What Great Paintings Say - Old Masters in Detail

Customer Reviews:

Looking at Paintings and Seeing History.......2003-12-10

Rose-Marie and Rainer Hagen have done their research in examining paintings throughout time and have created two extraordinary volumes that invite us into the Art Appreciation Theater of an honored university of learning. Their biographies are strangely missing from these books: we can only surmise that these two fine art historians have spent countless hours in the museums of the world. The fruit of their labor is a world of revealed details secreted within the masterpieces we 'thought' we knew.
The technique: Introduce a complete painting, give a thorough background about the time in which it was created and the artist who created it, and then from isolated windows, fill the remaining pages about that painting with details that not only address the painter's technique but also make commentary on the social mores, theological and philosophical concepts often at odds with the casual audience perceptual skills, and in general open vistas of enjoyment and insight to even the most experienced viewer. The Hagens have managed to gossip a bit, chide and joke a bit, and in the end offer us insights into exactly 'what great paintings say!.'
Most of the paintings scrutinized are the large panoramas of, for example, Rembrandt ('The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp', 'Balshazzar's Feast'), Rubens ('The Love Garden' with the foggy details of Venus milking her breats as fountains!) van Eyck ('Adoration of the Lamb') Poussin, Goya, etc. In addition to famous masters, the Hagens bring to light such lesser known greats as Francisco Pradilla y Ortiz, a "Netherlandish master," Johannes Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein, and Ilya Repin to mention only a few.
One of the marvels of this collection is the consummate attention paid Courbet's 1855 "The Studio" which depicts a painter at easel, his model, the commissioners of the painting, royalty and peasants - all painted with adoring detail. It definitely is a statement of the artist's political standpoint!
Technically the books are rich in color, creatively designed and close to color-correct. There is much to be enjoyed here and even more to advance the understanding and appreciation of art. A true gift!

A Lively Interpretive Guide.......2003-08-23

The book is fascinating. The reproductions are big and good, and the text is readable and jargon-free. The authors present a painting, then provide a historical and social analysis of what the time's effects were on the artist and how to read below the surface of the picture, illustrating their points with details drawn from the work. In the few cases where I was acquainted with the works and their times, I found the interpretations spot on.
This is a book that will help anyone interested in art, art history, or just plain history to develop a fuller understanding of great artists and of the times when they lived.

Very Clear and Informative Book.......2003-03-29

I bought this book hoping that it will explain to me why some painters are so highly regarded and other copy caps are not. Book basically goes over mostly Renocence pictures and tell the story behind each painting either what it depicts in terms of symbolism or history behind it or resons and financing behind it. It is a combination History book and paintings. It tells yo that for example Boticelli's Birth of Venus is first in Ronecance for nudity but it does not tell me why her feet is crooked, why anybody else who probably did similar paintings at the same time did not get this much fame. That is what I was looking and could not find. Still looking for the right book but this book by itself is very good for the purpose of its design.

Beautiful, with one fatal flaw..........2002-03-09

This book is a beautiful edition, and serves the purpose of explaining sybolism in art quite nicely. There is, though, one flaw: Most of the large color plates are spread across the spine of the book. This is not a problem for most, but as an art student, studying the paintings with 15% lost in the spine is a problem.

Great paintings is a great book...........2001-05-18

I received this book as a gift from a friend. The pictures are superb, the paper is a nice heavy stock, and the text is interesting and at times humorous.

So many times we look at a painting, but we really do not see what the artist is telling us. This book will show wonderful detailed areas of the painting for close scruntity. The pages are large so it is easier to see the paintings in detail.

Whether you are an artist who paints, or have an enjoyment of the arts, you will be extremely pleased with this book.

Book Description

The return of Captain Britain! Brian Braddock is released from his duties as protector of the Omniverse to deal with a threat of even greater proportions - as if that was even possible! Meanwhile, Psylocke and Rachel find themselves trapped in a situation with no way out! Collecting Uncanny X-Men #462-465, and Secrets of the House of M.

