Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals

Book Description

Presented by geographic region, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to the important traditions of African art within the artistic and historical context of each region. Visual Arts of Africa emphasizes gender, power, and life cycle rituals related to African artistic traditions and provides a focus on the social, religious, and political contexts in which much of the art functions. The book presents the diversity of African art by covering a wide range of art forms, from wooden and metal sculpture to textiles, dress, ceramics, architecture, and architectural decoration. It presents the historical and cultural artistic traditions of each geographic region through a range of art forms, from the earliest known documented art works to contemporary works by late twentieth century artists. Also includes recent published field research. A valuable reference book for any reader who wishes a greater understanding of the historical and cultural traditions of African art.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......1998-11-29

Fred Smith and Judith Perani are co-authors, not contributo

Book Description

Using a combination of newly mined Sung sources and modern ethnography, Robert Hymes addresses questions that have perplexed China scholars in recent years. Were Chinese gods celestial officials, governing the fate and fortunes of their worshippers as China's own bureaucracy governed their worldly lives? Or were they personal beings, patrons or parents or guardians, offering protection in exchange for reverence and sacrifice?
To answer these questions Hymes examines the professional exorcist sects and rising Immortals' cults of the Sung dynasty alongside ritual practices in contemporary Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as miracle tales, liturgies, spirit law codes, devotional poetry, and sacred geographies of the eleventh through thirteenth centuries. Drawing upon historical and anthropological evidence, he argues that two contrasting and contending models informed how the Chinese saw and see their gods. These models were used separately or in creative combination to articulate widely varying religious standpoints and competing ideas of both secular and divine power. Whether gods were bureaucrats or personal protectors depended, and still depends, says Hymes, on who worships them, in what setting, and for what purposes.

Average customer rating:

Gods of the Byways

Manufacturer: Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0905836286

Book Description

A westerner's visit into North Korea, told in the form of a graphic novel.

Famously referred to as one of the "Axis of Evil" countries, North Korea remains one of the most secretive and mysterious nations in the world today. In early 2001 cartoonist Guy Delisle became one of the few Westerners to be allowed access to the fortresslike country. While living in the nation's capital for two months on a work visa for a French film animation company, Delisle observed what he was allowed to see of the culture and lives of the few North Koreans he encountered; his findings form the basis of this remarkable graphic novel. Pyongyang is an informative, personal, and accessible look at a dangerous and enigmatic country.

Customer Reviews:

Pyongyang.......2007-09-19

This is another book -- recommended to me -- in a growing genre of what I guess can be called "illustrated journalism" or "illustrated memoirs": writers telling their stories of real life through the medium of graphic novels. Of course, another big author in this genre is Marjane Satrapi, with her greatest achievement being Persepolis, and her story of living in Iran when the Shah was overthrown and the country went through some devastating times. She followed this with Persepolis 2 -- which I have yet to read -- a sequel of her going back to Iran, and most recently Embroideries, which I did read and while I found it interesting -- a group of women meet for tea to discuss their lives as Iranian women and it seems much like one of the salons on the 1920's, where they discuss in secrecy things that shouldn't be talked about -- though I felt the book too short and didn't go into enough depth.

Nevertheless, Satrapi and Delisle are two of this growing genre and with the way graphic novels and comic books are continuing to increase every year in sales and support, I'm really happy that this nonfiction style is also continuing to grow because, much as you can say a lot with words and you can say a lot with pictures, uniting the true presents a whole new insight: not only do you hear the author through his or her words, but you see the emotion in the illustration and an empathic bond inevitably develops.

The author and artist of Pyongyang, Guy Delisle, works in animation and spends some time in North Korea where a part of animation has now been outsourced and there he works with a company, but the story isn't about the animated movie he is working on, it is much more about his experience in living in this relatively unknown country. One cannot help but get the feel of entering a new and undiscovered country for the first time.

North Korea caters, naturally, to its visitors and especially its tourists, so we see a world where there are buildings, towns and structures everywhere, and yet most are run down and have no power. Yet, when the tourists arrive, all of a sudden an entire floor of the hotel is filled with light and life, as well as two of the restaurants on another floor. While the menus aren't exactly five-star, they nevertheless have fresh goods and Delisle enjoys it, but after some weeks the quality goes down until the next group of tourists arrive, whereupon fresh melon is served once again! His most memorable description is of ordering French toast and being served with a slice of white bread on which has been sprinkled milk and warmed in the microwave.

