Pre-Raphaelite Art in the Victoria and Albert Museum

Book Description

The work of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood-William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones, William Holman Hunt, and John Everett Millais, among others-is endlessly popular. This beautiful volume brings together for the first time the V&A's magnificent collection of Pre-Raphaelite art in all mediums.

Furniture, jewelry, photography, book illustration, interior design, ceramics, and textiles are all represented alongside paintings and drawings, telling the fascinating story of the Pre-Raphaelite movement and its development into Aestheticism. In addition to showcasing many beautiful finished works, the book features preparatory drawings, which demonstrate the working practices of key members of the movement as well as their sources of inspiration. Emphasizing the close relationship between the fine and decorative arts in the works of the Pre-Raphaelites, the book sheds new light on this fascintating circle of artists.

Customer Reviews:

Enlightening.......2003-07-29

Introduces the reader to the name brands of the elite. Sometimes the air of entitlement the upper-crest buyers have is a little nausiating, but nonetheless informative and insightful. The author is humorous and does her best to be "one of the people," although even she has the Park Avenue vibe.

Enlightening.......2003-07-29

Read this book.......2001-12-31

This book is an endulgent trip into the world of fashion. I now have a burning desire to own Manalo shoes and a Chanel suit. And I'm writing a college essay on it. Thanks, Dodie!

Average customer rating:

Icons: The Absolutes of Style
Dodie Kazanjian
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OT5IQ8

Average customer rating:

Great discovery

Paul is a nice guy

A pleasant winter read

Summertime

a wonderful graphic novel (ie comic) for a wide age range

Paul Has A Summer Job
Michel Rabagliati , and Michel Rabagliati
Manufacturer: Drawn and Quarterly
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Drawn and Quarterly | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1896597548

Book Description

Rabagliati`s strip "Paul: Apprentice Typographer" was one of the highlights of 1999`s Drawn & Quarterly anthology, and his first comic book Paul in the Country won the 2000 Harvey award for Best New Talent. This, his first graphic novel, is eagerly anticipated by comix connoisseurs who enjoy a sweet, unsentimental story about being a teenager and Rabagliati’s crisp retro-modern 1950s drawing style. This book continues the story of Paul, a Quebecois teenager in the 1970s, as he experiences the first conflicts of responsibility with his desire to be free. Paul is outraged that he is forced to stop his high school art training. But he’s been asked to put art aside because his other grades are so terribly low. Defiant, he quits school and anticipates a summer of leisure. But instead Paul follows the path of so many Quebecois teenagers: he lands a job as a counselor at one of the many summer camps in the mountains outside the city. There he finds himself guiding a motley band of kids, misfits and troublemakers, much like himself.

Customer Reviews:

Great discovery.......2007-09-23

A sweet story with some nice twists and turns; Paul is a very appealing character and the story of the summer camp is fun to watch unfold. I liked the character Marie and the lessons that Paul learns in the end.

Paul is a nice guy.......2006-01-31

I've read the third volume in this series, of which this is the second; I have yet to see the first one. It's the sort of non-earth-shaking confusion that young Paul often finds himself trying to cope with. Here he's seventeen, I think (it's the late 1970s), having just quit school because his poor grades kept him out of a major school art project he conceived and got a grant for (the principal waiting until he had it sewed up before dumping him), and has been working not very successfully for a few weeks as an apprentice pressman, when a friend recruits him as a counselor for a newly-established summer camp on a lake up in the Laurentians. He has to learn to rock-climb, to handle adolescent kids, to interact with the other counselors, and to overcome his fear of being alone in the deep woods at night. It's slice-of-life, totally believable, and quite affecting. Rabagliati is winning awards for this series, and he deserves. It's hard to know how much his work is autobiographical, but Paul is certainly a real person.

A pleasant winter read.......2005-11-16

A novel/autobiography about that first summer job as a camp councilor. As a former camp councilor I can totally relate to how difficult it is to take care of a pack of kids. It's like herding cats. However one does learn to adapt and make camp enjoyable for both the kids and the adults. This book captures that whole process.

