No comments about Entrepreneur to Investor the Hard Way.

No comments about Opportunity Dubai: How I Made a Fortune in the Middle East.

2 comments about I, Willie Sutton.

1. I heard of Willie Sutton. The name was mentioned here and there as I grew up, but only spoken in hushed, almost reverent tones. Upon reaching adulthood I found out why. Willie Sutton was a bank robber, like my father. It is alleged he taught my father everything he knew about how to rob a bank. Of course, in adulthood my interest was piqued, so I got the book, more because of research than anything else. Well, I didn't find out anything about my father but ended up finding an extremely interesting, easy-to-read book about a very intelligent man who used his talents in the wrong way. Unfortunately for him, his life didn't amount to much; however you have to admire the fact that in the end he finally came to that realization and wrote the book to try to sway the next generation of potential hoodlums in the way of the straight and narrow. A smart man.. who finally put his intellect to good use. I would definitely put this book on my "things to read" list.



2. Willie Sutton is probably the best known bank robber in America (he was once even profiled on "60 Minutes"). Although his chosen occupation is pretty dubious, he was very good at it, and this biography is a truly gripping read. I can't give examples without spoiling the story, but it's one of the best true crime books I've read and would recommend it to anyone. Note that there's this book and "Where the Money Was" - both are very similar, so choose one or the other. Utterly engrossing.

5 comments about The World of Beretta: An International Legend.

1. It's beautifully illustrated and he relates many interesting and deliteful anocdotes about the Beretta family. Less attention is paid to the technical side, I do agree that Beretta firearms are uniformly of a high quality but Wilson's appaissels are uniformly glowing, fail to acknowledge some shortcomings (as gangarosa did) and are technically no more informative than the catalogs (which he excerpts from often). I read this book after reading Gene Gangarosa's Modern Beretta Firearms (which I also reviewed) and it compliments many of the shortcomings of the Gangarosa book. There is much more focus on their shotguns and sporting rifles. Unlike Gangarosa's book where Berettas are often talked about in relation to other inovations in firearms. Wilson's book is narrowly focused in talking only about Beretta products.

   The worst part about this book is when he talks about James Bond. It sounds like such a sales pitch because while he mentions that James Bond originally had a Beretta .25ACP pocket pistol he doesn't tell us what model (Model 418 which is out of production, perhaps the company wanted us to buy one of their fine current production pocket pistols?) and remarks that in the first movie Dr. No he had to replace it with "a .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol." Like he couldn't possibly say another companies name (he even gets it wrong, Bond had a Walther PPK in .32ACP). There are other technical innacuracies. Your best option as a fan is to buy both Wilson's (the human side and colourful history) and Gangarosa's (the more technical and firearms hobbiest oriented) book. This one is well written and might have been the definitive beretta book if Wilson had Gangarosa's in depth knowledge.

   Why is this book the more sales pitch and coffee table-like book? It would seem that that would more likely describe the Gangarosa book because it was published by Stoeger (which is owned under Beretta holdings). I would read another Gangarosa book because he writes more generally of firearms history, hobby, and innovation but Wilson's book is of interest only to the fan.




2. I had hoped this book would provide some useful information on older SO shotguns. The book devotes lots of pages to the subject, but it seems that almost all of the information is available through the old catalogs that are downloadable from Beretta.com. There seemed to be an effort by Wilson and Beard to build more romance and mystique into the Beretta brand, hey guys that's what Beretta has a marketing department for!

   This is a beautiful book for the coffee table but if your looking for a book with useful data then keep searching.




3. If you love all things Beretta, then you will appreciate this superb book. Wilson magically transports you through 475 years of history to Gardone, Val Trompia, Northern Italy, by way of some of the most delightful examples of the perfect blending of walnut, metal and handcrafted artistry.



