Book Description
The work of Ludwig von Mises exercised enormous influence upon the thought of libertarians, classical liberals, anticommunists, and even traditionalist conservatives during the postwar years. But, as Israel Kirzner shows in the second installment in our Library of Modern Thinkers series, Mises' dedication was always first and foremost to discovering truths—and destroying falsehoods—within the science of economics. In this thorough yet concise introduction to Mises' life, economics, and influence, Kirzner (a former student of Mises and an influential free-market economist himself) traces the key elements of Mises' life, explains his core contributions to economic theory, and assesses his impact on twentieth-century economics and political thought.
Customer Reviews:
Solid But Not Spectacular.......2002-10-13
This is a good overview of Mises, his life and background and his economics. It is workmanlike, basic and easy to read. It is not spectacular but it is very solid.
I did enjoy reading it, however. The first two chapters give alot of background information on von Mises's life and work and I found that interesting because it is always nice to know a bit about an author as a person rather than just his work. And the bottom line about von Mises is that he was a couragous, honest and brilliant man and the proof is in the tremendous admiration earned by worthy friends and supporters.
The Third chapter takes up von Mises's ideas on methodology, his a priorism and his commitment to value free economics. The two page section "The Intellectually Revolutionary Character of Economics" is really good. Section 5 of the chapter, "Mises' Methodological Defense" didn't really help me understand Mises's case for a priorism as opposed to empiricism, but I already know that from "Human Action" (huan events are complex and variables can't be held constant so it is always possible to come up with different plausible explanations for happenings; you can never isolate specific causes and their effects because it is not clear what is causing what). Section 6 "Mises and the A Priori: The Extremist?" explains what Hayek thought was a critique of Mises and Kirzner shows how it wasn't but I couldn't follow him. The one page section "Mises and the A Priori: Not So Extreme!" was appreciated because it gives alot more plausibility to Mises's claims about economics having to proceed a priori; I like the idea of economic logic but I think empirical studies and just common sense observation have got to play a role in economics, though I need to think about this more.
Chapter Four was pretty familiar but "The Entreprenurial Character of the Misesian Market Process" was welcome because it just emphasized for me how central the entreprenuer is to Mises's conception of how the market works.
I skipped Chapter Five on monetary theory, the business cycle and interest rates but it looks pretty good.
Chapter Six tries to address how Mises reconciled his idea of value free economics with his passionate arguments for capitalism and against socialism and interventionism. Socialism can't work and interventionism produces consequences the intervenionists didn't want and eventually leads to socialism (which doesn't work ;) I accept the arguments by Ayn Rand on the foundations and standard of ethics and so I can argue rationally for capitalism but I don't know that von Mises can.
In the end, I think that one has to read von Mises himself to get an appreciation of just how deep and comprehensive his grasp of human action and economics is. But this book does provide a little context and a useful overview. Maybe I was expecting too much; after all, how are you going to do justice to one of the greatest thinkers of all time in 200, double spaced pages? Can't be done.
Economic Man.......2002-05-08
In his autobiography, Russell Kirk told a story about Ludwig von Mises that I found revealing. The city of Geneva had allocated plots of land upon which citizens could grow their own food. When Mises visited economist Wilhelm Roepke in Geneva, he scorned this method as an inefficient way of producing food. Roepke replied that it was nevertheless an efficient way of producing human happiness.
Mises was less interested in happiness, morality, and value judgments, in part because he considered them separate from his main interest, what he called the universal, scientific laws of economics and the "pure logic" of human action. He believed these laws were as simple and true as theorems in geometry.
Prof. Kirzner shows how Mises' views grew out of conflicts with various economic schools of thought, then analyzes his approach to market processes, monetary theory, cycle theory, and rate of interest. In the last chapter he portrays Mises as one of the most vigorous defenders of laissez-faire.
Kirzner knows his subject, and he does a decent job of trying to explain complex matters in a relatively short space. But the reader with no formal knowledge of economic theory will face some difficulties, including wrestling with terms such as fiduciary media, neutral money, positive time preference, sloping demand curves, praxeology, wertfreiheit, numeraire, and consumer sovereignty. Mises believed he was creating not merely a new economics but a new epistemology. Consequently he shares the philosopher's habit of defining and redefining terms, abstract generalizing, and numerous qualifications and asides. Much the same could be said for Kirzner, who repeatedly interrupts his prose with parenthetical commentary. I imagine many readers will find the book inaccessible.
