Layout Index: Brochure, Web Design, Poster, Flyer, Advertising, Page Layout, Newsletter, Stationery Index

Book Description

Idea Index kick-started a revolution in graphic design books, unique in size, feel--and most important--wealth of ideas. Layout Index is the next step, a compendium of layout idea-generators that will help designers explore multiple possibilities for visual treatments each time they turn the page. The visual and textual suggestions are divided into eight major areas, including newsletters, flyers, posters, brochures, advertising, stationery, page layout, and Web pages.

Each of these examples are designed to inspire effective solutions in the viewer's mind, rather than simply give specific answers to design problems. The tone and temperament of the design problems, as well as their solutions, vary from traditional to cutting-edge, from corporate to crazy. Designers will learn to solve their design problems, produce fantastic work and become better, more creative thinkers.

* Both creativity books and layout books are extremely popular
* As proven by Idea Index, the format of this book is a proven winner with designers

Customer Reviews:

great for students, good for old hands, priceless for adhoc designers.......2007-01-04

The whole "index" series is good for jump starting when in a stuck place. For average students it can really be helpful to get them to seek/create more variety in their work. For marketing or PR individuals or students it is a must have. Many individuals may have a cursory introduction to design and yet find themselves having to create layouts and design. The Index Books are a lifesaver.

Sad leftovers from the dark ages..........2006-10-14

This book is at first appearance, visually interesting and consuming. But upon closer look (as in opening it) it's not worth the time, money or breath sadly. The concepts and ideas within this book can be inspiring to thoses who have the time and energy, but overall this book is just a display of bad, kitsch design. My advice? Don't bother.

Not overly sophisticated.......2005-09-06

I bought this along with the Color Index, and I must admit I'm not overly impressed with the ideas in this text.

I will keep it onboard because you -never- know what might spark your creativity, and I must admit there are a few good ideas to jump off from in this book. I donno, I guess I just feel underminded when I flip through this book. It is a bit too kitchy for me (think clip-art-like graphics), and many of the solutions presented in it are too busy and hardly professional.

i use a lot.......2004-12-09

for those who aren't experienced in the in's and out's of page layout and design, this book is a lifesaver. it really gets your creative juices flowing by simply giving you a full range of possible ideas for how you can change up your design. i found it much more useful than the idea book, which didn't really help me with the visual expression part. if you have a concept and you simply want to consider all the possibilities for how you can express it on a page, i recommend getting this book!

A simple, helpful guide.......2004-07-09

Design inspired by this little book leans towards clean & well ordered displays of information. This book provides basics of page building & information distribution.
Beginners will like this book, however, those looking for more complex layout ideas should either work on the existing ideas taking them to the next levels, or peruse other books.

Psychiatric Diagnosis and Classification (Based in part on presentation at 11th World Congress)

Average customer rating:

Psychiatric Diagnosis and Classification (Based in part on presentation at 11th World Congress)

Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471496812

Book Description

This book provides an overview of the strengths and limitations of the currently available systems for the diagnosis and classification of mental disorders, in particular the DSM-IV and the ICD-10, and of the prospects for future developments.

Among the covered issues are:

The impact of biological research
The diagnosis of mental disorders in primary care
The usefulness and limitations of the concept of comorbidity in psychiatry
The role of understanding and empathy in the diagnostic process
The ethical, legal and social aspects of psychiatric classification

Psychiatric Diagnosis & Classification provides a comprehensive picture of the current state of available diagnostic and classificatory systems in psychiatry and the improvements that are needed.

Average customer rating:

An important Contrubtion

More about executives than leaders...

Decent book, especially if you are new to the field

A Process for Strategy-Driven Leadership Development

A MODEL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS

High Flyers: Developing the Next Generation of Leaders
Morgan W. McCall Jr.
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company

The Lessons of Experience: How Successful Executives Develop on the Job

Growing Your Company's Leaders: How Great Organizations Use Succession Management to Sustain Competitive Advantage

Grow Your Own Leaders: How to Identify, Develop, and Retain Leadership Talent

Building Leaders: How Successful Companies Develop the Next Generation (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series)

ASIN: 0875843360

Book Description

How do you develop the people who will one day lead your company? High Flyers challenges conventional wisdom about how to groom executives for the top positions in the firm by presenting a strategic framework for identifying and developing future executives that senior managers can use to identify and develop future executives. McCall demonstrates that the best executives aren't necessarily managers who possess a previously identified, generic list of traits or who have risen to the top through survival of the fittest. Rather, the real leaders of the future are those who have the ability to learn from their experiences and remain open to continuous learning. If these people get the right experiences on the job, they will have the ultimate opportunity to learn new executive skills. Full of vivid real-life examples, High Flyers is for everyone in the organization who has responsibility for developing people--as well as for aspiring managers who want to learn what it takes to become truly effective leaders. For companies, High Flyers demonstrates the power of executive development as a competitive advantage and the way to ensure the best leadership for the future.

Customer Reviews:

An important Contrubtion.......2005-11-25

As an avid read of "leadership development" books, I found High Flyers very stimulating and thought-provoking. While I believe that talent is more than "the ability to learn", I do believe leaders who have this quality are best able to leverage their God-given talents and gifts whatever they are. The most important contribution of this for me was the emphasis on the power of experience and the ability to learn from it. With so much emphasis of leadership development being about acquring knowledge and skills, I felt McCall brought balance to this over-emphasis.