Customer Reviews:

Captain Britain in the House of M.......2007-05-14

One of the most effected books from Brian Michael Bendis' House of M was the various X-Men books, but you wouldn't tell by reading this tie-in. House of M: Uncanny X-Men follows the saga of Captain Britain as he finds himself trapped in the alternate reality world where mutants are the dominant species. There's a side story as well involving Marvel Girl and Psylocke, but the total effect of the TPB is just plain boring. Since legendary X-Men scribe Chris Claremont made his return to the X-books, there have been a number of ups and downs, and while this isn't his lowest point (X-Treme X-Men anyone?), he has certainly done much better than anything to be found here. In all actuality though, this is actually more of a setup for Claremont's New Excalibur series than anything else really. Alan Davis' artwork is always worth the price of admission though, so this isn't a complete loss. All in all, this is one House of M tie-in that's better left on the shelf.

Cool Alternate Reality Tale!.......2007-02-08

I disagree with the one-star scrooges! This book is a nicely crafted alternate reality tale that spins out of HOUSE OF M. In fact, the two spin-offs I have read, the other being HULK, were BETTER than the mini-series event they were tied to. Yes, there's Captain Britain on hand, but he's a part of the X-Men mythos going back TWENTY years via the x-book EXCALIBER. Plus we get Psylocke and Rachel Grey/Marvel Girl, and a whole mess of alternate reality versions of your fave Marvel characters. All this and there's the incomparable Alan Davis on art alongside Chris Bacchalo's unique stylings.

Do not buy unless u like captain britain....and who does........2006-12-02

Frankly this book is terrible and I wasted my money on it. Capt Britain is the lamest character ever and it is only named Uncanny X-men to sell the books i'm sure.

Not X-Men, and not good.......2006-10-14

First of all, the majority of these 4 issues are not really about the X-Men. This is really a setup for New Excalibur, which would be fine if the story was any good, but it's not.
Keep in mind I am not a fan of the original Excalibur series, so if you enjoyed that series, you may like this as well. I never cared for Captain Britain as a character, but I stick to core X-Men books. But despite that, on it's own this story has a lot of problems. First of all, it's set in the House of M universe, so almost everything that occurs is pointless, except for maybe establishing the charcters that will appear in New Excalibur. But let's ignore that too. The plot is extremely hard to make sense of (in part due to Chris Bachalo's extremely convoluted artwork) and especially the conclusion, which involves one of the characters doing some kind of power thingie to bring an end to the situation, but having to leave and disappear in order to do it. Aside from the details of who it was and what the situation was, there is no real explanation on what happens. What said character did, how it worked, and why they disappeared are left completely in the dark.
Uncanny issues #466-471 are collected in Uncanny Vol. 4- End of Greys, which for some reason does not appear to be sold on Amazon. That is a much better story written by Claremont, I'd say some of his best work since returning to the X-books in 2000. If you're not a completist or Excalibur fan, I recommend skipping House of M: Uncanny X-Men and tracking down this one.

Where are the Issues #466-471? .......2006-10-08

Anyone can tell me which graphic novel that has Uncanny Xmen #466-471? (the New Age Series) There is a new graphic novel of Volume 5, but it begins at issue #472. I have been trying to find it. Help me? Thanks.

Average customer rating:

Uncanny X-Men #462 (House of M)
Chris Claremont
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000WJQ3RS

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Uncanny X-Men #471

Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

X-Men | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000FA7JD6

Product Description

Rachel takes the fight to the aliens that slaughtered her family! But will the X-Men be able to keep her from crossing the line into murder?!

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X-Factor #5

Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000FA94CA

Product Description

An intense tale of a struggle for survival as a terrified, mute, and badly injured Siryn finds herself at the mercy of a demented captor... and her only hope of rescue is in the person of a powerless Rictor!

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X-Men #184

Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

X-Men | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000FA7E72

Product Description

Apocalypse has returned and declared war on humanity. The X-Men are against the ropes, almost at their end. Then the unthinkable happens. A new horseman joins his ranks; an all-too-familiar horseman that will leave the X-Men shattered forever! (and we're not just talking about this guy on the cover!)

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House Of M: Uncanny X-Men TPB
Chris Claremont , Alan Davis , and Mark Farmer
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: B000LSBT6U

Book Description

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Uncanny X-Men #464 (House of M)
Chris Claremont
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

X-Men | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000NDCEW6

Average customer rating:

really good play and a great source of monologues

A play full of human insight, wit and wisdom

Done it and loved it

This book/script is ....... there are no words!!!

