5 comments about John Maynard Keynes: Volume 1: Hopes Betrayed 1883-1920 (John Maynard Keynes).

1. This book is an excellent choice for a potential reader who is searching for a general overview of Keynes's early life.Like Moggridge's one volume study,Skidelsky's first volume(of three)has many interesting anecdotes and discussions of Keynes's interactions and involvement with a wide range of people.Unfortunately,Skidelsky drops the ball when he tries to evaluate the technical and intellectual contributions that Keynes made to applied probability,statistics and decision science in the period from 1904 to 1920. Keynes finally published his pathbreaking work in 1921 in his A Treatise on Probability(TP).A specialist can only come to the conclusion that Keynes made no breakthroughs in his TP after reading Skidelsky's bare bones treatment.This is most likely due to the fact that Skidelsky is a historian who has no training in the fields of mathematics, probability and statistics.It is true that Skidelsky limits his discussion of the TP in his first volume because he wanted to make an extended discussion of it in the second volume.Unfortunately,the treatment of the TP in volume II is badly marred by a number of mathematical errors.The interested potential book buyer is advised to read my review of volume II.Skidelsky fails to mention anywhere in Volume I that Keynes is the founder of the interval estimate approach to probability.In general,excluding the cases of symmetry and series or sequences composed of homogeneous frequency data,it takes two numbers,not one,to correctly specify an estimate of probability.A probability estimate is thus made up of a lower bound and an upper bound.Further,Keynes specified a clearcut approximation method based on the original work of George Boole in chapters 15 and 17 of the TP.The reader should note that all of this material is present in Keynes's 1907 and 1909 fellowship theses that he submitted to Cambridge University.Also present in these theses is an index created to measure the weight of the evidence,w.Keynes used different terms to describe weight,such as value,before settling for the term weight in the final published 1921 version.w measure the completeness of the relevant, potential evidence upon which a decision maker is going to base an estimate of probability.w is defined on the unit interval between 0 and 1,i.e.,0<=w<=1.Finally,Skidelsky ignores Keynes's conventional coefficient of risk and weight,c.Keynes presented this coefficient in both the 1907 thesis and the 1909 thesis ,which was accepted.This coefficient is the first time in history that a decision rule incorporated nonlinear probability preferences, as well as the weight of the evidence ,or what D.Ellsberg later called the ambiguity of the evidence in a 1961 Quarterly Journal of Economics article.



2. This profoundly researched and uncensored (sexually speaking) biography gives us a fascinating look into a highly privileged group of people in England when the British Empire was at its zenith. Half (sic) of the world's trade was financed by British credits in 1914.
   It pictures the education of young Keynes, groomed by his parents for the highest civil duties, his acceptance in the exclusive Cambridge Apostles Circle (a main discussion point was Higher Sodomy) and his membership of the, in all aspects, anarchic Bloomsbury group. It shows without restaint Keynes' (homo)sexual awakening and his conventional (based on the Gold Standard) beginnings as an economist.
   In the meantime, this book reveals the functioning of the British elitist School system (Eton, Cambridge) as well as the 'moral' environment of this period: the death of God and the birth of mass democracy.
   Prof. Skidelsky's book contains a wealth of information on e.g. the conservative reasoning behind the Gold Standard, Utilitarianism or Moore's essentialistic, but influential, ethic system.
   He shows us Keynes as a fundamental nationalist: 'it is better to have Englishmen running the world than foreigners'.
   But nothwithstanding his exhausting efforts, he saw Britain and mainland Europe sinking under the war debts and being taken over by the US as world power, which was effectively controlled by one man, J.P. Morgan.
   He attacked severely the Versailles Treaty but was devastated that politicians preferred suicidal short-time revenge and election success rather than long-time beneficial solutions.
   This book is sometimes too detailed with extensive letter excerpts. Nonetheless, it is a fascinating read.