More about executives than leaders..........2002-01-18

The author is a professor of management at USC, so his perspectives on leadership are limited to those qualities found in executives and in very large businesses that support the training of executives. The most helpful aspect of his book is that McCall urges large companies to develop systematic training for executive leaders, rather than leaving younger executives in a sink-or-swim situation. He also has a bias against ruthless, cut-throat competition and male testosterone-driven demonstrations of power and wealth that executives can get drawn into or promote.
Nevertheless, the book is limited: it says very little about leadership as a quality found in other people, other settings; implies that leadership is a unique quality of exceptional people that can be taught to those up-and-coming risers primarily; and supporting data is quite limited. He stumbles when he talks about leadership per se by using an example of a child violin prodigy, as if this child-becoming-virtuoso should be our model of leadership development.
It also is overwritten, the way stuff from Harvard Business School Press is overwritten: breathless, breathtaking, fawning over winners, etc.

Decent book, especially if you are new to the field.......2001-07-21

This is a pretty good book for those new to the leadership literature. Its main point is that leaders are made, not born. I found it a little long for the point it was making, but thats probably because I've read other books in the area.

A Process for Strategy-Driven Leadership Development.......2000-10-16

You will find a thoughtful, thorough process here for using a company's strategy to delineate what kind of leaders you will need, identify the leadership experiences that can create that type of leader, then to locate those who have the highest potential to develop those capabilities (those who learn rapidly and well), and to monitor progress. This is a very humane book that will help many avoid the painful career derailments that we read about all too often when a top performer suddenly crashes and burns in public.

By comparison, most companies are looking for executives with the right stuff for today, not the future. Then in a Darwinian process of survival of the fittest, those with the best track records win the leadership roles. Professor McCall points out a very serious flaw in this model, in that many people progress without developing any better leadership skills. With more and more success, leadership skill may actually drop as strengths and competencies are more and more likely to turn into weaknesses as they become exaggerated and weaknesses stay weak. He uses a detailed case history of Horst Schroeder, who was fired as president of Kellogg's after only 9 months, to make these points.

On the usually-correct assumption that your company has not yet brought this new model to bear, the author presents an excellent appendix for helping an individual executive to plan and implement one's own development.

"The message of High Flyers is that leadership ability can be learned, that creating a context that supports the development of talent can become a source of competitive advantage, and that the development of leaders is itself a leadership responsibility." I suggest that you consider Jack Welch at General Electric as the embodiment of the truth of this statement.

Now let me share my concerns about this book. Most companies change strategies at least as often as they change CEOs. Many do it even more often. The average life of a strategy has to be about 3-5 years. That's too short a time to be the context for a leadership development program, unless the new strategy requires exactly the same kind of leaders -- which is unlikely to be the case. In such environments, leadership recruiting probably deserves more attention than leadership development. On the other hand, strategy should not change so often. As my co-author and I point out in The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, it is possible to have a constant mission, vision, and strategy in the midst of a rapidly changing business environment if you think through the issues of potential volatility in advance. In that sort of company, this book's approach will prosper, as will the company and its stakeholders. I urge you to combine these perspectives and approaches in that way.

My other concern is that mission, vision, and emotional context are more important than strategy to success. Professor McCall unaccountably ignored those other important "fit" and "development" issues. They should certainly be added back into this general model by anyone who is interested in systematically developing and providing more and better leadership.

After you have finished reading this excellent book, consider the next governmental election you are asked to vote in. How could government leadership be improved by using a similar process to develop the next generation of elected candidates? Certainly, the task of governing is becoming ever greater yet the current process has all of the flaws of "survival of the fittest" that Professor McCall describes here. We can do better. How should we?

How can this process be used in a nonprofit organization that you do volunteer work for?

A MODEL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS.......2000-06-29

MCCALL INTRODUCES A MODEL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS, SUGGESTING THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE WILL LEARN THE NECESSARY LEADERSHIP SKILLS, IF THEY ARE EXPOSED TO THE RIGHT KIND OF EXPERIENCES, AND IF THEY RECEIVE THE RIGHT KIND OF SUPPORT IN THEIR LEARNING EFFORTS. HE POINTS OUT, THAT IT HAS TO BE THE BUSINESS STRATEGY AS DEFINED BY THE TOP-MANAGEMENT THAT DETERMINES WHICH LEADERSHIP SKILLS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE FUTURE OF THE ORGANISATION, AND WHICH KIND OF EXPERIENCE WILL BE KEY FOR THE INTENDED PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (188).

McCall starts by discussing the nature of leadership skills: are they a set of skills, that one either does have or not, or can they be learned? Based on his previous research he holds, that executive leaders are more made than born. Therefore he asserts that leadership potential can not be identified by looking for a profile of "competencies", but by looking for the ability to acquire the skills that will be needed in the future. Only this approach will insure leadership capability in a world of rapid change (4/5). McCall goes on by contrasting a "selection perspective" and a "developmental perspective". If leadership requirements are seen as a finite set of positive attributes, or "competencies", a leader either has them or not. Experience will be a test to verify whether one has them or not. On the other hand, if leadership requirements are seen as something that can come in multiple possibilities, a leader might obtain them, but also loose them, over time. Experience will be a source of the required attributes.