Putting reality on a back burner

The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
Jane Wagner
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Jane Wagner's masterpiece--The first play in
more than 20 years to become a national
bestseller--is now a motion picture!

Customer Reviews:

really good play and a great source of monologues.......2005-08-23

This play is just what my title says....very entertaining and if you are in the theatre world, guys, but especially girls, should look into a purchase of this play for potential monologues for auditions.

A play full of human insight, wit and wisdom.......2003-12-05

Trudy the Bag Lady has made a life for herself on the streets, offering her own bits of wit and wisdom to the passers-by. Before she wound up on the streets, she was in and out of hospitals, receiving so much electro-shock therapy that she believes her nervous system has been re-wired and now tunes into the bio-rhythms of people around her.

Trudy takes us, along with her two alien companions, on a discovery trip to find out what it means to be human and imparting her own impressions on life. She tunes in a wide array of people, ranging from Agnus Angst, a 15-year-old punk performance artist; Agnus' grandparents Lud and Marie; Chrissy, a recently unemployed workout enthusiast; Lily, an actress currently performing a one-woman show; and many others, both men and women, gay and straight.

This play is full of marvelous insight into the human condition and life in the 1980's. This is very apparent in the incredible second act, in which we follow Lyn from the consciousness-raising times of the 1970's through her rise and fall in the business ranks of the 1980's and her turbulent family life. Also, all the characters, in one form or another, have some influence on the life of the other characters in the play, whether or not they actually meet: Lyn has an affair with Agnus's mother; Kate, a rich trendsetter, finds a suicide note left by Chrissy lying in the street; Trudy takes the aliens to see Lily's play in order to show them goosebumps.

The book also includes still images, from the stage production, of Lily Tomlin, many of which were shot by Annie Leibowitz. Jane Wagner also created some montages of Lily as the many characters in the play.

Full of wit, insight and tenderness, this play stands as a perfect glimpse into understanding society.

Done it and loved it.......2000-01-02

I'm in an arts/high school program, PCCA. I came in after all of the other students had already been there for over a year. This was the first piece I ever performed there. I did a section of it where Trudy is Trudy, in the beginning.

The character was so rich. So many different quirks. The audience loved it, so did the other performers who did the same piece. This is one funny script.

I wasn't nervous when i performed it at all. I just kept thinking how funny the script was, and that, not matter how terrible the acting, the audience would still enjoy the performing.

This book/script is ....... there are no words!!!.......1998-12-18

This one woman plays many characters, and will take you on a journey of laughter, and much more, and leave you smiling for long after you put it down...

Putting reality on a back burner.......1997-10-18

As she tries to explain human beings to extraterrestrials who are searching for signs of intelligent life in the universe, Trudy, the bag lady, channels among others: Agnus Angst, a throwaway teenage punk; Chrissy, an unemployed young woman who doesn't know what to do with herself; Kate -- a rich socialite bored with everything. It's a tough job, but Trudy is up to it -- she refuses to be intimidated by reality.

Wagner weaves together the stories of these separate lives with speculations about time, space, reality, art, and human nature. From Trudy's skewed perspective a vision forms of the interconnectedness of human life -- maybe of all intelligent life in the universe. Filled with laugh-out-loud one-liners and characters whose words and feelings ring true, this one-woman play is masterful writing from a deep and generous heart. If you didn't see Lily Tomlin's performance on Broadway, don't miss reading the book. It's more than a story; it's an experience.

