to the leaves that are in reach. Those that are higher up in the tree out of reach, remain succulent. The trees are not wasting any more energy than needed. The giraffes have learned that after they graze on one tree, they need to go quite a distance (45 minutes or so) to find trees that did not get the signal from the last feeding.

Highly Recommended Reading!

Excellent review.......2007-01-12

Since I was writing a literature review on zoopharmacognosy I wasn't sure if this book was going to be too "light". It was in fact a lit review in itself with many interesting insights from the author and known scientists in the field. Although it could be more critical the points made are still valid. A must for the study of zoopharmacognosy!

great book--fascinating.......2002-09-16

This is a totally fascinating, wonderfully illuminating book--it's become a favorite for me. Cindy Engel is a superb writer.

More than Common Sense.......2002-07-14

This is the book I have been waiting for! Herbalists and other behavioral scientists such as nurses who have encouraged the public to look at their health behaviors will be buoyed up by Engel's research and ability to deliver the "message". This is a must for all health science collections both personal and institutional. Timely.

Interesting book for Wildlife's vets and animals lover!!.......2002-05-06

I have recently received this book at home and I started to read it. At the moment, I finished the chapter one and I started the second one and I can tell you that this book is very interesting. I had not listened about other similar book with this topic.
Really, I recommend that Wildlife and Zoo's vets read this book, in order to learn more about the means to be healthy in the wild.
We can learn more of Wild's medicine and probably to be able to use it in a captivity environment.

Congratulations To Cindy for this book!!

Amazon.com

In the early 1950s, armed with the rudest of survival gear, a husband-and-wife documentary team touched down in arguably the most remote wilderness in North America, Alaska's Brooks Range. Their mission: to film caribou. The annual migration of vast herds to and from their natal grounds north of the Arctic Circle was considered one of the world's preeminent--if little-known--wildlife spectacles. But on this great animal stage another species of charismatic megafauna unexpectedly one-upped the ungulates. Lois Crisler's 1956 memoir, Arctic Wild, vividly recalls the couple's 18 months in-country and the wolves that would help her work earn a place among the classics of natural history.

The story opens like many an outdoor adventure yarn: extreme living conditions, the occasional grizzly encounter, no shortage of gut-busting work. Then the Crislers decide to adopt two orphaned wolf pups, a male and a female. The result is a journey through wolf development and behavior they never could have predicted. Assuming their human companions to be part of the pack, the pups go about the business of growing quite naturally into adult wolves. Their progression is punctuated by startling moments described in detail by the author, as in their learning to howl:

Sometimes [the female] ululated, drawing her tongue up and down her mouth like a trombone slide. Sometimes on a long note she held the tip of her tongue curled against the roof of her mouth. She shaped her notes with her cheeks, retracting them for plangency, or holding the sound within them for horn notes. She must have had pleasure and sensitiveness about her song for if I entered on her note she instantly shifted by a note or two: wolves avoid unison singing; they like chords.

The Crislers observe, film, and note every nuance of the wolves' change from playful pups to fully grown wolves--wolves that display individual personalities, exceptional intelligence, and highly articulated physical gestures (one of the pair, for instance, curiously investigates a sleeping human by lifting an eyelid with its canine). Revealed is a highly developed social mammal rather than the bloodthirsty murderer of popular accounts.

While the Crislers' pioneer spirit is by itself a remarkable tale, Arctic Wild's fame derives from its place as one of the first narratives to explore wolf habits in an accessible manner that is free of cant and politicization. In his foreword to the reprint edition, wolf expert L. David Meche (author of the seminal The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species) notes that Arctic Wild introduced to a skeptical and generally wolf-fearing public the animal's "beguiling personality." In fact, one might call Arctic Wild the first voice in the wilderness that, decades later, would lead to a gathering howl and finally the once-inconceivable reintroduction of wolves to former ranges like Yellowstone National Park. --Langdon Cook

Book Description

An unforgettable portrait of two naturalists who, in the1950s, spent eighteen awe-inspiring months in Alaska's Brooks Range, where they adopted and raised two wolf pups.

