Thinking with Things: Toward a New Vision of Art

Book Description

"As a major scholar of Meso-American art, Pasztory has written a valuable and substantive text."

— Art Documentation

"It would greatly contribute to the revitalization of art history if its practitioners would respond to Esther Pasztory's book with an energy commensurate with its critical polemic. She views art from a very long historical perspective, places it in a social science context, shifts the emphasis from taste to cognition, and brings it under the methodology implied by her title Thinking with Things. Taken together, this involves nothing less than a transformation of vision, with the widest implications for the practice of her discipline."

—Arthur C. Danto, art critic, The Nation

" Thinking with Things is an ambitious essay that addresses some of the fundamental issues in the fields of art history, anthropology, and aesthetics. Extending the discourse of George Kubler's classic The Shape of Time, Pasztory more directly confronts questions of form, representation, and the meaning of objects created by homo faber."

—David Rosand, Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History, Columbia University

"Esther Pasztory, a renowned art historian, has immersed herself in the data and theory of anthropology, helping her forge tools which she employs to great advantage in this volume. Eschewing a narrowly 'esthetic' point of view, she shows, over and over again, how a people's art emerges from and reflects its social context. Fearlessly invading the thorny thickets of esthetic theory, Dr. Pasztory grapples with its great issues and presents to the reader a succession of views that are at once engaging, incisive, and provocative."

—Robert L. Carneiro, Curator, American Museum of Natural History

What is "art"? Why have human societies through all time and around the globe created those objects we call works of art? Is there any way of defining art that can encompass everything from Paleolithic objects to the virtual images created by the latest computer technology? Questions such as these have preoccupied Esther Pasztory since the beginning of her scholarly career. In this authoritative volume, she distills four decades of research and reflection to propose a pathbreaking new way of understanding what art is and why human beings create it that can be applied to all cultures throughout time.

At its heart, Pasztory's thesis is simple and yet profound. She asserts that humans create things (some of which modern Western society chooses to call "art") in order to work out our ideas—that is, we literally think with things. Pasztory draws on examples from many societies to argue that the art-making impulse is primarily cognitive and only secondarily aesthetic. She demonstrates that "art" always reflects the specific social context in which it is created, and that as societies become more complex, their art becomes more rarefied.

Pasztory presents her thesis in a two-part approach. The first section of the book is an original essay entitled "Thinking with Things" that develops Pasztory's unified theory of what art is and why we create it. The second section is a collection of eight previously published essays that explore the art-making process in both Pre-Columbian and Western societies. Pasztory's work combines the insights of art history and anthropology in the light of poststructuralist ideas. Her book will be indispensable reading for everyone who creates or thinks about works of art.

Thinking with Things: Toward a New Vision of Art

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Thinking with Things: Toward a New Vision of Art
Esther Pasztory
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS080U

Product Description

Spanish book

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Pintar Al Oleo
Patricia Monahan
Manufacturer: Tursen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Como Pintar Al Acrilico y Al Oleo
Francesca Vellani
Manufacturer: De Vecchi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Como Pintar Paisajes Al Oleo/ How to Paint Sceneries With Oil Paint: Tecnicas Bascias Y Ejemplos Ilustrativos (Aprender Creando)

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Como Pintar Paisajes Al Oleo/ How to Paint Sceneries With Oil Paint: Tecnicas Bascias Y Ejemplos Ilustrativos (Aprender Creando)
Michael Sanders
Manufacturer: El Drac Editorial S L
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Painting | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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100 Claves Para Pintar Al Oleo
Douglas Cooper
Manufacturer: Celeste
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

A gift set of the third and fourth Complete Peanuts volumes.

A boxed set of the third and fourth volumes, just in time for the holidays, designed by the Award-winning graphic novelist, Seth! The collection of books identical to the individual volumes ships shrinkwrapped, with Vols. 1955-1956 and 1957-1958 packed in a sturdy custom box designed especially for this set. The perfect gift item.

The Complete Peanuts 1955-1956 takes us into the mid-1950s as Linus learns to talk, Snoopy begins to explore his eccentricities (including his hilarious first series of impressions), Lucy's unrequited crush on Schroeder takes final shape, and Charlie Brown becomes…well, even more Charlie Brown-ish! Over half of the strips in this volume have never been printed since their original appearance in newspapers a half-century ago! Even the most dedicated Peanuts collector/fan is sure to find many new treasures.