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THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
Jane Wagner
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H42SQI

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The Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life In The Universe
Jane Wagner
Manufacturer: Harper-perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IWLDUQ

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The Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life In The Universe
Jame Wagner
Manufacturer: Harper & Row - Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GYA35W

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The Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life In The Universe
Jane Wagner
Manufacturer: Harper-perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IW9YKC

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The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
Jane Wagner
Manufacturer: New York: Harper & Row, 1986
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NX5Z2M

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The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe

Manufacturer: NY: Harper & Row, 1988
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GZEJ74

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The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
Jane WAGNER
Manufacturer: SOLD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OO4VLG

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The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
Jane Wagner
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUFVYC

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The Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life In The Universe -
Jane Wagner -
Manufacturer: Harper Publishing -
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000T8N2LM

Book Description

This volume addresses the relation of trauma to transnational modern mass media. The first of its kind, Trauma and Cinema provides ten essays which explore the ways trauma works itself out in images in (and as) film, photography, and video, as media in global cultural flows. The focus of the volume on the matrix of trauma, visual media and modernity seeks to engage and go beyond current tendencies in trauma studies. The book discusses how trauma presented in the media spills over national boundaries and can be found in images across divergent cultures in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and America. From the Holocaust to the Chinese Cultural Revolution, from Taiwan's colonial experience to the catastrophe of Hiroshima, from the attempted annihilation of Australian Aborigines to attempted reconciliation in South Africa, these essays offer the reader a plethora of images of trauma for comparison and contrast.

Customer Reviews:

Trauma and Denial.......2007-01-04

Considering the two greatest events in human history, so far, are the great ice melts of 13-11,000 BCE and Hiroshima/Nagasaki, it is perhaps the ultimate in narcissism or denial to not address the threat and trauma underwhich the human race has been living since August 1945 and the threat of global extinction of all life and civilization as we know it. If one is to discuss Trauma Culture and the Politics of Terror--remember the image of the "mushroom cloud" spilling off the lips of politicians after 9/11--then one should find reference to it in the index of this book and in its content. In a superficial list, I count 58 films that directly or indirectly allude to the BOMB. In all fairness, perhaps Kaplan has reserved the threat of the nuclear annihilation topic for a future publication. What she does discuss at length is the "Jewish" Holocaust, which may be important to her as a Jewish person, but it pales against the threat that looms and permeates all levels of life and politics on this planet. Kaplan is altogether too well-informed to be unaware of this issue in the very terms she discusses in this book. Remote and cultural trauma are themes of leading edge concern; therefore, her book is valuable. As far as it goes, it does make an important contribution to the discussion, but one awaits an equally dispassionate and focused treatment on film, film noir, on Womand in the Dunes, Black Rain by Teshigara Hiroshi (1964); Black Rain by Ibuse Masuji (1969); the late Kurosawa's Rapsody in August and his Rashomon; or the Children of Hiroshima (Genbako no ko), Never Forget the Children of Nagasaki by Tasaka Tomotaka, or the 9 hour trilogy by Kobayashi Masaki, to say nothing of Godzilla, On the Beach, Dr. Strangelove, Fail Safe, and of course Walt Disney's Our Freind the Atom, the archetypal example of denial and dissociation exceeded only by the Bush administrations label of "Junk Science" for global warming. I look forward to E. Ann Kaplan's next book.

Book Description

From Thomas Mapfumo to Bob Marley, William Parker to Frank Zappa, Edgard Varèse to Ice-T; from American blues to West African drumming, hip hop to son, gospel singing to rock'n'roll cabaret, rebel music is at the heart of some of the most incisive critiques of global politics. With explosive lyrics and driving rhythms, a new wave of rebel musicians are helping to mobilize movements for political change and social justice, at home and around the world.

Original in concept, unrivaled in content, Rebel -Musics is alone in placing human rights issues side by side with different forms of music. A wide range of -accomplished contributors, from a variety of disciplines and performance contexts, examine the ways in which human rights and music are explicitly linked, how musical activism resonates in practical, political terms, and how musical resistance is enacted.

Apart from the editors, contributors include: cabaret artist, author, and musician Norman Nawrocki; film makers Marie Boti and Malcolm Guy; musician Jesse Stewart; poet George Elliott Clarke; author Timothy Brennan; economist Spencer Henson; author Martha Nandorfy; radio host Ray Pratt; editor, author, and music -reviewer Ron Sakolsky.

Daniel Fischlin is professor of English at the University of Guelph and co-author with Martha Nandorfy of Eduardo Galeano: Through the Looking Glass (Black Rose Books). He has been active as a musician for most of his life and this is his fourth book devoted to an interdisciplinary musical topic.