4. R.L. Wilson has assembled a handsome, well-researched volume on the world's oldest and most respected maker of firearms, Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta. Beretta stands out for its superb Italian craftsmanship, durable quality and design. Beretta's reputation has earned it respect and Beretta supplies the standard sidearm of the U.S. Armed Forces, which is the 9mm M9. Too me there are few things that surpass the exquisite aesthetic appeal of the Beretta pistol, except maybe a beautiful blue-eyed blonde. I'm a Beretta owner, and it's often to be expected that a man claims his possession to be best, but when I'm in the market for another gun, I'm not getting a Smith & Wesson or a Ruger, I'm getting another Beretta. These guns are tried and true. So, whether you're a collector of these fine firearms or just an admirer, I wholeheartedly recommend this informative, illustrated and history-filled volume on Beretta firearms. Some other reviewer scoffed that this is book is merely an effort to create "a mystique and romance" about Beretta, but Beretta has earned this after nearly 500 years. Wilson just captures the essence of the "mystique." Sure this book is a coffee table tome, but it is beautifully illustrated and fun to read and skim through! I give it 4.5/5.0 stars.



5. I bought the book hoping it would allow me to learn more about several older Beretta shotguns I own. Other than a table on dates of manufacture in the index, that used to be avilable on line for free, there was very little usable detailed information.

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 The Story Of My Life.

1 comments about Autobiography Of Mother Jones.

1. I was assigned this book for class, and I wasn't too fond of it. It's not that I think Mother Jones' efforts were unimportant. From what I read, she seems to have been a very brave and passionate woman, totally selfless in her cause. We could use more people like her today.
   
   But the book itself was awfully repetative. If you weren't alive during the time that the events happened, which of course you weren't, and if you don't know much about the subject, the events seem to repeat themselves over and over. Mother Jones goes to an overworked, underpaid coal mining town, leads the workers in a strike, the company owners do all they can to supress their efforts, until at last one side wins. Wash, rinse, repeat.
   
   I think that Mother Jones and the Labor Movement are excellent things to read about, but I think it would be best to read a book with more historical explanation. I would prefer one that gave information about the individual towns and people she helped, and those involved in the cause, so that they would not all blend together.

5 comments about Empire: A Tale of Obsession, Betrayal, and the Battle for an American Icon.

1. This book is a complex but riveting tale of how the Empire State Building inspires not just affection for a classic American icon, but incredible greed, hatred, and pretty much all of the seven deadly sins. This is also a peek behind the curtain of big time real estate, and a seriously unflattering portrait of most of its practitioners. Absolutely recommended for anyone who wants dirt on Leona Helmsley, or has a vague dislike for Donald Trump. None of these characters, especially the Japanese (both the Yokoi family and the Japanese bankers), comes off as particularly admirable. Very good.



2. In typical New York fashion, the story of the Empire State Building, from inception to today is stranger than fiction. In his brilliant book, "Empire: A Tale of Obsession, Betrayal, and the Battle for an American Icon", Mitchell Pacelle reveals the intrigues, wheeling-dealing, and financial brawling that surrounds the greatest symbol of America's financial power. Sometimes the depths to which the players sank were as deep as the Empire State Building is high. There are many of the names that you would expect to be involved in this tale: Raskob, Smith, Helmsley, Trump, but there are plenty of surprises (which I won't give away).

   Mr. Pacelle deserves a load of credit, not just for the research (which is impressive enough) but for the glitzy, brash, and engaging style with which he tells this fascinating story. Only in New York would a story like this happen, and only Mr. Pacelle has told it the way it should.

   Rocco Dormarunno, author of THE FIVE POINTS




3. The publication date should give it away but with the climax of this book referring to the gleaming twin towers of the World Trade Centre and Donald Trump dreaming of a potential buyer for the subject, readers today will be left feeling empty having traced what could have been, an interesting saga over 300 pages.
   
   Other than a useful insight into the construction of the Empire, its first decades of presence and the personalities of Yokoi, Helmsley, Malkin, Wein and Trump (mostly within the space of a couple of chapters), what remains is a messy and tedious multifaceted, intercontinental legal dispute, with many arms all leading whether separately or in toto, to little in the way of meaningful conclusion.
   
   An early suggestion as to this American icon being stolen by a wily foreign foe builds to a crescendo of outrage that grabs the reader immediately, only to be forgotten thereafter.
   
   It is this attempt to lead the reader (albeit with a comfortable writing style) so many times to no place at all, together with a conspicuous tendency towards repetition in the final chapters, that leaves the sensation; why did I bother? This story cannot merely be left with Trump holding a torn bag side by side with the heirs of a tattered Japanese business powerhouse. Trump in all respects is the story. Readers deserve to hear the end game.
   