To build the case for a developmental perspective, McCall analyses "derailment" cases, were things went wrong. Using the example of the president of Kellogg Co., Horst Schroeder, he names five factors of initial success, which are common to people who failed at a later stage of their career: track record, brilliance, commitment, charm and ambition (29). When looking at the causes for the turn from success to failure, he lists four elements: 1) strengths can become a weakness, 2) blind spots or weaknesses that did not matter initially, later do matter, 3) success can lead to arrogance and 4) bad luck. (36).

McCall then sets out to define what would be the "right kind of experience". He outlines sixteen developmental experiences, coming in four groups: 1) assignments, 2) other people, 3) hardships and 4) other events (68). McCall emphasises, that there is no such thing as a generic development path, however, meaning that many different experiences can be useful. Development, therefore, is about a rational use of experience (81).

McCall holds that executive development should be determined by business strategy: the business strategy has to suggest which experiences are the most important for development (108). He points out that there are already processes at work, that have to be identified first. He than uses a case study (99) to describe the path from strategic intend to executive development: strategy, e.g. "sustained growth", was translated into leadership challenges, e.g. "dealing with increased complexity effectively". These leadership challenges were subsequently translated to possible developmental experiences, e.g. "lead an expansion that requires adding something new or different".

As McCall believes that leadership talent should not be identified by using a list of end-state attributes, but by looking for the ability to learn what needs to be learned from experiences, he introduces a growth model for talent (130). First, talented people will have to pay the "price of admission" for getting the organisational attention and investment. This involves being committed to making a difference, seeing things from new angles and having the courage to taking risks. Then, talented people will take advantage of the opportunities generated by the visibility. The next difference that characterise talented people is that they increase the learning opportunity. Finally, they take learning to heart, and change as a result of the experience.

Because of the central role of "the right kind of experience" in the development of the next generation of leaders, the mechanism to move people from one assignment to another is McCall's next focus. Succession planning can be more productive from a developmental perspective, if replacement candidates for key assignments are not identified on the basis of their current readiness for the job, but on the basis of how much they could learn from it. He predicts, that decision makers would only dare to do so, if they are not only held accountable for short-term results, but also for development of talent to meet future strategic needs (149). In organisations, were no formal system for movement exists, tactics for development could include making deals with other managers, influencing individual executives and counselling talented people to play a more active role in their own development (153). Yet another approach would be reengineering or corporate restructuring, presenting opportunity to redesign jobs without necessarily reassigning people (157). In conclusion, McCall underlines that people learn most by doing things they have never done before.

McCall defines three catalysts as the right kind of assistance for the learning efforts of leadership talent: 1) improvement of feedback, 2) provision of incentives and resources, 3) support of the change effort (181).

In his final chapter, McCall summarises the case for strategic executive development: 1) leadership makes a difference for the successful change of organisations, 2) leadership can not always be found or bought outside, 3) derailments are expensive and therefore should be avoided, 4) "survival of the fittest" is not the same as "survival of the best", meaning that leaving leadership development up to chance is foolish, 5) development cost are already sunk for the larger part, so at least the return on the investment should be sought for, 6) creating a learning environment is consistent with employee empowerment, 7) it is good business practice and good for stakeholder relations.

Book Description

This new comprehensive look at the evolution of the American flight jacket from World War I to Desert Storm addresses not only the types worn, but focuses primarily on the art and adornment applied to the jackets. The most colorful and creative period for flight jacket art was World War II, and it is this era that comprises a major portion of this book. Additionally, many of the pieces are attributed to the original owner with biographical information, contemporary photographs of the individual, and the aircraft on which he served. Personal combat accounts are also included. Also covered are other military jackets used by flyers. American Flight Jackets** was compiled over a number of years by Jon Maguire and John Conway. The authors became friends through a mutual passion for aviation history and collecting. This book provides a valuable reference for historians and collectors alike, and includes over 1,000 photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent pictorial monograph.......2003-03-13

If you are interested in flight jackets, their design, styles and art work, then this book is for you. There are literally hundreds of colour and black and white photographs of aviator leather jackets. World War Two jackets are covered in detail as are Korean and Vietnam period flight jackets. The book is well set out, has large high resolution photographs and is a well constructed hardcover. The only fault I could find with the book is that in many of the photographs it fails to identify the jacket type and specification. It also does not deal with jacket construction or design. As with many of Maguire's books it has excellent reference photographs and information on who used or wore the artical in question, but fails to provide detailed information on the item other than the basics. Still, it is worthwhile addition to a library, although the book is expensive.

WWWWWWW OOOOOOOO WWWWWWW !.......2000-09-26

Perhaps I enjoyed this book so much because of the fact that it's main focus is the WWII era of flight jackets and that is my favorite area as well. If you want historical jackets (KOREA AND WWII), get this book, but if you want just modern jackets then shop elsewhere.

If I had to be picky about the book, I would have to say that there were too many blood chits on jackets pictured and not enough pin-up work, but that's only if I had to be picky. The authors did their homework for this book as they don't just give you tons of photographs (BY THE WAY, THERE ARE TONS OF PHOTOGRAPHS) but also chronicle the jacket's history and when possible, the owner's history as well.

