The Brass Book, American, English and European: Fifteenth Century to Eighteen Fifty

Book Description

This is the definitive book about brass objects. Large sections are devoted to andirons, candlesticks, fireplace accessories, kettles and tobacco boxes. There are useful dating charts for andirons and candlesticks. Each of these sections is more complete than any previous volume, and could have been published as a separate book. Smaller sections include horse brasses, scientific and occupational instruments, and table wares. The development of artistic styles in brass are fully illustrated and explained in their historical context. The accompanying text explains the composition of brass, eighteenth century method of sand casting, and ways to identify old copies and fakes. A fascinating eighteenth century brass-makers catalog is reproduced in its entirety at the end of the book. Unusual brass items from many private collections, museums and antiques dealers are presented and compared. Very few of these items have ever been published before.

Average customer rating:

Sometimes it could be a good one too

Complete Crumb Comics: "Hot 'N' Heavy" (Complete Crumb Comics Vol. 7)

Crumb is a saint.

Complete Crumb Comics: Hot 'N' Heavy, Vol. 7
Robert Crumb
Manufacturer: Fantagraphics Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1560970626

Customer Reviews:

Sometimes it could be a good one too.......2006-05-16

Good collection, Crumb is a comic genius with timeless and penetrating illustrations. A must have for true comic minds.

Complete Crumb Comics: "Hot 'N' Heavy" (Complete Crumb Comics Vol. 7).......2005-09-03

Almost new - barely handled. Three central pages with bent corners.

Crumb is a saint........2001-04-17

And Fantagraphics is saintly as well.

Book Description

Budding filmmakers, television producers, directors, writers, and students get a career-building crash course on independent production in this riveting account of the business and its key players. Savvy insiders discuss the pivotal role the producer plays as the mastermind who brings a film or television pilot to the screen. From first pitch to final cut, all aspects of the job are examined: how to develop a winning prospectus; draft a realistic timeline, budget, and raise money; assemble and manage a talented ensemble of writers, directors, actors, and crew members; oversee three phases of production; distribute and market the finished film. Current contacts for film festivals and foreign distribution, as well as sample budgets, partnership proposals, and other forms, complete this guide to success.

Customer Reviews:

Very useful . . . but a bit dry.......2001-07-11

Detailed, methodical book about movie production. Great for a handbook/manual which I can refer to again and again. Quite useful and I highly recommend it. The appendices are simply brilliant (detailed pro forma financial statements, sample contracts and other essential docs).

The authors TRIED to spice up the text with an anecdote here and there, but it still reads somewhat like a textbook. Thus, buy the book if you're looking for real content, not juice.

Producing for hollywood.......2001-02-04

This is one of the best books I have read in the industry and I own MANY . It is direct straight to the point and informative . I highly recommend

Amazon.com

Ariadne auf Naxos is a very funny opera that is replete with moments of great depth and beauty, written in Richard Strauss's best fin de siecle mode. It could only take place in the 18th century, when flighty aristocrats were the chief patrons of the arts and opera seria was the reigning form; it could only have been written in the 20th. Strauss was a master of orchestration, explore what he did and how with the full score. (But bear in mind that a full score is not usually the best one for a singer to learn or use while staging an opera.) This is a Dover score, which means that it's a reprint of an older German original, at a very reasonable price.

Book Description

One of the composer's most highly regarded operas, with a libretto by Hugo von Hoffmansthal that artfully intermingles backstage comedy, the lofty emotions of Greek mythology and the merry pranks of a troupe of commedia dell'arte players. Strauss' score echoes the theatrics with music of great wit and breathtaking flights of lyricism. Reprinted from the 1916 Adolph Furstner edition.

Average customer rating:

Through The Trivia Looking Glass

Informative and entertaining

Cool book!

Delight of the Nerds

Loved it!

Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs
Ken Jennings
Manufacturer: Villard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Trivia | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Shows | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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Trivia Lovers' Lists of Nearly Everything in the Universe: 50,000+ big & little things organized by type and kind

I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!: And Other Things That Strike Me as Funny

ASIN: 1400064457
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Book Description

One day back in 2003, Ken Jennings and his college buddy Earl did what hundreds of thousands of people had done before: they auditioned for Jeopardy! Two years, 75 games, 2,642 correct answers, and over $2.5 million in winnings later, Ken Jennings emerged as trivia’s undisputed king. Brainiac traces his rise from anonymous computer programmer to nerd folk icon. But along the way, it also explores his newly conquered kingdom: the world of trivia itself.

Jennings had always been minutiae-mad, poring over almanacs and TV Guide listings at an age when most kids are still watching Elmo and putting beans up their nose. But trivia, he has found, is centuries older than his childhood obsession with it. Whisking us from the coffeehouses of seventeenth-century London to the Internet age, Jennings chronicles the ups and downs of the trivia fad: the quiz book explosion of the Jazz Age; the rise, fall, and rise again of TV quiz shows; the nostalgic campus trivia of the 1960s; and the 1980s, when Trivial Pursuit® again made it fashionable to be a know-it-all.
Jennings also investigates the shadowy demimonde of today’s trivia subculture, guiding us on a tour of trivia hotspots across America. He goes head-to-head with the blowhards and diehards of the college quiz-bowl circuit, the slightly soused faithful of the Boston pub trivia scene, and the raucous participants in the annual Q&A marathon in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, “The World’s Largest Trivia Contest.” And, of course, he takes us behind the scenes of his improbable 75-game run on Jeopardy!

