No comments about A Remembrance of Eden.

No comments about Eduardo Barreiros and the Recovery of Spain.

2 comments about The Watson Dynasty: The Fiery Reign and Troubled Legacy of IBM's Founding Father and Son.

1. If you are interested in the lives of the father and son that built IBM, this book is a pretty good place to start. It is an interpretive essay rather than an academic or formal biography. Since the author is basing this book on secondary sources, he carefully lists all the sources he relied on to write this book, He doesn't claim to provide original research or to have had access to primary sources that aren't publicly available. But it is good for a quick read and introduction to the Thomas Watson Sr and Jr.

   Since business is done by actual human beings, I enjoy peeling back the corporate veneer and the impersonal language of saying the company did this or that and looking at the real people and what they did with a touch of why they made their choices if such evidence is available. Not for the soap opera or supposition of it, but to learn real lessons about the character, the luck, the blunders, the brilliance that makes up all of the stories of history. One of the phony things corporations do in misusing the language is to say things like ABC Giantcorp made the decision to do XYZ. Actually, the men and women who run the organization made that decision. The Watsons both knew this and were, by today's standards, surprisingly human (if hard driving).

   Watson Sr. was a special character who came out of that early period of the first vast American corporations. He learned the right lessons and had the right traits. He found the right opportunity in building what he turned into IBM. Watson Jr. turned into a special character partly from the training from his father, but more by his experiences in WWII. But like a great many families of men of vast ambition and ability, the family of Watson Sr. did not get all the benefits of wealth and experience without cost. There was a lot to live up to and, for the most part, they met their responsibilities (with some all-too-normal failings). All in all, the author tells a cautionary tale.

   The book is well documented. There is a list of the sources used for each chapter, a bibliographical essay with a good list of the sources you can use for more reading on the Watsons an IBM and a good index.

   I will say that the author's informal writing style, especially when he flips into the first person, can be disorienting. Yes, he has a breezy style that reads like a class lecture sounds, but at times it caused me to stop and have to parse the language to figure out exactly whom he was talking about and what he was saying. There were a couple of times that I had to make surmises and am still not absolutely sure that the meaning I finally took away was what the author intended.

   But it is really a pretty good and valuable book.




2. Those who have read Tedlow's Giants of Enterprise are already aware of his unique and abundant skills as a brilliant thinker and eloquent writer. In this volume, he focuses his attention on Thomas Watson Sr. and Jr. who established and then developed one of the great dynasties in modern business history. (Watson Sr. was among seven "Giants" Tedlow discusses in his previous book.) This volume consists of several separate but carefully integrated parts: Watson Sr.'s life and career, his son Tom's life and career, and their often volatile personal as well as professional relationship at IBM.
   
   Of special interest to me is Watson Sr.'s career with the National Cash Register company during which he observed first-hand the leadership and management style of its founder and CEO, John Henry Patterson. Tedlow suggests that Watson Sr. learned many lessons from Patterson which later proved invaluable when, after being asked to resign his position at NCR, Watson accepted an offer to head the Computing-Tabulating-Recording company, renamed the International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. By then, Watson had demonstrated his genius as a salesman. "It was, however, his very appreciation of selling that prompted his constant push for better products and his support of engineers and the interest risks of research and development....What made Watson great was his understanding that in order for marketing to succeed, the marketers needed a product to sell which the market would accept....Selling was the art of helping the customer to understand that he did indeed both need and want what you were selling to him." Tedlow leaves no doubt that Watson's years at NCR fully prepared him to thrive as CEO of IBM, choosing the right product to bet on, taking full advantage of any and all opportunities to sell it, and -- meanwhile -- building a culture in which ever-increasing sales and profits were driven by technical superiority and a total commitment to serving each customer's needs.
   
   Also of interest to me is the relationship between the two Thomas Watsons. Theirs was a love-hate relationship, to be sure. Thomas Watson Sr. ran IBM for 42 years and one week, from May 1, 1914, until May 8, 1956. Throughout that period, father and son frequently had "hellacious" arguments. According to Watson Jr., their fights were "savage, primal, and unstoppable" and yet, as Tedlow explains, they deeply loved and greatly respected each other. Following Watson Sr.'s death, he was proclaimed the "World's Greatest Salesman" in a front-page New York Times headline. Watson Jr. was devastated, so much so that he took several months off to cope with his grief. He then returned to his duties as CEO and proceeded to transform IBM into what was then, by all accounts, the world's best managed corporation.
   