In The Complete Peanuts 1957-1958, Peanuts definitively enters its golden age. Linus, who had just learned to speak in the previous volume, becomes downright eloquent and even begins to fend off Lucy's bullying; even so, his security neurosis becomes more pronounced, including a harrowing two-week "Lost Weekend" sequence of blanketlessness. Charlie Brown cascades further down the hill to loserdom, with spectacularly lost kites, humiliating baseball losses (including one where he becomes "the Goat" and is driven from the field in a chorus of BAAAAHs); at least his newly acquired "pencil pal" affords him some comfort. Pig-Pen, Shermy, Violet, and Patty are also around, as is an increasingly Beethoven-fixated Schroeder. But the rising star is undoubtedly Snoopy. He's at the center of the most graphically dynamic and action-packed episodes (the ones in which he attempts to grab Linus's blanket at a dead run). He even tentatively tries to sleep on the crest of his doghouse roof once or twice, with mixed results. And his imitations continue apace, including penguins, anteaters, sea monsters, vultures and (much to her chagrin) Lucy. No wonder the beagle is the cover star not only of this volume but also of the beautiful collector's slipcase to this set!

Customer Reviews:

Worth every Peanut!.......2007-09-06

I can't even begin to express how much I am enjoying Fantagraphics wonderful Peanuts boxed sets! The "look and feel" elements are both simplistic and elegant (especially the slip case covering). The archival quality paper is sturdy and clear; these books are designed to last! If you have even a vaugue interest in Peanuts, Schultz, or cartoonist in general these volumes ( at least multiple years) are must buys!

Beautiful collection of 1955-1958 Peanuts reprints.......2007-09-01

This 'boxed set' contains two volumes of the Fantagraphics Peanuts reprint series (1955-56 and 1957-58) in one handsome slipcase. Daily strips run three to a page with Sundays on a full page. All strips are printed in black-and-white on paper of high quality.
In 1955 Charles Schultz won his first Reuben Award, considered the top honor for American cartoonists. These strips contain year five to eight of Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, Pigpen, Violet, Patty and the rest of the gang and most are still enjoyable 50 years later.
Amazon currently prices this set almost ten dollars cheaper than buying the two individual volumes. I expect that Fantagraphics will release and that I will buy one of these boxed sets each October.

A true gem.......2007-07-12

My youngest son has spent hours reading the Peanuts books I got from the Weekly Reader Book Club when I was a kid. So for his birthday I bought him this set. He and I have spent many, many very enjoyable hours together reading these volumes out loud. He likes to read Linus, Lucy, and sometimes Snoopy, and I read the rest. It is satisfying to watch my son get as much enjoyment from these strips as I did when I was his age.

I'm sure I'll continue buying these books for him -- and secretly enjoy them as much as he does as we read them together.

Good Choice!.......2007-05-17

I've been Snoopy mania. I was finding some great books to keep. When I find this collection, how happy I was!! I do recommend you this book.

SUPERB!.......2007-05-13

What a wonderful collection, in chronological order, of all of the Peanuts strips. This is a real treasure!

Book Description

Impossible to resist, this hilariously sassy and sweet collection of haiku turns the perilous sport of gay dating into pure poetry.

For hundreds of years, the Japanese haiku has been equated with peaceful contemplation and spiritual enlightenment. A delicate balance of rhythm and line, the haiku has provided countless readers with an appreciation of the changing of the seasons and the miracles of nature. Now, in Gay Haiku, readers can finally appreciate more important things—like the changing of boyfriends and the miracles of shopping.

Irresistible and irreverent, this collection of one hundred and ten witty and wicked short poems captures the many dating disasters of first-time author Joel Derfner. In a wonderfully fresh and original voice, Derfner shamelessly mines his personal life to send up such broad-ranging topics as gay pop culture, politics, family, sex, and, of course, home decorating.

Gay, straight, or undecided, readers will delight in Derfner’s dry sense of humor and unmistakable charm as he tackles the big questions of life.