Customer Reviews:

Quite interesting read.......2007-05-21

Well written, easy to read and incredibly informative regarding wolf behavior in the wild and captivity. This couple loved their wolves and did their best to accommodate them. The first two wolf pups were retrieved from Eskimos when their parents were killed for a $50. bounty. The Crislers had to make hard choices regarding their charges when they left the Arctic and headed for home in Colorado. They did the best they could, showing immense compassion for their wolves. They truly loved them. I haven't read Captive Wild and don't know the hardships endured during this period, so can't comment on that.

A MUST READ FOR 1ST TIME OWNERS.......2005-07-12

IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE THAT IS EVEN CONSIDERING BUYING A HYBRID OR WORKING WITH PURE BREED WOLVES, THIS MUST BE THE FIRST BOOK YOU READ!! IT EXPLAINS IN PLAIN ENGLISH WHAT WOLVES ARE LIKE NOT ONLY IN THE WILD BUT IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD. I HAVE JUST GOTTEN MY THIRD HYBRID BREED AND HE IS ONLY THREE MONTHS OLD. HE IS EXACTLY LIKE THE WOLVES LOIS DESCRIBES IN HER BOOK. THE OTHER TWO WOLVES I HAVE, HAVE MORE DOG IN THEM, BUT LOOK LIKE WOLVES.MY OTHER TWO ACT MORE LIKE DOGS IN SO MANY MORE WAYS WITH WOLF QUALITY. BEING A PART OF THE PACK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. OUR PACK INCLUDES, MYSELF, MY HUSBAND, THREE CATS, A ROTT/LAB/HEALER MIX ( WHO BY THE WAY WAS RAISED BY THE WOLVES WE HAVE, ALSO ONE OF OUR CATS THINKS HE IS A WOLF AND HOWLS WHEN HE WANTS SOMETHING). THE PUPPY I JUST GOT IS SO MUCH MORE LIKE A PURE BREED IT IS INCREDIBLE. HE IS THE MOST LOVING AND ANIMATED IN SHOWING HIS AFFECTION FOR ME, AND IN SHOWING ME WHEN HE IS UPSET TOO. I THINK IF I HAD NOT READ LOIS'S BOOK ARCTIC WILD, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN HALF AS PREPARED AS I WAS. REMEMBER THEY WILL ALWAYS BE WILD, NEVER DOMESTICATED. PLEASE READ LOIS'S BOOK, YOU MIGHT THINK AT FIRST THAT IT DOES NOT PRETAIN TO YOU, BUT IF YOU END UP GETTING A WOLF YOU WILL BE GLAD THAT YOU READ HER BOOK, TAKE MY WORD FOR IT!

An inspiration which has lasted over 35 years........2001-06-28

I first read Arctic Wild in the 1960's and have never forgotten the power of it's words and the compassion the authors demonstrated in showing the world that wolves are not to be feared. Much credit for my work in rescuing and rehabbing domestic and wild animals over the past 3 decades must go to Arctic Wild.

Having recently rescued two white wolves and being privileged to enjoy their friendship and listen to their songs, Arctic Wild has once again brought special meaning to my life.

I would like to see Arctic Wild made a required reading for all junior high and high school aged children for they are the fertile ground for changing attitudes. Of all the animal stories I've read and written, Arctic Wild stands above the rest.

Magical - A book like this comes along once every 1000 years.......2001-01-05

Every few millennia, a book comes along that touches your heart and spirit, leaving you powerless to halt the tremendous urging of your soul to fly far, far away and seek the wonders that you have just read about.

Well along the lines of "Ishmael", except this is pure non-fiction.

Arctic Wild will fascinate you and fill you with a sense of awe and joy, the likes of which you've never felt by reading a book.

To say that this book was wonderful would be a terrible understatement - you may never read a book like this again the rest of your life.

amazing.......2000-06-06

This book was one of the best books I've ever read. It was very heartwarming and sad at the same time.