There is adult material in this book, older teens and young adults recommended.

Summertime.......2004-06-23

Previously I had read Paul goes to the Country. Michel Rabagliati is a wonderful artist and I suggest his other work. Paul Has a Summer Job was a wonderful story that was told with so much truth to it. Highly recommended for those who enjoy a well crafted and illustrated story!

a wonderful graphic novel (ie comic) for a wide age range.......2003-06-03

The character of Paul has appeared in a comic book and an anthology by the quality comics publisher from Canada, Drawn and Quarterly. Michel Rabagliati's full-length graphic novel, translated from the French, is funny, poignant, and a joy to read. This is an example of the exciting potential of comics- many types of readers will enjoy it on it's own merits.

Paul, our hero, has dropped out of high school and is working a routine and boring day job at a print shop. When his charasmatic pal Gus calls with an offer of counsleor work at a summer camp, Paul jumps at the opportunity. Both Paul and the reader will be very glad he took this opportunity. With a deceptively simple, almost retro-50's style, Rabagliati sketches and fleshes out the dozen or so characters Paul meets in this story. The camp and the characters are effectively developed to the point where the reader is deeply touched by their struggles, laughs at their jokes, and is just as regretful and sad as Paul when the summer finally ends.

The story resonates with major turning points for Paul, the kinds of moments we all experience, sometimes treasure, and remember for the rest of our lives. One gets the sense that these are personal moments of the author, special and shared with complete trust. We experience his first love, the growing confidence of Paul as he matures, and the rewards he gains working closely with a group of underpriveledged kids, particularly a charming blind girl named Marie. His return to the spot years later, when he shares some of these gems with his own infant daughter, is quite touching and feels real.

I'm very grateful that Rabagliati shared these feelings and experiences with me and his other readers, even if they are fictional. I look forward to more Paul books.

Average customer rating:
Paul Has a Summer Job
Michel Rabagliati
Manufacturer: Drawn & Quarterly Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RZ8XI4

Average customer rating:

Honorary Dyke Drama Queen

Dyke Drama: Your Guide to Getting Out Alive by Leslie Lange

How cool is this book? It rocks!

Dyke Drama: Your Guide to Getting Out Alive
Leslie Lange
Manufacturer: Alyson Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1555838936

Book Description

Clearly, if Showtime can create an entire series dedicated to dyke drama (The L Word), it's way past time for it to receive the respect it deserves-and has been demanding for years. Dyke drama scholars Terri Fabris and Angela Brown have created a complete guide to this cultural institution, passed down nobly from Sappho to Gertrude Stein to Melissa Etheridge to Amelie Mauresmo. Fabris and Brown chart the evolution of dyke drama as it passes from dating right on down through breakups and into lesbian incest (dating your ex's ex's ex). Also included: Dating Drama, Drunk Drama, Workplace Drama, Academia Drama, Lesbian Illness Drama and Therapy Drama.

Terri Fabris is an Alyson editor.

Angela Brown is Alyson's editor in chief. She's Terri's boss. Drama.

Customer Reviews:

Honorary Dyke Drama Queen.......2005-07-25

OHMYGOD! I never knew how much gay men and lesbians had in common! The only difference is that while dykes tend to be on the "cheap" side (getting drunk off of beer they purchased at Costco while tailgating in the parking lot before going into the bar) we fags will think nothing of buying $12 drinks for all our friends and charging it to Uncle Mastercard and Aunt Visa, even though they already have liens on our car and we no longer answer the home phone when they call.

But the drama is the same, I swear! And of course from now on I will always have a spare set of underwear in the glove compartment to save me time when I am need of a quick getaway.

Thank you, Leslie!

