5 comments about The Pretender: How Martin Frankel Fooled the Financial World and Led the Feds on One of the Most Publicized Manhunts in History.

1. WHAT AN ANNOYING SCREWHEAD. I keep trying to read this book and have given up. Frankel's lying is one thing, but good Lord, his inability to actually consumate a trade (or anything else, evidently) is BEYOND annoying and makes for frustrating reading. At 2 bucks for a used copy, it's overpriced.



2. How was this man not caught sooner? It shows how greed affects us all. The seemingly educated, powerful people that Frankel was able to take in with his house of cards was amazing.

   That he did most of the damage while still living at his parents house in Toledo, OH makes it even more amazing. Here is a man who was facinated with financial markets which he read about and studied for over 10,000 self confessed hours. He knew brokers and investors at all the major brokerage houses near his home. He was a "paper trader" and was more often than not correct. Yet he couldnt bring himself to pull the trigger and actually trade.

   The gist of the scheme was started when Frankel started a phony stock brokerage and used a ponzi scheme to lure investors. But he was too afraid to make trades for his customers. He then decided to use his ill-gotten cash to buy a bank and in the process of shopping for one he came accross a "pre-need buriel insurance" firm that was in play. You'll have to read the rest.

   I couldnt put this one down. Just when you think it cant get any more strange, it does.




3. It is obvious that Pollock dedicated about two years of her life or more to research the details, and it shows. I was constantly amazed at the details that were uncovered and the collections of conversations.



4. Well-researched, entertaining, well-written and an interesting story. However, I agree with Daniel Morrison's review in that the actual crime and effects on average people were not explained. You had to guess of that yourself, but it was generally obvious. It was one of the better books I've read and it was definitly worth the time and money.
   Cheers Ellen Pollock!



5. The reason I bought this book is because I met one of the principal Mississippi characters during my travels. He briefly alluded to the story and I wanted to find out more about it. The book served this purpose very well. It was a fascinating read.
   The Pretender: How Martin Frankel Fooled the Financial World and Led the Feds on One of the Most Publicized Manhunts in History

5 comments about Grounded: Frank Lorenzo and the Destruction of Eastern Airlines.

1. Overall this book gives an sufficent explantian on the events that led up to Eastern's Shutdown. However, it is bias toward the unions without exposing there arrogance. If you ignore this fact and simply rely on the facts given this is a fairly good book. And also, it ends before the shutdown of the company in January 1991. It does not show the final stage of the Eastern Airlines saga between where Frank Lorenzo loses power and the company shutsdown. 3 stars.



2. One of the most unfair treatments of the demise of Eastern Airlines ever written and the second worst book on the subject. Biased towards labor from the beginning, Bernstein paints Goya-like pictures of an evil Frank Lorenzo and his henchmen cackling over a cauldron late at night, thinking up ways to lie, cheat and steal Eastern away from the hearths of America. At the same time, Charlie Bryan is portrayed as some mythic hero who ". . .read Ghandi and Kahlil Gibran and even Sun-tzu. . .". Right. Bias shows in the fact that no Texas Air management are quoted; no personal attributes are ever given, making Lorenzo, Bakes et all appear as soulless corporate thugs, while the stalwart union defenders with defiant chins thrust forth, are given warm wonderful hearts and the purest of intentions. I'm surprised Bernstein didn't have pictures of Bryan petting a puppy and holding a baby. Of slight redeming value is the fact that the book does tell an accurate story. Eastern didn't have to die and maybe Lorenzo didn't have to kill it, but the interpretation and presentation are designed only to support an intransigent group of labor leaders in their refusal to see the reality of the world. This book is only marginally better than the worst book written about Eastern, "Freefall".



3. Excellent book, well researched and very well written. Accurately portrays the events that lead to Eastern's demise. I am no fan of unions. But, Lorenzo displayed a blatant calloused disregard for Eastern, it's people, and everything connected with it.



4. This is a study in an ego taken over. I view is that the games he played could almost be criminal. I would have liked more information for the company as the author does seem to set out to make Frank be the bad guy. I would also have liked more details on the business end of the airline industry. I thought the writing was above average, he moved the story along through some topics that could be considered dull, union negotiations etc. All and all not a bad book and if you find the airline industry interesting then you should read this book.



5. While I lived in Dallas, I read Bernstein's book around the same time time that filmmaker Oliver Stone was in town filming the movie "J.F.K.". I submitted Bernstein's book along with a detailed proposal that included optioning the book rights for a movie with actors Daniel J. Travanti as Lorenzo, Brian Dennehy as Charles Brian and Michael Douglas as Trustee Marty Shugrue. Stone responded 5 days later to me through his assistant Kristina Hare that while this was a meaty subject, the political bent of the book ran counter to his convictions. I found this response puzzling. The book details how Lorenzo, a brilliant financial manipulator, rose from Queens, New York to the heights of owning the world's largest commercial airline empire second only to Russia's Aeroflot. This book is clearly a portrayal of how Lorenzo's get tough tactics with Eastern's notoriously militant IAM led by Charles Bryan from 1980 forward led to a war with Texas Air Management. Lorenzo ended up dismantling the very asset he bought by striking blows against labor in a bitter showdown. Eastern under CEO Frank Borman had 43,000 employees. By the time the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York ousted Lorenzo as "incompetent to reorganize Eastern's estate", only 18,500 employees remained and over $700 million of assets were either sold or dubiously transferred at little or no cost to Texas Air's Continental Airlines. So, Oliver Stone's rationale is quite strange. He is pro-union and this book details how Lorenzo started an unnecessary war with Eastern's unions rather than allow a professional manager to run the airline. Bernstein had unprecedented access to Frank Lorenzo and former managers of Texas Air as he delivers a step by step cautionary tale of how a well educated albeit, a brutal minded executive became his own worst enemy. It is a well paced and well written book that should become required reading for any business school management class.