3. John Maynard Keynes' life faithfully portrayed by Robert Skidelsky, is a life of a man grown up amidst the intelectual aristocracy of his time, which coincided with the beginning of the downfall of the Victorian age and was to culminate in the First World War. His father John Neville Keynes was a famous economist of his time and had many other intelectual atributes which he didn't want to put up to test in the academic arena, despite a lot of incentives by the famous economist Alfred Marshall, the most proeminent thinker of the neo-classics school of thought. Neville Keynes was determined instead to follow closely and have influence upon the professional careers of his most inteligent son. To anyone who whished to compare this situation to the education the philosopher James Mill gave to his son John Stuart Mill, I would warn he/she to be cautious cause the result is very much different than could be foresaw.
   What the book shows is the fascinating formative years of one of the most influential men of all times, who had a strong appetite for getting all the knowledge he could get and who didn't hide behind his geniality. Quite to the contrary, Keynes was up for everything he could grab, be it different sexual male partners, a lot of trips to Italy and a lot of academic prizes, estimulated by the spirit of competion his father tried to assert on him, at the end to no avail. Also, the pace of his intelectual output is outstanding, being Keynes almost always pushed to the limit to do a lot of different things at the same time.
   Some crude aspects of Keynes sexual life are also all there via the transcriptions of the many letters he exchanged with his male lovers and friends of the many different intelectual cycles he was part of.
   His education at the noblest institutions in England (Eton and Cambridge)where he got the opportunity to intermingle with the likes of Bertrand Russell, Virginia Wolf, Whitehead and the philosopher Moore, the latter certainly the most fundamental influence he had in these formative years, provided the social and intelectual backgrounds needed to awake the geniality of the most brilliant economist of the last century.



4. Hopes betrayed is an exceptionally well researched and insightful book. The author goes into detail, and confirms previously unspoken truths about Keynes early life. It pays particular attention to Keynes homosexuality, such as his long held affections for Duncan Grant, and also his relationships, coiteries, and philosophies. Personally I found the chapters deailing Keynes' influence in the war most interesting.

   Although the book goes into ample detail, it is a little dry, and possibly lacks a little life. One sometimes feels as if there are a few too many quotes, names and places. This somewhat detracts from the interest of the book.

   However, overall anyone who is curious as to what made father of modern economics ought to read this book.




5. Robert Skidelsky provides a punctilious account of the most influential economist of the 20th century and the intellectual and social milieu's that shaped him. Keynes is easily the most recognizable name in 20th century economics, followed somewhat closely by John Kenneth Galbraith and Milton Friedman.

   In the book's preface, Skidelsky claims he was the first biographer to attempt to go into detail about Keynes' hitherto undiscussed homosexual relationships. The most notable and emotionally involved of these affairs occured with painter and fellow Bloomsbury member Duncan Grant. Skidelsky confirms that Keynes also slept with Bloomsbury biographer Lytton Strachey. Several corresponding letters between Keynes and Strachey not only confirm this, but a subsequent sexual rivalry over the affections of Grant. G.E. Moore's 'Principia Ethica' unquestionably wrought out a strong influence on Keynes and Strachey's radical sexual attitudes after they had read it. Some unfastidious anti-Keynesians have tried to tie in Keynes' early predispositions to homosexuality (he later in life married a Russian Ballet dancer named Lydia Lopokova) with his rejection of the gold standard. This probably isn't a valid argument, given the level of abstraction Keynes' mind reached at an early age to develop and entertain such unorthadox methods.

   Keynesian economics has been repudiated by many laissez-faire proponents over the past two decades. The most well reasoned of these critiques have come from Friedman and Robert Lucas; who have each received Nobel Prizes for their work. Notwithstanding, both pale in comparison with the impact Keynesianism has had on post-WW2 macroeconomics.

   Whether or not you're an unyeilding Keynesian or a free market capitalist, you'll find it impossible not to marvel at this remarkable biography of a remarkable man. Keynes should be included at the top of anyone's list of the 20th century's most important intellectuals.

No comments about Everyone Comes to Elaine's: Forty Years of Movie Stars, All-Stars, Literary Lions, Financial Scions, Top Cops, Politicians, and Power Brokers at the Legendary Hot Spot.

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

1. 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.



2. 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.



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. 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.



5. 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 comments about AMERICAN DREAMERS: The Wallaces and The Reader's Digest: An Insider's Story.