Kirzner concludes that Mises never explored in detail the problem of translating theory into policy -- the very thing that readers will likely want to know. It was at this point, the last 20 pages or so, that I understood why the book was often unclear.
It is worth remembering that Mises called himself not a conservative but a classical liberal, a revolutionary even, in the utilitarian tradition of Bentham and Mill. He was an absolutist in regard to the free market. He believed any government intervention disrupted "natural" processes and necessarily led down the slippery slope to socialism. He saw little role for government except the protection of private property, and therefore scorned measures such as minimum wage, social security, protective tariffs, anti-trust, and progressive taxation. For Mises these were laws that had centralized power in democratic Germany and had paved the way for Hitler and the National Socialist party.
No surprise, then, that Mises attached high importance to his own theories and to defending them, for he believed quite literally that he was saving the human race. Unfortunately, this self-centeredness led also to intransigence and harshness toward those who disagreed with him, in a manner reminiscent of another libertarian icon, Ayn Rand. Both came dangerously close to believing in the Marxist fallacy of Economic Man.
Excellent.......2001-10-22
ISI Books has just come out with a series called Library of Modern Thinkers, which will contain summaries of the thought of important (for lack of a better term) conservative and libertarian thinkers - kind of like an Oxford University Press "Past Masters." According to the jacket, current and forthcoming titles will cover Nisbet, Ropke, Oakeshott, de Jouvenal, Lytle. Francis G. Wilson and Will Herberg (in other words, thinkers that wouldn't be included in a series that contains volumes on such worthies as Foucault and Derrida).
If Prof. Kirzner's work on von Mises is representative, then this series will be an important contribution to the publishing world. Prof. Kirzner received his doctorate in economics in 1957 under von Mises and has written a number of important studies. This book is well organized and informative. It starts out with a chapter on von Mises' life, a chapter on his role in economics, and chapters on specific facets of his economic thought. It concludes with an overview of von Mises as the 20th century's preeminent free-market thinker.
As a layman in economics, I learned a lot about von Mises the man and economist. For example, there is a discussion on methodological differences between Hayek and von Mises, a discussion of the pioneering nature of much of his monetary thought, and how his thought differs from neoclassical economics. I found particularly insightful Prof. Kirzner's comment that Human Action isn't simply a compendium of Austrian thinking, but is truly a brilliant extension of Austrian thought to a vast swath of economic and sociological issues.
I have one big problem with the book. It is over 200 pages long, but it is double-spaced! In fact, there are no block quotes. Another quibble: according to the jacket, Friedman and Becker are "exponents" of the Austrian School.
Mises Expounded and Defended.......2001-08-08
by Joseph R. Stromberg-- Israel Kirznerýs Ludwig von Mises is a welcome addition to the literature on Mises and economics. It is a very useful book, not only for the academic reader unfamiliar with Misesýs work but also for the intelligent layman. What is quite startling is just how much the author manages to accomplish within the compass of a fairly short work (220 pages).
Kirzner announces at the outset that he intends to tell "the story of Mises in his role of economist" (p. ix). His aim is to expound the "subtlety and depth of Misesian economics" while clarifying issues he thinks many readers of Mises have failed to grasp. Furthermore, Kirzner makes the case that Mises was the greatest free-market economist of the twentieth century.
The book begins with a thorough summary of Misesýs life (1881-1973) and of his achievements. It covers his education in Vienna in the shadow of the German Historical School and his break with that outlook after becoming acquainted with the opposed views of the Austrian School through reading and talking with Carl Menger (p. 3). Mises attended Böhm-Bawerkýs seminar and began publishing technical papers in economics. His first important work, The Theory of Money and Credit, came out in 1912, breaking new ground and extending the Austrian paradigm.
Kirzner introduces the years following World War I, during which time Mises advised the Austrian Chambers of Commerce, helping to avert runaway inflation in Austria; conducted his famous seminar; and published many important books and papers. The Nazi Anschluss drove Mises into exile in Switzerland, but in 1940, he came to the United States and later became a citizen. His masterwork, Human Action, was published in English in 1949, the same year that he began his famous New York seminar. That seminar continued into 1969.
