Bungalow Basics: Living Rooms

Book Description

Bungalows of the early twentieth century were pleasantly small, well designed, and affordable. The same can be said of Pomegranate's Bungalow Basics books. Each book in the series spotlights a different aspect of bungalows, those charming and efficient homes that came to epitomize the Arts and Crafts style in American residences. Douglas Keister's photographs capture the results of meticulous restorations, while Paul Duchscherer's text provides concise information about bungalow design and history.

Titles in the series: Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Dining Rooms, Doors, Fireplaces, Kitchens, Living Rooms, and Porches.

Customer Reviews:

Handy intro for renovators or fans.......2003-12-18

Popular and abundant a century ago, the bungalow is today enjoying a renaissance as people discover the craftsmanship, utility, and charm of these little gems. Whether you're living in a masterfully maintained bungalow, are interested in restoring a bungalow to its former glory, or just a fan of good architectural or furniture design, Paul Duchscherer and Douglas Keister's "Bungalow Basics" series has a lot to offer.

This volume focuses on the living room, in many ways the defining and unifying element of bungalow design. A nine-page introduction discusses common design themes of bungalow living rooms, from central construction elements like placement of walls, doors, and fireplaces, to furnishing and decoration. Then follows about 50 colorful photos and illustrations, demonstrating these principles and approaches in action.

As you would imagine in a book this small, there's not a lot of depth to the discussion. Nor does any individual example receive more than one or two photos. And finally, there's no list of sources where an interested reader could find any of the items or materials pictured herself. So this is not, by any stretch, a do-it-yourself handbook. As the series name suggests, however, this is a focus on the basics. And someone who reads this will have a better idea of the theory of bungalow design, and more than a few great examples of the theory in practice. For the handy little resource this is intended to be, this title carries out its mission quite well.

Amazon.com

Eric A. Davidson's engaging and informative book couldn't have come at a more timely moment. In an age when high technology is driving our economy and propelling us further from the ecological system that physically supports us, You Can't Eat GNP sends a loud and urgent message: the economic system will fail if the ecosystem is not carefully managed.

As Davidson explains, the system of neoclassical economics, which governs our economy, assigns value to goods depending on the level at which they're produced and consumed. For example, marketed consumer products like bread hold high value, while bread's main ingredient, flour, holds less. Flour in its unprocessed form, wheat, holds even less value, and the soil from which wheat is grown holds the least worth of all. This triangle has become an exact inversion of the ecologist's pyramid, however, in which soil--which supports the entire ecological system, from plants to herbivores to carnivores--is viewed as the pyramid's stabilizing resource. Davidson argues these opposing models must be integrated in order to preserve the ecological system that sustains our economic system. He doesn't propose a "back to nature" solution, nor does he negate the importance of technological developments stimulated by our present mode of economics. He does, however, agree with R.H. Tawney's observation that "If economic ambitions are good servants, they are bad masters." Davidson examines the environmental effects of rigidly employed economic values such as cost-benefit analysis and considers the inevitable economic effects of global warming, waste disposal, and the failure to pursue sustainability. Though his proposals for change are not extensive, he does offer workable (and sometimes controversial) suggestions for both individual and community action.

An author as well as a respected scientist, Davidson writes in clear, lucid prose, making the sciences of economics and ecology accessible to the nonscientific reader, without dumbing down his arguments. He supports his points with relevant, contemporary examples, highlighting the vital importance of managing the economy in conjunction with the environment. As this intelligent treatise wryly reminds us, no matter how booming the economy, we'll never be able to eat our gross national product. --S. Ketchum

Book Description

"A wonderful book: an engaging guide both to the flawed connection between current economics and the environment, as well as how they would work in a sustainable world." -Thomas E. Lovejoy, The World Bank

"In clear, measured prose Davidson lays out how the traditional tools of economics don't work when you are talking about concrete things like soil, forests, garbage." -Inc.