But one really sees in this book the scary world that North Koreans are subjected to under the rule of their president Kim Jong-Il, and while this is a communist regime, one can't help but see stark similarities with just about every ruler, president, and emperor in the history of civilization. For example, the North Korean government goes to extremes to portray Kim Jong-Il and his deceased father and predecessor Kim Il-Sung as almost looking identical and perfectly alive and healthy. All supporters of the government wear pins of one or the other, or a pin of the two, as well as showing constant voluntary support of their government in building shrines to one, the other, or both, and making paintings and erecting statues, and improving their country by painting a bridge or cleaning a street -- it can be seen everyone, as Delisle travels around the country. The northeast part is off limits, government controlled and where, according to the rumors, are all the camps containing the prisoners and rebels. And each supporter constantly proclaims his blind faith to his president; on the radio are about three stations where songs are repetitively played that cry out the greatness of the government and the president, and the listeners are fully expected to sing along.

Tourists are not allowed to travel alone around North Korean and must be accompanied by an interpreter and staunch government supporter all the time (unless they are with the UN), who's job it is to respect the tourists beliefs and yet to convert and enlighten him or her to the ways of their great president and supreme government. One of the most entertaining chapters of the book is when Delisle visits the great museum made for Kim Jon-Il, where everything within extols his greatest and reveals apocryphal facts about his life, such as his penning over 15,000 works before the age of twenty, and how many leaders around the world support his ideal and think him great. What's funny is that Delisle, viewing these artifacts and gifts, is quick to point out how they are either inaccurate or not actually real. And yet the supporters believe without question and while they may listen to other ideas, never shirk their duty to constantly say good things about Mr. Jong-Il.

The book does fail somewhat in going into depth with this world, and it seems once the astonishment of this unknown land passes, Delisle tends to focus a little to much on his day to day machinations and trying to work with the North Korean people, which while interesting at first, tend to get repetitive when there is so much more to explore and see.

Near the end of the book, he focuses on how he makes paper airplanes out of scrap paper and throws them from his hotel window, hoping they will make it to the river and be free, which is the last image of the story, while a hulk of a building grows on the other side of the river where a movie theatre will be built, and even though Delisle has explained this is what this is, the reader knows it's not going to be used for Hollywood blockbusters, and had Delisle researched and investigated more, we would've been given further details of this mysterious country.

I will, however, add that since reading this, playing a new Xbox game called Mercenaries, where the point of the game is to make deals with all the different factions in the demilitarized zone of North Korea and capture all the wanted military of North Korea, it has at least opened my eyes and awareness of this oppressed and dark country.

It will be an interesting day, when the communist government either collapses, or is more likely overthrown, and the stories, experiences and information start pouring out about what life was like in North Korea during this time.

For more book reviews, and other writings, go to www.alexctelander.com

Easy, fun and educational read!.......2007-09-12

Personally, I follow a lot of North Korean goings-ons, especially since Kim Jong Il is such a character. I'm Korean-American so I've always been fascinated by this topic -- and I'm also a graphic artist so I've done my own share of parody artwork and interactive/digital games and illustrations about Kim Jong Il and NK culture. Anyway, this book by Guy Leslie is great. What a rare and great experience he had while visiting a country that most people could never step foot in! It was funny, informative and enlightening. I would buy it as gifts for all my friends.

If you liked this book, you'd also enjoy Art Spiegelman's graphic novels "Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History " and its sequel "Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began" which are about World War II. And if you liked Maus, you'll definitely like "Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea" too.

not a novel.......2007-07-16

This is an excellent book that I recommend along with Delisle's similar work, "Shenzhen", which covers his experiences working in the Chinese city. "Pyongyang" is marginally the more intriguing book because he is writing about (and drawing) a stranger place, but the two are fascinating to read together. I do wonder, though, why these are referred to as graphic novels. Novels are by definition works of fiction while these are quite clearly intended as factual accounts of his real life experiences. Pepys's diary is not a novel, for example, and the myriad of political and sports memoirs littering the shelves are not considered novels, I don't understand why books like Delisle's are any different. As the cover of "Shenzhen" says it's a "travelogue", or a graphic journal if you like, it ain't a novel. But whatever you call it, I recommend it.

