A Chinese Bestiary : Strange Creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas

Book Description

A Chinese Bestiary presents a fascinating pageant of mythical creatures from a unique and enduring cosmography written in ancient China. The Guideways through Mountains and Seas, compiled between the fourth and first centuries b.c.e., contains descriptions of hundreds of fantastic denizens of mountains, rivers, islands, and seas, along with minerals, flora, and medicine. The text also represents a wide range of beliefs held by the ancient Chinese. Richard Strassberg brings the Guideways to life for modern readers by weaving together translations from the work itself with information from other texts and recent archaeological finds to create a lavishly illustrated guide to the imaginative world of early China.
Unlike the bestiaries of the late medieval period in Europe, the Guideways was not interpreted allegorically; the strange creatures described in it were regarded as actual entities found throughout the landscape. The work was originally used as a sacred geography, as a guidebook for travelers, and as a book of omens. Today, it is regarded as the richest repository of ancient Chinese mythology and shamanistic wisdom. The Guideways may have been illustrated from the start, but the earliest surviving illustrations are woodblock engravings from a rare 1597 edition. Seventy-six of those plates are reproduced here for the first time, and they provide a fine example of the Chinese engraver's art during the late Ming dynasty.
This beautiful volume, compiled by a well-known specialist in the field, provides a fascinating window on the thoughts and beliefs of an ancient people, and will delight specialists and general readers alike.

Customer Reviews:

A Scholarly Read Not to Be Missed.......2004-01-02

Geoffrey E.R. Lloyd and Nathan Sivin in, The Way of the Word: Science and Medicine in Early China and Greece, raise the following questions: "In what circumstances did inquiries about the world outside human society begin? and What paths [my own italics] did those inquiries open up?" One such "path" or "guideway" is found in the Shan hai jing , or "The Scripture, Classic, Canon, Warp-text [and now Guideways]--however one wants to render jing--Mountains and Seas," as Robert Ford Campany puts it in his review of Riccardo Fracasso and Anne Birrell's earlier translations. He goes on to say, "The list is the trope of plenitude, and an overwhelming plenitude of anomaly is what this book conveys." The Shan hai jing is one of the earliest Chinese works that attempted to provide a description of what was then believed to be "the world outside human society." It sought to provide an embodiment of taxonomic reckoning of its landscape and all of its natural and supernatural fauna and flora, especially to those who ventured into it. There gradually arose amongst the ancient Chinese intelligentsia a weltanschauung, or "world concept" of their biophysical and socioanthropological environment in which they conceived of themselves as being an integral part of the cosmos and intrinsically interjoined with its spiritual, physical, and moral "influences."

To explore the Shan hai jing is to undertake an odyssey in search of its mysteries. This literary venture can easily boggle the mind, especially when it comes to accomplishing a creditable translation with a plausible exegesis of its contents. Many of the traditional commentaries are, for the most part, useless, since the commentators were themselves ignorant of the folklore and palæozoology that underlies this venerable and probably composite text. It requires a whole critical apparatus built around it before an even reasonably full interpretation can be achieved, especially by the philological unwary. Richard Eric Strassberg, Professor of Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of California at Los Angeles, offers us an exceptionally fine work of scholarship in his thorough editing, excellent translation, and extensive commentary of this ancient work. He provides his readers with a new and invigorating approach to wandering through this arcane world. He leds us along this jing, or "guideway" and familiarizes us with its passages as a jing, or a "classic." As our guide, he points out in his introductory remarks (p. 5), as a daybook to guide the reader in "choosing auspicious days for travel and avoiding danger from gods and demons." As its expounder, he penetrates its "sacred geography filled with strikingly unusual denizens" (p. xiv) and acquaints us with its mysteries.

Strassberg reminds us that he has "undertaken the risky venture of providing translations whenever possible of the names of creatures, places, and things. Though well aware of the risks involved in the more polysemous case, I offer these translations as reasonable significations that would have occurred to traditional Chinese readers both to facilitate the readers contact with this difficult text and to stimulate further consideration among specialists of what these names might have meant." (p. xviii) One can never be too exacting when it comes to translating ancient Chinese words, nor should such exactitude be so constrained as to preclude the full rein they must be given in order to convey the splendor of their exquisite implicitness. And, again, one can never be too careful when it comes to avoiding renderings which are vitiated by the bland assumption that they meant then what they mean in later dynastic periods; accordingly, such assumptions can be distorted or entirely false. The author has adroitly avoided such pitfalls and he does not misguide his readers.