Customer Reviews:

Watch out--Not Lovey Dovey.......2005-08-26

I actually picked this book up at a bookstore as an impulse gift for my boyfriend. I am in the habilt of writing love haikus to him and thought seeing this book was kismit. Well, I made the mistake of giving it to him without reading some of the haikus. Instead of sweet, loving poems, it was filled with bitter ascerbic "break up" haikus that gave both of us a queezy feeling. It really was a downer for our blossoming relationship. I asked for, and was granted, an indugence to take back the gift, which I returned to the bookstore. My haikus will have to do.

Neither Japanese Nor Gay.......2005-08-04

But I really enjoyed this book. Funny story, I was actually trapped in a BN during a rainstorm when my girlfriend plucked it off the shelf, just on a whim. We read it from cover to cover, laughing non-stop at the author's wealth of wit in economy of word. There are passages in this book that in only syllables had us at once laughing and crying, which personally, is an occurrence too infrequent with contemporary literature these days. The truest tesatment to his book though, isn't so much the thorughly enjoyable read, but that I had no idea my connection with the author until I finished it and saw his picture on the back flap. "Oh yeah..." I thought. Four out of five dentists agree: Gay Haiku - not just a novelty. Get it. Love it. Share it with your mom.

Best Gay Haiku Book Ever.......2005-06-03

OK, maybe it's the only Gay Haiku book ever, but this book is fantastic. It's laugh out loud funny, clever, and incredibly sharp and insightful. It's also often surprisingly poignant. Highly recommended.

Irreverent, original, hilarious. .......2005-05-19

A great, fun, quick read and/or gift (terrific text, but it's beautifully produced too -- and won't break the bank). And by the way, if you're straight (I am), don't be put off by the title -- love is love is love; whatever your orientation, you'll relate to the take on romance (the good, the bittersweet, the downright awful).

damn funny!.......2005-05-18

I picked up this book in Barnes & Noble because it looked cute and I thought it might have some fun stuff in it. It turned out to be terrific! I laughed almost the whole way through. I went back to get another copy as a present for a friend but they were sold out so I ordered it from amazon. I'd definitely recommend this book to people looking for something smart and funny to read or to give as a gift.

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Gay Haiku 6-copy L-Card Display
Joel Derfner
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Japanese & Haiku | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0767920988
Release Date: 2005-05-10

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Hammerhorn Lake
Garry Gay
Manufacturer: s.n.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Japanese & Haiku | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006RG84O

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The Cuisine of Cinema

I Love This Cookbook!!

Individual recipes are served up with an on-air wit

Claud Mann's Dinner & A Movie Cookbook
Claude Mann , Kimberlee Carlson , and Heather Johnson
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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The Book Club Cookbook

ASIN: 0740739573

Book Description

One of the most classic weekend recipes for surefire entertainment is dinner and a movie with some friends. And for eight years, TBS Superstation's Dinner & A Movie has served up fun-filled movies along with cleverly named foods to create and enjoy while watching.Claud Mann's Dinner & A Movie Cookbook captures the humor and irreverent spirit of the long-running show in its full-color pages. This new edition of the popular cookbook includes more than 100 recipes that have been featured on the show.' 'Deja vu Twice-Baked Potatoes''Groundhog Day' 'Retro Raviolis''Blast from the Past' 'Just the Facts Ham' 'Dragnet' 'What's Under Your Skirt Steak'''Tootsie' 'Nosferatuna Melts''Dracula: Dead and Loving ItThe recipes are not only tasty and easy to follow, but they're peppered with food facts, movie trivia, and funny remarks from hosts Paul Gilmartin and Lisa Kushell. The cookbook also features many behind-the-scenes photos from the set of the show as well as full-color shots of the delectable dishes. TBS Superstation will air weekly on-air promotions for the show Dinner & A Movie and will feature links on the show's oft-hit Web site to a page dedicated to the cookbook.

Customer Reviews:

The Cuisine of Cinema.......2005-09-10

Who knew there was a right meal to eat with a certain movie? For people who like good movies and great food, this is the cookbook to have.

I Love This Cookbook!!.......2004-11-20

As another reviewer has said, this is the companion book to the tbs dinner and a movie weekly show. I am a big fan of the show and will actually make these recipes to watch with the movies. Some of my favorite movie and recipe combinations from this book are: The Cutting Edge, The Breakfast Club, The Outsiders, Fargo, Groundhog Day, and too many more to count. Hopefully, in a few years they will release another edition featuring even more of their wit, movies, and recipes.

