Degas Paintings: 24 Full-Color Cards (Card Books)

Book Description

Degas captured the most common and fleeting movements of ballet dancers, women bathing, racehorses, and other subjects. This magnificent collection includes 24 of his finest works, among them The Orchestra of the Opéra, The Dancer's Dressing Room, At the Races, Women Ironing, La Chanson du Chien, The Tub, and Beach Scene.

Book Description

50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques is an immensely useful book for anyone wanting to take advantage of photo-quality printers, digital cameras, Web technologies, Adobe's Photoshop, and other top photo editing apps. The techniques are valuable to those with artistic skills as well as those without -- they enable everyone to enjoy successful creation of fine art images and prints! The step-by-step and richly illustrated collection of awesome techniques are easily accessible and understandable to users on every level.

This is a new kind of Photoshop book -- one that can help both casual users and professional users create and enjoy fine art prints without having to become an expert in Photoshop.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic! Step-by-Step Instructions.......2005-08-27

All of Gregory Georges books are concisely written so that even the novice can follow the steps. I have been teaching Photoshop and Photoshop Elements for several years and these 50 Fast Digital books are a must have for my students. If you are one of those people that needs to know the "Why?" as to how everything works, this might not be the book for you. If you want to know "How" to get something done-this is it!
Jacki Sutherland

Inspirational and Good Value.......2005-06-25

I think that some of the reviews on this page are obviously for the previous edition, which I'm sure was getting quite dated by the time this one came out. However, I can attest that this book is generally superb. Georges' photos are very skilfull, his instructions clear. I've owned a copy for two days and my photos have already improved to the extent of getting "wows" from friends and family. My only criticism is that it would have been nice if the book was color throughout, but the 24 color pages that it does have certainly make an impact. I recommend this book, which is a great value for the price.

You Can Do Better.............2005-03-21

What a difference a year makes in digital photography! Or 5 years come to that. Having bought the book, 50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques, it was immediately clear that the techniques and tips were aimed at beginning photoshop workers. Nothing wrong with that. However, by today's standards, there are many more attractive books on the market that do the same thing so much better and with much better quality illustrations and colour photgraphs. I found the tips a bit 'old hat' and the illustrations very old hat, the sort of tips and techniques you could easily pick up in an hour's search on the net, AND with better colour examples.
Still, to keep things in perspective, the book IS 5 years old and it shows.
Buy it if you want a cheap second-hand book for your shelf. Otherwise, you can do much, much better with the scores of other visually attractive beginner/intermediate books on today's market.

The reviews posted for this book are not for this book.......2005-03-10

This new book has 50 entirely new techniques AND the CD includes all fifty of the techniques from the first edition for a total of 100 useful and fun techniques.

All other reviews (mostly 5-star reviews) that are posted here are for the first edition and most of those less than excellent reviews are by people who bought the first edition when it was three years old.

Amazon, please fix this!

The author...

Dissapointed in cover and description.......2004-07-23

Looking at the book's cover and at the now defunct editor's description, there was no indication this book was primarily aimed at - and indeed was written for - Photoshop Elements users. The copy said it was also for Photoshop users but it only covers through version 6 and the introduction says using applications other than Elements for the actions described may not work.

I've not used Elements so I have no idea whether the book will be helpful there. It's certainly not helpful for me.

I'm a professional using Photoshop CS and thought some of the tips might be worthwhile. I also use PaintShopPro 8. I thought some of this book might be worthwhile for me but I'm nothing but dissapointed.