But above all, Brainiac is a love letter to the useless fact. What marsupial has fingerprints that are indistinguishable from human ones?* What planet has a crater on it named after Laura Ingalls Wilder?** What comedian had the misfortune to be born with the name “Albert Einstein”?*** Jennings also ponders questions that are a little more philosophical: What separates trivia from meaningless facts? Is being good at trivia a mark of intelligence? And is trivia just a waste of time, or does it serve some not-so-trivial purpose after all?

Uproarious, silly, engaging, and erudite, this book is an irresistible celebration of nostalgia, curiosity, and nerdy obsession–in a word, trivia.

* The koala
** Venus
*** Albert Brooks

Customer Reviews:

Through The Trivia Looking Glass.......2007-07-08

Brainiac is, in part, Ken Jennings' account of his championship run on Jeopardy!. I say in part because, as seems to be the case with books I've been reading lately, it's that plus a lot more. If Jennings had simply written a book about being on Jeopardy!, it would have sold fairly well - mostly to people who want to be on Jeopardy! themselves. But Brainiac is a lot more than that, and Jennings has written a book that will attract a much larger audience.

Brainiac takes on the history of trivia itself. From the academic trivia of college quiz bowl teams (of which Jennings provides a fascinating insider's perspective), to the pop culture trivia boom of the 1960s, Jennings shows the development of trivia in American society. Fascinating factoids dot the book (who knew that doo-wop retro band Sha Na Na started in doo-wop because of a trivia competition?), but Jennings also asks some tough questions.

Does a person's trivia ability indicate their overall intelligence? Does success on TV programs like Jeopardy! really indicate that someone is a genius? Some feel that trivia has become the academic version of the Olympics. The Olympics were meant to help train warriors, but ended up training specialists, not well-rounded soldiers; likewise, trivia has produced a breed of people who know or are able to remember arcane bits of knowledge (like the three airports named for people who died in aircraft crashes), but often cannot function in society. They're the people that the rest of us really hate at parties - no matter the topic, they know something about it that nobody else does, and can kill a conversation in one sentence.

Jennings, of course, would disagree. "Trivia... is bait on the fishing rod of education," he says, and makes a persuasive argument. Dangling a fascinating bit of information in front of a student can motivate him or her to learn in ways that nothing else can - I've seen it happen firsthand. Facts, as Jennings says, are the building blocks that lead to more substantial knowledge and understanding.

My favorite part of the book, though, is Jennings' interaction with the trivia subculture. From NTN players in restaurants to an entire town that turns into a trivia competition one weekend each year, we meet these trivia "freaks." We find out that they are, in fact, human, but not the average human. We find out what makes them tick, and we understand why Jennings himself distanced himself from the subculture while he was in high school. (I, unfortunately, didn't, and can assure him that his was a socially expedient decision.)

But of course, Jennings talks about Jeopardy!, and that may well be the bait that attracts some to the book. And he's honest about the experience; it's not as glamorous as some may think, and you can almost feel him sigh with relief when his reign as champion is ended. His account has persuaded me that perhaps just sitting in the living room watching the show, and chiming in with the answers, is the better way to go. But for someone who wants to learn from someone who "lived the dream," or anyone who wants to find out what makes trivia-heads tick, this book is invaluable.

Informative and entertaining.......2007-06-25

I bought this book because I was caught up in Ken's winning streak on Jeopardy! and wanted to know more about why he may have gotten that far. Well, this book tells you about that and so much more. It takes you behind the Jeopardy! scene, which alone was very interesting. I never knew that trivia was taken so seriously by so many, and Ken goes to great lengths to explain this culture. Best of all though is the clever and witty way in which Ken has written this book. He is humble, touching, lighthearted and extremely funny throughout. Even if you're not a trivia buff, you would most certainly enjoy reading this book.

Cool book!.......2007-06-01

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Jeopardy, it's a very interesting look into the inner workings of the show and the contestants on it.

Delight of the Nerds.......2007-05-13

This book is so fun to read. I enjoyed watching Ken Jenning's run on TV and this book gives you some insight into that experience. There are also lots of fun trivia facts along the way.

Loved it!.......2007-05-13

I bought this book for my son who's a voracious reader and fan of "Jeopardy." He reports to me that it was a "great read."

Book Description

With Managing IT as a Business you'll get practical advice on how to unleash the full potential of this critical function so that companies can derive maximum benefit. It offers a proven plan for bridging the gap between CEOs and CIOs that has, until now, impeded their ability to work together in order to craft objectives, establish budget guidelines, and develop metrics for measuring IT value and success. In short, with this book as a guide, business leaders will learn how to manage IT as they would any other functional business unit.