Individual recipes are served up with an on-air wit.......2003-11-14

Chef Claud Mann has turned cinematic cuisine into a television art form on his popular TBS Superstation weekly program, "Dinner & A Movie". Now with Claud Mann's TBS Superstation Dinner & A Movie Cookbook, he has brought together 100 of his favorite recipes in this third edition of an enduringly popular cookbook. From Beetlejuice - Dearly Departed Sole; Sleepless in Seattle - An Eclair to Remember; and U.S. Marshals - We always Get Our Manicotti; to Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Can't Go To School, I Falafel; Tootsie - What's Under Your Skirt Steak; and Conspiracy Theory - It's All In Your Headcheese, the individual recipes are served up with an on-air wit and an in-kitchen wisdom. If you like to combine watching movies with great do-it-yourself cooking, then Claud Mann's TBS Superstation Dinner & A Movie Cookbook is the one for you!

Average customer rating:

Save your money
Stupend-a-licious!
Go get a movie and start cookin'!
A great way to have a unique "evening at home"

Dinner & A Movie Cookbook
Claud Mann , Kimberlee Carlson , and Robert Taylor
Manufacturer: Turner Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1570363838

Customer Reviews:

Save your money.......2007-02-18

This grandmother loves cookbooks, both to use and to read, and this is the first, of the couple of hundred in my collection in which I did not find a thing that I would ever make nor did I particularly enjoy reading. Someone said the recipes are easy. I'd like to meet that person, for no one I know would describe them as such. (Invite me to dinner, please.) "Easy" to me does not include steps such as "Trim 4-5 lb. duck of excess fat. Starting with the front of the neck, carefully pierce the skin . . . " Or trimming "1 1/2 lbs of duck breast meat, 1 1/2 lbs duck leg & thigh meat of sinew", cutting it into 1" cubes, combining it with 12 other ingredients, chilling it in the freezer, then grinding it all up & stuffing it into sausage casings, thereby creating a weiner fit to serve with "The Game". Headcheese ("Scrub 1 pig's head, brains removed, with 4 pig's feet" to begin, was never "easy" in my book. Ingredients regularly include those one would find in a much larger city than the one that I live in, the expense (3 live lobsters for the Jackpot Pie), and the time and trouble involved combine to make this a less-than-useful choice. Call me a midwestern grannie, but these recipes strike me as perfect examples of the current fashion of combining ever stranger ingredients in ever less convenient manner. (Grill your vegetables before putting them in soup, top your twice-baked potatoes with Japanese eggplant - we'll pass.)

Once we get to the dessert & brunch section, the recipes are less complicated, but go to the other extreme re innovation - here we can run down to the corner Wal-Mart for the ingredients to a fruit crisp, pecan pie, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, et al, but were we really needing a new recipe for these?

I also seem to have a differently-affected funnybone than the author & other reviewers. Reading the list of ingredients for chocolate fondue - cream, dark chocolate, almonds, liquor, ladyfinger, fruit, 1 Swedish-made cheese enlarger, 1 warranty card for Swedish-made cheese enlarger . . . somehow failed to bring forth chuckles, guess I'm just weird.

I gave it one star only because I couldn't choose 0 stars.

Stupend-a-licious!.......2002-01-20

Dinner & A Movie is a fun, unique way to enjoy some of the best movies out there AND enjoy some great food. The cookbook is just as much fun. The humor and irreverent spirit are still there along with some great food ideas. Grab the book, hit the store, and have a great evening.... with dinner and a movie and some friends!

Go get a movie and start cookin'!.......2000-01-23

This is a great cookbook for entertaining! The recipes are fun and most are easy! You can plan a whole menu, have some friends over, and pop in the movies!

A great way to have a unique "evening at home".......1997-02-06

If you love movies and food, then this is the book for you! With recipes taken from the TBS series "Dinner & A Movie," you can sit at home and reminisce about your teen angst years watching "Pretty in Pink" and eating Pretty in Pink Salmon Steaks. The majority of the films used for this great book are humorous, cult classics that range from James Bond flicks to "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and Jim Carrey's "Dumb and Dumber." The recipes are not only easy to follow, but filled with silly remarks from Paul and Annabelle (the two "chefs" from the show), and the book comes with an official "Dinner & a Movie" apron, so your date doesn't need to know how much of a mess you made cooking

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Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - This Beautiful Life
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

ASIN: 0634015273

Book Description

Features 12 songs from the 1999 release, the second major-label recording by this Los Angeles retro group that was the house band in the movie Swingers. Includes: Big and Bad * Big Time Operator * I Wanna Be like You * Ol' MacDonald * Sleep Tight * Some Things * Still in Love with You * 2000 Volts * What's Next? * Who's That Creepin' * and more.