Following the biographical sketch of Mises, Kirzner drops back to set Misesýs work in the broader context of early twentieth-century economic thought. Kirzner gives thumbnail sketches of the competing schoolsýGerman Historical, Marshallian, and Walrasian. This setting allows him to zero in on what was new and revolutionary in Misesýs writings. According to the author, Misesýs first great accomplishment was to integrate money and monetary theory into general Austrian economics, grounded on insights about marginal utility, subjective value, and acting human beings. Kirzner shows how and why Mises did this and how this led to his breakthrough into the Austrian theory of business cycles.
The author continues with a discussion of Misesian economics as a system self-consciously built upon rigorous, if unpopular, epistemological foundations. Kirzner contends that Mises shored up these foundations "because he came to be convinced that the vitally important lessons which economics can teach are likely to be dismissed on methodological grounds by those representing special interests" (p. 69). Mises believed that the rise of economic theory was, in itself, revolutionary in that it undercut earlier moralistic and power-political approaches to the study of human societies.
Kirzner proceeds in a straight line to an excellent summation of the Austrian systemýs architectonic structure. Apparent detours turn out to be necessary background to Misesýs views and shed more light on them by giving an account of competing ideas and traditions. There is a generous evenhandedness in the way in which Kirzner sorts out differences and agreements between Mises and Hayek. The lucid presentation of difficult concepts make this a useful book even for those who already know a great deal about the subjects covered.
Book Description
Yoga can help you climb the ladder of success faster and enjoy your job more. During his twenty years in Fortune 500 companies, the author realized that he and his colleagues needed a way to meet the daily challenges of their high-pressure work. He turned to yoga with such triumph that he soon began his own yoga consulting business. Yoga Secrets For Business Success contains the simple exercises and meditations-many of which can be done right in the office-that he has been teaching to corporate clients for the past decade. Learn to be a leader, relax in three minutes, energize immediately, relieve headaches, conquer fear and depression, manage anger, improve decision-making, sharpen concentration, become more intuitive and discover your charisma. (5 1/4 x 8 1/2, 224 pages, color photos)
Darshan Singh Khalsa, an internationally certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, founded Transition Stress Management, Inc., providing business innovation consulting and stress management services. His clients include Citibank, Hewlett Packard, IBM, and Southwestern Bell. He is a member of the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association, the International Yoga Association, and the Yoga Alliance. Khalsa is also a master storyboarder and recipient of the Storyboarder of the Year Award in 2001.
Customer Reviews:
Practical & spiritual.......2006-12-08
This wonderful little book demonstrates how to integrate the spiritual principles of yoga into the challenges of the business world. Exercises featuring mudras (hand positions) and mantras or chants designed to address specific challenges including anger, self-esteem, stress and prosperity are presented with photographs and detailed instructions. The exercises do not require tremendous flexibility or athletic prowess--you do not have to become a human pretzel to master them. They are effective and fun and not terribly time-consuming unless one wishes to make a discipline. I appreciated the beautiful photographs that are featured throughout the book. They are both calming and exhilerating.
My quibbles are few. First is the size of the book. Although it is compact and therefore easy to slip into a briefcase or handbag, it is difficult to prop open without damaging the binding--something that is necessary when learning some of the exercises. At times it is dificult to see the mudra being demonstrated by the model in the photograph with the actual exercise and it becomes necessary to consult the mudra section in the back. And finally, this is one of those books that would benefit by including a CD of the mantas. This would assist in correct pronunciation and mastering the melody.
I strongly recommend this book both for its efficacy and for making yoga easily accessible in a stress filled forum.
Simple work, fast results.......2004-01-17
This excellent book is unlike any other yoga book I've seen (and I've read dozens and looked at probably hundreds). The focus is on simple hand postures (mudras) combined with breath and chanting to create fast results. The hand gestures are said to open and or balance the body's energy channels to enhance particular personal qualities, such as awareness, relaxation, happiness, cooperation, etc. One drawback is that the chants are in Sanskrit and feel awkward to this westerner's mouth. They don't sound or feel natural and only a few of them seem accessible enough to actually use. Nevertheless, there's obvious value in them -- when I chant the syllable "Ma," it vibrates and opens my heart, just as the author says it does. I find myself using the book nightly for 20 to 30 minutes, doing several of the postures and meditations, but only a few of the chants. With practice I'm increasing the time I spend with individual postures, but even doing them for a few minutes each makes me feel better. The posture for happiness definitely works. After holding the position for only a few minutes I can feel my mood becoming light and full of joy and humor. I borrowed this book from the library and liked it so much I bought a copy because I want to spend a lot more time with it.