Dyke Drama: Your Guide to Getting Out Alive by Leslie Lange.......2005-04-02

"Oh, honey. I used to work as the bouncer in a dyke bar, and I've seen more than my fair share of drama. Girls throwing drinks in each other's faces, slapping each other. Cops getting called. I've been dragged into court to testify at restraining order hearings. Repeatedly. I've seen girls ripping each other's earrings out. It was bad news." -J. D., dyke-drama survivor

In this essential handbook, noted dyke-drama scholar Leslie Lange presents a hilarious history of this "cultural" institution, passed nobly down from Sappho to "The L Word", and offers valuable coping and survival tips for all types of situations, including:

* How to avoid tacky barroom altercations with bat-wielding softball players
* How to tell if you're a dangerous lesbian stalker--and how to get rid of one
* The truth about lesbian bed death, pillow princesses, pet custody issues, and drunk drama
* Why shedding the stigma of dyke drama is so hard
* What drama-free lesbians do in their spare time (the answer may surprise you)
* And, most important, how to find a therapist who's right for you!

Lange charts the evolution of dyke drama as it passes from dating right on down through breakups and into lesbian incest (dating your ex's ex's ex). Also included: Dating Drama, Drunk Drama, Workplace Drama, Academia Drama, Lesbian Illness Drama and Therapy Drama. Here are some of the highlights of Dyke Drama: Your Guide to Getting Out Alive:

What is Dyke Drama?

"Any lesbian relationship that lasts longer than one night. No, wait...any lesbian relationship that lasts long enough to require communication. No...actually, you could blindfold two dykes and put them in separate, sound-proof booths in separate states and still, somehow, the vibe of drama would be sparked. It's unstoppable." --Michelle Sawyer

Who knows how the first dyke drama came about? Did God make it, or was there just a Big Bang?

A Brief Angry History: From Sappho to The L Word
Think back. Way back. To a time when there was neither L Word, nor Showtime, when there was neither Holly Near, nor the Michigan Women's Music Festival. To a time when there wasn't even Michigan. Think back to ancient Greece. You see, the Greeks had no television, radio, or high speed chases-that's why they invented drama. Or at least Greek drama, which is unsurprisingly the earliest precursor to what we know now in modern times as "dyke drama." Then, as now, it was used as a form of entertainment.

Given this fact, there's a good chance Sappho invented dyke drama. That's right, she started it. Not only was she responsible for the term "lesbians," (See the island of Lesbos--also called the "Isle of Sappho") but that special form of drama that surrounds wimmin who love wimmin.

The legendary poetess (circa 590 BC) probably committed the first known dyke faux pas by presenting the same love poem to several different women in the same week, singing it as she strummed her lyre in front of an outdoor festival crowd that sweltering-hot summer weekend, and causing a great big fat Greek fracas. The chaos on Lesbos reached epic proportions. Feelings were only made worse as Greek lesbians swilled goblet after goblet of retsina, a powerful Greek wine that tastes like floor cleaner, but makes up for it by offering 100 times the buzz. Chambermaids and noblewomen alike downed 30 ounce convenience-size jugs of the stuff to quell the pain of their heartsickness and to wash down their pita bread. Soon they were so drunk they couldn't spell; they started spelling the word "women" in such crazy forms as: womon, wimmin, wymyn, womb-on, etc... This phenomenon-uncannily replicated during the 1970s feminist movement-was likely less related to women's liberation than to the fact that our earliest known ancestors-those great guzzling gals of Lesbos!-were so brazenly mired in dyke drama.

I had the pleasure of telling Leslie Lange herself that I never had such a laugh-a-minute experience or such a horrifying sense of Déja-Vu with any one book as I have with Dyke Drama! She responded with, "Thanks Pam. My goal was to change the world-but if it made you laugh, feel horrified, and have flashbacks, I'm even prouder."

Any lesbian experiencing more than her fair share of drama will appreciate the comic relief mixed with the practical advice of this laugh-a-page self-help book. Includes true testimonials of the worst dyke-drama imaginable!