5 comments about 21 Dog Years : A Cube Dweller's Tale.

1. "21 Dog Years" is a satirical account of life as a Amazon.com employee by self-described slacker Mike Daisey, who was recruited though a staffing company in 1998 to work in Customer Service Tier 1 and left the company in a fit of angst in 2000 in spite of enjoying his position in Business Development. The book's audience might be those seeking workplace comedy or those in search of information about Amazon.com's culture. "21 Dog Years" originated as a one man show, so it aims to entertain. At the same time, the book is very much in the tradition of gonzo journalism: insightful but inherently subjective and self-interested. If it is information about Amazon.com you seek, it's a little difficult to know where the hyperbole begins and ends. Mike Daisey's perspicacity is obvious from Chapter 1, where he observes the predicament of Gen Xers in the Baby Boomer economy of the 1990s, and he never hesitates to dwell on his own faults -which are many. He was a bad Customer Service Rep. He loved his company, but hated his job. Daisey seemed more competent and content in his Business Development position, but most of the book is about his experiences in Customer Service, probably because discontent is more compelling than comfort.
   
   As for whether the book is funny, I think it has more moments of insight than comedy. It is informative only if you are interested in how the company philosophy was felt by low-level employees. The book's most obvious fault is that Mike Daisey is a generally unsympathetic personality. Not so much because he is a liar and a crook, but because he is whiny and self-absorbed. Only his intellect makes "21 Dog Years" readable. "Amazonia", written by Amazon.com employee #55 James Marcus, who spent 5 years with the company, is a more informative, literate account. But Marcus seemed to be trying very hard not to offend anyone, leaving readers to glean his opinions between the lines. "21 Dog Years" suffers from the opposite style: It's all about mouthing off, sometimes to the point of sensationalism. People are either going to love this or hate it, but I'm giving "21 Dog Years" 3 1/2 stars because I found the book to be very readable and intermittently insightful.



2. 
   
   
   Mike Daisey's memoir is about his experience working for amazon.com. In the book, he tells about how he got the job, and how he ended up leaving the job. I chose to read this memoir because, it was kind of the only one I could find that seemed even semi-interesting. I probably should have chosen more carefully, because there were a lot of things in the book that I didn't understand very much. In his memoir Mike Daisey tells about his excitement to join amazon, to how it got to be to the point where he couldn't stand it, to moving to a new position, only to leave amazon .com for good.
   The book starts with Mike Daisey introducing himself. He explains how he was lazy, and never really did anything with his life. This is relevant later on in the memoir, when he gets hired for amazon, and actually feels like he is working for a living. Anyway, he ends up moving to Seattle, and getting a job at a temping service. He doesn't like his job, so he starts to look for new jobs. While he is between jobs, he moves in with his girlfriend. His search for a job is ongoing until he finds amazon.com. He applies for the job, and after several interviews, he gets the job, and is entered into a four week training period. He is taught about the company, and how to do the job. He ends up coming out of the training period very enthusiastic about the job. At the end of the training period, he and several other are officially offered the job. He accepts, and starts working in the customer services for amazon.
   At first the job is okay and he along with all the others turn into amazon believers. He refers to it as a religion, because they all believe that amazon is like the way of the future, and are pretty much obsessed with their jobs. The job soon becomes unbearable for the author, and he finds himself trying to get out. He tries to write reviews for items, but falls behind, and finds himself at square one. He then applies for a different division that is out of customer service, and finds the job to be very appealing. He is pleased with the job until he starts hearing rumors about lay-offs, and is noticing cuts that the company is making. He is using the bathroom when he sees a spreadsheet, and reads it. It had all of the salaries of all the upper level worker, and some of whom he had worked with. The were making millions of dollars, and were idiots who didn't do anything. He found this combination of things disappointing, and ended up leaving the company because of it.
   The whole experience is important to the author, because it wasn't a natural experience working for this big company. From my perspective the author felt like the whole company was kind of weird. I think one of the main reasons that he wrote this book is to expose how odd the job experience was. Especially when he says that the amazon thing turns into like a sort of a religion for him, and his co-workers, and that the CEO of the company, named Jeff, is like a god to them. Also how the job kind of takes over their lives, and the spend all their time focusing on the job, and competing with the other employees.
   What the author got for the whole experience is kind of like what I mentioned before. He really got exposed to how strange and unnatural the job situations at companies like that are. He saw first hand how easy it was to fall for this whole system that convinced workers to push themselves too much, because they truly believed that they were actually making a difference, and sort of staring a revolution. As far as the title goes, it is referring to how one of the rules or beliefs is in this time system where the amazon employees are working faster, and so they refer to their years like dog years. I interpreted this to mean that the amazonians, as the author called them were working so hard and quickly that they were getting several years' work done in one year. I thought the book was good, but it was over my reading level, and I found it some parts boring, since it was also over my maturity level, and I couldn't relate to some of the things that the author mentioned.