Average customer rating:

Best Alaska fishing book I've seen

Worthwhile, but needs more work in some areas

Easily the second best Alaskan Fishing book out there.

imperfect, but well-above-average, a "strong buy"

Flyfisher's Guide to Alaska: Includes Light Tackle
Scott Haugen , Dan Busch , and Will Rice
Manufacturer: Wilderness Adventures Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guides | Fly Fishing | Fishing | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Alaska | United States | Regional Guides | Fishing | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
General | Alaska | States | United States | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Alaska Fishing: The Ultimate Angler's Guide, Deluxe Third Edition

Alaska Rainbows: Fly-Fishing for Trout and Salmon in Alaska (River Journal)

Flyfishing Alaska

Alaska Fishing on a Budget: A First-Timer's Guide to Organizing and Planning an Economy Salmon Fishing Trip to the Last Frontier

Fishing Alaska's Kenai Peninsula: A Complete Angler's Guide

ASIN: 193209802X

Customer Reviews:

Best Alaska fishing book I've seen.......2005-08-20

This book is packed with all sorts of detailed, useful information for much of Alaska's destinations. Though it probably doesn't cover everything perfectly (Alaska is a big place) I have compared what the author says to some of my personal experiences, and he is quite accurate.

This book goes beyond, the usual "I'll give you the run timings and list guides for you" approach -- it has some real info in it that is good. Though flyfishing is in the title, Haugen recognizes the limitations of that for some of the destinations (e.g., King salmon in most places) and mentions gear techniques also.

Worthwhile, but needs more work in some areas.......2005-06-07

Writing a guide to fly-fishing in the huge state of Alaska must be extremely difficult - tantamount to writing a book like "A Fly-Fisherman's Guide to Everything West of the Mississippi." At the outset, the author would have to make some important decisions on which of the literally thousands of the state's waters should be included in the book, and which waters should be left out.

A logical way to start would be to divide the state into geographical regions, which is what "A Flyfisher's Guide to Alaska" does, then decide what to highlight in each region. In this book, the authors have done a commendable job surveying a large number of diverse of waters; however, in choosing which waters to exclude, they have left out some important fishing destinations, while at the same time including some inconsequential locations.

But before criticizing it too much, I should point out that certain portions of the book are very well done. The regional sections on Bristol Bay, the Kenai Peninsula, and especially Kodiak Island are excellent, providing a high level of detail, with good maps and helpful sidebars containing notes on fishing gear and techniques, options for do-it-yourself fishing, and how to deal with ever-present grizzly bears. Throughout the book, there are lists of contact addresses that the reader will find useful: names and telephone numbers of hotels, fishing guides, air and boat charter businesses, and government offices for each regional selection. The run-timing charts for fish are accurate and helpful, and prospective visitors should pay particular attention to them. In Alaska, where much of the fishing is dependant on anadramous fish, proper timing is everything.

But the book falls seriously short for its lack of coverage of some areas. For example, anyone wanting to use the book to gather information on pike fishing in Alaska would be disappointed to learn that perhaps the state's single best location for huge pike has been ignored. The Innoko River, a tributary to the Yukon, is where the current state record pike was taken, and is recognized by pike aficionados as quite literally one of the world's top destinations for these ferocious fish. Granted, this is a remote river, but no more so than many of the other places that are included in the book. I was very surprised to see no mention of it at all.

Perhaps the most serious omission is the waters of Prince William Sound and the streams located along the Gulf of Alaska from the town of Cordova to Yakutat. This latter region boasts some of Alaska's best coho salmon rivers, which, due to their size, clarity, and huge runs of salmon, are very popular with fly-fishermen. Prince William Sound itself is a large area of countless islands, bays, and estuaries. While the Sound is not a leading fly-fishing destination, it nevertheless contains some important waters, especially for anglers concentrating on pink or coho salmon. Because of its relatively easy access through the ports of Seward, Whittier, Cordova, or Valdez, (note the key word relatively - few waters in Alaska are easy to access), the book would have been much improved by mentioning at least an overview of the Sound and the Gulf Coast.