1. Peter Canning succinctly tells the history of The Reader's Digest, from its humble beginnings to the story of the mighty direct mail machine it became. The style is clear and concise (as matches the subject), and his careful and comprehensive research is clearly evident throughout. After the salacious nonsense by John Heidenry, (Theirs Was The Kingdom -- 1993) it's refreshing to see how an insider deals with the subject.



2. This is undoubtedly one of the best books ever written about the building of a truly American business empire, (The Reader's Digest Association) and how that empire affected the lives of its founders, Dewitt and Lila Wallace.The author poignantly details how the founders,who were undoubtedly handson managers of the Digest for most of their lives,became prisoners of their empire, and how those who inherited the reigns of the Digest abused that powerand abandoned the original goals the Wallaces developed for it.

4 comments about Power, Privilege and the Post: The Katharine Graham Story.

1. This is an excellent book about Katherine Graham, former owner and publisher of The Washington Post. Katherine is initially, for all intents and purposes, ignored by her family throughout her youth. Little attention is bestowed upon her as her father, Eugene Meyer, runs The Washington Post and her mother, Agnes Meyer, socializes with every powerful individual she possibly can. Katherine perseveres through these harsh circumstances only to have her husband, Phil Graham, blow his brains out in the bathroom of one of their homes during a respite from an insane asylum. Katherine takes control of the newspaper (and company behind it), makes it the most influential paper in the nation, and becomes the most powerful woman in the world in the process. I recommend this book for any individual seeking a source of inspiration. This book should, and will hopefully, inspire many downtrodden people the world over for years to come.



2. I've read every book I could find about Katharine Graham and the Washington Post -- and if you're only going to read one, this is it. Complex business dealings are explained clearly, people are approached evenhandedly, and scandals (public and private) are discussed without either shirking or sensationalism (and with a lot of citations.) The book focuses on the personalities of these fascinating people, making for a riveting story.



3. Biographer Carol Felsenthal turned her fine talents ro Katherine Graham and produced a top-notch bio, one which the reader can easily understand, and feel for, the housewife-turned-Fortune 500 businesswoman. What sticks in my mind is how Graham's distant mother finally decided to talk to her daughter about menstruation, to which Kay replied, "I started that last year."
   Rich detail such as this makes it easy to see why Readers Digest condensed the book, and opens up a controversy over just how much of Felsenthal's research was co-opted by Graham herself to write, or have ghostwritten, her "Personal History." Felsenthal's objectivity adds to Graham's life story in a way only a detached biographer can. If one wants a map of how a shy woman can succeede in the business world, one can do no better than to read Felsenthal's illuminating text.



4. Ever since I read Halberstam's the Powers that Be, I wanted to read more in depth about Kay Graham. She is a fascintaing character: taking over the Post after the suicide of her manic depressive husband, she was the one to bring it to greatness. Not only did she overcame fear and terrible personal insecurity, but with Watergate and the Pentagon Papers she earned a place in history. That is not bad for an heiress that everyone dismissed as a figurehead when she took over.
   
   Unfortunately, Felsenthal brings few new revelations to her well researched and long book. The facts are there, as is much of recent US history, and this is extremely well covered. Instead, what she adds is more on the level of back-biting gossip, such as the tales of her dysfunctional children, her fickleness at the office, or her insensitive quips about money ("you mean you have to live on your salary?" she is quoted as snottily and incredulously asking a reporter.) At times, the book has the flavor of personal pique: you can tell that the author doesn't like her subject or resents as her undeserving.
   
   Felsenthal even seems bent on undoing the reputation of her star editor, Ben Bradley, whom she portrays as a capable courtier manipulator of Graham. While this perspective is useful, it appeared biased to me, too consciously against the grain of popular (admittedly perhaps mythic) image. Essentially, she portrays Graham as a twit who will do whatever the last person with whom she spoke advised, hence Bradley knew to be "the last person" to speak to her. I do not doubt that there is much truth to this, but Graham also did come down on the right side when she made the big decisions. Is her entire image romantic PR puffery? The author seems bent on convincing the reader that this was so.
   