3. I bought this book, thinking that it would offer some insight into Amazon.com in terms of what it was like to work there during its halcyon days. Touted as a funny memoir, among other things, I was to discover that it was none of what was promised. In fact, the book was painfully difficult to read, as it was very poorly written, decidedly not funny, and offered little insight into what it really was like to work at Amazon. It was totally sophomoric in terms of what it did say.
   
   The author should be thankful that he was not fired by Amazon, as that is what he richly deserved to have happen based upon his own account of what he was like as an employee. He was a total slacker who treated customers with the contempt that he felt that they deserved. He was totally wasteful of the company's resources. He proudly stole supplies in bulk from the company. When toys were given to him for review purposes, he not only did not bother to review them, he then refused to return the toys to Amazon. He may think that all this is hilarious. Unfortunately, I do not. Reading this drivel felt like it took twenty-one dog years.
   
   Moreover, this book was so poorly written, I am surprised that a reputable publisher went ahead with the expense of actually publishing it. Don't waste your time with this drivel. If you want to read a well-written, interesting book about working at Amazon, read "Amazonia: Five Years at the Epicenter of the Dot. Com Juggernaut" by James Marcus.



4. I guess my interest in this book was to take a look into the heart of a .COM business to see if the people inside actually beleived some of the crap they were trying to sell people outside. What I mean is that this was a "new economy", and that profits were not what it was about. (god knows how many stocks went over $100 without a single profit in sight!)
   
   Well, the glimse into Amazon was from a single guy, who didn't fit in from the start...so it might be a bit slanted.....on the other hand, he admits to "drinking the cool-aid" a bit himself and getting into the culture.
   
   Bottom line....it looks like the .COM people believed in their jive even more than the people who bought $100/share stock off them.....
   
   As for the book, it was an easy read.....and to me gave me a fair bit of insight into that world. (I was working at a computer company who's stock also went through the sky....but we were also making good profits.)
   
   The run-up of the .COM "bubble" was always a mystery to me...and this book does go some part of the way to help me understand it. (but don't look for technical analysis....just the ramblings of the days in this guy's life at Amazon.....his low's, highs, and lows again)



5. I got this as audio book and it's few of the amazingly written and performed audio book. We listened to this in our commute and travel and kept us tightly intrigued and left us laughing and thinking at the same time. The author has degree in Asthetics and it shows. The story is pretty honest and simple but very well told. I think author manages to create pretty good humor out of everyday life, observations and his thoughts about himself as well as outside world. The voice for reading audio book has emotions, truth, passion and captivating rhythm. The story is simple: The author ends up as a temp after graduation but he has no willingness to succumb to serve as corporate drone or be "useful" in that context. But then Internet train arrives which is hard to resist but only to end up as customer rep. People who wants to know about how Amazon worked in its hey days will find pretty good meat here (author was about first of 300 employees). This might be probably the only book on inside look in Amazon corporate world unlike other companies like Microsoft and Google. While being funny, author doesn't escape to reflect on today's corporate servitude and how these entities strives to keep it alive by taking in as many bodies it can regardless of trivial passions and purpose that they offer.

5 comments about King of Clubs: Grow Rich in More Than Money.

1. The lives of every person who reads this book will be enriched regardless of their age!!!!! The book is informative, interesting and entertaining! Great gift for anyone in your life! If flows as you read it and you won't want to put it down! Treat yourself to a wonderful experience!!!!!



2. This book is a wildly self-indulgent extension of every cliche in other people's books. It's truly banal. I agree, however, with the reviewer who said it could be worthwhile "for those who do not read a lot."



3. Miss DeLoach truly got into the head of a truly remarkable man! The book has everything, facts, figures, sad and happy times - all laced with humor. Couldn't put it down!



4. The book was bought for my son-in-law, but I couldn't resist reading it first. I am truly glad that I did as it is sure to improve my skills with dealing with people as it will yours when you read it!



5. Reading this captivating book was a pleasure!!!!! I feel as though I personally know this wonderful man now. SUCH AN AUTHOR to capture him!!!!!

5 comments about Confessions of a Window Dresser.

1. Simon Doonan gives us a gift in this delectable bon-bon of a book! The self-professed "Lucky Leprechaun", Doonan proves it does indeed take more than luck-it takes talent, drive, and vision to become a success. Dispelling the myth that all "window dressers" are poisonous, bitter, queens, this insanely funny, engaging, and gorgeously illustrated biography is the perfect late summer book. A must read!



2. I bought this book for a gift, but was so intrigued by Doonan's windows I had to read it myself. From the minimal and sometimes upsetting displays of his early years to the more recent, gaudy and pop-influenced windows of Barneys, Doonan's book shows and tells the craft, work, and often times controversy that went into his displays. An incredible glimpse of one man's work, and the importance of a store display to grab and interact with the customer. Never bores, never falters.