The coverage for Southeast Alaska has comparable problems. Similar to Prince William Sound, Southeast Alaska is a region of steep-sided islands and fjords and dominated by small streams - few of which could be considered destinations unto themselves, such as the major rivers on the Kenai Peninsula or Bristol Bay - yet these numerous waters still provide a very high-quality angling experience. In this section, the author chooses to emphasize the fishing adjacent to the road systems of the region's small towns, presumably because that's where he assumes most anglers are likely to concentrate their efforts. In doing so, however, some of the territory's best angling is overlooked: many of the lakes, streams, and estuaries located only a short boat or float plane ride from the various towns provide much superior angling than those found on the road systems. For example, the section on Sitka has several paragraphs discussing road-system lakes that provide uninspiring angling for stunted resident trout. Yet within easy striking distance of Sitka are lakes and streams that are enormously productive, with multiple species of fish, and certainly worth the trouble and expense to visit. The book should have emphasized coverage of these places instead.

An example of how the author could have improved the Southeast section is his handling of the area near the town of Wrangell. Here, he provides the reader with information on some of the easily accessible roadside fishing near town, yet he also provides detail on more remote areas that are not only close-by but have outstanding fishing and wilderness characteristics.

All-in-all, the book is an admirable effort and is generally a useful reference - particularly for some regions of the state. But I look forward to its second edition - one that is backed up by even more research, and one that re-examines the choices on listed fishing spots.

Easily the second best Alaskan Fishing book out there........2005-02-08

I don't think this book is the best Alaskan fishing book out there, but it is a close second. Renee Limeres' Alaska Fishing is the best book out there right now. Both these books stand heads and shoulders above the others out there. This book doesn't cover as many locations as Limeres, nor is it as solid across all sections (like fish natural history etc.) but it is well worth the money.

Don't be afraid of the title if you are not a fly-fisherman. The author often mentions situations where you should put the fly rod down and fish spin casting and all the information is just as useful for fly and spin fishermen.

Too bad the publishers didn't put a photo of this book here. I think it would sell better with a visual. I was definitely pleased when my copy came. A quick flip through the well-designed pages made me realize this book is better than nearly everything that's out there right now. Be warned though, the book has the dimensions of a phone book. Maybe more like a Milepost. It is not pocket or pack friendly. You might want to use it to plan your trip first, then photocopy the maps and sections that you'll want on your trip.

This is definitely a good book for those planning their first self guided trip. It has good coverage of the most popular area and covers the road system well. For the Anchorage bound fishermen, it has the best Anchorage area fishing coverage I've seen.

imperfect, but well-above-average, a "strong buy".......2005-01-15

This book is a well-above-average addition to what has become tightly held information: where and how to fish in Alaska. Most of the book concerns the oft-fished road-accessible areas; but it does include more detailed discussions of several of the more popular float-fishing rivers, a nice chapter on Kodiak Island, and shorter but interesting chapters on the aleutians - none of which are available in other recent books. The coverage of southeast alaska was really too terse to be of much value; what was there was again road-fishing which is perhaps of use to first time travelers or for cruiseship travelers passing thru - but too busy for seasoned fly fishermen who live in or frequent Alaska. Some chapters were unbalanced - the Yakutat area gives far more than is necessary about the Situk river (which flows thru town), and not enough about others (almost to the point of inaccuracy of facts - e.g., the Italio cabin is about 1/4 mile or less from the river, not 3/4 of a mile). The most glaring omission was the lack of any discussion of the entire gulf coast between Yakutat and Valdez, including Cordova,Prince William Sound, and points inbetween - its hard to believe anyone writing a book that includes silver salmon fishing without ever once mentioning this area. Other annoyances were an index that was woefully incomplete and poorly edited, the overabundance of bear warning stories (an ounce of prevention is fine, but this is several pounds - in a book that's supposed to be about fishing), and far too many pages spent on local community information, fishing regulations, and/or pictures that are of very limited use and available elsewhere. The value per unit book thickness is not high.