Pam Harrison is a professional and freelance writer and resides near Fort Knox, Kentucky. Her first historical fiction novel, House of the Muses: Mnasidika and its sequel, Sappho: The House of Penthilos, will be published in 2005. For more information visit her writer's resources website at http://www.realm-of-shade.com/House_of_Muses/.

--
* Pam Harrison * Writer's Software and Resources
* http://www.realm-of-shade.com/House_of_Muses/ *

Out in America Opinion Columnist
http://www.outinamerica.com/Arts/speakingof.asp
Movie and Book Reviews
http://www.outinamerica.com/arts/default.asp
****************************************************

How cool is this book? It rocks!.......2005-03-14

Being one who can be distracted by jingling shiny keys, I've gotta say that "self-help" books bore me and I've never finished a single one. Not so with "Dyke Drama". I devoured it.
Just like the synopsis says, it covers Sappho to the "L" Word. Sure I was quoted in it (and can't help but be a little biased), but I wouldn't allow myself to be quoted in a book unless I thought it was pretty dang funny, and it is. Straights, gays, anyone, I have a message: Leslie Lange's a good gal, and her book's worth reading. It'll crack you up. Enjoy.

Book Description

You're no idiot, of course. You know Rubber Soul,Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Abbey Road are considered among the best rock albums of all time; you've seen the classic films A Hard Day's Night and Help!; and you've witnessed the #1 success of all three Anthology CDs and their TV/video counterparts. But now you're wondering...why all this fuss about the Fab Four more than a quarter century after their breakup? Don't pass us by yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Beatles takes you on a yellow submarine ride through The Beatles phenomenon, from their early skiffle days in Liverpool to Anthology and solo projects. In this Complete Idiot's Guide you get:

Customer Reviews:

FUN WITH THE FAB 4.......2002-10-19

This is just a fun book that is tailored to folks becoming familiar with the Beatles, their music and their long reaching influences on the world at large.

Although it does not move in a chronological sequence, it does a nice job of providing a foundation on which to build Beatle knowledge. As a Beatles' expert, there was little if any new material in this work for me, but I did enjoy it from a "teaching" perspective.

This is not meant to be a scholarly or comprehensive work about the Beatles nor is it a "Dick & Jane" format of merely simplifying their works to the basic "Hear/See the Beatles Play. ...." To describe it from either extreme is to do it a grave injustice; to view it is a harmless teaching tool that also has humorous passages is indeed, I believe the more accurate approach.

I enjoyed it. This book is a good resource tool for the person who is "newly" coming into the Beatles.

GREAT FOR NEWBIES, BUT LIMITED BY FORMAT.......2001-10-11

As a hippie kid, I grew up in a house where the Beatles were at the top of the musical heirarchy. I knew a lot about them as a result of being into them for so long, but this book fills in the little gaps of knowledge I'd always had. Buskin knows the Beatles history inside and out. His coverage of their career is complete, even delving into the social and historical forces that shaped the Fab Four and set the stage for their ongoing success and eventual demise. I've read few rock history books that go so far to paint such a complete picture of the people and events that shaped a rock and roll band.

So why the four out of five stars? Call me picky, but I can't stand when historical authors fail to move in a chronological sequence. There's just no reason why he couldn't have taken it one year at a time with this book.

But while I dislike the structure of the book (which may not have been the author's fault, it is a complete idiot's guide after all), you still come away knowing a LOT more about the Fab Four by the time you're done. So, while it's not the best format to tackle the subject, it certainly succeeds in making a novice knowledgable, which is what these books are all about.

Good, but with some mistakes..........1999-10-09

I was just perusing this title last night at Tower Records. I've been doing some research on the Beatles' concerts in the Philippines and I noticed that this book kept referring to the capital city as "Manilla" instead of the correct spelling "Manila". I didn't notice any places in the book where they said "Londdon", "Pariss", "New Yorrk" or "Tokyyo"... maybe the editors of the book just didn't care.

