1 comments about Rocks Pebbles and Stones: Confessions of a Private Jeweler.

1. Gemstones and jewelry are some of the most conspicuous place-markers and semaphores in human culture. They communicate a host of messages, from blunt to sublime: economic muscle, class, family tradition, royal status, devotion, love and adoration, permanence. And precisely because they’re material markers for these strong statements, fine jewels -- as they pass from hand to hand -- leave interesting stories in their wake. Feldmesser captures these stories in an artful and charming voice.
   
   And if this isn’t enough, Feldmesser gives the reader an unusual peek into the workings of the jewelry business, which should appeal to more practical-minded readers. Read this book and you’ll learn more about what you’re paying for when you buy fine jewelry, and why – and the answers might surprise you.
   
   If you're interested in fine jewelry, this book is for you. You're unlikely to find such a combination of charm and distilled knowledge in another book.

1 comments about Mr. Baruch.

1. A biography of Bernard Baruch written in 1957 (before his 1965 death), this book reveals amazing facets of American history from just after the Civil War (it's hard to deal with the author's attitude toward the early KKK) in Camden, South Carolina, to the NYC financial world at the turn of the century where Baruch made his millions, through all the organization of US resources for WWI, which he managed, the Peace Treaty talks for which he was an economic advisor, and the painful aftermath of its rejection, along with the League of Nations, by the U.S., dooming us all to WWII, when Baruch was also an influential figure. The author is too non-critical and assumes the kind of detailed knowledge of the then-recent past that any educated adult would have had in the 50's, but which is long-gone now. Still, a fascinating study of economics, anti-semitism, and the condition of the South.

1 comments about Building a Business: The Jim Walter Story.

1. Building a business is a nice book, not a must to read, just to see what a simple men can do when they believe in their success.

   The bad side of the story is that it is not the Jim Walker story, because you do not even learn about his marriage, if or if not his marriage was good or suffered from his work, even not if there are children and so on.

   Anyway, a nice book that leaves you with some more confidence in the still possible American Dream.

   Dr. Rudolf C. King

   CEO, princeandprince.com

No comments about The Life and Times of G. D. Birla (Oxford European Community Law Library).

No comments about The Life of Henry George.

2 comments about Vanderbilts and The Story of Their Fortune.

1. I read this book for a project on Cornelius Vanderbilt. I thought it was very interesting and it showed a personal side of him that showed his real character. I believe the thesis to this book is that Cornelius Vanderbilt's motives were money.



2. This book is a celebration of wealth creation and of the men whose minds drive it -- in particular, Commodore Vanderbilt and his son, William. In telling the story of their business success, the book emphasizes:
   
   * That great wealth is not made by cheating the public, but through hard work and brilliant ideas
   * That a genius like Vanderbilt, working for his own self-interest, will incidentally do more for society than any philanthropist could dream of
   * That making money is not something to be ashamed of
   
   It does so without the muckraking that is characteristic of so many biographies of great men -- looking for anything that might seem like a neurosis so as to present a more "balanced" picture of a historical figure, when the importance of that figure is NOT that he was neurotic, but that he did great things.
   
   It is no surprise that this book was written in 1886, during the height of the Industrial Revolution. Such pro-business writing would have a hard time finding a publisher today, and that's a shame. So read this book for a glimpse into that most productive time in America's history, the Industrial Revolution, and into the life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, one of the men who made it that way.

No comments about The Story Behind The Storefront.

No comments about My Life and Work - 'Any color car as long as it is black!' Ideas & Innovation in the Early Days of the Automotive Industry.

5 comments about Charlie D.: The Story of the Legendary Bond Trader.

1. Charlie D is a wonderful biography that I could not stop reading. It helps put things into perspective. Investing and making money is one thing, but you have to live life as well otherwise you won't be able to appreciate your work and money. This book will give some motivation and help your psychological frame of mind, but will not directly help your stock picking and trading like the other books.



2. Charlie D is a wonderful biography that I could not stop reading. It helps put things into perspective. Investing and making money is one thing, but you have to live life as well otherwise you won't be able to appreciate your work and money. This book will give some motivation and help your psychological frame of mind, but will not directly help your stock picking and trading like the other books.