Stranger than fiction.......2007-04-24

Once I started this book I could not put it down. Hats off to Guy Delisle who cronicled his experiences so vividly in this anami-style diary. My only regret was that it was too short and ended rather abruptly.

The strength of this book lies not with Mr Delisle's wry sence of humor, which is refreshingly funny, but in the depiction of Kim Jong Il and all his bizzarness, which, unfortunately, a whole country must suffer through.

Great drawings, low nutritional content.......2007-01-13

I think Delisle's artwork is great, very compact and minimal, yet suggesting a lot. The interiors of vast, empty buildings and the exteriors of failed construction projects are wonderful. I read the book in one sitting, and it does give a solid sense of what it's like to be in North Korea as a foreigner.

However, I have to agree with a reviewer below that there's something superficial about the book's overall portrait of this shutdown, closed-up society. It's true that as Delisle points out, the country bears stark similarities to Orwell's 1984, but that's a rather obvious comparison to make. More disturbingly, this comparison leads to an overly simple contrast throughout the book between the benign goodness of Western capitalism and the stifling evil of North Korean communism--this contrast remains too simple, too black and white.

Also, we've all heard many times that the people there are expected to act like robots, and yes, the fears they feel daily are real and horrifying. But the people there ARE people, not robots. The glimpses of humanity that Delisle provides beneath the seemingly robotic surfaces of the people he met there are too few and far between. At the same time, the voracious, gobbling, planet-threatening consumerism of most Westerners gets a free pass.

For a better view of the humanity under the surface of Pyongyang, I suggest Pieter Fleury's recent film, North Korea: A Day in the Life. Like Delisle, Fleury was severely restricted in what he could see (and thus film), but he tries much harder to understand what he's allowed to see, rather than merely letting it confirm his preconceptions.

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Pyongyang a Journey in North Korea
Guy delisle
Manufacturer: Drawn & Quarterly Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O53Z8A

Pyongyang: Pyongyang/ A Journey in North Korea/ Spanish Edition

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Pyongyang: Pyongyang/ A Journey in North Korea/ Spanish Edition
Guy Delisle
Manufacturer: Public Square Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

In 2001, cartoonist Guy Delisle lived in the capital of North Korea for two months on a work visa for a French film company. In this remarkable graphic novel, Delisle recorded what he was able to see of the culture and lives of one of the last remaining totalitarian communist societies.

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Next to Godliness

Brand Name Appeal...

How to Dress for Every Occasion by the Pope
Daniel Handler
Manufacturer: McSweeney's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Parodies | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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How to Be Pope: What to Do and Where to Go Once You're in the Vatican

Watch Your Mouth: A Novel

Adverbs: A Novel

The Basic Eight: A Novel

Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid

ASIN: 1932416412

Book Description

Want to dress like the Pope? Well, why not? After all, the Pope is one of the most important people in the world, and gets invited to state dinners and stuff like that, and lives in an ornate place called the Vatican. You, meanwhile, are often dressed like a slob, and spend your days serving coleslaw. (Note: the last part of the preceding sentence applies only to coleslaw servers.) At long last, the Pope presents a book teaching you how to dress for every occasion, called How To Dress For Every Occasion. Get ready, get set, get into snappy dressing!

Customer Reviews:

Next to Godliness.......2007-04-13

If you are seeking a searing look at the Catholic Church in a turbulent world, look elsewhere. This is just a light-hearted look at the art of looking good when you are the representative of God on earth. It's especially good if you imagine the words being read in an Italian (or German) accent. The most controversial issue addressed here is NO SANDALS! (Okay, they were fine for that St. Francis of Assisi fellow, but this is The Pope talking!) The book is filled with enjoyable bits like the Importance of the Sceptre Stick, of It's Always Nice to Wear A Lot of Rings, of Why You Need the Tall, Pointy Hat, and the like. Good table manners are vital when you are The Pope, dont want to get your white robes soiled. The pictures are wonderfully silly and in keeping with the text; there's a charming one of The Pope on his afternoon constitutional, complete with his papal ice-cream-cone of gelato, and a patient cardinal following behind with a sunshade. (The pictures do resemble a mischievious Benedict, but maybe that's just me.) The author, Daniel Handler, may be better known as the "contact" for Lemony Snicket and his wonderful tales of gloom, sorrow, and misery. A gentle bit of irreverence that may poke fun at the church, but is never mean.