Ajay Heble is professor of English at the University of Guelph. He is the author of Landing on the Wrong Note: Jazz, Dissonance, and Critical Practice and coeditor (with Daniel Fischlin) of The Other Side of Nowhere: Jazz, -Improvisation, and Communities in Dialogue. Artistic director and founder of The Guelph Jazz Festival, he is also an accomplished pianist.

Customer Reviews:

No secrets here, but a must read for beginning Keno fanatics........2007-01-10

I play almost every weekend on IGT Game King keno machines at a local Indian casino in California. I will admit that I HAVE won more money blocking numbers. I've also seen other people in the casino do very well blocking numbers and playing straight lines, but in the end it's all up to luck. My brother-in-law has won thousands more than I have and he plays scattered numbers. My advice is to stick to whatever has paid you the most money and keep at it. If you're like me then you'll have a few special machines that seem to always pay out more than others. This book is a fine quick read for anyone getting into video Keno gaming. Good luck!

I never play keno but .......2004-10-10

After reading this book I went to the casino and after a short amount of time of using the strategy presented in this book I hit 6 out of 7 numbers in Keno! Great book, quick read, definitely a book to teach you the right way to play.

Check it out.......2004-10-08

Best book of it's kind I've read so far. It has a lot of good information, and it's presented in a way anyone can understand. Also, I do have to admit, it does seem to have helped improve my percentages in winning at keno. Definitely worth a read.

Money winning resource!.......2004-10-08

Outstanding book! Just hours after receiving it, I was standing in front of the machines doing better than I ever had before. This is thing is full of secrets so simple and easy, I can't believe I never thought of them before. Pays for itself easily. Highly recommended!!

Great Fun.......2004-06-16

I loved this short addition on how to play video keno! Since I have read the guide I have not played the tradional slots. Enjoy the "chase" and the winnings too!

Average customer rating:

I was dissappointed

Lean Provision for Customer Service

Certain to become a business "classic"

Why consumption must be as streamlined as production

Very good, but not as good as Machine and Lean Thinking

Lean Solutions: How Companies and Customers Can Create Value and Wealth Together
James P. Womack , and Daniel T. Jones
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Lean Thinking : Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated

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Amazon.com

American and European feelings towards Japanese business practices have varied dramatically through the last few decades. In the late 1970s and 1980s, a wave of fear swept through many Western leaders as they contemplated Japan's stunningly rapid rise from the ashes of World War II. Then more recently, as the 1990s and early 2000s saw stagflation gripping the Japanese economy, and knowledge-based innovation in technology and financial services bringing unprecedented prosperity to many Western countries, a feeling of vindication (and sometimes smugness) returned to those same corporate chieftains. Most recently, perhaps, the pendulum of conventional wisdom has begun to swing back to a middle position, in between the extremes of adulation and disdain: respect for the positive contributions of Japanese business culture, without blind acceptance. It's with this spirit that the authors of Lean Solutions offer their insightful observations about process design and service delivery in modern companies.

James Womack and Daniel Jones are well-recognized contributors to the lean-business movement. Lean Solutions is the consultants' fifth book together, following earlier works like Lean Thinking and The Machine That Changed the World, and springs as before from their keen interest in Japanese business methods and philosophy. What compels them to write yet another book, though, given the well-established literature on lean business?

The authors offer an intriguing description of their mission at the beginning of this latest book. Principles of lean design have in fact been adopted by many Western businesses, they acknowledge, and manufacturing quality has steadily risen as a result. Yet customers remain often dissatisfied with their experiences. The cause? To Womack and Jones, the answer rests in a myopic application of lean business principles: companies have successfully improved their manufacturing and product-development environments, but they have not had a large enough view of the overall customer relationship, and of the need for leanness in all aspects of companies' interactions with customers.

Put another way: in Lean Solutions, readers find a new and much broader conceptualization of how lean-business methods--which, to be fair to Womack and Jones, have evolved so that they can claim a global heritage as much as a Far Eastern one--might apply across entire customer experiences, rather than just manufacturing processes. The structure of Lean Solutions centers on 6 requests that the authors believe customers implicitly demand from their vendors: "Solve my problem completely; don't waste my time; provide exactly what I want; deliver value where I want it; supply value when I want it; and reduce the number of decisions I must make to solve my problems."