3. Fashion Marketing is everywhere, especially in Fashion Windows where's the retailer's most economical form of advertising; bring glamour, fun, theatre and art to the streets, while visibly expressing the store's image. Of his approach to visual merchandising, Simon Doonan brings a wealth of personal experince and insight to these window displays. The ones who are interested in Fashion Windows, Fashion Marketing and Fashion Advertising, must have this book. (P.S. I bought this book from Amazon and received it at the right time and with no harm. Thanks Amazon.com )



4. This book is a ride for sure, an artistic roller-coaster with a nice beginning, no ending and a meandering middle. I think it would be appropriate to call this book self-absorbed and it is up to you to decide if that is what you want to read. Some of the problems I encountered: First, I really should have bought the hardcover; the [paperback] book literally fell apart in my hands. By page six, the cover was off and soon after that I was picking little bits of glue off my lap. About one third the way through the book, I gave up and tried to stay ahead of the mess by picking the glue off the binding myself. I have read hundreds of books, many of them paperbacks, and I have probably never seen a book so poorly bound; by the end of the book it started to look and feel like a newspaper! Additionally, for what is mostly a color-picture book the quality of paper used is also astonishingly low; the total lack of quality of this book is depressing. Perhaps this is what you get when you manufacture in China and don't have someone watching who speaks Chinese.
   
   Second, I found the text of this book hard to follow. The whole thing should have been arranged better, the captions for the volumnous pictures were all ploped down in paragraph-form and the main text was constantly cut up for random, unpredictable, lengths by the pictures. On the other hand, with careful reading I thought the captions explained the pictures very well.
   
   Third, I would have liked to learned more about his early career in London and L.A. It felt to me that the middle of the "how-I-got-to-where-I-am" story was a soft, like part o the story was missing. Overall, I enjoyed the story.



5. Not really sure how Simon Doonan managed to fail the Eleven Plus; he's (among other geniuses) a Comic Genius. Confessions of a Window Dresser has (surprisingly!) turned out to be an excellent read-aloud.
   Mr. Doonan's life is awfully fascinating even without the window dressing (hehe), but if you're interested in display in general, and window dressing in particular, I recommend this book as a Must Have. The archived photos merit close study.
   I received the paperback version as a gift. Sadly, it's true about the binding, so the copy i bought for my baby brother is hardcover, built to last!

5 comments about All Aboard : The Story of Joshua Lionel Cowen & His Lionel Train Company.

1. I have had several copies of the previous edition of this book but kept giving them away to neighbors of mine. It is a wonderful look at one of the oldest and most successful toy companies in the world: Lionel Trains. This book covers everything: humble beginnings, postwar boom, near destruction at the hands of famed veteran of the "Red Scare" Roy Cohn to it's present day owners. If you had Lionel trains as a child or have always loved them from afar I cannot tell you how much fun this book is. With stories on all of the most famous cars and the people behind the genius it's an engrossing read.



2. All Aboard! The Story Of Joshua Lionel Cowen & His Lionel Train Company is the fascinating story of the man who made the electric toy train one of the most popular toys for boys and hobbies for grown men in the last century. Published in part to celebrate the Lionel Train Company's 100th Anniversary, All Aboard! is also a testament to how this producer of toy trains dealt with the competition of electronic games at the end of the 20th century and is experiencing a surge of popularity at the beginning of the 21st Century. Original published in 1981, this new, revised and updated celebratory edition of All Aboard! is welcome and highly recommended reading for toy train enthusiasts in general, and Lionel Train collectors in particular!



3. This is one of my best books about Lionel trains. Profusely illustrated with photos of Joshua Lionel Cohen and the people that helped make Lionel a giagantic toy train builder. This is a book you're sure to read over and over.



4. Simply put, Hollander has written and compiled the highest quality, most comprehensive, and most readable book about the history of the Lionel electric train company that has ever been done. I make that claim while scanning my bookcase holding 45 books on electric toy trains, the majority of them dealing with Lionel, indisputably the penultimate brand name in America, at least where toy trains are concerned.

   Hollander writes of the origin and the evolution of Lionel trains from their beginning around 1900 through their status at the commencement of the 21st century, including their near death in 1969 and their miraculous resuscitation by the General Mills cereal company in 1970. Don't be alienated by the earlier statement that this is a history book. It is in no way a dry rehashing of facts, dates and dollars such as comprise boring histories. On the contrary, "All Aboard!" is more of a love story, for Hollander is truly in love with his subject, and his excitement in telling us about the Lionel legend carries the reader through the book on wings of delight.

   Highly descriptive text leaves us with a wonderful acquaintanceship with Lionel's parent, Joshua Lionel Cohen (who "Americanized" his name to Cowen), shows us the birth of his baby, draws us word pictures of that baby's successes and failures, its grand leaps of inventiveness and its faltering steps of failure in the changing business and economic climate of a century of American enterprise. Along the way, we are presented with copious visual reinforcement (both in color and in black and white) of the story that the text is weaving for us. We see photographs of the movers and shakers of this great company, some of the wondrous trains that they produced, and some of the expert art work that marketed those trains to the boys and fathers (and girls and mothers, too) of 20th century America. That art work, in annual catalogs and in magazine and newspaper advertisements, forged an emotional bond between American youth and the Lionel Corporation that endures today despite changing fortunes and changing ownership. Its effect on our culture has been phenomenal and is clearly addressed in Hollander's book.