Brand Name Appeal..........2007-02-08

Good Lord! Because amazon has mislabled this book, and credited the illustrator as author, no one seems to realize it's by Daniel Handler, a.k.a. LEMONY SNICKET. Therefore, no one is reading it; therefore, no one is praising it for being hysterically funny, clever, wry -- all the things Handler is. Another indication that quality won't out in this market unless it's attached to a brand name. Wake up, people! This is a hoot!

Average customer rating:

de-ja-vu all over

The guy who bashed Tarantino doesn't have a clue!

GENIUS!!!!!!!!

Boring Book About a Boring Man

Insightful

Quentin Tarantino: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series)

Manufacturer: University Press of Mississippi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Movie Directors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Quentin Tarantino: Man and His Movies, The

ASIN: 1578060516

Customer Reviews:

de-ja-vu all over.......2005-01-22

After a couple of articles written about the same period of Tarantino's carreer (which was very short so far when this book was published) I got a strogn sense of de-ja-vu. It's basically the same questions and answers all over again, and the book only slowly goes forward to the next film or project.

I guess a book like this would be much more interesting if the filmmaker had done a lot more films and the book could do with only 1 or 2 interviews per period. This one was written too soon, alas.

The guy who bashed Tarantino doesn't have a clue!.......2004-11-09

This is just a response from the "reader" in California that so badly slammed Tarantino in his review. I personally havent had a chance yet to read this particular book but I have seen his movies and I dont know what your talking about. I am 30 years old and married and I think his movies are fantastic. They are not meant to be "Godfather" like films, they are of a new generation of film making and have an originality all their own. I dont even want to begin speculating in what you call a good movie (probably enjoy crap like Punch Drunk Love). I think Tarantino is great if you aren't trying to follow the mundane, reoccuring theme in most movies today.

GENIUS!!!!!!!!.......2004-07-15

This guy is a genius. This is a great book. I hope they release new editions of this book after he's completed some more films.

Boring Book About a Boring Man.......2004-04-23

It's terribly sad that so much attention is sent in the wrong direction. Did the man behind this book just think he was cool for having something to do with a man who only ten year olds still think is smart? Tarentino's films are universally and fundamentally boring, at least for anyone who has ever lived a real life and not just fantasized about having one. His dipictions of violence eminate from his own personal lack of sexual energy. Sadly, teenage males without girlfriends seem to like these slammed together video games that are being called brilliant, and continue to support the trash factory that generates this type of hyper garbage. It's especially sad when a true film afficienado understands the brilliance of all of the original pictures which he doggedly ripped off and claimed the scenes for his own. If one more person calls this sad, pathetic, lack of a man a genious, I will become even more sick of him. Please get a life and buy a real one too. Keep pretending that you and Uma are an Item. Maybe some ex film critics will believe you.

Insightful.......2004-01-30

Everybody would like to get inside the head of a genius, get to know how he thinks. Well, this book allows you to do just that. You get a sense of Tarantino's concerns when writing, you learn that the first draft of Pulp Fiction was doing 500 pages.

But since it is all interviews, there are quite a few redundancies. The same questions answered the same way. It might not be the best book to know about Tarantino. In fact it isn't. But it's a good book for anyone who wants to feel the passion of moviemaking, and to catch some clues on what made his movies so delightful. Unfortunatly, the book isn't recent and all interviews topics only include Tarantino's first two movies (Reservoir and Pulp) as well as references to True Romance and Natural Born Killers, which scripts he had sold prior to Reservoir.