Ecology and economics are not doomed to be adversaries. This lively and concise book presents the exciting new insights of environmental economics as well as the three fallacies of conventional economic analysis. You Can't Eat GNP offers a blueprint for a truly sustainable economy that recognizes the natural resources (like water, air, and soil) on which we ultimately depend.

Eric A. Davidson, Ph.D., is a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center. His fieldwork takes him from the Brazilian Amazon to the re-growing forests of New England and he has conducted research at the University of California, Berkeley, and at the NASA Ames Research Center.

A Merloyd Lawrence Book.

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected.......2004-11-11

I wanted to write an enthusiastic review of this book because of its provocative title which suggests economic solutions for ecology. Unfortunately, the book emphasizes ecological problems more than economic solutions. It also doesn't look enough into the economics of sustainable development, but author Eric Davidson does offer sound ideas on environmental regulation.

The author starts his thesis with the idea that soil is the building block for our survival as human beings. I agree that soil is critical and appreciate the details of soil erosion. However, I was looking for thought on the larger picture: sustainable development and the corresponding economic/ecologic conflict. Likewise, I tired of reading about the green house effect, forest depletion, and the exhaustion of water resources without thought devoted to how we might address general reduction of natural resources, i.e., apply potential eco-economic solutions.

Mr. Davidson clearly demonstrates that sustainable development must reconcile ecology and economy. One of the strong points of the book is a pyramid graphic that contains economy within ecology. He mentions a similar concept: the "Precautionary Principle" as a way to plan for the future. Yet, aside from mentioning cost benefit analysis and discounting, Mr. Davidson only scratches the surface on how to approach sustainable development from an economic perspective. Eco-economics is mentioned but not elaborated on as the author doesn't claim this as an area of expertise.

Some strong regulatory ideas are presented such as limiting road construction and other governmental intervention. He suggests pollution permits, which have become a reality (see The Wall Street Journal 11/8/04). These and other regulatory ideas aren't listed until the end of the book. I would have liked to see the book begin with these ideas and made more central to the argument.

For a book focusing on eco-economics, I recommend "Beyond Growth" by Herman Daly.

Quick, straight forward, engaging.......2001-12-13

Over the Thanksgiving break I read You Can't Eat GNP: Economics as if Ecology Mattered by Eric Davidson (Perseus Publishing, 2000). The economics aspects would probably be way too basic for most economists, and the ecology aspects too basic for environmentalists, but I was extremely pleased with its straightforward explanations of the interaction of economics and ecology. A book like this might get these two groups to begin to understand each other's language.

a perfect little book.......2001-09-08

This book is great for the beginner in environmental economics. For someone who is concerned about the environment but insecure about defending arguments against those with some economic background, here is you ammunition. It is easy to read and full of examples of how natural resources are not taken into account properly in current economic theory, and therefore not conserved as they should be. It is a basic idea but this book maps it out wonderfully. I think this would be a great read for intro level environmental studies courses in high school or college.