   I can levy only two criticisms against "All Aboard!" The first is that I sometimes find the page layout annoying in that many sidebars and notes are included to give us insights into Lionel's executives, competitors, and plans. These are valuable and interesting, but they do interrupt the flow of the main text. The reader must either pause to read the sidebars or else ignore them at first and then return to them later. The second criticism is that the final chapter, which is the only "revised and updated" part of the book since its original release in 1981, lacks the intimate, revealing analysis that gives the rest of the book its finesse. The first eight chapters read as though Hollander had been an insider at the Lionel Corporation for its eighty-one years of birth, growth and turmoil, whereas the ninth chapter, which looks at the technological advances in toy trains from 1982 to 2000, is told by an outside observer who is no more privy to corporate thoughts than are the rest of us.

   If one has already enjoyed the 1981 edition of "All Aboard!", I cannot recommend purchasing the current edition just to have the new chapter. On the other hand, if one has never seen either edition of "All Aboard!", then, no matter what other books he may have read on Lionel trains, he has missed the most definitive and enjoyable book of all, and I cannot recommend Hollander's book too highly.




5. My grand-uncle, Mario Caruso, was the co-owner and co-founder of Lionel Trains along with Joshua "Lionel" Cohen.
   
   Frank Pettit, chief designer for Lionel Trains and my uncle, had over 100 patents for designs and innovations he created for toys, expecially trains, including the smoke tablet, cattle car, news-stand, a transformer, etc. Amazon lists his biography "It Comes From Within: The Frank Pettit Story." This is an accurate story of the Lionel Trains Corp.
   
   My entire family; mother, father, uncles, aunts, from the Caruso/Pagano family worked at Lionel Trains, located in Irvington, New Jersey during the 1950's, which was the largest toy company in the world. During World War II, Lionel Corp. developed and manufactured instruments for the navy.
   
   The company was bought by the lawyer, Roy Cohn, grandson of Lionel Trains founder Lionel Cowen (Cowen & Cohn are very similar names). Roy Cohn immediately fired everyone and stated that "We are out of the toy business." To this day, nobody knows where the pension fund went. All the money was taken out of the company. My mom and dad, my relatives and others never received a penny of their pension that they worked so hard for.
   
   Read this fascinating history of what was once the largest toy manufacturing company in the world.

5 comments about Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur: Why I Can't Stop Starting Over.

1. People who think they want to be entrepreneurs should read this book. In life, you can either fall down to learn all of your own lessons or you can pay attention to and learn from other peoples' experiences. I recommend the latter approach and Mr. Skorman provides an easy-to-read memoir that you can easily absorb. His range of experience will probably cover something that you are thinking about doing. I commend him for choosing to ask Catherine Guthrie to help him write the book; it flows more smoothly than 99% of the business memoirs you'll read.
   
   I work with dozens of would-be entrepreneurs at any given time. Their motivations vary. Some want to create a huge business. Others just want to establish a business they would be proud of. Still others want to establish a certain kind of lifestyle. Some want to escape the humdrum qualities of their lives. A few have an idealistic vision of what a business could do for others. At various times, Mr. Skorman tried all of these approaches and candidly assesses the pros and cons of those perspectives.
   
   When I first meet them, the would-be entrepreneurs have three things in common:
   
   1. They have no idea of how to prepare to be an entrepreneur.
   2. They don't understand the various processes to use in establishing a successful new business.
   3. They are in a hurry.
   
   In addition, most of would-be entrepreneurs have no understanding of how to think about customers and what might appeal to customers.
   
   As a result, they employ what I like to call the "fire, ready, aim" school of entrepreneurship. That approach can work just fine . . . as long as you have enough energy, capital, and patience.
   
   Most entrepreneurs are self-taught: They learn by accumulating bumps and bruises. That learning process is, however, so painful that they either don't want to talk about it or develop amnesia as time passes.
   
   Stuart Skorman's memoir is a great resource for inexperienced entrepreneurs because he does remember how he got where he is and is willing to share with you. You follow along while he goes from starting up one venture to another and get a candid look at what he did right and wrong, and why that happened. In his biggest success, he freely describes how not paying enough attention to a deal he needed to make and to technological development cost him most of what he could have gained. You'll be there, too. When you are, remember his example.
   
   I also find that would-be entrepreneurs think they will be married to their business for life. In drawing that conclusion, they deny themselves the opportunity to experience the joy of creation all over again . . . but with more resources and experience to guide them. I don't recall another book where an entrepreneur so often moved on to start a new enterprise and in another industry as often as Mr. Skorman has. You'll be fascinated.
   
   Why is it that most entrepreneurs cannot repeat their success in another industry? Success is very much influenced by being in the right place at the right time with the right resources and skills. Miss one of those elements and the next enterprise may be a loser.
   
   Mr. Skorman is also a very interesting fellow when he's not starting-up businesses. He spent the Summer of Love in San Francisco. He did a cross-country bicycle jaunt by himself. He spent two years earning a living as a professional poker player. He also managed a rock band. You'll enjoy those parts, too.
   
   In understanding Mr. Skorman's perspective, it's helpful to remember that he is primarily a marketing thinker who sees deep needs that aren't being met and can conceptualize very extreme ways to improve on what exists. That talent is best exhibited in his experience with Empire Video where he conceptualized a whole new approach to video rental stores that greatly expanded the market in the geographies that he served. I suggest that you read that case with the most attention for what's needed to succeed. There were few false steps because he deeply understood the needs of video renters. I was so impressed with this case that I summarized it for some of my entrepreneurial students.
   