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Cohen in the 1960s

Best Guitar Book on Earth

Songs of Leonard Cohen

Songs of Leonard Cohen, Herewith: Music, Words, and Photographs
Leonard Cohen
Manufacturer: Music Sales Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0825626544

Customer Reviews:

Cohen in the 1960s.......2007-01-21

This 1969 publication opens with an article on Cohen by William Kloman from a 1968 New York Times. It is part biography and part interview with quotes from his novel Beautiful Losers and the song Stories Of The Street. This insightful essay reveals profound wisdom in the artist's view of the world of that time, the late 1960s. This is followed by black and white photographs of his life in Greece, and in the next chaper, his life in America. The first contains pics of Marianne, Axel, their house on the island Hydra and scenes of socializing in Greek cafes. The next one has pics of, amongst others, John Hammond and Judy Collins. In addition, the page preceding the Contents has a lovely pic of The Buckskin Boys, the artist's first group from his teenage years.

There is a legend explaining the musical notation: the guitar accompaniment for the compositions is illustrated in easily readable tablature. All the lyrics are provided. The songs are: A Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes, Bird On The Wire, The Butcher, Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye, Lady Midnight, Master Song, The Old Revolution, One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong, Priests, Seems So Long Ago Nancy, Sisters Of Mercy, So Long Marianne, Stories Of The Street, The Story of Isaac, The Stranger Song, Suzanne, Teachers, Tonight Will Be Fine, Winter Lady and You Know Who I Am.

The black and white photograps are by John Berg, David Gahr, Julie Snow, Roz Kelly, Michael A Vaccaro and James Wigler. The combination of photographs, article and these timeless songs from the early days provides a nostalgic look at the legendary singer, songwriter and author. All devoted fans will appreciate it as a unique historical document of a master artist at the outset of his long career.

Best Guitar Book on Earth.......2001-05-04

I have had this book since 1975, and I have used it to pieces. This book taught me to fingerpick. The six-bar TAB notation is much easier for a guitarist to learn than standard five-bar music notation. The book contains every guitar note that Cohen plays on the album.

Two great things about Leonard Cohen - nobody writes better lyrics, and almost all of us think we can sing and play better than he can (even if our friends disagree!)

One discordant note on "Butcher's Song": a tried again and again to learn this song from the book, but I could never make it sound good. Months later, I finally heard it on an album and I was overjoyed. I had it perfect! It's just a bad song!

Songs of Leonard Cohen.......2000-05-31

This book contains the music, written out for guitar and vocals, of the following songs: A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes; Bird on the Wire; The Butcher; Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye; Lady Midnight; Master Song; The Old Revolution; One of Us Can Not Be Wrong; Priests; Seems So Long Ago; Nancy; Sisters of Mercy; So Long, Marianne; Stories of the Street; Story of Isaac; The Stranger Song; Suzanne; Teachers; Tonight Will Be Fine; Winter Lady; You Know Who I Am

There are also a good number of pictures and an article written about Cohen in 1968, pulled from the New York Times.

I gave it 3 stars only because I haven't any clue as how the well tablatures are transcribed, coz I don't play the guitar.

Average customer rating:
Songs of Leonard Cohen Herewith: Music, Words and Photographs
Leonard Cohen
Manufacturer: AMSCO Music Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JRN1QE

Average customer rating:

All you need to know

A very fine book

Better than most.

Diane Warner's Complete Book of Wedding Vows: Hundreds of Ways to Say "I Do" (Wedding Essentials)
Diane Warner
Manufacturer: New Page Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ceremony | Weddings | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1564148165

Book Description

Diane Warner's Complete Book of Wedding Vows is the only book devoted solely to helping you prepare and personalize your vows so they are as unique and special as every other aspect of your wedding.

It is one of the largest compilations of vows ever assembled, a practical user-friendly guide that helps couples compose personalized vows from the heart, vows that express their deep feelings of love and commitment to each other.

Diane Warner's Complete Book of Wedding Vows includes a wide variety of traditional wedding vows from countries and culture around the world, along with hundreds of personalized, nontraditional vows- those for second marriages, marriages of older couples, ceremonies of reaffirmation and wedding involving children from previous marriages.

Vows with religious variations, those inspired by the classics (Elizabeth Barrett Browning, John Keats, Shakespeare and many others), even some devoted exclusively to rings are included. And, for the first time in this new edition: Theme wedding vows (including poignant Hand-Fasting ceremony vows and special vows for a Renaissance wedding) and a number of original vows submitted by Diane's many readers

"At last! A book of wedding vows that runs the gamut from traditional to vows inspired by the classics. If you coordinate weddings, or if you are involved in any way with bridal couples, you will find this book to be a great reference tool."