The contents of A Chinese Bestiary: Strange Creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas (hereafter cited as A Chinese Bestiary) consists of eight parts: List of Illustrations; a Preface; Editorial Notes; a meticulous introduction, followed by 76 plates of the rare illustrations found in the 1597 Yaoshantang reprint of the earlier Wang Chongqing edition as well as 345 descriptions of its demoniac/theriomorphic denizens; extensive Notes; an inclusive Selected Bibliography; and a thorough Glossary Index to Plates. Strassberg has gone to considerable effort to cull through resources in order to provide his readers with what is regarded as being the earliest surviving illustrations of woodblock engravings from the above rare work, making the illustrations available perhaps for the first time in any foreign publication, thereby, providing his readers with an artistic tour de force into the realm of a Chinese bestiary.

In discussing the origins of A Chinese Bestiary, the author refers to how "the yi-physicians credited Divine Farmer (Shennong) and the Yellow Thearch...with having written important medical and pharmacological treatises." (p. 4) One is reminded of Angus Graham's remarks that "legends of Shennong and the Yellow Emperor develop in interaction as representatives of rival tendencies to political centralization and decentralization...." This political dichotomy within medicine also reflects a gradual division within Chinese society between the illiterati (the bearers of oral traditions, including folk medicine) and the literati (the bearers of written traditions, including what would later become known as traditional Chinese medicine). Consequently, one can with caution suggest that materia medica may have been later more closely associated with folk traditions even though it is referenced in the Huang di nei jing su wen, or "The Inner Canon of the Yellow Thearch, Basic Questions" which forms in part the literary foundation of Chinese medicine.

As for minor suggestions, I would offer the following remarks: It would be more convenient for the reader to have the ideograms side by side with their Romanized counterparts, not to mention having the footnotes at the foot of each page for immediate and convenient referencing; there are a few entries, such as guai, yi, xi, and qiu whose ideograms are missing in the Glossary Index; there is some question to rendering of yu and jin as "jade" and "gold,"or zhen as "minister," since in most texts as early as this they mean "precious stones," "precious metals," and "magnate." Similarly, jing bi shi probably means "azure pi stones" (bi is an unidentified stone in early texts, used for making arrowheads; its use as a color word is much later); and, even given all of Strassberg's extensive footnotes, the undaunting quest for more appears to be an insatiable need (e.g., the guanxiong min, or "the people with perforated chests" (pp. 163-164) may refer to those people who were carried on planks of simple construction before the advent of sedan chairs).

The contents of A Chinese Bestiary are not vitiated by bland assumptions of contextual meanings misplaced in dynastic disorder or by a "highly imaginative rendition" (p. xvii) in which assumptions can be distorted or entirely false. Strassberg's literary astuteness and refined linguistic sensitivity provide his readers with an encompassing grasp of its numerous subtleties and variegated shades of meaning. He has not failed to afford his readers, specialists and nonspecialists alike, with an exceptional opportunity of improving our appreciation and understanding of this fascinating ancient Chinese text. It joins the ranks of Yuan Ke's Shan hai jing jiaoyi, Rémi Mathieu's Étude sur la Mythologie et L'ethnologie de la Chine Ancienne and Riccardo Fracasso's Libro dei monti e dei mari (Shanhai jing): Cosmografia e mitologia nella Cina Antica, as being the best translation in its language--English--as well as a must read for those whose penchant is ancient Chinese studies.

hungry for zhiguai ^__^.......2003-03-26

Dr. Strassberg has done some intensive researches on the zhiguai genre as well as the Chinese Travelogue tradition (the two in fact has a germane connection). This book is to provide you with a collection of pictographs of the strange creatures from Shan Hai Jin, an eerie...no, no, no sacred book about the landscape of si-hai (four seas) and jiu-zhou (nine provinces) of the middle kingdom (ancient China). I have both of his two books (this & Inscribed Landscape) and will be more than happy to recommend them to anyone who either has an interest in the study of ancient mythology, Chinese literature, or the so called "sacred geography" of eastern mysticism.:)

Average customer rating:

a gold mine for the viewer, it changed how I watch a film

Terrific Text Book OF Finishing a film

blanc pages

Jam packed full of 'how to', tips and advice. Great Stuff.