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This Beautiful Life
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Csitsp 90387
Manufacturer: INTERSCOPE RECORDS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
ASIN: 630564571X

Book Description

On September 15, 1946, a biological weapon created by an alien race was accidentally detonated above the streets of New York City, killing countless numbers of men, women, and children. But those who survived the initial explosion soon began to wish they had died also, once they discovered they had been forever mutated by the virus unleashed in the blast. . . .

When the first volume in the Wild Cards series made its debut in 1986, it caused a sensation in the science fiction and fantasy communities. Here were stories of superpowered beings in a real world setting, detailing the lives of ³Aces²?those given superhuman powers by the ³Wild Cards² virus?and ³Jokers²?those whom the virus transformed into freaks and monsters. Over the course of fifteen volumes, the world created by editor George R.R. Martin and some of SF¹s most talented writers was explored through the eyes of both Aces and Jokers across the globe.

In this all-new collection of Wild Cards stories, the spotlight is on the most unusual Wild Cards of them all?the Deuces. As you¹ll discover in this thrilling collection, their role in the Wild Cards Universe is just as important as that of the Aces and the Jokers. In fact, their actions have affected the course of Wild Cards history.

Set in an alternate, shared-world universe, Deuces Down is the one place you¹ll find such never-before-told tales as John J. Miller¹s exciting 1969 World Series between the Baltimore Orioles and the Brooklyn Dodgers; Michael Cassutt¹s first moon landing, when the whole world wasn¹t watching; Walton Simons¹ Great New York City Blackout of 1977; Melinda M. Snodgrass¹s account of Grace Kelly¹s mysterious disappearance during the filming of The French Lieutenant¹s Woman. It¹s a strange and terrifying world, where anything can happen. A world of Wild Cards.

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-01

Another good instalment in the Wild Card series, even if much delayed. Focusing on aces with powers of seemingly little consequence, some of whom are jokers as well, this book is a little more upbeat, or even lighthearted at times.

Plenty of aces make cameos, even Cameo, not to mention Demise. So lots of old favorites are around. Peregrine's son, also, as a teenager.

Fidel Castro has a different job, and Grace Kelly's husband has been very good for her, as two of the more tongue-in-cheek tales unfold.

You like Wild Cards, or this sort of thing, you will certainly like this. This book a series of stories, again.

Wild Cards 16 : 01 Storming Space - Michael Cassutt
Wild Cards 16 : 02 Four Days in October - John J. Miller
Wild Cards 16 : 03 Walking the Floor Over You - Walton Simons
Wild Cards 16 : 04 A Face for the Cutting Room Floor - Melinda M. Snodgrass
Wild Cards 16 : 05 Father Henry's Little Miracle - Daniel Abraham
Wild Cards 16 : 06 Promises - Stephen Leigh
Wild Cards 16 : 07 With a Flourish and a Flair - Kevin Andrew Murphy

Shoestring spaceflight triangle.

4 out of 5

Kid reporter baseball investigation.

3.5 out of 5

Comedy babe's secret Sleeper save.

3.5 out of 5

Centaur porn and the beauty secrets of the famous.

4 out of 5

Priest protection to prevent a Demise.

3 out of 5

Petrified of family life.

3 out of 5

Hats in fashion unto the seventh generation.

4 out of 5

Never received the book ..........2005-09-23

It has been 5 weeks since I ordered this book and I'vs not seen any sign of it or received any notice of a shipping delay.

I would not deal with this seller again.

3.5 stars really ... Worth a read..........2004-02-14

It was nice to visit the wild cards again... especially the Sleeper... However it was a bit sad knowing that Zelazny was not at the helm of that story... I also miss the Turtle and some of the other gang... but i guess this was a book for the deuces... i hope that there is another effort to revitalise this series. with GRR Martin's massive popularity (very deserved i might add) there should be an effot to get some writters together and have some adventures... Now that the jumpers and the rox is gone, hopefully we can get back to the 3 books per villain structure... although it will be hard to top the astromomer, or the swarm...