50 Fast Digital Camera Techniques (50 Fast Techniques Series)

Average customer rating:

Great book!!
Good book for beginners
great book
A Great Help for Us Novices
Great book

50 Fast Digital Camera Techniques (50 Fast Techniques Series)
Gregory Georges , Larry Berman , and Chris Maher
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Reference | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Equipment | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 076452500X

Book Description

* In the perfect companion to the bestselling 50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques (0-7645-3578-1), three highly acclaimed professional photographers share 50 all-new fast, easy, and powerful camera tricks both professionals and creative amateurs can learn to use almost instantly
* Where the first book focused on digital editing techniques, this one explores using digital cameras, lighting, filters, and concepts to produce professional results with "wow!"
* Lavishly illustrated with stunning professional photos
* Cross-platform for Windows and Mac, and tailor-made for the exploding digital photography market
* Companion Web site and CD-ROM are both packed with all images from the book as well as valuable utilities

Customer Reviews:

Great book!!.......2006-11-03

I gave this book 5 stars as I enjoyed reading this book from the moment I got it in the mail. It cuts to the chase with how to get great animal, wedding, nature, people etc,..shots. It explains in detail what settings you should use for each shot as well as what settings the pros use for all the great magazine photos. I flip through this book about every week just for a refresher. I also take this book along with me in my camera bag too. Get this book!!!!!!

Jason Green Sr.
Franklin, LA

Good book for beginners.......2006-09-02

I brought this book based on good review here and read it through. I found some mistakes, also disapointed for not going to details in other chapters or not talking some important things in photography. But I think for people never taking picture before, this is a good book to introduce photograph to them.

Now, I like to pointed one obvious mistake when author talked about the lens F/x.x aperture number. He said that F actually means 1. That is wrong. F means the focus length. The aperture number is an indication how much light can get through the lens. A f/2.8 lens will allow more light through than a f/3.5 lens when they have the same focus length. For build a compact camera, most manufactures try to build smaller and lighter camera. When you select a camera, select bigger aperture number on the lens will enable you take picture at lower light.

When author explains in the book why smaller pocket size camera has deeper field range, he also failed to explain that smaller pocket size camera also has smaller lens, sometimes the tiny lens has f/3.5 or even worse aperture number. The aperture number is causing the field depth to be deeper, which may not be a bad thing for point and shot camera, but not work well in low light.

The book did mentioned about aperture priority and shutter priority. But not in any depth at all, not enough for anyone to take advantage of the camera functions by following the book. I am really disapointed about that. It did not talk about lens filters at all, which is very important technique but totally ignored.

In the 50 techniques talked in this book, at least 10 of them is not related to the camera directly, rather is how to use photoshop element software, how to print. But in the how to print section, it did not discuss the paper differences. From my experience, using HP photo paper and Epson photo paper will produce different result in any printer. If anyone talks about printing photos, how to select paper to get best result should be discussed. But author did not get into that details either.

I give this book two stars because it does help people to learn how to select subject, which is also an important part of taking good picture.

great book.......2006-08-19

This is a great book for someone who knows little about photography except how to push the button and maybe get the pictures on their computer. Its filled with lots of information in easily digestible amounts.

The first "technique" simply is a form to fill out with all the settings your camera can set, how high and low each can go, if it applies to your camera, and where in your camera's manual the topic is discussed. This sounds rather dull at first but believe me you will be thankful later when you know exactly what your camera is capable of and know how to quickly find the information again when you need it.

I'd say the first 15 "techniques" (I prefer mini-chapters) are great to get you up to speed with the basics of what you need to know about photography and how to really USE all your camera's features.

The rest of the book is essentially bonus material to expand your knowlege of certain types of photography.

This book is clearly written for people who own point-and-shoot digital cameras, which is pretty much most people. If you have a Digital SLR, this book is not for you, but then you probably are either a serious hobbyist or a professional and don't need this book.

A Great Help for Us Novices.......2006-03-23

I got this book about two weeks ago; and as I am barely half way through, I have found so much helpful info, this book has been well worth the cost several times over!
Admittedly I was quite skeptical when chapter one only had to do with reading and reviewing the camera users guide that came with your camera. But I went dutiflly and dug out my manual, started paging throught it, and "surprise" if this book wasn't right! When you take the time to look at the full list of capabilities for your camera, it opens new doors in photo opportunities and creative possiblities. I got out my highlighter and went to work both on my manual and " 50 Fast Digital Camera Technicques".
Chapters 8, 9 and 10 are worth their weight in gold! I have a Canon PowerShot A95, and have used it for about a year. It is pretty easy to use, etc. Gives great pics and a lot come out looking very professional, but my being completly unacquainted with photo terminology has slowed down my learning curve. So I loved how this book is writen slowly building on the last chapter, thoroughly explaining the new terms and has complete chapters dedicated to things like; "Taking Sharply Focused Photos", "Getting the Exposure You Want" and "Selecting Focal Length".
I love this book and recommend it for anyone starting photography or interested in getting more from their camera.