Quickly Accessible Stress and Life Solutions.......2003-11-26
This book is not only clearly and concisely written with powerful, fast acting information, but also stunning to look at. The quality of the paper and beauty of the images make reading Yoga Secrets for Business Success a meditation in itself. It's like owning many yoga manuals and an art book all in one.
I'm a certified yoga teacher, and I particularly appreciate the excellent organization of material, precise times given for each exercise, and the highlighted benefits. The photographs are easy to follow, and the results profound.
I highly recommend Yoga Secrets to both beginners and advanced students alike. Well done Darshan Singh Khalsa! When is the next one coming out?
Don't leave home without it!.......2003-05-31
I am in sales and frequently travel for work. I always make sure to pack Yoga Secrets for Business Success when I plan for a trip. The stress of traveling can wear on my body, but this book offers secret tips and exercises to keep me healthy and energized while I am away from home.
I recomend this book to anyone who wants to stay positive and free from stress. You can do the exercises at home or in your hotel room when you are away!
There are very clear directions and pictures showing how to do each exercise.
Even if you have never done any yoga, you will find you can do any exercise in this book.
I am happy I found it.
Andre Coveney- Divisional Sale Manager/Square D Company
Learn to be your own guide.......2002-09-11
This book guides the reader through the process of connecting with the self. Darshan Singh gives us recipes, in easy to understand language, to allow our own inner guru to guide us on the path to oneness and wholeness in a world of high stress and high expectation. He is giving us the experience to be able to connect with our self, a truly wonderful gift. I recommend this book and these techniques to every person in all paths of life. Enjoy the journey and the experience of your own true self.
Book Description
The author interviewed nearly a dozen of the most successful consultants in the country to provide indispensable advice on fee-setting, contracts, proposal writing and client communication. Features authentic case histories from 10 diverse industries--financial, accounting, data processing, law, marketing, money management, engineering, direct mail, advertising and management consulting--to give readers a practical, how-to look at consulting.
Customer Reviews:
Does not cover all that it could........1997-11-17
Example contracts are limited in scope. They are for accountants doing audits and engineers doing design and as a result are difficult to generalize on. Does not cover international contract and fee problems. Sections on generating exposure and finding a niche are well written but off of the topic.
Average customer rating:
|
Introduction to Quickbooks Pro 2001 Student Edition with CD's 2002
Sleeter
Manufacturer: McGraw Hill Higher Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Accounting
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
| Auditing
| Bookkeeping
| Financial
| General
| Governmental
| International
| Management
| Taxes
Quickbooks
| Business
| Software
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Accounting
| Business
| Software
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0078282748 |
Average customer rating:
|
PoWER Software: Professional Writer's Electronic Resource, Single User, 3.5"
Mary Ellen Guffey ,
James Clark , and
Lyn Clark
Manufacturer: Thomson South-Western
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
| Home Computing
| Apple
| Audiobooks
| Business & Culture
| Certification Central
| Computer Science
| Databases
| Digital Music
| Digital Photography & Video
| Games & Strategy Guides
| Graphic Design
| Hardware
| Microsoft
| Mobile & Wireless Computing
| Networking
| Operating Systems
| Programming
| Project Management
| Security & Encryption
| Software
| Web Development
| General
Communications
| Skills
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Running Meetings & Presentations
| Skills
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business Life
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0538878959 |
Book Description
This interactive software product serves as an online reference tool and electronic workbook. The software references and reinforces business English skills--grammar, punctuation, usage-- as well as business communication skills--letter, memo, report and resume writing. It includes lessons, assessments, and interactive exercises from Clarks' HOW 8, Guffey's Business English, Guffey's Essentials of Business Communication, and Guffey's Business Communication: Process and Product. It can be utilized as a stand-alone software reference or tutorial, or as a supplement.