—Doris Dixon, VP, National Bridal Service

Diane Warner is the best-selling author of 22 books, including Diane Warner's Contemporary Guide to Wedding Etiquette, Complete Book of Wedding Toasts, Complete Book of Wedding Showers, Complete Book of Baby Showers, Diane Warner's Big Book of Parties and How to Have a Big Wedding on a Small Budget. Diane also writes for magazines, newspapers and Web sites. She is a popular speaker and radio and television guest. She has made over 100 national radio and television appearances and can be seen regularly on HGTV and The Discovery Channel. She lives in Tucson, Arizona with her author-husband, Jack.

Customer Reviews:

All you need to know.......2007-07-25

This book is a wonderful help for couples choosing the correct wedding vow and ring vow. We enjoyed reading it and learned fascinating traditions about weddings. A good read.

A very fine book.......2006-11-04

This is one of the books that has been on my shelf for years, and that I use regularly when writing a ceremony for one of my couples. It's a good resource and sparks ideas. Along with Diane's Contemporary Guide to Wedding Ceremonies, Judith Johnson's Wedding Ceremony Planner and a couple of others, my wedding ceremony-writing library is complete.

Better than most........2006-06-22

It's difficult to recommend one book of wedding vows over the dozens of others, as, for the most part, they contain primarily, the same material. It's sort of an "If you've read one, you've read them all" scenario. However, Diane Warner has certainly established herself as one of the most prolific writers in the wedding genre, and I believe also, one of the best.

So what makes this book better than the others? More and more weddings today are moving away from "traditional" vows. Warner has assembled here, a broad mixture of vows from various categories. Though the first chapter does indeed provide examples of traditional vows ranging from Jewish, Hindu and numerous Christian faiths, the other ten chapters are devoted to non-traditional vows, e.g. second marriages, including children, older couples, ring vows, theme weddings and so on.

At just barely over 200 pages, the book is hardly all-inclusive, and the reader may not find precisely what they are looking for, but this book gives countless good starting points. You may be able to slightly alter something you find here to make a perfect fit for your wedding, or you may find further useful resources in the bibliography.

There are dozens of books available, anyone of which may contain exactely what you're looking for, but if you want a single volume to point you in the right direction, this one is better than most.

Monty Rainey
Wedding Ministry by Design

Amazon.com

In Selling the Invisible, Beckwith argues that what consumers are primarily interested in today are not features, but relationships. Even companies who think that they sell only tangible products should rethink their approach to product development and marketing and sales. For example, when a customer buys a Saturn automobile, what they're really buying is not the car, but the way that Saturn does business. Beckwith provides an excellent forum for thinking differently about the nature of services and how they can be effectively marketed. If you're at all involved in marketing or sales, then Selling the Invisible is definitely worth a look.

Book Description

The transformation from a manufacturing-based economy to one that's all about service has been well documented. Today it's estimated that nearly 75 percent of Americans work in the service sector. Instead of producing tangibles--automobiles, clothes, and tools--more and more of us are in the business of providing intangibles--health care, entertainment, tourism, legal services, and so on. However, according to Harry Beckwith, most of these intangibles are still being marketed like products were 20 years ago.In Selling the Invisible, Beckwith argues that what consumers are primarily interested in today are not features, but relationships. Even companies who think that they sell only tangible products should rethink their approach to product development and marketing and sales. For example, when a customer buys a Saturn automobile, what they're really buying is not the car, but the way that Saturn does business. Beckwith provides an excellent forum for thinking differently about the nature of services and how they can be effectively marketed. If you're at all involved in marketing or sales, then Selling the Invisible is definitely worth a look.

Download Description

You can't touch, hear, or see your company's most important products. . . . So how do you sell, develop, make them grow? That's the problem with services.