   A brief commentary such as this simply cannot do full justice to what Tedlow achieves in this volume. Suffice to say that he draws upon a wealth of historical and biographical information to reveal and explain the full significance of two great corporate leaders, to be sure, but also to reveal and explain them in compelling human terms, warts and all. Eventually, Tedlow observes, IBM encountered in the 1990s, a near-death experience. "The problem with IBM was not Watson principles and practices. It was that those principles and practices had ossified. Rather than being living, breathing, flexible guidelines within which creative people could work and be playful at their work, they had degenerated into mere words which had lost their meaning. They were only limiting, never liberating. The shadow [of the Watsons] remained; the substance had disappeared." Thomas J. Watson Jr. died on December 31, 1993. The next CEO, Lou Gerstner, was the first successor to Watson Jr. who would not have him looking over his shoulder. On Gerstner's watch, IBM survived its near-death experience and is now led by Samuel J. Palmisano, an executive who has spent his entire career at IBM. To say that IBM has returned to its roots is to say that IBM has re-established itself in alignment with the principles and practices of two visionary leaders named Watson.

5 comments about Beer for Pete's Sake: The Wicked Adventures of a Brewing Maverick.

1. Pete Slosberg, the "Pete" of Pete's Wicked Ale, started as a homebrewer and became a craft or "micro" brewer. This biography starts well, but ends up chatty and full of self-congratulatory anecdotes. Slosberg has a good discussion of beer types and why brewers shouldn't worry too much about what category their beer is in. Not much useful information on the business side of craft brewing. Slosberg repeats a number of stories about beer origins and phrases, most of them reprinted in other books. Definitely recommended for brewing aficionados.



2. This is a great book for everyone to read. Even a nonbeer drinker will find the stories and information interesting. It was also a fun book and an easy way to learn about beer.



3. I just finished this book and thought it deserved plugging for a couple of reasons. First, even though this book was clearly not intended as a "how-to" treatise, it has THE BEST introductory overview of the brewing process and, more importantly, the various factors involved in brewing and how they affect the final product that I have yet read, surpassing every homebrew how-to book in this important regard. These other books tend to either be too general or too detailed in addressing these issues, so that the most basic general principles the reader needs to appreciate to understand brewing can often get lost, but Pete nails most of them dead-on in his brief coverage of the matter. For this portion of the book he deserves at least a FOUR-star rating. The rest of the book is fun and informative without going into too much detail for the sake of detail, a common failing of many beer books, making for a quick and lighthearted read. His interest in beer lore has enabled him to bring together many anecdotes concerning beer in a single volume which one would probably have to look all over the place to find. The book concludes with a comprehensive bibliography which was interesting to read in and of itself. In fact, I was so impressed with the book and so dissapointed that is ended as soon as it did that I am going to write Pete and ask him to recommend some particular titles for further reading enjoyment.

   I would rate this book overall at FOUR Stars and intend to seek an autographed copy to add to my collection.




4. Pete Slosberg is a great brewer. His ales are tasty and his ideas on changing the face of brewing in america are legendary. On the down side, Pete is not a writer. Beer for Pete's Sake covers the spectrum of beer today, but just barely scratches the surface of any subject. If you really want to read this book my recomendation is, wait for the paperback.



5. Interested in learning more about the microbrewing/brewpub business, I have been reviewing success stories such as the stories of Dogfish Head, Brooklyn, and Redhook. While none of them offer a true game plan for success they all had good anecdotes on things they did right or wrong.
   
   I had hoped that this book would provide additional insight. Alas, it did not. The book was filled with a myriad of beer trivia; beer history, beer myths, and so on. It wasn't however filled with the wicked adventures of a brewing maverick as advertised. There are many chapters that digress into self-indulgencies like cigars and barbecues and really has nothing to do with Pete's Wicked Ales.
   
   If you're interested in an easy to read beer history and trivia book check this one out at your local library. If you are looking to learn from the people who made it check out the aforementioned books.