Great book.......2005-10-29

This well produced book is color throughout and really measures up to any other digital camera recipe book that I've seen. The techniques get right to the point, with lots of variety and nice images. Everything is step-by-step and richly illustrated, covering both camera tricks and cool special effects. About half the techniques show how to get the most from specific digital camera features, and half are subject-oriented techniques (e.g. flowers, still-life, landscapes, people, etc.) I've been shooting like a maniac with my new D50, and I'm a satisfied customer with this book.

50 Fast Digital Camera Techniques with CDROM

Average customer rating:

50 Fast Digital Camera Techniques with CDROM
Gregory Georges , Chris Maher , and Larry Berman
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0613918797

Amazon.com

It's pretty hard to argue with comic books in trade paperback form. The price is good, and the convenience of having a bunch of stories or a whole story arc in one volume is unbeatable. Still, there's something to be said for having read the Legion of Super-Heroes' Great Darkness Saga back in the '80s, when the mystery gradually unfolded of a super-villain who seemed to be able to take the best of what the 30th-century megagroup had to offer and give it back with spades. Back then, you could devour each issue then agonize for a month while waiting for the next clue of the identity of the mysterious and powerful master. In trade paperback, however, there's no waiting, and you can spoil the mystery just by taking a look at the cover. Regardless, this epic by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen was the best of the modern Legion stories, and one of their best ever. It encompasses issues 287 and 290-294, plus the later Annual 3 that serves as an epilogue to the main story. If you're just picking it the Legion for the first time, not all the details of the characters will make sense (e.g., the problems of Chameleon Boy, the triangle of Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, and Timber Wolf), but the power of the main story is strong enough to carry the reader through. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

There is a paucity of republished Legion material in the form of trades, graphic novels, or whatever you want to call them, and one that was I am not sure why that was chosen ahead of others. Where's the 5 years etc?

At least they did perhaps the best.

Anyway, this a clear standout Legion story, dark avatars causing havoc, many problems, and the cosmic menace of Darkseid revealed.

Long Live the Legion!.......2007-05-14

This is the real Legion, drama and acton with a bit of humor and whimsey. Darkseid vs the entire Legion with the fate of the galaxy in the balance. Featuring the Pre-Crisis Superboy and Supergirl.

Maybe I'm not the best person to review this, but..........2004-08-05

I have never been a huge fan of the Legion of Super Heroes. The concept of a futuristic team of teen super aliens with groan-inducing names was just too goofy for me. While I certainly browsed random issues over the years, I never stuck with a storyline. That changed this week when I read LOSH: THE GREAT DARKNESS SAGA. I hate to say it, but if this is the best DC has to offer in the way of LOSH storylines, I will pass.

I can remember back to the early '80s when this story was serialized: readers were on the edges of their seats, dying to know the identity of the villain. It was kept a mystery for several issues, and that generated quite a bit of excitement. The cover of the trade paperback, however, features Darkseid's mug smack dab in the center, which ruins a bit of the appeal of the story. Anyway, Darkseid is out to stomp the Legion in this story, and he sure does it. You'll see the majority of the LOSH, plus the Substitue Heroes, Mordru, and others, get their clocks cleaned. Plus, there's a nifty bit of time-paradox concerning one of the LOSH's most formidable foes.

I'll admit that, so far, this review probably doesn't warrant such a low rating, so why in the world did I give it 2 stars? First off, this whole story is primarily a slugfest - just one battle after another. I prefer stories that are more character-driven, and this certainly isn't one. And even with all that action, it's fairly dull! My biggest problem, however, concerns the presentation of the Legion within this storyline; specifically, the disconnect between their apparent ages and their names. I have always understood the LOSH to be a group of teenagers, especially with names such as Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, etc. But to see those characters presented here as more mature, with bulky steroid physiques, sporting full beards, and having children, while still retaining their childlike names, is kind of creepy. So are they the matured Legion retaining their original names for the sake of tradition, or could Keith Giffen only draw one stock body style? The world may never know.