   At the opposite end of the spectrum, read the case of Elephant Pharmacy to show you how wealth and comfort can induce bad habits into what may well be a good business idea. As the ultimate story of "ready, fire, aim" I commend his story of HungryMinds.com.
   
   Although the chapters end up with entrepreneurial lessons, I suggest that you think of these not as general lessons . . . but rather as the lessons than you can draw from Mr. Skorman's example. He didn't study what other entrepreneurs do and don't do, so you shouldn't treat this book as a literal business text. It's more like an annotated series of cases.
   
   As his career evolves in the future, I hope Mr. Skorman will favor us with an updated edition of this book at some point.



2. Skorman gives an insider's view of what it takes to start a business from the ground up. He offers his hard-won lessons in business for any entrepreneur or small businessperson who wants to create a company that has a heart and soul.
   
   [...].



3. If you think you've got the entrepreneurial spirit and want to embark on the startup journey, read the book by someone who's taken the trip.
   
   Even if you're not an entrepreneur this book will provide a window into how extraordinary people take business risks.
   
   What a ride and a great read.
   
   Thanks for sharing it.
   
   p.s. in addiiton to a great startup story, if you are interesting in the process of startups there are some good tactical texts on how to avoid some of the bumps i.e. see: The Four Steps to the Epiphany or for pure strategy The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business (Collins Business Essentials)



4. Good quick read about a man that stumbled into being a lifelong entreprenuer because he could see opportunities and was not afraid to start businesses to exploit them. I admire the author because he is introspective enought to realize what he is good at and what he is not and how that effects his ability to start and grow companies. He admits his mistakes but gives you insight into what are the key lessons he learned. The author recognizes that fanatical focus on providing a great customer experience and customer service will build customer loyality that will allow you to overcome the mistakes that small-growing businesses make. Larger established companies should re-learn this lesson. The bottom line from this book is the Nike slogan, "Just Do It!".If you want to learn more about starting a business I would suggest other books like the Art of the Start The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything, or the classic entreprenuership book by Paul Hawken, Growing a Business Growing a Business.



5. Confession of a Serial Entrepreneur is an entertaining book of, well, the book titel says it all, a serial entrepreneur. The interested would-be & entrepreneur can have hear a laugh while learning some deep level business philosophy; like the importance of heart & soul of a company and to look for a business with the potential to be deeply satisfying. It's neither the funniest book i've ever read nor the best book on entrepreneurship ... but a good mix of both. Worth reading.

5 comments about King Cohn: The Life and Times of Harry Cohn (Revised and Updated).

1. King Cohn is a flawlessly produced, deftly abridge audiobook about the life and times of Hollywood magnate Harry Cohn detailing is influence and impact on the American film industry in general, and the Columbia Pictures studio in particular. John Landis superbly narrates Bob Thomas' insightful biography of a notoriously gruff and tough studio head, a task made difficult in light of Harry Cohn's aversion to personal publicity, an absence of personal writings, speeches, and reluctance to be interviewed. Nonetheless, Bob Thomas was able to bring this Hollywood mogul to life as he climbed from a New York City song plugger to eventually becoming one of the most powerful men in Hollywood during the golden age of the Hollywood film studio system. King Cohn is a "must" for all students of American cinema and film buffs of those great Columbia Pictures movies that were only made possible by this unique and complex man.



2. "I am the king here. Whoever eats my bread sings my song". (Harry Cohn).

   "I don't have ulcers - I give them". (Harry Cohn).

   "I kiss the feet of talent". (Harry Cohn).

   This is a marvellous and outstanding book that everyone with an interest in Hollywood should read. Once started it is hard to put down! Harry Cohn was the notorious head of Columbia Pictures from 1924 until his death in 1958. It is a remarkable story of the former song plugger who became the feared chief executive of Columbia Pictures during the "Golden Years of Hollywood". Harry Cohn was a very reclusive man who seldom gave interviews so Bob Thomas has done an exceptional job in putting together this account of Cohn's life. He put in hours of efficient research for this book and spoke with many people who knew Cohn and the stars and directors who worked for him.

   Harry Cohn's brother Jack was the first to go into the film business but Harry soon joined him. Jack was based in New York dealing with the business and financial side and Harry was in charge of film production in Hollywood. There was no love lost between the two brothers and they were constantly arguing with each other. Columbia could not compete on an equal footing with the other major studios such as MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox and initially made cheap westerns and second features to begin with but Cohn was ambitious and wanted to produce more prestigious films. His luck changed when he had the enormous good fortune to persuade director Frank Capra to join Columbia who made a series of first rate quality films for the studio. The Capra films were box office successes (and Oscar winners) and brought in the much needed dollars to expand the studio and purchase important screenplays, and hire other talented writers and directors etc. The name of Columbia then became recognised and its films obtained a wider audience.

   Columbia did not have a large roster of stars under contract like the major studios so they had to discover new talent and develop their own stars. One of Harry Cohn's discoveries was a dancer named Margarita Cansino - he cast her in a few Columbia features and loaned her out to other studios and then the big build up started. Cohn decided her name should be changed so she became Rita Hayworth and went on to become one of Columbia's top stars.