Book Description
Before you prepare instruction, it's important to be able to clearly state what the desired outcomes of that instruction should be. In Preparing Instructional Objectives, you'll learn the characteristics of well-stated objectives, how to derive suitable objectives, and how to write objectives to match the instructional results you are seeking to achieve.
Customer Reviews:
Preparing Instructional Objectives: A Critical Tool in the Development of Effective Instruction .......2007-01-03
Good information, presented in a light fun manner. Great intro to objectives book. Only thing keeping it from a 5 is it was a little long for the actual amount of info presented if you have previous knowledge on writing well-structured instructional objectives.
A Trainer's Necessity.......2006-08-17
Written by the patron saint of trainers everywhere, Robert Mager provides a quick, humorous and easy-to-understand read in what is the heart and soul of training--objectives.
This book offers the readers choice solutions or answers. The reader then turns to the page choice to see if she selected the right choice or not.
Another essential about this book is besides being less than an afternoon read, it is essential to review time and again when you are writing instructional objectives.
Buying this should be one of your objectives!
The easiest read in education!.......2006-07-09
This book is the easiest read I've had in studying education. It is a "choose your own adventure" in education. Read about how to write instructional objectives and then turn the page to find out if you understand what you've read. Very simple and to the point. You don't need any other book to help you write objectives!
A must have for anyone involved in educating others.......2002-12-23
Very straight-forward and easily digestible read. Step-by-step instructions will have you creating meaningful objectives, which translate into meaningful instruction.
Very Informative, useful, and fun. An excellent guide!.......1999-11-02
This book is a quick and enjoyable read. The content is very easy to understand. Through the use of humor and skill testing questions, Mager has made learning fun! As a student, I survived many of the poorly written objectives that Mager describes in this book. It was nice to realize I wasn't the problem...the objectives were! I look forward to using this guide to develop clear, concise objectives so students can focus more on the joy of learning and be more successful at it.
Book Description
Selling your business may just be the most important transaction you will ever make. Let Sell Your Business show you how to make the sale, make a profit and protect yourself legally and financially.
This book gives you all the information, checklists, legal forms and practical advice you'll need to sell your business, guiding you through the process from beginning to end. In particular, Sell Your Business covers:
*getting your business ready to sell
*pricing your business and valuing your assets
*finding the right buyer
*analyzing tax consequences
*negotiating a payment plan and other terms
*limiting your liability
*working with lawyers, accountants and brokers
*closing the deal and transferring the business to its new owner
Sell Your Business includes a CD-ROM that helps you create more than two dozen crucial legal documents for both asset and entity sales, including:
*sales agreement
*confidentiality letter
*promissory notes and security agreements
*noncompete and consulting agreements
*closing checklists
There's litterally dozens of competing titles on the market, but none can match Sell Your Business for sheer depth, accuracy and ease of use.
Download Description
"The most comprehensive - and most legal - guide to selling a business ever written. Selling a business is a significant business transaction, involving tens (often hundreds) of thousands of dollars. But most owners haven't had any experience selling a business, and most need help with the legal and financial details. That help is now available: Sell Your Business provides all the information, forms, instructions, and practical advice business owners need, including how to: . get a business ready for sale . set a price . find good buyers . prepare and sign the paperwork . work with lawyers and tax professionals cost-effectively Sell Your Business even shows how to prepare a sales agreement that covers all the key issues. It also provides over a dozen important forms."
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Nuts and Bolts Guide.......2006-09-01
This is an excellent nuts and bolts, basic guide for selling a small company. Fred does a solid job of walking through the basics. The book is geared more towards the "technical" aspects of selling a business - ie contracts, forms, etc etc. Overall, good back ground book.
Average customer rating:
- Sweat, tears and coffee
- You'll Appreciate that Cup of Kona After Reading This Book
- The people behind the commodity
- The WHOLE Story !!