   However, if you don't know the story of Kay Graham, this is a solid introduction. Recommended with reservation.

No comments about Never Leave Well Enough Alone.

5 comments about Summer at Tiffany LP.

1. Cute. That would be the best word to describe this short, particularly sweet memoir. Going into it, I was waiting for vast accounts of the inner workings of one of the most fantastic stores ever to exist. The tome is more character driven than tell-all, which I would assume stems from the era the author comes from (that is, polite and loyal). I could have done without the dozens of "Ohmygosh!"s that were sprinkled quite liberally throughout the narrative - it was distracting, irritating, and took away credibility from the writer. The naive charm still held me captive, though: I received a glimpse of a time where girls still wore gloves and hats, were polite and charming, and treated everyday as if it were a glamorous event. The backdrop of World War Two gave the book more depth, thankfully, for without it the story would have drooped from saccharine sweetness. The descriptions of the now-antiquated stores and sweetshops were divine, and the cameos from celebrities like Marlene Dietrich and Judy Garland were quite nice, as well. (Watch out for the sub-plot with Yale...it felt like a forced dilemma for the main character and also quite unrealistic). All in all, I loved seeing New York as it never will be again, especially after 9/11. A lovely look inside a rare moment of time, this book will most definitely cheer you up. That's all it's really there for, I guess. Charming.



2. Not to be confused with the infamous Holly Golightly caper, this charming tale takes us back to the turquoise corridors of Tiffany, where jewels twinkle and customers include Marlene Dietrich and Judy Garland. This time, the heroines are two Iowa-bred "long-limbed, blue eyed blondes" who are traveling to Manhattan to find summer work. The catch? The hordes of other hungry co-ed girls hellbent on the same glamorous goal.
   
   Far from pretentious fare like Nichole Ritchie's "The Truth about Diamonds," this memoir of two college girls hoofing it into Manhattan in search of summer work is a career girl's tale at heart. From their initial dizzy hysteria of job hunting, to working the mysterious connections of a family friend, the story perfectly captures the plummeting feeling of job rejection, and the giddy glee of being hired for even the most menial tasks when set in glamorous Manhattan. With this mindset, Marjorie and her best friend Marty become the first-ever female store pages for Tiffany, delivering packages to the shipping and receiving department. The irony that they work among glittering diamonds and pearls on a salary of $20 is not lost on them, even in 1945 when the book is set.
   
   Indeed, this is period literature, but only in the most lightly pleasing way. From dancing the Charleston to Frank Sinatra's "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" to scrambling on her hands and knees to recover the precious pearls that have spilled all over the elevator floor on her way to the Tiffany Diamond and Pearl room (yes, it's real), Hart is a charming heroine whose adventures equal an endearing coming-of-age tale, wrought with Tiffany glamour and winsome World War II overtones.
   
   The overall result is a book that is special, light-hearted without being shallow, and perfectly satisfying as a summer beach read. If you want summer reading but need a break from stilettos and cosmopolitans, this little blue jewel of a book will transport you in no time.



3. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, fun to hear about life during the 40's and what New York City was like back then. Fun book to read!



4. This memoir of working as one of the first women on the sales floor at Tiffany & Co. was informative and sweet, but a bit dull. It's an easy read and definitely suitable for a young adult reader. If you like stories about New York and "career girl" narratives you might enjoy it. I'd hoped for a bit more.



5. The summer of '45 was full of discoveries for the author: New York City, the elegance of Tiffany's, the euphoric end to WWII, happenings with friends, and meeting a beau. Well-written picture of the times. A really fun read - highly recommended.

5 comments about Peterman Rides Again: Adventures Continue with the Real "J. Peterman" Through Life & the Catalog Business.

1. The Great Cham had James Boswell to capture his life in words.
   Al Stump ghostwrote Ty Cobb's My Life in Baseball.
   Then, there's Plutarch who managed to scribe twenty-three dyads of Greco-Roman biographies.
   
   John Peterman, however, decided to tell his own story. Most people know J. Peterman as the fictional character on Seinfeld, Elaine Benes's eccentric employer who globe-trots for garments. There is an element of truth to the John O'Hurley's caricature; however, as is always the case, fact is overwhelmingly more interesting than fiction.
   