Fantastic layouts as the information is presented in a very professional and orderly way. They break down the jackets by theater as there's a section on the CBI theater, the European Theater, Korean theater, etc. Good paper and a nice sized book.

A bit on the pricey side but I still got it and I would still recommend it to the hardcore fan of the subject. May be too much cash for the casual fan.

Average customer rating:

Good Frequent Travel Reference

expected more.

This book should be renamed "Mileage Amateur"

A great source of information.

Frequent flyers Gotta Have This Book

Mileage Pro: The Insider's Guide to Frequent Flyer Programs
Randy Petersen , and Tim Winship
Manufacturer: OAG
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel: The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status (Travelers' Tales)

Guerrilla Travel Tactics: Hundreds of Simple Strategies Guaranteed to Save Road Warriors Time and Money

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The Travel Detective: How to Get the Best Service and the Best Deals from Airlines, Hotels, Cruise Ships, and Car Rental Agencies (Travel Detective)

Tips for the Savvy Traveler

ASIN: 0977629503

Book Description

The most comprehensive book ever written on mastering airline, hotel and car rental loyalty programs has arrived. Mileage Pro: The Insider's Guide to Frequent Flyer Programs is the first book ever written on managing and maximizing travel loyalty programs. Whether someone is a road warrior, a miles junkie, or an infrequent leisure traveler, Mileage Pro empowers consumers to break through the often complicated web of information on travel loyalty programs.

Customer Reviews:

Good Frequent Travel Reference.......2007-07-07

This is a very good reference for frequent travelers and members of frequent travel programs, as almost all are covered (airlines, hotels, credit cards, car rentals, etc.) However, it is not as detailed as previous editions (I have all of them.) . Only basic program contact info is given. It would be better to publish an up-to date complete edition next time out so that travelers would get a better idea of what's out there.

expected more........2007-05-07

I have 2.8 milion miles. I was hoping for more info to sharpen my skills.

This book should be renamed "Mileage Amateur".......2007-01-19

I am sad to say that I found this book very disappointing. It claims to target "the middle level of the mileage earning community" however most of the information is so basic that I cannot see this being an interesting read for anyone but the complete novice. People interested enough in frequent flyer miles to purchase a book about it will surely be knowledgeable about most of the content.

Examples of such topics include sections on the possibility of mileage being earned on airline program partners and not just the home airline, that extra miles are given for purchasing first- and business tickets, and how being loyal to a single airline or alliance is the way to earn elite status. There is nothing in this book that cannot be discovered by going to any given airlines home page and reading about benefits offered to elite members or how many miles are required for an award ticket.

A lot of information on mileage maximization is neglected. Petersen's recommendation to join the program hosted by the airline that you will be flying most often is not necessarily the best idea- sometimes it pays to join one of their foreign partners who may be more generous (such as awarding full mileage on lower fares that don't qualify on the home partner). There is also no information on how to configure itineraries that will earn the most miles such as checking a ticket's rules to find out the maximum number of allowed connections or legal routing.

While I feel that Randy Petersen's website, Flyer Talk, and his input in many other websites and publications are excellent, this book leaves much to be desired and contains no insider information or little known ways to maximize miles.

A great source of information........2006-12-16

The ins and outs of frequent flyer programs are public knowledge, but deciphering the various Web sites, paper references, and ticket agent responses enough to really understand frequent flyer programs is an enormous undertaking. In Mileage Pro, Randy Petersen and Tim Winship tackle it with energy, humor, and an approachable writing style.

Pick up this book, and you'll discover why it's always worth being a frequent flyer program member, even if you don't fly often. Once you're convinced of that, learn strategies to maximize your earning, gain elite status faster, and leverage credit card rewards programs -- all with the goal of getting yourself one of those coveted upgrades to First Class.

Frequent flyers Gotta Have This Book.......2006-03-26

Mileage Pro, Guide to Frequent Flyer Programs By Randy Petersen and Tim Winship could have been named the Bible of Frequent Flyer Programs. It tells you everything you could ever need to know about the ins and outs of getting the most from these programs. All the instructions are informative and easy to apply. You could save a lot by reading this book thoroughly and following the sound advice therein.

The Flyers: In Search of Wilbur and Orville Wright

Average customer rating:

Noah Adams Has Captured the Essence
Confused Bio
Couldn't put it down!
Still Searching
a journey of discovery

The Flyers: In Search of Wilbur and Orville Wright
Noah Adams
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Far Appalachia: Following the New River North

ASIN: 0609810324
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Book Description

“It takes only nineteen seconds to walk the distance of the first powered flight. But when I was there the wind was up and cold on my face, and I felt as if I’d entered the black-and-white photograph I’d been seeing all my life. The sand is light gray, there’s a spill of surf in the distance. Wilbur, running at the right of the plane, and Orville, the pilot, are in dark suits. The propellers blur against the sky as the machine rises. . . .”

So begins Noah Adams’s adventure in search of Wilbur and Orville Wright, a journey that takes him across the country as he follows in the footsteps of the famous brothers in an attempt to know them more deeply, not just as inventors and pilots but as individuals as well.