Somewhat less satisfying than I remembered..........2004-06-08

Strangely, The Great Darkness Saga doesn't show up on Amazon when you do a search for Legion of Super-Heroes or Darkseid. I only happened upon it an someone's list of their favorite comic book sagas of the 70's and 80's.

I should say right up front that I was never a die-hard Legion fan, or even much of a DC fan when the Great Darkness Saga came out. Up until then, I thought the LoSH was, well...more of a kids' comic, if that makes any sense. I mean, come on...Lighting Lad? Element Lad? Bouncing Boy? The Invisible Kid? These are some truly lame superhero names, and they never really seemed interesting enough to investigate back then. Still, there was something about The Great Darkness that made me check it out back then, and kept me looking for the trade paperback. Maybe it was Keith Giffin's artwork. Maybe it was the mystery of Darkseid's identity. Maybe it was just me searching for the next Dark Phoenix (never found it) storyline to captivate me.

All of that said, after reading this story for the first time in 20 years, I came away disappointed. My recollection was that Darkseid came off in this story as being DC's equivalent to Marvel's Thanos - a malevolent, near omnipotent being with a complex agenda. After reading this, I realize that he's really nowhere close in either his menace or his complexity. He's just a bad guy doing bad things because...well, because he wants to. This may have changed as the character developed in other titles, but here that's all he is. While we're doing a comparison, let's be clear that the Legion aren't the Avengers either, or even the Titans. Even beyond this story, they're a group of one-dimensional characters that you really don't get to know well enough to care much about.

Don't get me wrong. There's some promise here. Giffin's art really does get better as the story goes along. The Servants of Darkness were an interesting group of villains. Wildfire is an interesting character, and Giffin seems to put more artistic energy into him, particularly in battle. And, of course, Darkseid is a great villain despite his shortcomings here (I won't give away the unsatisfying resolution to this story here).

While I'm glad I bought The Great Darkness Saga to add to my collection of stories to share with my kids when they're older, it's likely going to be my last trade paperback of DC stories. It's just not the classic I remembered, and at the end of the day, there's just not enough there.

The best Legion story ever.......2004-04-07

This was the storyline that made me start collecting The Legion of Super-Heroes comics back in 1982. I actually came on board in the middle of the Great Darkness Saga, but quickly scrounged back issues to get the whole story. Everything Levitz and Giffen did afterward was shadowed by this story. Heck, this was where Darkseid made his comeback after being virtually relegated to comic book oblivion in the '70s.
Even when Kirby was writing the Fourth World comics, Darkseid was not the major player in the DC Universe that he is now. But Levitz showed the potential for the character, making him a cosmic villain of universal proportions. Like one of the other reviewers here, Darkseid was new to me simply because I was too young to know about the New Gods. But Levitz used him as a mythic character whose legend would have been known to those who read their Encyclopedia Galactica.
In this story, Darkseid takes a while to reveal himself, working through his "servants of darkness" to procure vessels of power, including living beings he sucks dry of their power. When he does this to Mordru, the Legion know they've got a problem bigger than any they've faced. In one mind-blowing subplot, Darkseid transposes Apokolips with Daxam, giving a yellow sun and the power of Superman to three billion Daxamites he mind-controls.
It's difficult to know whether this remains an official part of Legion continuity because the group has endured so many revamps and rewrites. But it remains an outstanding story. As for Darkseid, this is just one of many possible futures for DC's #1 villain. John Ostrander also did a superb job writing a climactic battle between the Martian Manhunter and Darkseid thousands of years from now.

Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga

Average customer rating:

Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga
Paul -et al Levitz
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UVJOLK

Average customer rating:

Well...