   The real Peterman turned a mail-order duster company into a thriving multi-million dollar operation through the use of a unique business style and a catalog that made use of whimsical vignettes rather than typical ad copy and Bill Hagel watercolors rather than photos.
   
   Peterman's story takes his reader from the batter's box to the boardroom and from The Chiang Mai river market to Chapter 11. It is one-part travelogue, one-part biography, one-part business guide, one-part rags-to-riches-to-rags, and seven-parts adventure story. Even the business parts of this story are as exciting as watching a barnstormer perform an Immelmann turn
   
   Peterman Rides Again: Adventures Continue with the Real "J. Peterman" through Life & The Catalog Business (No. 0-7352-0199-4), by John Peterman. 225 pages of text and photos follow the career of the Merchant-Poet himself; cover photo by Stephen Kennedy shows him in The J. Peterman Coat (No. 1001).
   Price: $25.00



2. If you're among the 40 million Americans who discovered an oddly shaped "Owner's Manual" in your mailbox between 1988 and 1999, you'll recognize John Peterman as the man behind the J. Peterman Company, whose often-imitated mail order catalog changed direct marketing forever. If you're not, John Peterman built a mail order apparel business on an archaically styled cowboy duster coat and a catalog that featured drawings, not photographs, of the items for sale, one item to a page, accompanied by long, poetic descriptions, that marketed mood more than specifics. "Peterman Rides Again" is John Peterman's story of the J. Peterman Company, the culture it created for its customers, and the life it created for himself. His account traces the company from its infancy selling dusters in magazine ads, through the beginnings of the mail order catalog that millions of Americans would read like a novel, to the J. Peterman Company's eventual decline in the mid-nineties and it's bankruptcy in 1999. John Peterman's prose is only moderately eloquent, but it's very readable. I found his discussion of various things the J. Peterman Company did right and the marketing, financial, and organizational decisions that were definitely wrong to be the most interesting aspect of the book. That and the details of upstarting a mail order business might interest any budding entrepreneur. For those of us who miss the early years of the J. Peterman "Owner's Manual", Peterman's account shows us the circumstances behind the bad decisions that I think most customers recognized and lamented at the time. "Peterman Rides Again" is an enlightening read for Mr. Peterman's former customers and anyone in the direct marketing business.



3. solid business story with the details of the failures and successes. a good american business read about a product everyone who lived thru the 90's in the US remembers



4. An inspiring account of an entrepreneur living the
   American dream. I am suprised that John did not recognize the damage that Seinfeld's characterization of him as a pompus, self centered fool and jackass did not ring alarm bells and cause a suit against the continuation of his character assassination. Perhaps the fact that the actor portraying him was tall and handsome obscured the fact that John was portrayed as a sexist, racist, colonialist fool. The real John was a hard working innnovative businessman dedicated to selling unusual, sometimes rare items of clothing and accessories that represented value for a price. John is an innovative merchant who I believe will be successful again. This book is a must for any budding entrepreneur to read and heed, both the right and wrong way to start and manage an enterprise.



5. You remember Peterman, don't you?

   The "Owner's Manual" that read like literature? Open it, and you found yourself sipping martinis on the veranda at Raffles (you know, don't you, that gin was invented so the British could choke down their quinine tablets). Or sharing a tent with the Tuareg under the endless stars. Or watching an entrancing -- and very well dressed -- young woman glide through the Gare de l'Est, the crowds parting effortlessly before her.

   How many catalogs made you want to run a bath and settle in to read about luggage and clothes?

   This book is like that. But different.

   Different?

   Different.

   It has some of that same flair. Some of the same locales. Even some of the same copy, printed in excerpts (and a name to go with it, copywriter Don Staley, my new hero).

   But it's not escapist. It's valuable, real-world information ... like what to do when you find yourself stranded up the Yangtze River with nothing but a toothbrush and silver cuff links, the kind an archduke would have worn to a Vienna ball.

   Okay, not that.