It was nice to go back and visit again... but next time i want aces and jokers...

One story stands out........2003-12-21

My perspective on this collection of stories is different than the other reviewers,because this is the first and only collection from the Wild Card series that I have read. To be honest, I did not think much of the stories in general, but one story stood out as excellent.

Daniel Abraham's story, "Father Henry's Little Miracle" is the best short story I have read in sometime. The two main characters of the story are Father Henry and Gina. When I had read the story, I really wanted to take Father Henry out for a beer, and I really wanted to sleep with Gina.

The Return of a Great Series.......2003-03-12

Browsing in a bookstore circa 1986 I came upon the first Wild Cards book. Curious, I bought it . .. and devoured it in a night.That set a patern I would follow with the release of all the subsequent books. The premise, the shared milieu, the contributions of the various writers, the twists, turns, and thrills, it was just so much fun. Like other fans, I was sorry when the series seemed to end, but I understood that the death of Roger Zelazny might want to make the others involved retire the concept. What cause for celebration then to see the Wild Cards resurrected! So, okay, this is not the most exciting entry in the series, dealing as it does with deuces, wild carders who powers seem to be useless. Not so, of course, the authors are quite ingenious at making those useless powers pivotal. There are cameos by some old favorite characters, and the last story, involving a frantic search for a specific top hat, is quite entertaining. But this book does differ from its predecessors in that it does not begin, suspensefully continue, or slam-bang conclude a story arc. I miss that Saturday serial kind of anticipatory excitement, and uneasily wonder if that means the series will not be continued any time soon. If not, too bad. I always left the Wild Cards world wanting more. I always hoped for a story about the Harlem Hammer, or the Troll, and like most fans, wondered whatever happened next to the Radical. C'mon, George R. R. Martin and co., don't leave us hanging!

Average customer rating:

Wild Cards XVI : Deuces Down

Manufacturer: ibooks, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HKIIU2

Average customer rating:

Wants HR to get an MBA, not necessarily practice HR

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY STERN'S MANAGEMENT REVIEW.!

Buy this book

The full text on bringing HR up to date

HR as Business Partner in the New Era

The Hr Value Proposition
David Ulrich , and Wayne Brockbank
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Future of Human Resource Management: 64 Thought Leaders Explore the Critical HR Issues of Today and Tomorrow

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Human Resource Champions

Roadmap to Strategic Hr: Turning a Great Idea into a Business Reality

ASIN: 1591397073

Book Description

HR’s leading thinkers provide a blueprint for the future. The international bestseller Human Resource Champions helped set the HR agenda for the 1990s and enabled HR professionals to become strategic partners in their organizations. But earning a seat at the executive table was only the beginning. Today’s HR leaders must also bring substantial value to that table. Drawing on their sixteen-year study of over 29,000 HR professionals and line managers, leading HR experts Dave Ulrich and Wayne Brockbank propose The HR Value Proposition. The authors argue that HR value creation requires a deep understanding of external business realities and how value is defined by key stakeholders both inside and outside the company. They provide practical tools and worksheets for leveraging this knowledge to create HR practices, build organizational capabilities, design HR strategy, and marshal resources that create value for customers, investors, executives, and employees. Written by the field’s premier trailblazers, this book charts the path HR professionals must take to help lead their organizations into the future.

Customer Reviews:

Wants HR to get an MBA, not necessarily practice HR.......2007-02-01

If you're an HR practitioner, skip this book. If you're an external HR consultant, read it and use the terms and ideas to sell your services.

The authors want HR to get out of the HR business and into being management consultants with an HR background who solve business problems. The book encourages HR practitioners to become adept at the business by knowing its financials, customers, products, etc, so that they can solve a myriad of business problems or give input to other departments. The value proposition is that "HR aligns with the requirements of internal and external stakeholders." The example that is intended to illustrate this HR value proposition tells of an oil company with a shrinking market share, where marketing didn't take the lead on a customer survey but HR did. By doing so, HR was able to show that service was a key differentiator, thus proving HR's value to the firm. However, this isn't really HR, and most of the examples are would fall into general management consulting.