Adams, one of our most distinctive and talented storytellers, traveled thousands of miles and interviewed scores of experts and individuals to piece together his story. He finds a local boat captain to ferry him to Kitty Hawk, along the same route that Wilbur took in 1900, and spends several days talking with descendants of the families who first welcomed the Wright brothers a century ago and helped them conduct their gliding experiments. To experience first-hand the thrill of being in the air, Adams himself goes hang-gliding in the Outer Banks.

To understand the aerodynamics of lift and drag and how the famous 1903 plane was constructed, he visits Ken Hyde, a Virginia pilot and vintage aircraft builder who is creating the world’s most accurate reproduction of the 1903 Wright Flyer. Adams goes to the prop shop and handles the tools and materials that the Wrights used to build their gliders and planes, and later he visits the wind tunnel at Langley Air Force Base where Hyde’s reproduction was tested for the first time.

He also travels to France to visit the old racetrack at Le Mans where Wilbur startled the European aviation community with his demonstration flights in 1908, and he spends a few days at Wisconsin’s Oshkosh Fly-in, where builders of experimental aircraft and owners of vintage planes gather every year to dazzle the crowds. Adams himself takes to the air in a restored Ford Tri-Motor, America’s first airliner, which took its maiden flight seventy years ago.

In Adams’s book we encounter the Wright brothers in a way that no writer has introduced them before. Through the lens of his own experiences as well as original reporting, letters, diaries, and other primary source material, he helps us understand the talent and intensity of the brothers and their family, including the fascinating, deeply complex, and at times tragic bond between Orville and Katharine, his younger sister.

The Flyers is a wonderfully rich narrative that brings an unprecedented spirit of immediacy to one of history’s most dramatic stories.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Noah Adams Has Captured the Essence.......2006-05-30

I lived in Dayton, Ohio, for three years during the late 1960s. I appreciate the nostalgia and reverence Noah Adams captures in his description of Dayton and of the Wright Brothers' exploits.

I remember the huge bombers taking off from Wright-Pat airbase, their somber mission and the fear of nuclear war always a palpable emotion in those years.

Adams captures both the essence of the Wright family and its influence on the world. I never had a chance to see their Oakwood home, but Adams let me feel the ambiance each room in their house and the dynamics between the two brothers and their family.

The visitation of Adams to Kitty Hawk and to Hawthorne Hill accentuates the intensity of those first flights. The added photographs of these historic moments intensifies their importance.

What I would give to have been there in France or in New York harbor when that old-fashioned airplane swooped by.

Larry Rochelle, author of DUST DEVILS, SIREN SORCERY, GULF GHOST and BLUE ICE.

Confused Bio.......2004-12-26

This biography on the Wrights is a confused mess. Adams tells the story by visitng locations where the Wrights made history, but during these travels we learn more about his modern day random encounters than what the Wrights actually did there. Adams goes on for pages about capturing moths, a boy and his heroic dog, and other such tales which have nothing to do with the Wrights.

This biography also neglects describe the Wrights childhood and what might have made them the brilliant engineers they became. The book really focuses on everything after the Kitty Hawk flight. This is its biggest strength in describing how they traveled the world to show everyone their flying machine, including moments of triumph and tragedy.

The book finds down by focussing on the Wrights' sisters love affair. I got the feeling that the author felt their needed to be a romance somewhere in the book, and since the Wrights were more focussed on machines than women that he needed to waste our time with this barely relevant affair.

Couldn't put it down!.......2004-06-25

This is a great little book. You follow along as Adams revisits many of the places where the Wright Brothers went. Just like any such visitor, he revels in the little things he finds that match up with some bit of the legend, like finding a building where they stayed; or the hospital where Orville was laid up after the first fatal crash. He also finds evidence of the huge impact Wilbur made in France where he was hailed as a hero. Who'd have thought there was a "Wilbur Street" in France?

No, this is no substitute for those blow-by-blow accounts of each innovation, but it fills in the gaps and adds some chronolgy that others lack. For example, he mentions how Orville's crash happened while Wilbur was in Europe, and how long it had been since Orville had last flown.

This is a fine book, and if you've ever gone on your own trek to try and get a sense of history by "being there", you won't be able to put it down.

Still Searching.......2004-06-19

The problem with Noah Adams's book is an inability to decide what it wants to be. A Wright Brothers biography? No. A personal memoir? Not really. A Wright Brothers Greatest Hits visit to places intimately connected with their lives? Not that either, although The Flyers certainly has some characteristics of all those three possibilities. While well-written, the book fails to capture the brothers, not really a surprising flaw since they are long dead, their contemporaries are long dead and the Brothers didn't leave much in the way of a written account of their lives. The characters who come most back to life here are their father Bishop Wright and, especially, their lovely and patient sister Katharine. And they breathe on the page precisely because Adams draws frequently and well from their journals and letters. Adams is also good when writing of the places the Wright Brothers flew, such as the Outer Banks of North Carolina and New York. Each chapter starts with a title page photograph and many of them are rare treasures, at least as evocative as Adams's text. One minor annoyance -- the Wrights were famously solitary and family-centered, so the frequent interludes where Adams imagines himself exchanging small talk and daily observations with the Wilbur and Orville ring jarringly untrue.

a journey of discovery.......2003-11-29

Noah Adams took a year off from NPR and went in search of the Wright Brothers. He sought out the threads of their story in locations from Dayton Ohio to Paris France, as well as deep inside the many long letters that Orville, Wilbur, their father Milton and their sister Kate shared over the years. The result is a fresh telling of the Wright story that is well worth reading.