Economics as a Life Science.......2001-05-24

Both ecology and economics share the same Greek root, oikos, meaning, literally, "house." Linked with nomics it means management of the house. Linked with logy it means study or knowledge of the house. Obviously, study and knowledge should go hand in hand with management, and good ecology should be a basic ingredient in good economics. Unfortunately, in the recent past, ideas about management of our world as encoded in conventional economic theory, in biologist E. O. Wilson's words, "can be summarized in two labels: Newtonian and hermetic. Newtonian, because economic theorists aspire to find simple, general laws that cover all possible economic arrangements. ... hermetic - that is sealed off from the complexities of human behavior and the constraints imposed by the environment." Eric Davidson's book is a readable summary of many of the main ideas of ecological economics. He begins by describing three basic fallacies of the mainstream economic model. The first he calls the "Marie Antoinette" fallacy. The mainstream model assumes near perfect substitutability between land (natural resources), labor, and capital. If we deplete all our natural resources, "no problem" claims the mainstream model, we simply substitute more labor or capital - or as Marie Antoinette reportedly said when the French peasants were complaining about not having any bread - "well, let them eat cake!" The truth is that manufactured capital, human capital, social capital, and natural capital function more like compliments than substitutes and a sustainable economic system requires a safe minimum of each of these four types of capital. The second fallacy Davidson calls "Custer's folly" - the assumption that the technological cavalry will come over the hill to save us from ecological disaster just in time. The problem is that while technology might come up with solutions, it is foolhardy to assume that it will, especially when the stakes are so high. It is much more rational to assume that technology will not come to the rescue at the last minute and take a more precautionary approach that assures our sustainability regardless of hoped for technological changes. The third fallacy is "False complacency from partial success." If we can solve some environmental problems, we can, by extension solve all environmental problems. Davidson likens this line of argument to a claim by a spouse abuser that he is a good person because he no longer beats his spouse as much as he used to. The truth is that many environmental problems that have appeared to be "solved" have actually just been moved to other regions or countries or social groups, often as a consequence of more open trade. Also, in the crowed world in which we now live, many new technologies have unintended consequences that may completely undermine and outweigh their initial, positive effects (i.e. DDT, chloroflorocarbons).

beyond gnp.......2001-01-01

The premise of Davidson's book is that if you look at the gross national product abstractly, it's easy to lose sight of the impact that a non-environmental approach to business takes. An economist's traditional tools don't take into account such stuff as soil, forests, garbage, and produce. Only when they do, will the affect of environmentalism be understood. Good book, well argued.

You Can't Eat GNP: Economics As If Ecology Mattered

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You Can't Eat GNP: Economics As If Ecology Mattered
Eric A. Davidson
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7HJCW

Book Description

Get all the franchise details and statistics you need from a single source. Research or locate information on 1200 existing franchises in 142 categories. Determine the best franchise opportunity for you.

The Franchise Redbook is an easy-to-use reference offering information on franchises in the United States and Canada that have continuing plans for expansion. Organized listings make it easy to compare one franchise against its competitors without having to flip pages back and forth. Use information to do market analysis, prepare marketing plans, complete a business plan or prepare contact lists.

Customer Reviews:

DATED MATERIAL.......2002-04-04

I had to return the book. The material was several year's old and thus very dated. The index was also in very bad shape. Many of the entries were not indexed properly making it diffcult to do research. This book needs a major update and a good copy editor to review it.

How did they do it?.......2002-03-07

I work in the publishing industry, and I was impressed by the layout of this book. No wasted space just the facts M'am. Must have been a lot of work to collect all the data on these companies and clean it up for presentation in this comprehensive volume. If you're thinking of getting involved in any franchise operation, you owe it to yourself to own this book. I hope there will be a second edition soon. Oh, and don't forget to check out Roger Rule's other books on franchising and 20th Century Winchester Repeating Arms. ;-)

Not a Bad Book.......2001-12-01

But is too bad that those facts and figures do not tell you how much money you will make

The Best Franchise Book on the Market.......2000-03-16

This is a big book and undoubtedly the best on the market for finding facts about franchises in general and any one franchise in particular. It is full of suggested web sites, but I found more information in this one book, on franchises, than I could gather from the Internet after surfing around for two weeks on the information highway. If you want to know the cheapest start-up costs for any franchise, one table shows them in order from the least expensive to the most. And there's similar tables for comparisons in franchise fees, franchise royalties, advertising royalties, and scads of others. And if you want to look up McDonald's, you find Burger King, Wendy's, and all the others compared together. Nothing has been on the market like this, in a book, that I've ever found, and I was in the franchise business for over ten years. It's better than the Bond book.

Book Description

Beginning with Woodrow Wilson and U.S. entry into World War I and closing with the Great Depression, The Perils of Prosperity traces the transformation of America from an
agrarian, moralistic, isolationist nation into a liberal, industrialized power involved in foreign affairs in spite of itself.