Great For Beatles Begginers.......1999-09-06

This is a great book for beatles begginers.It takes you through their births and parents.To their school lifes.To their stints in Hamburg until they invade the U.S.A.Then it tells there slow decline of friendship between each other.Then they break up and it takes you to the anthology (1996).Great book,very up to date.

Good book for Beatles beginners.......1999-04-16

It is a good book for new Beatles fans. A good start for one to know about the Beatles' life and music. I had more than 20 books on The Beatles before I read this book, and it still gave me some insight which I didn't know before.

I really like the ending bit where the author wrote about the reunion, the Anthology albums and the the two new singles. However it was a little short and I wish that it was much much longer.

It's a must buy for beginners and for hard-core Beatles who like to have more books on their Beatles collection.

Average customer rating:
Complete Idiot's Guide to Beatles (The Complete Idiot's Guide)
Richard Buskin
Manufacturer: Alpha
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O91HEK

Book Description

No cards, no dice, no spinners -- no board! Join the fun as you learn to play more than 50 of the best word games, puzzle games, coin games, and more. Gladstone's Games to Go can be enjoyed with just a pencil, paper, and some commonly found objects (coins usually do the trick). Old classics like Battleship and Connect Four have been updated for more challenging play, while newer games like Doublet Racing and Initialist will test the skills of even the most experienced gamers.
Whether you're on a transcontinental plane ride, waiting for a movie to start, lounging on a beach, or sitting with friends in the coffeehouse, you're guaranteed to find the cure for boredom in these pages. Start playing today!

Customer Reviews:

Great games. An instruction book that is also fun to read........2005-12-03

I bought this book after listening to a segment on NPR's Weekend Edition with Scott Simon. After listening to Jim Gladstone and Scott Simon play some of the verbal games over the air, I was interested. I wrote the name of the book, purchased from Amazon.com, and have now played nearly all of the games in the past 3 or 4 years.

I have three children under the age of 4 and they are intrigued by the games, but they are much much too young for any of the games listed, but someday... someday.

I'm also the coordinator for the gifted and talented education program at my elementary school. These games are EXCELLENT for gifted students. Some of their parents report that my GATE students would rather play Sprouts or some of the games from this book than watch tv or play video games. Victory!

I look forward to nights, after my three girls are asleep for the night, when my wife and I can sit in the living room and playing "free" versions of Boggle or Scatergories. I love this book.

Buy it. For $10, you can't go wrong. (And it also makes a pretty good Christmas gift.)

No boredom--and your brain will thank you!.......2004-05-13

In this day and age of constant visual and aural stimulation--marketing and advertising messages, music of all sorts, cellphones, PDAs, you name it--it's SO refreshing to see that not everyone has given up hope. Jim Gladstone is obviously someone who values the grey cells, and puts his talent as a writer where his quirky interests are. Not only is this book FULL of original and updated games that often require nothing more than what many of us had on-hand in first grade: a pencil, some paper, a little extra time and a sense of playfulness (okay, and maybe a little competitiveness, too), it's also beautifully designed, durable and very portable. Buy this book and keep it in your backpack, briefcase--whatever you drag your stuff around in. Next time you're stuck on a plane, bus or even your own car and your sick of listening to the garbage on the radio or watching the fluff on TV, pull out Gladstone's Games to Go and give your brain a much-needed workout. For parents who've had enough of GameBoys and giant headphones that keep your kids as alienated from you in the car or on a plane as they are at home, Gladstone offers some fun ways to interact that won't cramp the style of even the most jaded teen or tween. And for the rest of us who just like a good, challenging game now and then (and hate it when dinner party conversation starts to wane), you're CRAZY not to have this book at arm's reach.

Surprisingly Smart.......2004-05-12

I decided to check out this book after reading an interview with the author at UsedWigs.com. I thought it sounded like fun for 10 bucks. Turns out that while some of the games are easy standards that I already new (Password, Ghost), the most interesting stuff here is brand new and really involving. The last board game I bought was Scattergories, which cost like $30...well, this tells you how to play that one without buying any special equipment (its obvious, but I never thought of it), so you end up getting dozens of games for less than what a single one costs when you buy the boxed version. Good deal. Smart stuff.