Adams' book caught my eye because I have been on my own Wright Brothers quest the last two years, producing a documentary for The History Channel. In reading his book I discovered we had unknowingly crossed paths twice. Once in October 2002 on the dunes of Jockey's Ridge state park, a few miles south of Kitty Hawk, watching military pilots try their hand flying the Wright Brothers 1902 glider, and once at the annual air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Having done a substantial amount of research into the Wrights' story, I wondered if I would learn anything new in this book, and was delighted to find that I did. No other book that I've seen details Wilbur Wright's first encounter with alphabet soup at a hotel dining room in France in 1908, which is a wonderful moment. Other little known nuggets also come to light here. The Wrights' sense of humor, hidden from the world and saved only for family and close friends, is also write large on these pages, which helps us see past the starched suits and pinched faces and come face to face with the real men.

Other parts of the story that I was familiar with were told with caring and detail that made them seem brand new. One exquisitely sad chapter deals in detail with Will and Orv's sister Kate. She and Orville were as close as two people could be, and came to rely heavily on each other after Wilbur's death. But when Kate fell in love in her 50's with an old college friend, recently widowed, and decided to marry him, Orville cut her off. He didn't attend the wedding, he returned letters, and never spoke to her again before she died of pneumonia two years later. Adams tells the story through Kate's letters, and the pain is palpable.

But it is Adams' own explorations that what really set the book apart, as he visits the dirt racecourse in Le Mans where Wilbur Wright astonished the world with his first flight, charters a boat to Kitty Hawk the same way Wilbur Wright did, or examines the original glass negative of that famous picture of the first flight.

Listeners to NPR are familiar with Adams' folksy style. You meet the people he does, be they curators, taxi drivers, whoever. He occasionally stumbles, rambling on too long about a moth collector at Huffman Prairie, or a stunt pilot flying at Oshkosh. But he hits far more often than he misses. His observations and his musings, and his weaving of modern day people and happenings into the story make this book unique among the many Wright books that have come out this year. You can learn the history well you enjoy the ride. I highly recommend it.

One other note: I downloaded the audio version of this book, something I had never done before, and it worked quite well. I was going to burn it to CD, but it would have required multiple CDs, so I just listened to it off my laptop, which was great.

Average customer rating:

complete service manual for american flyer trains

Complete Service Manual for American Flyer Trains
Maury Klein
Manufacturer: M D K, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Model Trains | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Reference | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Gilbert American Flyer Instruction Book

Greenberg's American Flyer Pocket Price Guide 2006 (Greenberg's American Flyer Pocket Price Guide)

American Flyer s Gauge: Illustrated Price Guide & History 1946-2000

ASIN: 0934580065

Book Description

This valuable reference book is a one volume encyclopedia with definite appeal for all model train fans. From the pages of the A.C. Gilbert service manual come schematic and wiring diagrams, a description of each item, repair and operating instructions for all items, a parts list and a master number index. Additionally, sheets and booklets that accompany engines, operating cars and accessories are included. This hardcover book will stand up to a lifetime of use.

Customer Reviews:

complete service manual for american flyer trains.......2005-08-05

EXCELLENT DETAILED PART LISTS,ENGINE AND TENDER EXPLODED VIEWS,INCLUDES LOCOMOTIVE AND TENDER IDENTIFICATION,FEATURES,
DATES OF MFG,AC/DC SPECIFICATIONS,WIRING DIAGRAMS(ENGINE AND TENDER)EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN YOUR AMERICAN FLYER ENGINE AND OPERATING CARS AND ACCESSORIES,FOR MANY MORE YEARS TO COME,WELL WORTH THE COST!!!!
NOTE:THIS BOOK IS NOT AUTHORIZED NOR APPROVED BY AMERICAN FLYER
OR BY THE A.C. GILBERT CO. OR THERE SECCESSORS.

The Greatest Players and Moments of the Philadelphia Flyers

Average customer rating:

A Fine Retrospective
Propaganda
Flyers fans everywhere need this book~
A very interesting book.

The Greatest Players and Moments of the Philadelphia Flyers
Stan Fischler
Manufacturer: Sagamore Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

History of Sports | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1571672346

Book Description

The Flyers have been one of hockey's most successful and popular teams in recent memory with an appearance in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals and a roster filled with stars like John LeClair, Ron Hextall, Paul Coffey, and Eric Lindros. Boasting Hall of Famers like Bernie Parent, Bobby Clarke, and Bill Barber, the Flyers also are rich in history and tradition.