William E. Leuchtenburg's lively yet balanced account of this hotly debated era in American history has been a standard text for many years. This substantial revision gives greater
weight to the roles of women and minorities in the great changes of the era and adds new insights into literature, the arts, and technology in daily life. He has also updated the
lists of important dates and resources for further reading.

“This book gives us a rare opportunity to enjoy the matured interpretation of an American Historian who has returned to the story and seen how recent decades have added meaning and vividness to this epoch of our history.”—Daniel J. Boorstin, from the Preface

Customer Reviews:

History; As you like it........2005-10-08

The Perils of Prosperity is an over view of the time period from 1914 to 1932. It covers
the highs and the lows of this period in a friendly and personable manner. Similar to FDR's
fireside chats this is an easy and informative read. It is like learning history from a relative
who lived in the time period. The thesis for the book is How America's prosperity of the
1920's was a false prosperity. The sterotype of the roaring twenties is a falacy and our author
tries to convey the failures our country experienced when dealing with minorities, imigrants,
politics, and religion. It does this by commenting on the manny different themes in the book.
Skillfully woven together this book knits together the fears and joys of the time period. Playing
on our fears, the author attempts to make the reader walk a day in the average American's
shoes. Play on our joys he attempts to show the reader what made the average American
happy. This is an attempt to personalize the work and allows the book to become a
bridge between our American heritage and our modern way of life.
Fear. It is a guiding and motivating factor for the majority of the book. It is as if the author
desires to show you that this period was one of growth and paranioa. A perilous balance was
being maintianed at all times between our fears and our joys. He wants to make you realize
why America wanted to be left alone in its isolationist roots. He succeeds in doing this, by
establishing a base work for America's isolation. He attempts to ground you in pre WWI
Americanism so you can understand why we were reluctant to get incolved in the affairs of the
world. This is a factor that will guide the United States on both the national and individual
levels for this entire period.
You also realize how alone the average America felt. We were alone as a nation to face our
own destiny and we were alone as a people to either suceed or fail by our own means. We also
had a growing imigrant population that was discriminated against. As such these imigrants were
led to believe that they had to fend for themselves. When the red scare comes into play you
quickly realized that America was a place for Americans and being different was frowned upon.
Sometimes with deadly results.
Our culture was also a changing place and we began placing an emphaiss on individual
wealth instead of communal growth. We had left the farms and decided to strike out on our
own. Capitalism had rose and we embraced it on all levels. As people left the farm they
came to the cities. As such they had to rely solely upon themselves and they came into
contact with new ideas and items. These material goods were then desired by this new
market. The fear of new ideas was still strong but American products and values were
considered safe so the public bought into it.
The fear turns into pain and suffering as America turns on its own. Blinded by fear we
persecute our own imigrants. Calling them communists and fearing the worste we attack
them and for the first time ever our country wages war against an idea. The fall out from
WWI has jaded our nation. As such we turn inward with horrific results. We also see the
business world go mad as it turns on its own employees. Workers begin to organize and
businesses become afraid. As such they send in security, troops, and even the government to
break the strikes. Violence breaks the back of the unions and forces them to their knees. We
also see the ugly head of fundamental religion rear in both the passing of the 18th
amendmant and the Scopes monkey trial. In the 18th Amendmant we see how a vocal group
of religous people are able to push their morality on the entire nation. While the Scopes
Monkey trail gives us hope that the light of science will banish the haze that faith has based
on the country.
But their is also joy during this time period. Technology improves and with it the American
family is drawn tightly together. No longer is the Average Joe passively taking his family to
church. Instead he begins to take them on "Sunday" drives in the new automobile. We also
see a rise in vacations and family out goings. The "modern" american begins to see the
country and the world with his family in toe.
The 19th ammendmant is passed and women are given the right to vote. This eliviates
some of the pressures upon women and they begin to take their role as equal political
partners in the american enviornment. In addition to voting women make huge gains during
this time period. The new woman cames about due to the sexual revolution and for the first
time a woman is truely free to do what she wants. The morals of the age are given some
slack and the woman of the 1920's is given the option of holding a job, raising a family, or
"socializing" with the men.
We also see the African American gain some ground during this time period. It is not
much but the impacts the African American has on the Jazz age is significant. For once it is