An Expert with a Clear Voice on Film & Video Editing

Cut by Cut: Editing Your Film or Video
Gael Chandler
Manufacturer: Michael Wiese Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Cutting Edge - The Magic of Movie Editing

ASIN: 094118899X

Book Description

Learn how skilled editors can turn raw footage into polished art for film, television, or web. With practical project guidelines and advice on organizing digital and film cutting rooms, and much more.

Customer Reviews:

a gold mine for the viewer, it changed how I watch a film.......2007-07-28

I am never going to make a movie -I just love watching them, talking about them and understanding them. This book gave me enormous insight into how movies are made, not just edited. All the parts of a film come together in the editing process and Ms. Chandler explains how all those parts come into being as well as how they are edited together to make a film.
It is well written and precise, as a technical book should be, but it is also lucid and frequently funny.
Other than a couple pages of detailed film planning material at the end of each chapter everything in this book will be of great interest to any film buff

Terrific Text Book OF Finishing a film.......2007-06-23

A comprehensive, updated, description of how to post, edit and finish a film including both creative and mechanical processes. Clearly written, many tables, charts, and illustrations. Covers film, digital, and web preparaton workflows. Fabulous book. High recommenation. But this leans on the technical and workflow side, not the creative. A wonderful review of the ENTIRE process. Necessary text for all film students.

blanc pages.......2006-08-04

If you buy the book, you have to be prepared to read much useless information.
The interesting part of the book (10 to 15 pages) focuses on practical editing problems.
The rest of the book contains endless lists of unnecessary information on video/film editing.
From 360 pages of the book only 10-20 really count.
Other books like "on editing" by Edward Dmytryk or " the technique of film editing" by Karel Reisz contain full, real, deep, dense information on the subject.
And for the amateur/enthusiast/prosumer film/video maker (like me) there is one book that really arms us for the battle in that difficult field.
A book with myriads of most valuable information.
A book that it's a pity only few knowledgeable people have mentioned it.
The "Five C's of cinematography" by Joseph Mascelli.
That book every day teaches me. And that author is a big teacher, someone who loves and really wants to communicate his knowledge with fond to learning people.

Jam packed full of 'how to', tips and advice. Great Stuff........2006-05-25

This book is a reminder that there's more to editing than meets the eye.

Chandler methodically details editing practice and thoery in an easy to understand way. There's so much here for the interested hobbyist to the aspiring editor.

An indespensible resource.

An Expert with a Clear Voice on Film & Video Editing.......2005-10-28

When I received my copy of Gael Chandler's book on film and video editing, Cut by Cut, a quick scan told me she has created a very complete book, with clear explanations of the details of editing (both technical and aesthetic), great illustrations and tables, and fun to read. Now, I have read much of the book, and my opinion has changed little. She has covered the rich heritage of film editing terminology and equipment choices over the past century - from scissors to the latest in digital editing equipment. While the weight of the content leans toward the technical, Gael has successfully interwoven editing principles and the editor's concerns for visual communications and audience interest with clear descriptions of procedures.
I think Cut by Cut is the perfect text for all students of film and video production. Entertainingly easy to read, her narrative is supported by comprehensive reference tables and charts, templates for managing editing projects, and clear instructions on the setup and use of equipment. I can also imagine experienced editors benefiting from the book as a handy reference for navigating this field's increasing complexity

Michael Wiese Productions.(Dream Gear: Cool & Innovative Tools for Film, Video & TV Professionals)(Could It Be A Movie?: How To Get Your Ideas From Out ... Review): An article from: Library Bookwatch

Average customer rating:

Michael Wiese Productions.(Dream Gear: Cool & Innovative Tools for Film, Video & TV Professionals)(Could It Be A Movie?: How To Get Your Ideas From Out ... Review): An article from: Library Bookwatch
Gale Reference Team
Manufacturer: Midwest Book Review
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Library Bookwatch, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2005. The length of the article is 436 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Michael Wiese Productions.(Dream Gear: Cool & Innovative Tools for Film, Video & TV Professionals)(Could It Be a Movie?: How to Get Your Ideas from out of Your Head and up on the Screen)(The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies: Films from the Fringes of Cinema)(Digital Editing with Final Cut Pro 4)(Book Review)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Library Bookwatch (Newsletter)
Date: March 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: NA

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

The awesome art of Nick Cardy.......2006-01-15

While the stories have not held up well to the test of time (and with this once-considered disposable medium, they really weren't intended to), the art remains as amazing as ever, thanks to the efforts of the one and only Nick Cardy.