3. The meat is in Charlie D's lecture, a little foreplay before, nothing later on. The rest of the book looks like it is written for the Sports Illustrated book of the month club.

   "The principles of trading are the same if you're trading 10,20,50 or 100 contracts at a time, or if you're simply trading one. But it takes less time to make more money when you're a larger trader."

   When Charlie figured out trading calendar spreads was the most consistent way to make money he mastered the concept and started trading 50-lots at a time instead of always living in fear of losing money trading 1-lots.

   He took little blips out (of the market) with enormous size.

   Everybody's trading price relationships, you have to have a position on to earn a living. The bigger the position the less time it takes and the more you earn. Always challenge yourself to do it bigger and better and with more size.

   "The longer time you serve ... with a position on, the more you know about yourself and the more you know about trading."

   "One of the most important things you learn with positions on is how to get out of a trade. You have to take losses today so that you can come back tomorrow."

   "The time you know you've become a good trader is that first day you were able to win by holding and adding to a winning position."

   ---0o0----




4. I've had this book, for over five years. I pick it up, and read it again... every year. It's one of my favorite books.
   
   The only "meat" for traders, is chapter six... "Charlie's lecture," and it's good.
   
   But the book is much more than that, it's how to live well, and be good to people... with whatever "wealth" you have! Be nice to everyone, that's what Charlie is saying to me in this book! How cool.
   
   The book has some boring spots, but still, I enjoy reading it; every year or so.



5. If you want to buy the book, go ahead, just be careful of superbookdeals, they take your money but don't deliver and don't answer emails. Caveat Emptor.

4 comments about Banker to the Poor: The Autobiography of Muhammad Yunus, Founder of Grameen Bank.

1. Muhammad Yunus describes in this book how the idea developed about starting a bank for the poor. The writing style of Yunus makes the book very easy to read; almost like a good novel. Because this book doesn't focusses on just micro-credit (because it's an autobiography) I think it's an excellent introduction to the topic of micro-credit and finding sollutions for the poor. But for more in-dept info, buy another.



2. Banker to the Poor is an excellent read. The style is very easy to understand, and the jumps Yunus makes between different stories, ideas, and theories keep the reader's interest throughout. However, much more so that the style, the story itself is remarkable: to see how a single idea of one man could become a global force against poverty. His example has been extremely influential for millions of people, and his pursuit of a poverty-free world no longer seems outrageous, but in fact attainable! The story was enough for me to want to change my career direction to help the microcredit revolution.



3. Very small amounts of capital loaned to people who have almost none yield very large returns. Loans are coupled with requirement that borrowers form groups of five borrowers to support and encourage each other, thereby building community. Bank is owned by the borrowers. Concept becoming worldwide movement called micro-lending. Entrepreneurship and access to credit as a cure for poverty. Great book by the guy who started it all with a $27 loan.



4. I was inspired and amazed at the simplicity of Yunus's concept, and appalled at the resistance he met putting it into action.
   It started when he found that 42 villagers were being kept in thrall -- literally bonded slavery -- to moneylenders in one village. The total sum they owed was $27. Yunus put his hand into his own pocket, and the system of microcredit was born. THEN came the long, long, attempt to get other sponsors, government help, and a lot more.
   By the end of the book they have branched out into cooperatives, health care, cell-phone providers, and the internet. As he says, no US businessman would even consider operating without a telephone.... but there is criticism that "The rural poor do not need the luxury of a telephone." But telephones help the micro-borrowers improve their businesses and find the best markets for their products. So Yunus's bank, Grameen, created GremeenPhone to provide service to villages. Some villages didn't have electricity, so they then created a nonprofit company dedicated to developing wind turbines, solar energy, etc! Just one example of Yunus's progressive thinking and nothing-is-too-tough attitude!
   Not in the book, but it's inspiring to see how Yunus's idea has caught on in other parts of the world. There's even a US organization, Kiva, which allows people to extend loans over the internet to individual small businesses in far-flung countries. This is an idea that has to grow.