not bad to be black and the white man brings the black man's culture into his own. The
Harlem renaisance also stirs the creativity of the African American and their is an artistic
explosion among blacks in the North. These new styles, sounds, and themes, will help
influence both the white man's culture and the culture of the American people. While great
gains will be made in cultural integration between the arts and music, the African American
will still be left in the cold as a people. It is a mixed blessing. One in which the American
people begin to love the African's culture but still hate the person.
Our author tries to tell you that our nation is in flux. Caught between our old fears and our
new growth. The joy of prosperity is bringing us into the future but our fear of loss is keeping
us trapped in the past. Our nation is also heavily segregated at this time. For when we speak
of America we speak of White America. We have become a melting pot of the white races
and still have not blended well with the darker races. It is our arogance as a white nation that
keeps us from seeing how cultural diversity will make us stronger. This is a key idea backing
up the author's thesis. For the prosperity of the 1920's is good, as long as it is prosperity for
the white Amercian. All our failures as a nation, towards imigrants and blacks, are given a
blind eye and ignored. The culture of the 1920's does not recognize these subsets of America
as Americans. As such if they are not sharing in the prosperity of the nation it doesn't matter
since they are not part of white America.
This is where the main bias of the author comes into play. Our author is an eternal
optimist and sunshine and puppies rain eternally on America. What I mean by this is that even
when things look their worste the author puts a positive spin on it. Everything will work out in
the end and the sufferings of all these people and all these groups has helped our country grow
in the long run. This came across as a disgusting and pathetic excuse by our author for white
supremecy. Our botched attempts at race relations during this time period are not corrected
till the civil rights movement, yet our author down plays the terror , suffering, and plight of
the African American and the imigrant population. Instead of being objective, about race
relations, the book begins to fall for it's own form of white supremecy. As a result , even thought
imigrants and balcks were persecuted it wasn't really that bad. After all our country was in the
grips of a white dominated society. The whites made the rules and shared in the prosperity. The
white society did their best to help our the imigrant and African populations. They were just
limited by the ignorance of their own time period. I say this is a cop out by the author. The
author tries so hard to be politically correct that he tries not to offend either the white or black
readership of today. As such you get the feeling that he glosses over the rough spots in our own
history on race relations. As such he, the author, fails his audience in being a historian. If he is to
truely make a case for the prosperity of the 20's being a false prosperity, our author needs to
have as strong anarguement for the prosperity as the failures of it. Instead he builds you up with
the prosperity and benefits of this time period and gives warnings to the dire consequences of
wealth but his dealings with the inequalities in the distribution of this wealth are not as strong.
The arguments for the failures of our nation are not weighted as strongly as our sucesses. As
such his positive spin continually placates the reader and tells you that even though everything is
a little messed up, it will all work out in the end.
We also have a series of wars gripping the nation. These wars are all class based and
although violent their are no physical casualties. The greatest shake up comes from Freud. As
pyschology comes into play we learn about ourselves and what motivate us. This causes a
clash to break out between religion and science. These two juggernauts will butt heads
against each other time and time again during this time period with no clear winners or
loosers. The author suggests that this was a confusing time for most people and but a
natural process. In order to come to terms between these two titans our nation has to work
threw these issues.
We also have a class was raging between city folk and rural folks. Both want to be left alone,
yet both are are forced in placing thier views and morals above the other. It is a dangerous
predicament and one that stays with the country until a balance can be attained. Unfortunately
this balance never comes. Instead a demographic shift happens and more poeple move to and
live in the cities than in the country. As such city ways of living and city morals win out over the
rugged rural morals.
The author does an amazing job of referancing his material and gives you an incredible
peak at what life must have been like during these times. I feel that even with his bias he has
done a grand job of enlightening the reader that the stero type of the 1920's, all girls, glitter,
mone, and parties, was false. The country was in the grip of a bizarre revolution. One in
which the status or gender, religoin, minorites, and imigrants would be changed. It is as if
we, the modern scholar, has blinded himself to the excess of the twenties and has failed to
look critically at the time period. Mr. Leuchtenburg helps to refocus the reader and shreds
our preconcieved notions with his fine writtings and personable teachings.