This "phenomenal" book, as one reviewer called it, answers that question with insights on how markets work and how prospects think. A treasury of hundreds of quick, practical, and easy-to-read strategies, Selling the Invisible will open your eyes to new ideas in this crucial branch of marketing, including:
*Why focus groups, value-price positioning, discount pricing, and being the best usually fail
*The vital role of vividness, focus, "anchors," and stereotypes
*The importance of Halo, Cocktail Party, and Lake Wobegon effects
*Marketing lessons from black holes, grocery lists, the Hearsay Rule, and the fame of the Matterhorn
*Dozens of proven yet consistently overlooked ideas for research, presentations, publicity, advertising, and client retention . . . and much more.

Based on the author's twenty-five years of experience with thousands of business professionals, this book delivers its wisdom with unforgettable and often surprising examples--from Federal Express, Citicorp, and a growing Greek travel agency to an ingenious baby-sitter, Fran Lebowitz, and the colors of oranges and lemons.

The first guide of its kind and a book already causing a sensation in the business community, Selling the Invisible will help anyone marketing a service, a product, or a career. Read it, and you almost certainly will understand why two advance readers call it the best book on business ever written.

Customer Reviews:

If you sell a non-tangible product or service, buy this book.......2007-08-06

It is much easier to sell a book than it is to sell life insurance. Why? Because the customer can hold and touch and see the book. You can't hold, touch or see insurance. (The policy is not the insurance.)

Beckwith understands selling intangibles better than anyone and he tells how in this book. It is in my top ten of business and marketing books for people who sell services. Even if you sell products, you will learn some valuable information. Well worth the money.

Short and Easy to Read.......2007-05-17

This book was suggested reading by our Marketing Department. As an Engineer, I decided to read it to find out more about marketing. The book was easy to read and understand. It summarized the basics of good client service. Most things were obvious, but probably not done nearly enough. For example, the book recommended thanking your clients as often as possible.

Not your typical book on selling........2007-03-07

This is one of the best books I have ever read on the subject of selling a service or services.

My company is a small-time operation. I own a computer service and repair business. Essentially, I am the company. That's why this book is perfect for me.

Beckwith's guide taught me what is most important about what I do and how to focus on that, and then sell it. It also showed me what customers look for, what they don't care about, and the benefits of knowing these things.

If I could go back in time and give myself a copy of this book when I was just starting out, my income would probably be double what it is today. Simply purchasing this book and making a few minor changes has already made a huge difference the bottom line.

Can't go wrong reading this one!.......2006-12-27

This is another one of those classics. The fundamental message is timeless, and while some of the companies mentioned have changed the lessons behind the stories are still relevant. The book is made up of a series of anecdotes that each delivers a punch, consisting of good solid advice. Harry was ahead of his time offering insights on the "new" world of service in 1997 when the book was published, and offering that even service companies have brand equity to care for. There are good essential marketing skills included here that many of us may have forgotten. I reread this book again recently and was reminded of a few things that are worth re-applying to my own marketing efforts and the work I do for clients. You can't help but become a better marketer after reading this.

Selling the Invisible: The Art of War.......2006-09-05

Harry Beckwith's Selling the Invisible reminds me of Sun Tzu's The Art of War in that it is not so much a manual on its subject as it is a primer on how to think about its subject. Knowing nothing of service marketing when I started to read it, I found many of its precepts counterintuitive (selling relationships?) but with the numerous examples aided by my own observation of the things Beckwith talks about, my eyes were opened in a way Sun Tzu's first readers must have been. Beckwith understands the core of service marketing is the service itself and focusing on the consumer's needs, not clever marketing designed to separate the customer from his cash or dazzle him with an empty sales pitch for unwanted products (take notice, Apple). This relationship to the customer and understanding his or her needs defines the successful business and indeed IS the successful business. Beckwith illustrates this with many practical strategies relevant to any service business.

Selling the Invisible : A Field Guide to Modern Marketing

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Selling the Invisible : A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
Harry Beckwith
Manufacturer: Warner Books, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLUAGE

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Selling the Invisible : A Field Guide To Modern Marketing
Harry Beckwith
Manufacturer: Recorded Books , LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Product Description

5 compact discs. Unabridged.

Selling the Invisible, A Field Guide to Modern Marketing; Audio Cassette, Unabridged

Average customer rating:

Selling the Invisible, A Field Guide to Modern Marketing; Audio Cassette, Unabridged

Manufacturer: Recorded Books, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0788753436

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