   Columbia's biggest box office success in the 40's was the biographical musical "The Jolson Story". This was not an easy film to get off the ground as the New York office were convinced that Jolson was a "has been" whose career was finished and that the American public would not be interested to see a film about his life. Another problem was the casting - James Cagney and Danny Thomas both turned down the leading role and other actors were considered including Jose Ferrer and Richard Conte. Jolson desperately wanted to play himself in the film but in his 60's was obviously too old. The eventual casting of Larry Parks in the role of Jolson was a masterstroke - he was absolutely brilliant - in fact we can't now imagine anyone else doing it as he is so identified with the two Jolson films.

   In 1949 Marilyn Monroe was signed to a contract at Columbia for $175 a week. She appeared in a B picture called "Ladies of the Chorus" but when her six months contract was up Harry Cohn ordered her to be dropped - "She can't act", he said. Some of his associates at Columbia never allowed Cohn to forget he had dismissed Marilyn Monroe who as we all know went on to become a major Hollywood star!!

   Harry Cohn was responsible for creating another star at Columbia when he signed Kim Novak to a contract. He tried her out in small budget pictures such as "Pushover", "Phffft", and "Five Against the House". Cohn was not initially impressed by her acting but she did well enough in these films for him to agree to cast her in a major production with top stars - "Picnic" - featuring William Holden, Rosalind Russell and Cliff Robertson. "Picnic" established Kim Novak as a star and she went on to make several other successful films.

   The 50's brought even more success to Columbia with films such as "Born Yesterday" (1950) which won the Best Actress Oscar for Judy Holliday. Even more popular was "From Here to Eternity" (1953) which won the Best Picture Oscar and seven other awards. ("Eternity" became the biggest money maker in Columbia's history and Harry Cohn was very proud of the film). "Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957) was another Columbia success winning the Best Picture award and six other Oscars.

   To sum up "King Cohn" is a marvellous book, full of interesting anecdotes about the stars and "behind the scenes" information what it was like to be in charge of a busy Hollywood studio and with such a fantastic character as Harry Cohn running things there are many wonderful stories to tell. Harry Cohn had the reputation of being something of a monster and tyrant at the studio but this book reveals that he did many kind acts often helping out his employees and stars when they were in financial trouble (sometimes giving them substantial amounts of money) and visiting friends who were in hospital. He enjoyed his image as a tough boss and did not want these stories to be publicised. "King Cohn" is a fascinating read. Buy it - you will enjoy every chapter!




3. This updated version of Bob Thomas's biography of Columbia studio chief Harry Cohn is very enjoyable reading. Since its original publication, anonymous sources have come forward and new facts and anecdotes have been incorporated. The brusque, outspoken Cohn appears to have been only concerned with Columbia's most important productions, and Thomas's text reflects this bias. If you're looking for details about Columbia's bread-and-butter product, including its popular "B" pictures, westerns, short subjects, serials, and cartoons, you won't find anything here, and even some of the studio's "A" pictures receive only passing mention. Thomas keeps the spotlight on the colorful Cohn, with some incredible stories and quotes. A great read for movie buffs.



4. Harry Cohn willed Columbia Pictures to become a major Hollywood studio, arising Phoenix like out of the muck of "Poverty Row" mediocrity in the Thirties by producing some of the Silver Screen's great triumphs. Columbia films won 52 Academy Awards during King Cohn's reign including Best Picture Oscars for IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, ALL THE KING'S MEN, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, ON THE WATERFRONT and BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI.

   Cohn, a transplanted New Yorker born to immigrant parents, was the quinessential Runyonesque character--crude, commanding, ruthless but possessing a "heart of gold" beneath the tough veneer. He was the inspiration for Willie Stark in ALL THE KING'S MEN and Harry Brock in BORN YESTERDAY. Cohn played the role of mogul as tough guy to the hilt.

   Veteran entertainment journalist, biographer and Hollywood observor Bob Thomas recreates the man and his times with a lively anecdotal prose style and an insider's eye that discerns between the real and the hype.

   Cohn has long endured a bad rap hung on him by the "creative community" that passed through Columbia's portals and over which he often rode roughshod. Frank Capra, Howard Hawks, Leo McCarey, George Stevens, Barbara Stanwyck, Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Glen Ford and many, many others bemoaned Cohn's crassness, tyrannical interference and bullying ways but did their best work under his "oppressive," "untutored" and "uncouth" dominion.

   Columbia, under Cohn's supervision and control, invented the screwball comedy, perhaps the American cinema's most significant contribution during The Great Depression, and remained the pre-eminent producer of this genre until the outbreak of World War II.

   Cohn understood and felt a kindredness with his plebian audience that many of his patrician "creative" employees did not. Thomas' excellent biography goes a long way toward rehabilitating the "Ogre of Gower Gulch" with those who believed Cohn to be the undeserving and unappreciative beneficiary of Frank Capra's genius.




5. There is nothing in this book that couldn't have been learned from other books or old Hollywood magazines and papers. This is hardly an in depth study. Still, I gather that most readers will pick this up for the beach or a cruise and only want some fast moving reading with lots of celebrity anecdotes (read "gossip") so this book delivers. I picked this up in a bargain bin for a dollar and think I got my money's worth.

5 comments about The Vineyard: The Pleasures and Perils of Creating an American Family Winery.