What I found most satisfying was the willingness of the author to occasionally talk about an offbeat hotspot, such as irish creek. Or advising a non-intuitive technique that actually works - like dead-drifting lemming patterns (novices just can't resist working this like a bass-popper and Haugen's right - its not fished this way).

The book has a number geographical and factual errors on some locations - which I won't go into - but these are easily distinguished by their overall lack of detail (usually, if there's 3 or less sentences, it's cause to doubt). But the detailed chapters are quite good and accurate. For those who haven't ever been to alaska, there's actually enough to plan a trip. For those who have spent alot of time there, there is still some revelation. The rest I'll keep to myself.

A long time has passed since 1997, when Limeres and Pederson published the 2nd edition of Alaska Fishing, the most comprehensive treatise then available. Few attempts have been made to improve on it; this book may not replace or exceed it - but it does provide more detail on several areas and is by far the best book since - accordingly, I rate it a "strong buy".

Amazon.com

Forget everything you thought you knew about journalism. James B. Stewart shuns pyramid style and all its accoutrements for a more creative type of nonfiction, nonfiction that tells a compelling story. Stewart's ideas about nonfiction stem directly from his experience as a writer and editor of The Wall Street Journal's lengthy page-1 feature stories, which explore subjects, as Stewart says, "in depth, with style, and often ... with wit." "Good writing," Stewart says in Follow the Story, "is rooted not in knowledge, but in curiosity." Curiosity too, says Stewart, "is what make readers read the stories that result." Using examples from his own writing (for the Journal, The New Yorker, and SmartMoney, and also from his books Blood Sport and Den of Thieves), the Pulitzer Prize-winning Stewart shows how to turn your curiosity into ideas, story proposals, and then the stories themselves. Each part of the writing process-- cultivating sources, gathering information, writing the lead and the transition, structuring your piece, and then concluding it--is discussed with authority and demonstrated masterfully. Stewart also includes chapters on how to use (but not overuse) description, dialogue, anecdotes, humor, and pathos to strengthen your work. --Jane Steinberg

Book Description

In Follow the Story, bestselling author and journalist James B. Stewart teaches you the techniques of compelling narrative writing.

It is the indispensable guide to writing successful nonfiction books, articles, feature stories, or memoirs. Stewart provides concrete directions for conceiving, reporting, structuring, and writing nonfiction -- techniques that he has used in his own successful books and stories. By using examples from his own work, Stewart illustrates systematically a way of thinking about and executing stories, a method that has helped numerous reporters and Columbia students become better writers.

Follow the Story examines in detail:

How an idea is conceived
How to "sell" ideas to editors and publishers
How to report the nonfiction story
Six models that can be used for any nonfiction story
How to structure the narrative story
How to write introductions, endings, dialogue, and description
How to introduce and develop characters
How to use literary devices
Pitfalls to avoid

Learn from this book a clear way of looking at the world with the alert curiosity that is the first indispensable step toward good writing.

Customer Reviews:

A Very Special Journalist.......2006-07-06

Mr. Stewart is a wonderful writer and a great teacher. I was looking for a book to send my friend who is a journalism professor at the University of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. I have had a hard time finding journalism text books for my friend. I picked up Mr. Stewart's book and he explains that journalism is not and cannot be taught from text books. To be a good journalist, you simply have to learn to write well. His journalism classes at Columbia are writing classes. He tells his students to practice their writing skills, do research for factual content, learn techniques from fiction writing to dramatize the story. He takes you inside a few stories and novels he has written, tells you how to put a personal anchor in a story to hook the reader, how to demonstrate warmth, humanity and drama even in a technical subject, how to write a story and how to read a story. He sure has mastered the art of making stories interesting. That's why he was a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, great editor at the Wall Street Journal and that's why this book is such a good read. I can't recommend this book enough to everyone, whether writing students, journalism students, teachers or just plain people who like to read.