Outstanding Entertainment!.......2004-04-26

Thanks to this great instructional book, no games boards or electonic devices are needed to have fun with your friends. Lots of great word and entertainment-based games. Ah, simple pleasures! Great (cheap) gift for your game-loving pals, too.

Old memories and new ideas.......2004-04-23

I bought my first copy of this book at a bookstore after browsing through it and discovering some old games like Ghost and Grandmother's House that I remembered playing with my folks as a kid. The new variations on these old games make them fresh again, and there are many other games that I'd never played before -- and which are definitely not 'just kids' stuff'; there's a game called Gravilex that's going to be a big part of my summer this year. I also appreciate the way the book shows you how to play famous board games like Boggle and Scattergories without having to buy the boxed games...It saves money and also lets you play these games anywhere, without having to carry around the box, board, dice, etc. This is a great little book to stockpile and give as gifts -- I'm going to send it to my nieces and nephews at sleepaway camp this summer (Since my chocolate chip cookies are now considered contraband!). In any case, a super little book and a really good value.

Average customer rating:

Interesting Read and Predictions

Disappointed

Great Advice and Comforting to Boot

Not the Only Investment Book You Need, But in the Top 3

Well worth it!

How to Retire Early and Live Well With Less Than a Million Dollars
Gillette Edmunds
Manufacturer: Adams Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1580622011

Book Description

In 1981, at the age of 29 the author of HOW TO RETIRE EARLY AND LIVE WELL WITH LESS THAN A MILLION DOLLARS (February 15, 2000; $12.95 trade paperback; 256 pages) began living off his investments of just several hundred thousand dollars. In the intervening years, Gillette Edmunds has made more than $5 million in investment profits. Edmunds was not an investment advisor or a commissioned mutual funds sales representative: he was a financial journalist and an individual investor.

HOW TO RETIRE EARLY AND LIVE WELL WITH LESS THAN A MILLION DOLLARS describes step by step how a retiree can live comfortably on $500,000 or less. Americans will discover that they can walk away from work in less than five years.

This is the first book to tackle these topics that is written by an actual retiree. Using simple, original investment strategies and formulas, the book shows how to assemble your nest egg and achieve steady, tax-advantaged returns every year for the rest of your life.

In Part One, the reader is shown step by step how to determine if they have enough money to retire, and if not, how to get enough. For those that have enough, Part Two shows how to divide their money into different asset classes like stocks, bonds, real estate, foreign stocks, and small business interests so they will achieve steady high returns every year. Then for each asset class, they are shown how to get the highest returns with the lowest taxes. Part Three shows those still saving for retirement how to quickly amass their nest egg. Finally, for the rare years when all asset classes go down, The Epilogue shows the reader how to prosper emotionally while waiting for the markets to come back.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Read and Predictions .......2007-07-23

This book was written in 1999 and published in 2000. My hat is off to the author for retiring at age 29 back in 1981 and living off his investments.

The first thing that surprised me about this book was the author's acceptance and recommendations for using 8, 10, and even 12% SWR's (Safe Withdrawal Rates).

Bengen's and Bierwirth's studies back in 1994 were seminal events in financial planning in that they found 4% was the maximum SWR. If the stock market experiences a prolonged drop early in a retirement period, SWR's higher than 4% will cause the retiree to exhaust his portfolio before this death.

In 1998, the Trinity Study also found the same basic results as Bengen and Bierwirth.....and recommended a maximum SWR of 4%.

The author retired in 1981, so these studies were not yet done. Conventional wisdom back in 1981 was that if the stock market returned 10% per year on average, then you could withdraw up to 10% per year and not exhaust your portfolio.

It is puzzling to me why the author ignores the 1994 and 1998 studies since his book was written in 1999. Conventional financial planning practices today would frown upon a financial advisor recommending any SWR greater than about 4%.