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY STERN'S MANAGEMENT REVIEW.!.......2006-04-15

After the transactional work of HR has been automated, centralized, eliminated, or outsourced, what is left, and of greatest value, forms the core of this book. In brief, the book is about creating a business-oriented HR function. The book's springboard is a range of future-focused questions such as:
- Why does HR matter so much today?
- How can HR get line managers to be concerned about HR issues?
- What can HR do to connect with the interests of all stakeholders?
- How to create a strong line-of-sight between business strategy and HR.
- How does HR contribute to intangible value creation?
- What are the evolving roles of HR? How can HR be organized to be strategically focused?
The authors confront these challenges with clarity and insightfulness. The central message is that HR must deliver value in the eyes of line management, investors, customers, and employees.

The book is organized around an "integrated HR blueprint" consisting of five elements:
- external realities;
- stakeholders,
- HR practices,
- HR resources, and
- HR professionals)
From these the authors have set forth 14 criteria that profile an effective HR function. To bring these criteria to life the authors present a four-phase process for transforming the HR function-this process integrates and applies the book's central themes. The book is broad-ranging and compelling. We very highly recommended this work. Every HR practitioner should consider this book must-reading.'

Buy this book.......2006-03-09

These guys are amazing. Puts HR in its proper perspective of adding company value. Wonderful.

The full text on bringing HR up to date.......2006-02-23

This book is ideal for the high-level HR executive who wants to redevelop or transform an HR department into a forward-thinking, strategic part of the parent company. While all HR professionals should read it for the knowledge it offers, creating a value proposition for HR is not simple, as authors Dave Ulrich and Wayne Brockbank would be the first to acknowledge. Even the most innovative, progressive HR professionals would find this extensive menu of changes hard to activate independently. Creating an HR value proposition is an intense, all encompassing reform that requires support and direction from the top down. While HR professionals at any level can see the relevance, wisdom and potential of this new blueprint, a CEO and an HR department head would have to march together to carry out the book's mission: implementing an HR transformation totally aligned with corporate strategy. We recommend this tremendous resource to any HR manager or adviser; the higher you are on the HR totem pole, the more you need to read it.

HR as Business Partner in the New Era.......2006-02-12

The authors' formulations in The HR Value Proposition draw on their 18-year study, which involved more than 29,000 HR professionals and line managers worldwide. On the basis of this study, they have come out with value-focused criteria for HR department, which suggests actions that HR must take to achieve them. The criteria range from monitoring external business realities to creating a clear connection between HR actions and stakeholders' value.

The book's prescriptions are meant for HR professionals as well as line managers, even as it highlights the path that HR must take to earn its position in the organization. It also seeks to provide a justification as to why a company should invest in HR--a question that CFOs (Chief Finance Officers) frequently ask about the HR function.

The book has argued that for creating value for the business, it has to know what value is." This in turn necessitates understanding the external business environment. The external context impacts business realities, including realities of technology, regulatory issues, and workforce demographics.

The book no doubt gives important insights into the changing roles of HR in the 21st century, and differentiates them from those performed by HR managers a decade ago. It has succeeded in building a useful framework for aligning human resource strategy with organizational strategy so that it enables the organization to efficaciously march towards its vision. It should be read not just by HR managers but by all line managers, who are key HR managers in today's context, so that they can help in organizational capacity-building and performance excellence. The book has outlined a strategic HR agenda in a comprehensive yet lucid way. The roadmap outlined is clear and helpful for different types of readers. It contains many intriguing ideas worth experimenting by practitioners of people management, and well succeeds in outlining the practices and competencies that make a difference in leveraging people potential for realizing organizational goals. The immense experience of the two eminent authors who have built tremendous credibility for themselves for academics as well as practitioners is amply reflected in the structuring of the book. So far as HR literature for managers in concerned, it is going to be a classic and will become a dominant HR book in the next five to ten years.

Debi S. Saini
Professor of Human Resource Management
Management Development Institute
Mehrauli Road, Sukhrali,
Gurgaon-1220 001, Haryana.

The HR Value Proposition.(Book Review) : An article from: Human Resource Planning

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The HR Value Proposition.(Book Review) : An article from: Human Resource Planning
Steve Werling
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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This digital document is an article from Human Resource Planning, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1369 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The HR Value Proposition.(Book Review)
Author: Steve Werling
Publication: Human Resource Planning (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 28 Issue: 4 Page: 44(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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