With a compelling mix of case studies, and illuminating thought experiments in industries ranging as widely as shoe manufacturing, health care delivery, auto repair, and grocery shopping, Womack and Jones walk readers through careful explanations of how lean thinking might be expanded beyond the factory floor to broader business problems. Lean Solutions isn't for all readers. It rests on an appreciation of the large cumulative effects that many small processes can have on business, and it requires patience from those who want to learn the secrets of lean business. --Peter Han

Book Description

A massive disconnect exists between consumers and providers today. Consumers have a greater selection of higher quality goods to choose from and can obtain these items from a growing number of sources. Computers, cars, and even big-box retail sites promise to solve our every need. So why aren't consumers any happier? Because everything surrounding the process of obtaining and using all these products causes us frustration and disappointment. Why is it that, when our computers or our cell phones fail to satisfy our needs, virtually every interaction with help lines, support centers, or any organization providing service is marked with wasted time and extra hassle? And who among us hasn't spent countless hours in the waiting room at the doctor's office, or driven away from the mechanic only to have the "fix engine" light go on?

In their bestselling business classic Lean Thinking, James Womack and Daniel Jones introduced the world to the principles of lean production -- principles for eliminating waste during production. Now, in Lean Solutions, the authors establish the groundbreaking principles of lean consumption, showing companies how to eliminate inefficiency during consumption.

The problem is neither that companies don't care nor that the people trying to fix our broken products are inept. Rather, it's that few companies today see consumption as a process -- a series of linked goods and services, all of which must occur seamlessly for the consumer to be satisfied. Buying a home computer, for example, involves researching, purchasing, integrating, maintaining, upgrading, and, ultimately, replacing it.

In this landmark new book, James Womack and Daniel Jones deconstruct this broken producer-consumer model and show businesses how to repair it. Across all industries, companies that apply the principles of lean consumption will learn how to provide the full value consumers desire from products without wasting time or effort -- theirs or the consumers' -- and as a result these companies will be more profitable and competitive.

Lean Solutions is full of surprising success stories: Fujitsu, a leading service company for technology, has transformed the way call centers solve problems -- learning how to eliminate the underlying cause of current problems rather than fixing them again and again. An extremely successful car dealership has adopted lean principles to streamline its business, making for dramatically reduced wait time, fewer return trips, and greater satisfaction for customers -- and a far more lucrative enterprise.

Lean Solutions will inspire managers to take the first steps toward perfecting their company's process of giving consumers what they really want.

Customer Reviews:

I was dissappointed.......2007-09-27

I was expecting real life, in depth case studies. Instead I got a rather simplistic view of lean. A lot of the content in the book is real common sense. There is no doubt that lean processes are a must for the company. The book tends to spend 3/4 of its time trying to make that statement, with some high level strategic content thrown about.

If you are expecting content such as how companies do VSM, and tactical challenges in doing VSMs you are reading the wrong book. But if you are interested in knowing what is a VSM, and high level overview of how VSMs are done, then this may be the book for you. ***DONT EXPECT TO BE IN A POSITION OF LEADING A LEAN INITIATIVE AFTER READING THIS BOOK***

Good book for getting introduced to lean concepts. Not much for those looking beyond concepts.

Lean Provision for Customer Service.......2007-01-17

The authors of "Lean Thinking" move their attention from lean production to "lean provision", particularly focussing on retail and services. The book makes a number of excellent arguments in a beautifully clear and readable style. The provision of goods and services to consumers is definitely the next target in the lean revolution and the authors note some particular example organisations that are achieving lean in the service sector. Tesco comes in for frequent praise.

The book does have a couple of weaknesses. Firstly, the books lacks detail on the metholodogy for achieving lean provision. Only a few vague pages are presented.

Secondly, the book would, in my view, really benefit from the input of retail experts and academics to comment on and improve the ideas that are floated by the authors. As it is, I am left with the feeling that some of these ideas are pie in the sky which would never work in the real economy.

Clearly the aim of this book is to stimulate thought and discussion on the application of lean principles to consumer service. It presents a compulsive argument for change, though no clearly worked through solutions. It moves the lean management focus onto the provision of goods and services to the consumer - where it is much needed - and, as such, is required reading for anyone involved in retail and customer service.