Required resource for speakers, fun for others

Phillips Treasury Of Humorous Quotations

Manufacturer: Tyndale House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Quotations | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Phillips' Book of Great Thoughts & Funny Sayings: A Stupendous Collection of Quotes, Quips, Epigrams, Witticisms, and Humorous Comments. For Personal Enjoyment and Ready Reference.

ASIN: 1414300549

Book Description

Phillips' Treasury of Humorous Quotations is a catalog of more than 1,700 famous (and not so famous) sayings on life. This book is designed to be a ready reference for seminar and sermon preparation, and it's just plain entertaining. Inside you'll find entirely new material. Bob draws from a variety of resources throughout history that are sure to give writers, educators, ministers, and public speakers the perfect quote for their speech or paper.

Customer Reviews:

Well..........2006-03-23

I had high hopes of this collection, but sadly, the humour is tepid, and the wisdom of the quotes is less than insightful. The chinese food quotes, for example, reflect a sort of "insight" that seems wildly outdated these days and rather xenophobic. Other topics covered are often as inane. I relish well turned phrases, and I like to think others do as well. There are few here. There are better resources, which are every bit as suitable for sermons. Only an average average book, more's the pity.

Required resource for speakers, fun for others.......2004-09-25

A wonderful and witty collection of humor, Phillips' Treasury of Humorous Quotes provides a quote for any occasion. The quotes are organized by subject and arranged alphabetically so you can find an appropriate one quickly and easily. Fun to read through just for pleasure and a great source for quotes for a speech or any other similar need, Phillips' Treasury of Humorous Quotations is a recommended purchase.

Random House Treasury of Humorous Quotations

Average customer rating:

Random House Treasury of Humorous Quotations

Manufacturer: Random House Reference
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Quotations | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0375707069
Release Date: 1999-11-16

Book Description

Hundreds of laugh-out-loud quotations from witty writers, comics, and more.

Arranged by subject, from Academia to Youth and everything in between, this collection of funny quotes -- some famous and some less well known -- is a treasure-trove of original humor.

Quoted figures include Mark Twain, Dave Barry, Carol Burnett, and Ernest Hemingway, among many others. Examples include:

"I've had a wonderful evening, but this wasn't it."
--Groucho Marx, when leaving a party

"The best fame is a writer's fame. It's enough to get you a table at a good restaurant, but not enough to get you interrupted when you eat."
--Fran Lebowitz

A perfect inexpensive impulse buy or stocking-stuffer!
Hundreds of quotes for half the price of other humorous quote collections.

Book Description

Nordic National Cinemas explores the film histories and cultures of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and challenges prevailing notions of Nordic cinema. Taking issue with the identification of Nordic cinemas with such internationally famed directors as Bergman and Dreyer, the authors examine each country's domestic film production, social and political context and domestic audiences. Tracing the development of the cinema in the Nordic countries, from its origins in the early years of this century to the commercial and critical success of films in recent years, such as Babette's Feast and The Match Factory Girl, this book is a comprehensive examination of Nordic film history.

Nordic National Cinemas.(Review) (book review): An article from: Scandinavian Studies

Average customer rating:

Nordic National Cinemas.(Review) (book review): An article from: Scandinavian Studies
Arne Lunde
Manufacturer: Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Scandinavian Studies, published by Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study on March 22, 2000. The length of the article is 1114 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: Nordic National Cinemas.(Review) (book review)
Author: Arne Lunde
Publication: Scandinavian Studies (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2000
Publisher: Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
Volume: 72 Issue: 1 Page: 132

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

Territories presents excellent setting design tools for W:tF and, to a lesser extent, the WoD generally.

Werewolf Territories (Werewolf, the Forsaken)
Chris Campbell , James Kiley , Matthew McFarland , and Peter Schaefer
Manufacturer: White Wolf Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Werewolf | Gaming | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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Blasphemies (Werewolf the Forsaken)

Lodges: the Faithful (Werewolf: the Forsaken)

Tome of Watchtowers (Mage)

Wod Skinchangers (World of Darkness)

World of Darkness: Second Sight (World of Darkness)

ASIN: 1588463338

Customer Reviews:

Territories presents excellent setting design tools for W:tF and, to a lesser extent, the WoD generally........2006-09-14

Territories is a resource for Storytellers interested in fleshing out the all-important land werewolves have dedicated themselves to protect. Building a setting for a Chronicle can be a daunting task, but with the tools and suggestions found in Territories it becomes a lot easier. While this product has a Werewolf focus a lot of the suggestions and story hooks found within could be applied to any World of Darkness game.