Cardy is one of the industry's most gifted illustrators on a par with John Romita Sr., especially considering the role Cardy played as cover artist for the DC line back in the early to mid '70's. Cardy's comics cover work was everywhere, draping the stories of Superman, Batman and many others with compellingly designed covers that made the newsstand grazers anxious to plunk down their hard-earned coins (back then, it didn't take $2.99 for a single comic) and get those four-color masterworks home.

Some of Cardy's most innovative artwork between the covers was found in the pages of TEEN TITANS, so look no further. Enjoy!

The Other Fab Four.......2004-03-09

The Teen Titans. Was their slang imperfect, their villains not up to Justice League levels, the whole ideal of good "square" kids as heroes up and coming "corny"? Yes to all three. But I liked them anyway. Why? The core idea of the kid sidekicks joined together in a club-like group. Hanging out, getting letters from kids in trouble that needed their help on a less then universe shaking basis. It had great merit. It still does. Despite the second series greater popularity the silver age Titans idea of a group of super teens helping regular kids is a far better concept then a "junior Justice League" fighting the likes of the devil-like Trigon for the fate of the planet. This series teases with the possibilities of the super kids helping regular kids idea. Like the solo Kid Flash tales of the same era it was a great idea never fully explored. I recommend it highly. Maybe from reading these somebody will one day do it right. Just nostalgia? Not at all. Unlike today's unrealistically dark tales of a black and gray world it was a lot of fun. As the writing on the photo of The Beatles on their headquarters bulletin board said "From one Fab Four to another".

Like, squaresville!.......2004-02-29

This book reprints the first eight adventures of the original Teen Titans. The original lineup was Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Wonder Girl. The three boys were "kid sidekicks" to members of the Justice League, but Wonder Girl is a different story. You see, the editor of the comic felt that the group needed a female member, so he looked at DC's comic books and the only teenage heroine he could find was Wonder Girl. But he must not have looked at the comics too closely, or he would have realized that Wonder Girl stories were actually flashbacks to when Wonder Woman herself was a girl. So, here was Wonder Woman's teenage self in the Teen Titans at the same time as her adult self was in the Justice League. Eventually, they sorted things out and got around to explaining who THIS Wonder Girl was, but it took a few years. Anyway, that's quite enough background information. As for the comics themselves, they don't exactly hold up that well. They read like they were written by a middle aged man who didn't understand teenagers (which they were). The slang in the comics was about ten years out of date. I don't think kids in the mid-'60s were still saying "daddio". These stories are really corny. Plus, they had the worst villains. There were forgettable losers like Mr. Twister, the Separated Man, Ding-Dong Daddy Dowd and the Ant. This book can only be recommended for nostalgia reasons.

Customer Reviews:

anuther brilyunt mind distroyde by publik skooling.......2005-03-16

I just read this book today, for the first time. As a person who was in grade school during the early 70's, in northern Indiana where I attended school, the newer philosophies of "free to be, you and me" and Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and Really Rosie, were seen as dangerously subversive, and too liberating for young minds. The teachers in my grade school were all about holding us down, shutting us up, and breaking any kid who had a spirited nature....like me. My school experience was hellish and emotionally damaging, and this little book about the death of the geranium on the windowsill expresses just about every feeling I have about my educational experience. At age 37, it still hits hard and it hurts. BUY THIS BOOK if you went to school and hated it, because it will show you that there are other people who felt the same way, and maybe the poem and the illustrations will provide some kind of a catharsis for your inner child like it did for me. Direct all comments to brideofcyrano@aol.com

A favorite of mine for many, many years.......2005-03-07

I bought this book when I was a teacher many years ago, and it has remained one of my favorite books about education, ever. I loved it then. I love it now.