Download Description

Typically, information technology ranks highly among most companies' top five expenditures. Yet IT continues to be one of the least understood and most poorly managed areas in business. While all executives recognize the importance of technology as a means of improving customer service and of making work more efficient, few understand how to leverage IT strategically and how to use it as a driver of business success. Managing IT as a Business provides executives with practical advice on how to unleash the full potential of this critical function so that companies can derive maximum benefit. It offers a proven plan for bridging the gap between CEOs and CIOs that has, until now, impeded their ability to work together in order to craft objectives, establish budget guidelines, and develop metrics for measuring IT value and success. In short, with this book as a guide, business leaders will learn how to manage IT as they would any other functional business unit. Through numerous case studies that outline the lessons other senior executives have learned while maximizing their IT investment.

Customer Reviews:

Must Buy if Upgrading from IT Management to CIO.......2007-08-07

Great help for someone that has just upgraded
from IT Management to a CIO role and needed to
upgrade as well his agenda. Excellent source of inspiration
and perfect guide for a profession that is still
under transformation. Definitely a must have.

The book is focused (and written by) on world class CIO positions,
but I found it equally useful for smaller scale CIOs.
It's exactly there that it lacks some information
on the organization of smaller IT groups ( <20 persons).

If you are a CIO then buy it. If you are an IT manager
you need something else.

A Must-Read for Every CIO.......2006-04-01

Excerpt from review on bsmDigest.com:
"Mark Lutchen's groundbreaking book continues to influence technology leaders with its vision for building mature IT organizations. As more CIOs and CEOs grapple with the challenge of applying effective management processes to their increasingly critical technology organizations, this engaging book offers very practical advice for doing it successfully. Drawing on his experience both as an actual CIO managing a large, global IT organizations and as a management consultant working with many large organizations, Lutchen delivers a clear, integrated vision for enlightened IT management."

Pragmatic and clear........2005-06-24

I have only one simple statement - where were you Mark when I started my IT career 17 years ago? Today I would have been a CIO! I highly recommend this book for those starting out their careers in IT as it gives a big picture look to the field. Own it and refer to the clear and relevant graphics in the book.

Insightful!.......2004-06-03

In the fall of 2003, the Harvard Business Review published an article advancing the proposition that "IT doesn't matter." The article's author suggested that because IT was now a commodity, and everyone had it, it no longer conveyed any distinctive competitive advantage and therefore, strategically, did not matter. In fact, at many companies, IT doesn't matter as much as it should - not because it is a commodity that other companies also use, but because most companies don't get every potential benefit from their IT. To advance your business agenda effectively, make IT a real part of the business. Author Mark D. Lutchen shows managers, particularly CEOs and CIOs, why IT is not fully a part of business at the moment, and what it will take to turn IT into a competitive, strategic asset. We recommend this useful, well-written, clearly organized book to anyone whose job involves decisions on IT budgets, organization, investments or strategy.

A must read for IT professionals developing a career roadmap.......2004-03-27

This is a fabulous book for experienced or aspiring IT managers whose goal is to prepare for ascension through the ranks, especially to the CIO level. In simple yet rich language, Mark presents a clear picture of the future of the IT organization and the competencies needed in the CIO and senior team heading up this professional services operation. The examples and case studies are rich with insights. In short, this book is pragmatic and weighty, yet also highly readable and I dare say outright enjoyable. I highly recommend it as a must read for anyone who wants to develop an effective IT career roadmap. Thank you Mark Lutchen.

Product Description

This book provides specific, practical advice for engineers who are advancing beyond their technical specialty and find themselves working with other specialties necessary to the development of a complex system or product. They continually face a variety of issues that were invariably never addressed in their schooling: dealing with specifications, project plans, and budgets; improving quality by working with "downstream" functions such as production and service; resolving incompatibilities and bugs under a variety of test conditions; providing technical direction and reviews; and more. Based on "lessons learned" by the author over a forty-year career developing complex systems products, the book presents basic principles that are applicable whether you are in a bureaucratic, multi-national corporation or one with the founder still in control. Regardless of an organization's size or the particular products, the engineering management issues are eerily the same. Systems are systems, and the engineering process basics, derived largely from aerospace, remain the key to success anywhere. Chapter titles typically end in "101" because the basics are usually where the problems lie, as well as their solutions. This book is concise, but the content is dense. As such, it will also provide a succinct refresher for more experienced professionals and their management when facing challenges.

Customer Reviews:

Read This Book If You Are Doing Product Development.......2007-04-09

If you are an expert on product development and systems design, read this book. You will certainly come away with additional tools for your toolbox.

If you are a novice or a leader of a product development function, read this book. You will gain valuable insight into the product development process that will enable you to learn, lead, and prosper.

The book is practical and hands-on -- no pie in the sky theory stuff produced by some consulting company. I would imagine that using just one tip in the book will save your team $1000 and probably much more. Just learning how to run a project or team meeting productively will do wonders for your process.

My only criticism is the book tends to make recommendations of proprietary and/or monopolistic software at the expense of other software.

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