1. If you loved "Little House on the Prairie" you'll love this true modern pioneer saga set in (of all places) Eastern Long Island, New York. You don't even have to be a wine enthusiast to enjoy the book, although Louisa Hargraves' descriptions of tasting may make convert you.
   While telling her 30 year history of growing French varietal grapes (which people said couldn't be done), the author allows us to experience the grit behind the glamour in all its (pardon me) juicy details.
   As in all successful memoirs, we get a chance to live someone else's life, imagine what it would be like to follow our dream as singlemindedly as she did, and rejoice when dreams come true. We also get to see the price that is exacted. Because Louisa Hargrave keeps us by her side, I stayed up until 2 AM to finish the book. I put it down feeling touched, informed, and inspired.



2. A fascinating account of how a highly educated couple from a suburban background became successful "farming" pioneers growing grapes and making wine on Eastern Long Island. This was not sit-on-the veranda farming. The author makes reference to stories of the American frontier, and certainly that is apt, as the dedication and endurance of these pioneers was extraordinary. Their hard personal work in the fields was the equal of the pioneers, and they also had to deal with modern government. All in all, very intriguing and very well written, with enough human detail to make the people come to life.



3. Alex and Louisa Hargrave went against conventional wisdom when they decided to plant vinifera grapes on Long Island. As you might expect, it was a bumpy adventure in horticultural history, complete with weeds, hurricanes and an incredible amount of work, bringing the couple to the brink of financial ruin. But by the time it was over, they'd proven that grapes could grow (even flourish) on Long Island - and the chronicle of their exploits is charming and lively.



4. My parents chose to own and run a small vineyard. As a contemporary of the author, it is easy for me to empathize with the problems of building a vineyard from scratch. That may best explain why I picked up this book.

   The author and her husband are of a blue blood vintage. Family money allowed them to embark on this experiment, quite the dilettantes at the start. Hargrave and her tall husband had tried other ventures or career options, including an organ (and I don?t mean Wurlitzer) cookbook. My stomach is still turning at the thought. Nothing seemed to click. The two were peripatetic students, travelers, house sitters, Ivy leaguers, quasi trust fund babies, with colorful roots of their own. Louisa Thomas is the grand daughter of five-time Socialist candidate for president of the United States, Norman Thomas.

   One thing they learned from their stab at cooking organs was that the wine allowed the unpalatable food to go down a whole lot better. Inspired in part by this finding, along with a desire to forego hard liquor, husband and wife made a go of starting a vineyard on Long Island. Only this time the process was very serious, engaging and almost enslaving. They mastered the delicate, detailed process of acquiring the right vines, grafting, plucking, fermenting, storing and marketing the wine. They produced great wine; they earned (or at least somehow garnered) great publicity. They hired a lot of people with diverse, difficult and demanding backgrounds. Husband and wife divided the tasks as best they could, each to his or her apparent comparative advantage, she the hands on technician, he the business officer. Along the way, unintentionally it seems, they transformed themselves from soul mates to business partners.

   Raised on a ?grape farm? myself, where my family lived twenty years, her story is spot on ? the planting and pruning, dealing with fungus and pesticides, curbing the weeds, managing the harvest, living with weather that both killed and enhanced the crop ? and evoked long dormant memories and, in some cases, wounds. Grapes are much less romantic when they go into jelly, but also a whole lot easier, especially if you don?t make the final product yourself. The Hargraves immersed themselves in the task. They learned fast, worked hard, and seemed to prosper, even if at times it was by the skin of their grapes. My initial skepticism turned to admiration but, having lived some of their life, never envy.

   The saddest part of an otherwise noble accomplishment is the fact that the husband and wife efforts apparently killed their marriage. It is not very clear why. As the sole author, the wife is a bit coy on this. It may have been fruitful to read the husband?s side of the full story, not just the demise of a good, working partnership. This is a very human, humane story.




5. Nice read. This book will be inspiring to those who are contemplating getting into the winery business, and will be interesting to those who just enjoy wine.

5 comments about Madam: Chronicles of a Nevada Cathouse.

1. One minute you're crying. The next you're angry. The next you're rolling on the floor with laughter. This is a wonderful book... hard to put down... and one that makes you long for more when you finish the final chapter. And to the ladies at Sheri's Ranch and the other brothels in Nevada I say: Hold your heads high and walk with pride. I, personally, would consider it an honor to know any of you.



2. A wonderful, insightful collection of stories that create a vivid portrait of who legal prostitutes really are and why they do what they do. The beautifully-written stories dispel the misunderstanding of these women promulgated by the media. Want the truth? Read "MADAM: Chronicles of a Nevada Cathouse." Compelling!



3. If you have ever been curious about legal prostitution read this book. I felt as I was on the inside looking in as I read the stories of the girls, the good times , the bad times, but always the "family" times. A definate read.



4. My 84 year-old mother has been anti-prostitution from the time she found out "the disgusting things" prostitues do. She wouldn't allow the term spoken in her presence even in terms of a social problem.

   After I read this book, I literally forced my mother to read it by thrusting the book into her hands and nagging at her constantly until she read it to make me stop annoying her. She devoured it cover to cover, then said "I've been wrong all these years. I didn't have the right to judge these women without knowing anything about them."

   This book is a revelation. Congratulations to the author and to the thousands of people enlightened and moved by this marvelously executed work.




5. but she is someone I would like to meet. If you want to know what it is like to work in a brothel, this is the book for you. You get an honest and even handed look at the girls (to include their persnalities and motivations), the Johns, the job, and the business of legal prostitution. It was a good and entertaining read to boot. The only thing wrong with it, was it was too short!