I did enjoy the accuracy of most of the author's predictions back from 1999:

Foreign stocks will do well......U.S. stocks will not do well..................Correct

REIT's are a good investment.....................................................Correct

Housing prices will decline due to aging Baby Boomers.....................Incorrect

The author also suggests that U.S. bonds are too correlated to U.S. stocks and therefore bonds should not be in a portfolio. I checked the long term and short term correlations using Callan's Periodic Table of Returns:

1991 to 2006 correlation of U.S. Stocks to U.S. bonds......R squared = 3%, R=17%
2000 to 2006 correlation of U.S. Stocks to U.S. bonds......R squared = 66%, R=-81%

Defining correlation as R, the long term correlation of U.S. bonds to stocks was relatively low at 17%. From the time the author's book was published in 2000 thru 2006, there was a negative 81% correlation. This data disagrees with the author's comments that you should not use bonds because they are too well correlated to stocks.

The author recommends using 3 to 5 asset classes.....and advocates the use of index funds. I interpreted the author's writings to indicate he holds zero percent bonds.

I was a little surprised at the author suggesting for the first year or two, it will take you 100 man-hours per every 10% of asset allocation to get your finances in order. After the first year, he says 10 hrs/week is enough. I use mostly index funds, so it took no where near this many man-hours for me to set up my asset allocation and investments.

The author suggests that the dollar will continue to decline against both foreign and emerging markets. He advocates up to 33% of your portfolio be invested in foreign or emerging market stocks. He rationalizes that foreign investors are more likely to buy stocks in their own country. He predicts Baby Boomers will be able to find buyers for their foreign stocks much easier than for buyers of their U.S. stocks.

The epilogue section is a good example of Socrates' famous quote "Know Thy Self". It is extremely difficult for us humans to understand what drives us and how we can make more rational decisions.

The writing style in this book is of medium quality with some annoying grammatical errors, but it was not a major distraction.

I found the book an interesting read.....primarily because it was written from the viewpoint of someone who has "walked the talk" and lived off his investments since 1981.

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Disappointed.......2007-06-20

This book is clearly intended for East-Coasters or, more specifically, people who have lived their adult lives in New York City. Believe me, you cannot sell your home in rural Iowa and take the proceeds to buy another house in a cheaper, but fun, retirement area with the bonus of having money left over to invest and live on. I was disappointed that most of the suggestions in this book assume that the reader is currently spending like a madman and not too bright about ways to save. Also, for those of us living a conservative lifestyle, the savings he outlines are nonexistent.

Oh well, no book is completely bad...

Great Advice and Comforting to Boot.......2007-01-22

This is a great book. I recommend it highly to those planning to retire or to those who have involuntarily retired before they planned to.

Not the Only Investment Book You Need, But in the Top 3.......2006-11-22

I decided to give this book 5 stars because I decided it was worthwhile enough to buy, even after I'd already read a library copy. I usually don't re-read books. This one I have.

The main strength of this book is that it ties a lot of things together. It gives you a realistic way of developing a plan for the amount you need to retire. It then walks you through the amount of risk you need to take to achieve this amount, and realistic asset allocation to reduce the risk. He recommends keeping no more than 1/3 in US stocks, and having 1/3 in foreign stocks. As the world is becoming increasingly globalized, this is important advice. It was also pretty good advice since it was written right before the US market crash in 2000.

I agree with people who gave the book a lower rating. There are plenty of holes, and there are parts I don't agree with. This is not the only book you need to read. I recommend Bernstein's Intelligent Asset Allocator in addition to this book. Bernstein's book will help with the details. Edmund's book will give you practical advice to implement the details into a plan.

And if you don't have enough to meet your goals - Edmunds tells you to go back to work.

Well worth it!.......2006-03-13

I have read a lot of books on retirement. This one is definitely one of the better ones. There are many new ideas in it and some "worth it" charts. We are already retired...going on four years...and already doing the things that the author suggests, but the hard data behind his ideas gave us more confidence in our approach.

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