- The WHOLE Story !!
|
Cup of Aloha: The Kona Coffee Epic (Latitude 20 Book)
Gerald Kinro
Manufacturer: University of Hawaii Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Company Profiles
| Biography & History
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Agricultural
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| U.S. Regional
| Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Hawaii
| U.S. Regional
| Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Hawaii
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World
ASIN: 0824826787 |
Book Description
Kona is one of the world's premium coffees. Given its small-scale cultivation on family farms, Kona has played a relatively minor role in the world coffee market and has been especially susceptible to price swings and market gluts. Many times in its history, coffee growing in the Islands has been pronounced dead by experts, but each time the farmers have bounced back; they have even managed to outlast the sugar plantations that dominated Hawai'i's economy for nearly a century. A Cup of Aloha is a heartfelt portrait of the farmers, millers, landowners, merchants, and laborers who struggled to keep themselves and their industry alive. The author traces coffee's history in Hawai'i--from its arrival in 1828 to Kona's position in today's highly competitive specialty coffee market. Through the author's use of oral history interviews, readers will experience day-to-day life on a coffee farm and the challenges, natural and man-made, that inspired innovations and adaptations to the agricultural, economic, and social life in the Kona Coffee Belt.
Customer Reviews:
Sweat, tears and coffee.......2006-11-24
There were two epics of Kona coffee -- the reputation of the coffee itself, and the struggle of the farmers who grew it.
Gerald Kinro, who grew up on a Kona coffee farm, hits the highlights and lowlights in "A Cup of Aloha," which reveals that there was nothing inevitable about it.
In fact, until 1969, although Kona farmers were growing the delectable arabica variety, they were selling into the world market for the common robusta beans. It was the Superior Coffee Co. of Illinois that rescued a nearly dead Kona coffee business by buying the entire crop and paying a premium price. Not until 1984, when growers formed the Kona Coffee Council, did the reputation of the Kona bean establish itself widely.
As a result, prices went from less (sometimes much less) than a dollar a pound to more (sometimes much more) than $10.
The image of Kona coffee now, at least in the islands, is of tiny mountainside farms worked by Japanese families, with the help of Kona nightingales (donkeys). The image has charm, and people like Kinro remember that episode fondly, but it was not an easy life, and it was not the whole story.
The sunset side of Mauna Loa and Hualalai is now regarded as perfect for the coffee tree, but in the 19th century coffee was planted all over the islands, not by small farmers but by plantations, or, in Olaa, by Russian revolutionaries.
A price slump in the 1890s encouraged these capitalists to sell out to immigrants -- largely but not only Japanese -- who were finished with sugar plantation labor contracts. The business prospects were not rosy, but Kinro says "they came for independence."
Of course, they knew nothing about growing coffee, but after World War II extension agent Edward Fukunaga began a series of experiments that "revolutionized coffee production in Latin America," though the Kona growers were slow to respond his suggestions.
The experience of the Kona families was not greatly different from immigrants in other parts of the Territory. They struggled to see their children educated, they formed cooperatives, they became sophisticated -- at least, those who made it through the Depression did.
About two-fifths of the farmers gave up during the 1930s, and those who kept on were able to only because AMFAC (an agricultural/commercial conglomerate, since gone bust) wrote off their debts.
Kinro describes the efforts of the farmers as "heroic." The heroic phase may be over now, although the margin between profit and loss is nearly as precarious as in times past.
But one thing has changed. For the first century of Kona coffee, it was more hope than calculation that kept people at it.
Today, Kona coffee provides the most promising model of island agriculture -- a premium crop that can be marketed at high prices with elite branding.
That doesn't solve the Kona farmer's problems of shortage of labor, periodic droughts and the other difficulties that face every other Hawaii farmer. But at least it promises a good price in the market, which is more than the people who keep saying "we should be growing all our own food" have figured out.
Although this book does not mention it, Kona has now been surpassed in volume of beans by Kauai and will soon be by Maui and perhaps Molokai. Coffee is now grown in a variety of environments, some very different from Kona's. This will give connoisseurs many more opportunities to practice oneupmanship.
You'll Appreciate that Cup of Kona After Reading This Book.......2005-06-14
Affairs, pirates, the death of a king and queen-who knew the history of kona coffee was rooted in such intrigue and heartbreak? After reading about the process involved in getting those beans to market, I have gained a new respect for that cup of coffee in the morning. Photos included add interest to the story. The book inspired me to try kona coffee for the first time, and now I'm hooked.