   But it does take an honest look at the rise and fall of a company that many people loved. A catalog that countless people waited anxiously -- really! -- to receive. So many people wanted it to work. "Clearly, people want things that make their lives the way they wish they were."

   In some ways, it was a classic tale. Entrepreneur with a vision, a passion, a soul, creates a company with a soul too. The business catches fire. It gets huge. Too huge. Too much time crunching numbers. Soul gets crowded out.

   "Classic cases" become classic because people keep making the same mistakes.

   For years, the business looked like nothing could stop it.

   But then the bottom fell out.

   Peterman knows why. And he tells you why. Some of it was his fault, and he doesn't pull punches, even when they're directed at himself.

   I like that in a man.

   I like that in a book, too.

5 comments about I'd Like the World to Buy a Coke: The Life and Leadership of Roberto Goizueta.

1. The book is about a man who would have liked the world to buy a coke. David's journalistic narrative makes the story extremely readable. It is interesting how he brings out minutiae of the cradle-to-grave of Goizueta's life-journey with Coke. Sprinkled with some management talk and significance of Goizueta's penchant for Economic Value Added, the book makes for an interesting read.
   
   As I was reading the book, the IT executive was trying to ask if there are lessons for technologists in the book.
   * Without a formal management and operational background, Goizueta transformed himself from a technologist - who loved solving problems like rust on soda bottle tops - to a business leaders who had coke run in his vein.
   * A leader with a genuine love for his product, with enough foresight to know when he screwed up and rolled back New Coke (though he personally loved it)



2. This book is really interesting. Roberto left his dads buisness to work for the Coca-cola company (He was going to receive less money working there). Roberto didnt care, but somehow he moved over the top and became executive chief of the coca-cola cmpany. He made so many changes that everything turn out pretty goog. Sales and the stock market jumped up to billions of dollars



3. This is a good business biography. The author has an eye for the interesting detail - such as the fact that the future chairman of Coca-Cola and the future Yankee-hating Communist leader Fidel Castro went to the same elite Cuban private school. He also has a good understanding of the business issues that Roberto Goizueta addressed during his remarkably successful career. This is not a hagiography or an "authorized" biography. In fact, author David Griesing reports that Goizueta opposed the book project and directed his friends and the public relations department of Coca-Cola not to cooperate. Remarkably, in the face of that opposition, the author not only persevered but also produced a book that seems scrupulously objective. If it is not a paen, neither is it a hatchet job. It's the real thing, and we find it well worth reading and recommending.



4. "Goizueta is a great leader and helped out the company in a great way.
   Greising is a great author and portrayed Goizueta's leadership well."



5. the book is really ambitious and portrays Mr.Goizueta as very goal oriented and eager to accmplish what he sets his mind to. The book does a good job of letting the reader know how great of a leader Roberto Goizeta really was.

5 comments about A Butler's Life: Scenes from the Other Side of the Silver Salver.

1. Actually written by Kimberly Allen, based upon the stories her husband, ex-butler Christoper, told her. This is a handy but brief look at a butler's training and life, with some colorful stories and useful boxed areas where hints on table service and caring for clothing and china scattered randomly through the text.



2. This book is delightfully written and goes well beyond an interest in domestic helpers. Mr. Allen's experiences with people and places around the world hold the readers attention throughout. His humor keeps us anxiously expecting the next turn in a fascinating journey.



3. If you are in the industry of servicing the wealthy in private homes and estates, you will relate to this book and read it front to back with many giggles. If you are thinking of entering the industry of private home/estate employment, it is a must to forsee what really happens behind the scenes. Written by one of the best in the industry! I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the book and am a veteran agent to those who service private homes. A must for anyone in the industry!



4. This book is based on the experience of C. Allen, not only does he show how to do every day service. But he is the living proof that a true butler cannot be made at some school, it comes from the hard, as he writes in his book: a glorified waiter! Well this one earns my respect.



5. A Butler's Life by Kimberly K. Allen and Christopher Allen is more than the story of how the "other half" lives. It is a picture of dedication and work ethics which are much needed in our world today. It elevates the world of service to its rightful place of honor in the world and does so with a delightful sense of humor.