A Great Teacher Gift.......2002-09-28

This book was shared by another faculty member as a yard sale find. I felt the book expressed a variety of emotions that anyone of us may have experienced in an academic setting. The statements though short and sweet are written in a childs point of view. School needs to be a place alive with energy and and the capacity to allow a child's mind to soar. However, the confinds of the educational system and society, can lead to a less than desirable atmosphere. A great reminder of why most got into the teaching profession and a great gift to the graduate about to emabark on this career.

A teacher's "must" read.......2000-07-31

This is a book about teachers being openminded and letting a child be creative instead of following all the strigent guildlines. Every teacher should read this book!

Cullum captures a comic commentary of teachers and education.......1999-08-20

"The Geranium on the Window Sill Just Died, but Teacher You Went Right On" is a commentary on teachers and education. The subject matter is current and applicable. Colorful, comic, and controversial would describe the contemporary treatment of education. This book is a collector find. I have, in over twenty-five years of teaching, had two personal copies. Both have "disappeared" while being shared in the teachers'lounge. My favorite parts were the direct and satirical "hits" on an insensitive strain of educators who still exist in any school system. The pictures tell educational truths in ways that words cannot express. I found it hilarious!

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The Geranium on the Windowsill Just Died But Teacher You Went Right on
Albert Cullum
Manufacturer: Quist
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GRDRPM

Book Description

Coy Watson, Jr., made his motion picture debut in 1912 when he was nine months old. Before he could walk or talk, Watson had appeared in several of Mack Sennett’s popular “Keystone Cop” comedies, earning him the nickname “Keystone Kid.” From 1912 to 1930, Watson acted in over 60 movies, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Puttin’ on the Ritz, I’m No Angel, and State’s Attorney. Here Watson shares his beautiful memories of the early days of Hollywood and of being raised as a member of “the First Family of Hollywood.” Watson and his five brothers and three sisters were featured in over one thousand movies, and their father acted alongside the biggest stars of popular Westerns before becoming the first special effects man—and the first animal trainer—in Hollywood. Watson’s marvelous tales are illustrated with several hundred photographs featuring behind-the-scenes images of such movie stars and directors as Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Jackie Coogan, Fatty Arbuckle, Lon Chaney, John Barrymore, D. W. Griffith, King Vidor, and Frank Capra.

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Picture of Early Hollywood.......2002-09-28

Coy Watson's story of early Hollywood provides an excellent picture of what life was like when the movies were being born. Watson is part of the famed Watson family (Dad worked for the studios and even rigged Fairbanks flying carpet and all the kids had parts in the early films - the most famous Watson is brother Bobs who appeared in Boys Town as Pee Wee and On Borrowed Time as Pud). This book lets you know how informal things were in the early days of Hollywood and how films were made before the studios were taken over by the moguls. It is a great history of early Hollywood.

For students and enthusiasts of early movies.......2002-01-14

The Keystone Kid: Tales Of Early Hollywood is the personal autobiography and fascinating memoir of Coy Watson, Jr. Coy was Hollywood's first authentic child star, who started appearing in the popular "Keystone Cop" comedies before he could walk or talk. Black-and-white photographs add images and reminiscence to the warm, thoughtful, memories detailed on the pages. Within these pages are wonderful anecdotes of such "birth of Hollywood" greats as Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Fatty Arbuckle, Lon Chaney, Gloria Swanson, Tom Mix, Mabel Normand, Jackie Coggan, the Keystone Cops, Mack Swain, Lillan Gish, William S. Campbell, Mack Sennett, D.W. Griffith, King Vidor, Frank Capra, and others. The Keystone Kid is enthusiastically recommended reading for students and enthusiasts of early movies, cinema history, and especially for fans of Coy Watson, Jr.

Average customer rating:

Revealing text!

Conversations With Arrau
Joseph Horowitz , and Claudio Arrau
Manufacturer: Limelight Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instruments & Performers | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0879100133

Customer Reviews:

Revealing text!.......2004-08-20

First at all , I am not a Claudio Arrau fan . I recognize in him a notable thinker and a living witeness of the XX century .
In this book, Horowitz established an inmediat rapport with Arrau and obtained an excellent result.
Arrau will make a journey in the time and will reveal interesting details about his life experience .
The analysis made for him about the Sonata in B minor of Liszt , for instance , his recordings sesions with Colin davis , her dhildhood memories , his memories when he saw Busoni playing the Hammerklavier and an unending amount of remarkable issues will make of this book a must reference for any viewer specially if this is a hard fan of the music .
Recommendable all the way!