The people behind the commodity.......2003-10-14
At first glance, "epic" might seem a bit strong, or even pretentious, a term to describe this thin book on the history of Hawai`i's Kona coffee crop. It becomes more appropriate when you realize that Gerald Kinro's book is (much) less a touristy guide to Hawaiian coffee plantations than it is a work of social history and (perhaps inevitably) a look at a dying way of life.
Author Kinro was born and raised on a Kona coffee farm, and this book has the personal feel you'd expect from an author with those experiences. His is a story of people and families ... of the causes and consequences of individual decisions ... and how they and their culture were shaped by, and themselves helped shape, the local and even international economy. People with an interest in coffee, commodity economics, or Hawai`i generally might find this worth a read. But its main audience, I think, will be readers drawn to the social and cultural history of Hawaiian communities, the mixture of Japanese, Hawaiian, and European-American influences, and the way those communities and influences have blended (good coffee term!) over time.
The WHOLE Story !!.......2003-08-04
I thought that I knew a fair amount about Kona coffee, but I was wrong. The author (who grew up on a Kona coffee farm) says exactly the same thing. The coffee industry has gone through a number of transformations during its 175 years in Hawai`i. So if you were involved in the industry for "only" 20 years, you would only see a small part of the story! I couldn't put this book down because it's actually high drama! Many times in its history, coffee growing in the Islands has been pronounced dead by experts, but each time the farmers have bounced back (often just barely). Survival often meant changing old ways, introducing something totally new, or following the lead of a particular individual. Being a Kona coffee farmer has never been easy, and it still isn't. Kinro packs the entire story of the Kona coffee industry on the Big Island (and its grower's and promoter's business and social histories) into this small, very readable little book.
The WHOLE Story !!.......2003-08-04
I thought that I knew a fair amount about Kona coffee, but I was wrong. The author (who grew up on a Kona coffee farm) says exactly the same thing. The coffee industry has gone through a number of transformations during its 175 years in Hawai`i. So if you were involved in the industry for "only" 20 years, you would only see a small part of the story! I couldn't put this book down because it's actually high drama! Many times in its history, coffee growing in the Islands has been pronounced dead by experts, but each time the farmers have bounced back (often just barely). Survival often meant changing old ways, introducing something totally new, or following the lead of a particular individual. Being a Kona coffee farmer has never been easy, and it still isn't. Kinro packs the entire story of the Kona coffee industry on the Big Island (and its grower's and promoter's business and social histories) into this small, very readable little book.
Books:
- Macroeconomics: Private Markets and Public Choice plus MyEconLab (7th Edition)
- Managing Downside Risk in Financial Markets (With- CD-ROM) (Quantitative Finance)
- Managing Global Innovation: Uncovering the Secrets of Future Competitiveness
- Mathematics of Interest Rates, Insurance, Social Security, and Pensions
- Meaning and Validity of Economic Theory (Essay index reprint series)
- Model Reduction Methods for Vector Autoregressive Processes (Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems)
- Monetary and Fiscal Policies in the Euro Area
- New Strategies for Financial Services Firms: The Life-Cycle-Solution Approach (Information Age Economy)
- Numbers Guide: The Essentials of Business Numeracy, Fifth Edition (The Economist Series)
- Pension Schemes and Pension Funds in the United Kingdom
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Opening a Restaurant or Other Food Business Starter Kit: How to Prepare a Restaurant Business Plan a
- How Can Man Die Better: The Secrets of Isandlwana Revealed
- From Product Description to Cost: A Practical Approach: Volume 2: Building a Specific Model
- Financial Accounting in an Economic Context
- History: Fiction or Science
- Kill the Messenger
- Global E-Commerce and Online Marketing: Watching the Evolution
- Consulting Demons: Inside the Unscrupulous World of Global Corporate Consulting
- From Adam Smith to Maynard Keynes: The heritage of political economy
- Historia Del Rey Transparente/Story of the Transparent King
The Austrian Theory of the Trade Cycle and Other Essays
Hayek's Challenge: An Intellectual Biography of F.A. Hayek
Wilhelm Ropke: Swiss Localist, Global Economist (Library of Modern Thinkers)
Robert Nisbet : Communitarian Traditionalist
Bertrand De Jouvenel: Conserative Liberal & The Illusions Of Modernity (Library of Modern Thinkers)