Customer Reviews:

A Fine Retrospective.......2005-05-29

Despite the mindless drivelling of the "Reader" who referred to this book as "propaganda," it's actually a well-written and fascinating look at one of the NHL's most successful franchises. The first post-1967 team to capture the Stanley Cup, the only NHL team to defeat the Soviet Red Army Team during 1ts 1976 tour, the first expansion team to have members elected to the NHL Hall of Fame, and the only expansion team to have made appearances in seven Stanley Cup finals in its first thirty years of existence, the Flyers certainly have a glorious and entertaining history despite "only" winning two Stanley Cups. As for Flyers fans being "pie-eyed zombies," I'm willing to bet "Reader" (maybe he needed help sounding out the big words and that's what accounts for the bitter tone of his review) is too much of a cowardly little boy to have actually ventured into Philadelphia to conduct his research. Ignore his axe grinding. (And by the way, "Reader," the film SLAPSHOT was inspired by the Johnstown Jets, not the Flyers. But neither hockey knowledge nor reading seems be exactly your strong suit, does it?) This is a fun book for fans of the Flyers, their players, and NHL hockey in general.

Propaganda.......2000-03-25

This so-called momentous book is nothing but a mouthpiece for more Flyers propaganda. The employees and fans of this franchise have a maddening (and misplaced) smugness about them, and this tome does nothing to dispell that. Considering that the team hasn't won squat since 1975, the book leads you to believe that the Flyers are the Yankees or Cowboys of hockey. The book does not dwell on the disastrous effect the Bullies had on the sport, inspiring the classic movie "Slapshot". It also leaves out the fact that 99 percent of the fans are pie-eyed zombies who would follow Bob Clarke off a cliff if he led them there. Someone needs to do a true expose of this vastly overrated franchise, which has managed to milk 2 lousy Cups for 25 years now.

Flyers fans everywhere need this book~.......2000-03-20

I will be the first to admit that I am not the ultimate hockey fanatic. I don't know a lot about the sport, but I do like to watch when I can and the team I like to watch is the Philadelphia Flyers. I can still remember 1975 when they won the Stanley Cup.

This book from Sports Publishing Inc. is a great piece of work and the author has certainly does his homework researching the players and the moments that have made this hockey franchise a great one in the annals of the NHL.

Players like Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Eric Lindros, Rick Tocchet, Ron Hextall, Pete Peeters and so many others are included in the one a kind book, and that only the first chapter. Chapter 2 gives you the best, worst and most unusual in the Flyer Franchise history.

Chapter 3 is a chronological listing the 50 momentous events in the Flyers history and the appendices give a listing of the career stats for the greatest players. Like so many other books from Sports Publishing, this is another winner!

A very interesting book........1999-07-06

When I bought the book I wasn't so sure about it but it was great when I received it and read it. It was very informative. The only thing is I wish it had color pictures. It doesn't.

Average customer rating:

Delirious fun
Delightful!
A unique story about an average man
A weekend with Nicholas Christopher's new Novel
Change is good.

Franklin Flyer
Nicholas Christopher
Manufacturer: The Dial Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0385335458
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Book Description

In this shimmering work of fiction, Nicholas Christopher follows the remarkable life of Franklin Flyer–a restless young inventor named after the train on which he was born–through the tumultuous years of the Great Depression, into the Second World War.

Raised by his suffragette aunt, at various times a vagabond and tycoon, Franklin travels across the U.S.A and around the globe, seeking adventure and enlightenment, charting his fate by pursuing the unexpected.

He encounters a glittering cast of characters: among them Rita Hayworth, Josephine Baker, OSS founder “Wild Bill” Donovan, and a host of political zealots, opportunists, and dreamers thrown together in a world on the brink of collapse.

With each new invention–devices that help to revolutionize everything from early television to the technology with which the Allies respond to the Axis powers–Franklin makes his mark. Gaining fame and fortune, he also suffers terrible heartbreak, and through numerous transformations discovers that a man’s own life is truly his most difficult, and rewarding, invention.

A brisk, vivid blend of history and imagination, Franklin Flyer brings to life an American hero as unforgettable as his times.

Customer Reviews:

Delirious fun.......2003-07-06

At one point in the picaresque journey of Nicholas Christopher's Franklin Flyer, he takes a job creating heroes for pulp-fiction magazines of the Depression era. This is perfectly appropriate because Flyer himself eventually becomes such a heroic figure himself, working as a spy for the OSS during World War II, when he's not becoming a tycoon, inventing a paint-mixing machine, engaging in hand-to-hand combat, dabbling in Ancient Egyptian mysticism, or looking for a mysterious woman in a photograph--all the while keeping a firm hold on his yellow fedora (yes, that fedora--the one on the front cover).

Christopher's fast-paced tongue-in-cheek homage to the genre is 180 degrees from his previous novel, the long, languid, "A Trip to the Stars," and maybe it doesn't measure up to that masterpiece.

But it's definitely a fun, provocative read, and it will keep you out of mischief for a couple of days.

Delightful!.......2002-07-20

My husband and I both really enjoyed this book (i.e. it will appeal to both men and women). It's a nice change of pace from the same-old, same-old. Great characters and an episodic plot as incredible, quick-paced, and satisfying as the pulp comics that Franklin gets his start in. Good and evil are pretty black and white here, but Christopher's ultimate outlook on life seems as sunny as Franklin's yellow fedora.

A unique story about an average man.......2002-06-20

Nicholas Christopher has done it again. He has created an intriguing tale, well drawn characters and a wonderful vacation from reality - all of which make for a fabulous, can't put it down kind of read.