   An unfinished chronicle. Its legacy at least rests with the fact, that in detailing its story to mid 2001, scholars now possess a basis of personal interview upon which to complete this epoch of urban American history.



4. very interesting account of how ego, greed and poor research affect real estate investments.
   
   good historical account of how property values were overinflated and seasoned investors were only too happy to offload them to unsuspecting foreigners. [even though the media claimed america was loosing its landmarks.]



5. Pacelle does a fine balanced job of telling a tangled story, littered with scoundrels and pirates, stretching from New York to Tokyo to the chateaux country of France. The book predates 9/11 and the recent death of Leona Helmsley but the author does not hide his distaste for the "Queen of Mean" and his guarded admiration for the "rational opportunist" Donald Trump. Part Big Apple commercial real estate, part law, this fast paced book focuses on the main points as a means to moving the story along and the structure holds the reader until the end.

1 comments about Kali Yuga Odyssey: A Spiritual Journey.

1. Many people throughout the world yearn for truth, explanation, and meaning in life. They are unwilling to settle for conventional wisdom or generalities; they must dig deeper. They are driven by inner voices leading them on journeys that will transform their thinking, beliefs, and lifestyles. Such people tend to have an impact on the world.

   One such person is JT Ross Jackson, a successful businessman, a brilliant systems scientist, and a global visionary. In search of spiritual truth, he embarked on a number of experiences that challenged his perception of what is possible. He attended workshops with renowned teachers. In search of more understanding, he took a trip to India where he had a week-long "awakening." He recorded his experiences in detail in a journal that evolved into his new book, THE KALI YUGA ODYSSEY: A Spiritual Journey (Robert D. Reed Publishers. ISBN1-885003-44-7. October 2000).

   "Kali Yuga" is an ancient Vedic term meaning "the age of darkness." It is defined as "an age where spiritualism is deficient and materialism rules." According to the teachings, each age comes to an end eventually, giving way to a new age.

   Jackson continued to seek experiences with various figures who greatly influenced his thinking. He had a growing concern for the degradation of the environment. This concern culminated the establishment of Gaia Trust, a self-financing fund based on income earned from Gaia Corporation, a currency fund manager founded by Jackson as well.

   Gaia Trust encourages the establishment of ecovillages that are small, sustainable communities where social, ecological, and spiritual aspects are integrated into a holistic lifestyle. This is also the subject of another new book by Jackson called, AND WE ARE DOING IT! Building the Ecovillage Future (Robert D. Reed Publishers. ISBN 1-885003-45-5. $9.95. September 2000).

   According to Dr. Rashmi Mayur, Director of the International Institute for a Sustainable Future, "In sharing his discoveries, Jackson describes the role and destiny of humans, and each of our roles in healing an anguished earth." The author's candid description of his experiences with different masters, along with his knowledge of mythology, symbology, and philosophy, make this book an important contribution in the areas of self-help, spiritual development, and metaphysics.

2 comments about The Goodyear Story: An Inventor's Obsession and the Struggle for a Rubber Monopoly.

1. Korman hits a home run with his portrait of the inventor Charles Goodyear and his self-destructive mania surrounding finding a way to make rubber a useful industrial product. The craziness continues when Goodyear claims the credit for the invention (and the royalties) as his own.

   The book is a time-traveling glimpse into industrial revolutionary America and England and the swirling energy surrounding the changes happening at the time.

   A must for ambitious business people and basement tinkerers!




2. The Goodyear Story: An Inventor's Obsession And The Struggle For A Rubber Monopoly by Richard Korman (Senior Editor, Engineering News-Record, McGraw-Hill) is the amazing and informative biography of Charles Goodyear, the man who in the 1830's began his efforts to create rubber -- a material, in his belief, which would forever alter the world and the course of human civilization. His dream cost so much that his family lived in poverty and he suffered in debtor's prison. Yet his dream was not only to make rubber, but also to reap the wealth of controlling its creation and distribution; when others tried to lay claim to the manufacture of his miracle, only a lawsuit as argued by the famous Daniel Webster could settle the dispute once and for all. The Goodyear Story is a fascinating, true-life tale of science, business, and the striving of human nature against great odds and adverse circumstances.