I know not whether laws are right,
or whether laws are wrong.
All that we know,
is that we who live in gaul,
is that the wall is strong.
And everyday is like a year.
a year that is oh so long.
-- Oscar Wilde

Excellent book on the 20's.......2005-04-03

Leuchtenburg's book is an excellent work that shows in depth the various aspects of life in the 1920's. Whether you are interested in the pop culture, politics, or economics of the time, this book has it all. A very interesting and easy read. Recommended for people who want to learn about the 1920's and life in America during that time.

Overview of One Chapter in American History........2004-03-28

THE PERILS OF PROSPERITY 1914-1932 is a history book that gives readers a brief glimpse into American life during 1914-1932. The book is not meant to be a detailed account, but is rather an overview of events and attitudes of the United States at that time. I found the book to be easy to read, quite interesting, and full of information I had never come across before. Major events that the book discusses include the U.S. involvement in WWI, the U.S. decision not to become a member of the League of Nations, the Communist Red Scare that followed WWI, and the stock market crash of 1929. Events that women and minorities were major contributors of get special treatment while other big events, such as Prohibition, are briefly discussed. Overall, even though the book skimps over certain major issues and events, THE PERILS OF PROSPERITY provides a nice overview of the time period providing a more balanced account of women and minorities' contributions to the era. The end of the book includes a list of important dates. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone interested in American history of that period.

Scandals and Speakeasies.......2003-04-15

I had to read this book for my American History Since 1877 course. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book. I thought I knew about the 1920's, and after reading this book I knew that I knew nothing at all.

This book covers ever aspect of the decade and gives it more than just a name. The book covers political, economic, and social issues of the day. It explains the state of the nation in the previous decade as well to give us better understanding of what was to come at the decades end.

The book was also easy to understand and did not try to overcompensate with formal language. Anyone could understand the messages conveyed.

Overall I enjoyed this book and would read it again just to enjoy it.

Very Good and Informative Book about the 1920's.......2002-10-15

William Leuchtenberg wrote a very good and informative history about the 1920's. He explains life before 1914, World War 1, Prohibition, The Scopes Trial, The Teapot Dome Scandal, The Presidental Administrations of Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, The Great Depression, and The 1932 Election of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He also covers the role of Women, African-Americans, race relations, and The Ku-Klux-Klan. A book worth reading.

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The Perils of Prosperity 1914-1932

Manufacturer: The University of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I14WFA

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The perils of Prosperity 1914-1932
William E. Leuchtenburg
Manufacturer: University of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M4P0X6

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The Perils of Prosperity, 1914-1932
William E. Leuchtenburg
Manufacturer: University of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K7LSCC

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The Perils of Prosperity, 1914-1932
William E. Leuchtenburg
Manufacturer: The University of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NO7CGS

The perils of prosperity, 1914-1932 / by William E. Leuchtenburg (The Chicago history of American civilization)

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The perils of prosperity, 1914-1932 / by William E. Leuchtenburg (The Chicago history of American civilization)
William Edward Leuchtenburg
Manufacturer: Rand McNally
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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The Perils of Prosperity, 1914-1932.
William E. Leuchtenburg
Manufacturer: University of Chicago
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RUST8I

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The Perils of Prosperity 1914 - 1932.
William E. Leuchtenburg
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPQSBQ

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THE PERILS OF PROSPERITY 1914-1932
William E. Leuchtenberg
Manufacturer: U of Chicago Press
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GRGRYU

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PERILS OF PROSPERITY 1914-1932
William E. Leuchtenburg
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPJBII

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