Recommended Reading for Nonfiction Narrative Writers.......2005-05-08

FOLLOW THE STORY is a joy to read. Any experienced nonfiction writer of features or narrative books will appreciate Stewart's personal stories because we are reassured that our ups-and-downs have been shared by a Pulitzer Prize recipient and Wall Street Journal editor.

I re-read FOLLOW THE STORY while I was writing NIGHTMARE IN WICHITA: The Hunt for the BTK Strangler. Stewart's book helped keep me going in the right direction.

In addition to James B. Stewart's FOLLOW THE STORY, I recommend Jon Franklin's WRITING FOR STORY and Tom Wolfe's THE NEW JOURNALISM. For top examples of the advice given in these books read Stewart's DEN OF THIEVES, Franklin's SHOCK-TRAUMA, and Wolfe's THE RIGHT STUFF.

Thank you, James B. Stewart. Well done.

Robert Beattie
Wichita, Kansas

Read this one more than once!.......2004-10-11

This book offers engaging insight into the mind of a true journalistic instructor. It contains helpful chapters on properly formatting dialogue and laying out plot and developing structure. I read this book twice and plan to read it again and also introduce this book to my writing club.

"Follow the story" -- but why bother?.......2001-07-03

When a moderately talented writer convinces himself he's a virtuoso, it's bad enough. But what happens when he takes it on himself to bestow the "secrets of his craft" on aspirants? "Follow the Story," it seems. Its author, James B. Stewart, is hardly a nobody in American journalism. The book jacket reels off all his impressive credentials: a winner of the Pulitzer prize, a former feature editor at the Wall Street Journal, a best-selling author of nonfiction, and a journalism writing coach at Columbia University. So what did his "indispensable guide" (to refer to the book jacket again) teach me? That it's hard labor getting through the 370 pages of a self-serving monologue by a navel-gazing nonfiction writer.

In "Follow the Story," you the reader do exactly that -- follow the story of how Stewart's various nonfiction articles and two books "Den of Thieves" (about insider trading) and "Blood Sport" (the Clinton scandals) came about. He spares us no details, for example, about how his interviews went and how he felt about his interviewees -- everything just short of what he had for breakfast but nothing about how to actually conduct an interview. Then his advice on writing: In the chapter on "Structure" (26 pages), he tells us that chronology can help along the narrative (don't put yesterday after tomorrow, that is). Thank you Mr. Stewart! If you want to learn tricks about structure other than chronology, he leaves you at liberty to think them up for yourself. In the section on "leads" (story beginnings), he reprints the prologue to his book "Blood Sport" in its entirety, all eight and a half pages of it. And I thought I was blessedly lucky if I had that much space to play with in a whole feature article.

Then there's his grammar: like his incorrect use of "like" for "as if" as in "...it looked like she hadn't even been to the hairdresser..." In "Description" (Chapter 8), he "describes" a major character in a story as "handsome." Yes, but what did he LOOK like? Or here's a descriptive segment of Mr. Stewart's, one that he offers as an example of good writing (lamentably, he never uses other writers' work as examples): "A pink Rolls-Royce turned into the driveway. It pulled quietly into the parking area, and a smiling Boesky emerged carrying a tennis racket, Siegel noticed with some curiosity..." Other than providing a pedestrian description of an interesting scene (it tells us more about the pink Rolls-Royce's route -- driveway, parking area -- than its striking appearance), the segment also defies logic. How can a powered-up Rolls-Royce pull "quietly" into parking? Did it not have its engines running, or were the observer's ears waxed up? And why did Siegel notice it "with SOME curiosity," not plain "curiously"? And all the rest of it...

The saving grace of the book, if there's one, is Stewart's encouraging words to novices and his insistence that when all is said and done, "the only reader who matters is you" -- meaning writers themselves. On second thoughts, though, this is just what Stewart does in "Follow the Story": write for himself. But then why publish the book at all?