No comments about Walking On Sand: The Story of an Immigrant Son and the Forgotten Art of Public Service.

No comments about A Pikes Peak Partnership: The Penroses and the Tutts.

2 comments about Out on the Deep Blue: Women, Men, and the Oceans They Fish.

1. Reading this book, I felt right on the water--pitching and rolling with the waves. The first essay by Marie Beaver brings the reader directly into the essence of what it means to work in a natural environment and to make choices about one's life. Thank you to Fields for collecting a reminder of a natural world and an occupation now in decline.



2. This book is a collection of storys of commercial fishing from fishing in the bering sea or around alaska sea urchin fishing in the atlantic also fishing in louisana.Some are well known authors for those familar with commercial fishing and books that i would definitely recommend if you like this book.Such as linda greenlaws book "The hungry ocean" spike walkers book "working on the edge working in alaskas most dangerous profession" an excellent book .This book cover some womens roles in fishing as in fishing for crabs in the bering sea some tough women. I would also recommend any book by william mccloskey whether it be fiction or non fiction

No comments about Andrew Grove and the Intel Corporation (Notable Americans).

4 comments about Bill Gates (Biography (a & E)).

1. A & E produces a daily Biography show about famous people in all categories, this book is based on that series. Bill Gates is more than a story about the richest man in the world, is an accounting of where this fame and fortune came from and the vision of the future of the software giant.

   While the book is only about 100 pages there is enough information about Gates' roots, his ride to the top of the software industry and his recent battles with the Justice department to give this reader a new look into the man himself.

   The author gives you pictures from early childhood to his start with Microsoft in Albuquerque to his work with the Bill Gates Library Foundation. I must admit most of the photos have already been seen, however they're a few new and interesting ones, especially his new house.

   I personally liked the way the author put together the story, not running over of boring you with details in any one are. The storyline flows from start to finish. Granted there is a lot more that could have gone into the book, however this one was an excellent read.




2. I would give this book a five-star rating. The title is Bill Gates and the author is Jeanne M. Lesinski. Bill Gates had a dream. His dream was to create his own computer. Bill does complete his goal. On different kinds of computers he created, he did them with other friends. Throughout the story, it tells about his life, his wife, and three kids. Read the book and find out about his life and the start of Microsoft.



3. I bought this book because its on Bill Gates, and was I disappointed or what? The style of writting is very bad, and suits a small article not a book. It is not a biography at all, but an absurd trick to cash in on Bill Gates' Name.
   You are much better off reading other books on Microsoft and Bill Gates, which go into at least some details on the events of both the company and the man himself. This book was more like a brief news item.
   
   For me it was a waste of money. The only reason I am giving it a one star is because I cannot give it any less.



4. 
   This is an interesting book that shed some light on William Henry Gates. This is a story about the wealthiest individual in the world. Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution. He is widely respected in business circles for his intelligence, foresight, and ambition. He is also widely criticized as having built Microsoft's business through unfair, illegal, or anticompetitive business practices. Government authorities in several countries have found some of Microsoft's practices illegal. All this makes the book as interesting read as we learn a lot about this unique individual.
   
   Since amassing his fortune, Gates has pursued a number of charity activities, donating large amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programmes through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His donations have been larger than the gross national product of many small and poor countries.
   
   Since Microsoft's founding, Gates has had primary responsibility for Microsoft's product strategy. He has aggressively broadened the company's range of products, and wherever Microsoft has achieved a dominant position he has vigorously defended it. Gates's role at Microsoft for most of its history has been primarily a management and executive role. However, he was an active software developer in the early years, particularly on the company's programming language products.
   
   Gates has not generally engaged in conspicuous consumption beyond his lavish home, with its gardens and art collection. Gates also rents or leases a home on Mustique, an exclusive island in the Grenadines. He owns a 300 foot yacht named Ice. In contrast, his former associate Paul Allen has used his wealth in perhaps a more typical manner; owning sports teams, vintage airplanes, and multiple residences.
   
   This is a good book that should help the reader learn and understand the remarkable life and success of this man.

No comments about E. Bronson Ingram: Complete These Unfinished Tasks of Mine (Thl (Series).).