Certain to become a business "classic".......2006-11-14

It is desirable but not necessary to have already read Womack and Jones's previously published Lean Thinking before reading this volume. In both, their focus is on "five simple principles" which can guide and inform any organization's efforts to achieve "process brilliance" in its product development, supplier management, customer support, and production processes. The principles are:

1. Provide the value actually desired by customers.

2. Identify the value stream for each product or service.

3. Get and keep each step of the value stream in proper alignment.

4. Enable the customer to "pull" rather than "push" maximum value from what you offer.

5. Once the value, value stream, flow, and pull are established, "start over from the beginning in an endless search for perfection, the happy situation of perfect value provided with zero waste."

In this context, I am reminded of Albert Einstein's emphasis on making everything as simple as possible...but no simpler. Lean initiatives should eliminate "fat" but not "muscle." Decision-makers in many organizations confuse rightsizing with downsizing.

In Lean Solutions, Womack and Jones identify what they characterize as "the emerging challenges of consumption" despite the availability of better, cheaper products." And this seems very strange when we stop to consider that satisfying consumption - not just making brilliant products - is the whole point of lean production." In response to challenges such as complicated purchase decisions because "consumers are often drowning in a sea of choices," they explain how to combine truly lean provision with truly lean consumption. In process, Womack and Jones examine dozens of real-world examples of how various organizations have done so. When emerges is a new definition of value for today's consumer who insists that problems are solved completely, conveniently and without any waste of time. Moreover, today's consumer expects to receive exactly what she or he or wants, with value delivered where and when specified, with a substantial reduction of decisions which must be made to solve the given problem or fill the given need.

"Our objective is simple: We aim to teach managers to see all the steps a consumer must perform to research, obtain, install, integrate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and recycle the goods and services needed to solve their problem. We then challenge each step, asking why it is necessary at all and why it often can't be performed properly. Once worthless steps are eliminated, we can talk about flow and pull, heading toward perfection." Womack and Jones insist - and I wholly agree - that lean thinking must not only guide and inform continuous efforts to perfect production of a given product or service but to perfect, also, the provision and consumption of it. To the best of my knowledge, their book is the first to provide the core concepts, strategies, and tactics to accomplish that.

True, Womack and Jones suggest and explain a number of "lean solutions" to all manner of problems but it remains for those who read their book to apply the principles of lean thinking to their own specific circumstances. Obviously, bold action is required and there are perils to take into full account. Any decisions made are, at best, subject to constant refinement and, when necessary, revision and perhaps even replacement as new circumstances develop. Effectively combining and then coordinating consumption and provision streams is indeed a journey rather than a destination.

Why consumption must be as streamlined as production.......2006-04-20

Authors James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones were early proselytizers for the lean production philosophy, a set of "waste-not-want-not" principles that most businesses now accept. But good business requires more than efficient production. Noting that consumers are still not happy, despite an abundant supply of high-quality, low-cost products, the authors now have subjected consumption to "lean" analysis as well - and they've found that consumption is as inefficient as production used to be. Consumers face lengthy delays, unhelpful "help" lines, ineffective service representatives, and other annoying and costly wastes of time and energy. We recommend this book to managers who want to boost their customers' satisfaction by applying lean principles to consumption as well as to production. Here's how and, even more important, why.

Very good, but not as good as Machine and Lean Thinking.......2006-04-16

In Lean Solution, James Womack takes lean thinking to the next step and looks closely on how lean thinking can and should improve the lives of us, the consumers. The book is written in a similar way as Lean Thinking. He takes a few principles of Lean Consumption at the beginning and goes over them chapter by chapter. He describes actual cases and next to that speculates on the future uses of Lean Consumption. The solutions describe in the book, feel good. I, as a consumer, would like them now immediately, but for most of us in the world, they are not reality, yet. Though, after reading the book, I feel they might be. So the book is very convincing and also eye-opening in many areas.

I would recommend reading this book to everybody. Why then would I rate this book as 4 stars and not 5 stars? Well, to me the book as not as good as Machine and Lean Thinking (after which I immediately got a Toyota and being very happy with it). But it's close and it's good! Highly recommended.

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