Read this One with a Highlighter in Hand.......2001-04-16

James B. Stewart appears to be in love with himself. But weed out the self-glorifying comments. Harvest the tips, ideas and fruit and you'll find a helpful a step-by-step plan for writing an interesting feature story.

The six page introduction has between 90 and 100 references to himself. He explains why he is qualified to write this book and walks the reader through the events in his life that led him to become a writer. He was the editor of the Wall Street front page.

Nearly every illustration in the book is from his work. The 60 page appendix is three stories that he wrote. His most frequent statement thoughout the book is, "In my opinion" or a variation of that. I can see my high school English teacher cringing and shouting, "Who else's opinion would it be?"

But skim the book with a highlighter. Marking the sections that are instructional, the step-by-step writing processes. Of the 300 actual book pages (excluding the appendix), you'll be left with about half the book. Read them carefully. If you're looking for a good instructional feature writing book, what's left is worth the effort.

Stewart begins the writing process with curiosity. He then shows how to turn that curiosity into idea hunting. He teaches how to gather information, form a lead, and decide on and follow a structure. According to Stewart, the type of question the story is answering tells the author what lead, structure and ending to use. Possible types of questions: What's going on? What are others are doing? What is a certain person really like? How could that have happened? How should I feel? What should my reaction be? What caused such-and-such? What happened? Each of those questions suggests a different story type and requires a different kind of structure and response. Once an author knows the question, the story writing process is basically determined and the author knows how to proceed. This practical guide for feature writing is a very practical guide for the author asking "How?".

I would have rather read a book already edited into just the practical information and a variety of examples (skipping the self glorification). But I haven't found one yet.

Average customer rating:

good for basics or beginners

Great Foundational and Advanced Book

Pretty good

Finally, a book worth more than the price

"What are the attributes that can make this a better painting?"

Problem Solving for Oil Painters: Recognizing What's Gone Wrong and How to Make It Right
Gregg Kreutz
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Painting | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0823040976

Customer Reviews:

good for basics or beginners.......2007-07-08

ok for beginners and those who paint in an impressionistic style. could focus a bit more on materials. some good basic tips.

Great Foundational and Advanced Book.......2007-06-15

I'm a professional in the business and make my living as an artist. This book is a wonderful reference and is always close by on the shelf. The work in it is excellent and the principles are straight forward as well as solving lots of the problems artists and painters encounter. Love it and recommneded it many times over.

Pretty good.......2007-05-30

He has many good suggestions. I re-read it and got some good ideas from him.

Finally, a book worth more than the price.......2007-02-13

I LOVE this book and keep by my easel. His checklists keep me on track.

"What are the attributes that can make this a better painting?" .......2007-01-19

As any true artist can attest, real art does not just arrive from the soul of the artist. Rather it is more often than not the result of hard-won struggles with all sorts of problems. Art in its creation is not linear. It develops by answering questions like, "What makes form look dimensional?" "How does light flow?" "How can air be represented." If the content is too dominating and the technique too finished, the painting can look impersonal. It the artist is too dominating, to expressionistic, the painting can look self-indulgent.

Gregg Kreutz in his "Problem Solving for Oil Painters" has assembled many of the questions that have occurred to him during his years as a painter. He examines the characteristics of a superior painting and shows through examples what makes one picture better than another. Some of those qualities include richness, mystery, simplicity, and focus.

Kreutz appreciates individual expression and knows that each painter develops in his or her own way. He knows that painting is not a mechanical act. When it is, the end product will be unconvincing. Painting requires creativity, insight and empathy. He builds on these attributes which vary from individual to individual with the questions that painters frequently face. He answers these in a straightforward, agnostic manner that will be useful to all painters.

This is an excellent book that will serve the intermediate to advanced to professional painter well. Kruetz's paintings have been represented in many juried shows, winning many high honors. The book is chock full of his work and I, for one, am glad. His work is inspirational and, with this book, he has forced me to raise the bar for my work by asking one question when I paint, "What are the attributes that can make this a better painting?" I no longer have any excuses - he provides plenty of answers.

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