This book follows Franklin Flyer, named after the train he was on that crashed when he was a newborn, from 1939 through to the later years in his life. From New York City to Europe and back. Each chapter is a year in Franklin's life and each year brings new and interesting characters and exploits.

The first chapter introduces you to Franklin and quickly sucks you in, giving you some enigmatic thoughts to keep in mind while reading the book. Christopher once again delves into the topics of fate, destiny and luck and manages to wrap up each and every question and plot line that he introduces Franklin and the reader to. While not as spellbinding as his previous novels, Veronica and A Trip to the Stars, Franklin Flyer is certainly worth reading and enjoying.

A weekend with Nicholas Christopher's new Novel.......2002-06-10

The third novel from Nicholas Christopher, Franklin Flyer is another wonderful story of character and powerful ideas. There is such a sense of completeness to the book I'm thinking about starting all over again for a second shot of experience. Everything seems to be interconnected in our lives, everything and everyone matters on some level. Franklin Flyer (the person) has a wonderful sense of wanderlust and powerful ideas of invention. Franklin Flyer (the book) sets a tone of poetry and depth of character within the pre and World War II United States and Europe. There is mystery here. There is romance here, although it is less romantic than emotional. Franklin Flyer sits just this side of mystical, but remains well grounded and ultimately complete. Strongly recommended...

Change is good........2002-05-13

This book expands on some of the themes of Christopher's previous novel, A Trip To the Stars - namely fate,destiny, chance and all that - while introducing another: personal and metaphysical transformation. Think Ovid and Heraclitus (i.e. everything eventually changes into its opposite) with some ancient Egyptian religion added for some creepy atmosphere. This novel is beautifully written. It's also obscure. But you'll love the journey, from the moment Franklin's yellow fedora flies through an office window, to the book's coda, which takes place almost a century later. Throughout the book, characters appear in different guises, motivations change, and people are evidently reborn. If you enjoy books such as Helprin's Memoir of Antproof Case, as well as Chistopher's ealier works, you'll definitely enjoy this.

From New Recruit to High Flyer: No-Nonsense Advice on How to Fast Track Your Career

Average customer rating:

Great gift for a new graduate
Accuracy of the book reflected in the cover image.
A 'bible' every new hire needs to make the most of a new position.
Great advice for anybody with ambition and will to grow

From New Recruit to High Flyer: No-Nonsense Advice on How to Fast Track Your Career
Hugh Karseras
Manufacturer: Kogan Page
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0749445645

Book Description

200 + Harvard Business School graduates and other top executives give advice on how to succeed early in your career
New graduates are full of potential but sometimes lack the prowess to become a rising star. Firmly aimed at future CEOs, New Recruit to High Flyer provides the means to rise up from the trenches and move up the corporate ladder into a bigger, more visible role within an organization.
Focusing initially on attitude, the most important factor in achieving career success, Karseras moves on to encourage the development of the fundamental skills required to succeed: a systematic approach to work, performing excellent research and analysis, developing strong communication skills and becoming highly proficient at project and people management. He also instructs on how to navigate the political organization by building networks, developing mentors, understanding the political maneuverings of the work environment.

Customer Reviews:

Great gift for a new graduate.......2007-04-24

Great book. I found this book is much more practical than many other related books. It contains countless specific tips and steps you can take. And as a previous review notes, there are plenty of books on how to land a job, but this is the rare one that tells you how to excel once you have the job. Very readable, valuable, practical and even humorous at times. The last thing I'll mention is that I like the way the author drew on interviews from a number of sources. I'm suspicious of books that tout the approach of just one successful individual. I might not be like that individual. I find the interview approach much better because it identifies common themes and approaches that have worked for a range of people.

Accuracy of the book reflected in the cover image........2007-02-16

The content of the book is accurate and new. But, most of all it is practical.

The major focus is on attitude and doing good work. Between these two focuses you will do great. The book explains how to maintain and brand yourself with an attitude, while also providing the tricks of the trade in doing good work. The book is simple and straight forward. There is very little B.S.

I am at the beginning my career and have seen great results so far. After reading the book, I have given to a colleague and to a friend. Both have enjoyed it and wish they had read it earlier in their careers.

A 'bible' every new hire needs to make the most of a new position........2007-02-09

Numerous guides cover how to land a job - but few focus on how to succeed as a new hire. From New Recruit to High Flyer covers everything from project and people management to understanding office structure and relationships, providing real-life examples from those who have succeeded as new hires. Common pitfalls and how to overcome them are included in a 'bible' every new hire needs to make the most of a new position.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Great advice for anybody with ambition and will to grow.......2006-11-24

This book has been great and it is helping me a lot. Even though I have started my career some years ago I am still missing some key points. The fact that the author is not only giving his own advice, but he is using the best bits and pieces from people that went to Harvard. I guess that quite a few of these are really intelligent and ambitious guys.

Topics that are covered are how to get the right attitude every day at work, how to be systematic in your approach to your career, how to develop the right tools for doing research, how to write and speak effectively, and how to communicate in different situations, and other three important topics that are hard to address when you are just starting in the business world: networking, mentoring, and politics.

If you don't think you know it all get this book it will have a possitive return on investment!

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