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Conversations with Arrau
Joseph Horowitz
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OPIKCQ

Average customer rating:

Conversations with Arrau

Manufacturer: Limelight Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IE7IB2

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Conversations with Arrau
Joseph Horowitz
Manufacturer: Limelight Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBMRGM

Book Description

The

Book Description

It's amazing the myths one can find in some resume books. Scott Bennett has hired hundreds of people in a variety of industries, and he knows firsthand what kinds of resumes spark the interest of employers. In The Elements of Resume Style, Bennett explains why some of the most popular "tricks" backfire more often than they work, and offers clear, smart strategies for creating resumes and cover letters that get people jobs. From entry-level to executive, users of this invaluable guide will: * See their resume from the employer's perspective * Avoid the errors most candidates make * Handle job-hopping, employment gaps, and other touchy subjects honestly and effectively * Write cover letters that stand out -- and learn the untapped power of the inquiry letter 1,400+ Sample Action Words, Action Statements, and Position Descriptions/Blurbs 200+ Vague Claims to Avoid and 500+ More Words and Phrases to Avoid Sample Resume Format, Sample Response Letter, Sample Inquiry Letter Sample Informational Interview Request Letter Sample Response to Request for Salary Requirements Sample Salary History, Sample References The battle for jobs is tighter than ever. The Elements of Resume Style can help you make sure your first salvo is as powerful and on-target as possible.

Customer Reviews:

Simple as a resume should be .......2007-09-16

This is the one to get. Trust me, I write resumes for a living.

Great Insights but not Quite Enough by Itself.......2007-07-30

I enjoyed the author's common sense approach to the resume miracles often promised by other books and resume services. Functional resumes do hide a lack of experience but employers already know that. Tricks with format and fonts might look neat but most resume reviewers are going to look past the presentation at some point. This book focuses on the basics, words that work, emphasizing accomplishments over position, keeping things simple, clear, concise and easy to read. But once you get past the large list of action words, there really isn't much more to this book. Personally, I like the formatting ideas in books like Resume Magic and the emphasis on using keywords which are often how resumes are filtered in the Internet age. While the author of The Elements of Resume Style seems to belittle these stupid resume tricks, they do seem to work.

Still,in spite of this quibble I'm giving this book a good recommendation because I found the information on grammer, fonts, style and basic format very helpful, as well as the grain of skeptism that comes with it. But comparing the sample resumes presented in this books and the ones found in other like Resume Magic, and putting oneself in the place of an employer, I think the visual formatting and style does make a difference. This book is a good start or even a complement but not the last word on resumes.

"Elements of Resume Style: Essential Rules and...".......2007-03-12

This is an easy read. The descriptions are concise. The author explains the reason for his suggestions. There are numerous examples for form and format. The one thing I found missing was how to set up a resume for those who have worked for one company for over 30 years but have had several jobs and titles within that time frame.

This Book is Essential to Getting Hired!!!!!!!.......2006-04-25

Mr. Bennett leaves no stone unturned here...he takes readers through each step of writing a resume so diligently that I feel as if he has practically re-written my resume himself! Throughout the book he reinforces the importance of being honest about work histories and teaches readers how to position job hopping and gaps in employment. (Now I can feel confident in selling myself despite the many detours I've taken in my career!) He puts readers in the point of view of the employer and goes into great detail about how to use language and visual layout of the resume to make the most impact. He supplies tons of descriptive words and shows how to turn terms like, "strong interpersonal skills" and "great team-player" into actionable statements with evidence that actually mean something to employers. (This was very enlightening to me!) He also explains best practices with cover letters, inquiry letters and replying to salary history requests...you NAME it and this book's got it. Mr. Bennett clearly has a lot to teach on the subject and I feeled armed with a powerful weapon in being able to re-position myself on paper and get myself hired. This book is a must buy!

This one is a Keeper!.......2006-03-14

I have recommended this book to people of all ages and disciplines. It has more pertinent information then any other resume book I've ever seen. It actually was entertaining to read, and provided realistic, hopeful solutions to people in recovery who struggle with how to handle gaps in employment.
I hope that it is used in schools because it is a great tool!

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