The biggest flaw of this product is Chapter 2, which reads more like a general introduction to Storytelling than a part of a book focused on Territories. Despite that, the other two chapters are so good they pick up any slack lost in the middle of the product. Example territories, useful places to put into any game, how territory is gained, lost, changed, and an otherwise complete description of everything that could be included in a setting. Information on how to get characters involved in their territory, how to build a territory with players at the start of a Chronicle, and how to otherwise make territory an important part of the game is presented.

Book Description

All companies must grow to survive-but only one in five growth strategies succeeds. In Profit from the Core, strategy expert Chris Zook revealed how to grow profitably by focusing on and achieving full potential in the core business. But what happens when your core business provides insufficient new growth, or even hits the wall?

In Beyond the Core, Zook outlines an expansion strategy based on putting together combinations of adjacency moves into areas away from, but related to, the core business, such as new product lines or new channels of distribution. These sequences of moves carry less risk than diversification, yet they can create enormous competitive advantage, because they stem directly from what the company already knows and does best.

Based on extensive research on the growth patterns of thousands of companies worldwide, including CEO interviews with twenty-five top performers in adjacency growth, Beyond the Core (1) identifies the adjacency pattern that most dramatically increases the odds of success: "relentless repeatability;" (2) offers a systematic approach for choosing among a range of possible adjacency moves; and 3) shows how to time adjacency moves during a variety of typical business situations.

Beyond the Core shows how to find and leverage the best avenues for growth-without damaging the heart of the firm.

Customer Reviews:

Practical and Insightful .......2005-03-28

What is especially useful about this book is that it is practical. It gives advice for every stage of an adjacency expansion, from strategy development to execution, on how to increase the likelihood that it will be successful. The case studies are interesting and the analysis is insightful.

For people like me who do not have a business background or management consulting experience, this book is an excellent read and, at the very least, should get you by at parties where you would run into such people.

An Outstanding Growth Guide for Global Business Leaders.......2004-05-13

As a second year MBA student at the Kellogg School of Management and a future corporate strategist for a global financial services firm, I found reading Beyond the Core to be one of the best time investments that I've made over the last few years. Chris Zook seems to have a knack for writing great books that not only stand the test of time but that are also highly relevant to the current business and economic environments. Specifically, his first book, Profits from the Core, which focused on maximizing the value of the core business, was launched when businesses needed it most - during the economic downturn. Now, Beyond the Core is perfectly timed since, from what I and other MBA's are observing in the market, most businesses are remobilizing for growth.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed Beyond the Core - it's a relatively quick read that is focused, insightful and well structured. More specifically, I think there are three key things that make this book stand out in comparison to many other business books I've read: 1) it takes a global perspective 2) it is highly data driven and has great examples and 3) its very actionable and offers lots of insights on implementation.

To elaborate, the first thing I really liked about Beyond the Core is that it takes a truly global perspective with examples from Europe, Asia and Latin America. As an MBA student majoring in International Business Strategy who will be working in a global firm after graduation, it was great to read about the strategies that firms such as Li & Fung (HK), Ambev (Brazil), Lloyd's Bank and Vodephone (UK) and STMicroelectronics (Italy). Overall, I also liked that the book mixes an array of fresh case studies (Tesco, Biogen, Ambev) with more traditional ones (Dell, Nike, American Express).

Secondly, Beyond the Core is highly data driven and the recommendations are based on empirical evidence, not conjectures. As a student of business strategy, I too often come across books or theories that are supported by nothing other than a few select examples that prop up the author's hypotheses. Beyond the Core, in contrast, is supported by an enormous amount of financial, competitive and market research and by many CEO interviews and studies by Bain & Company. This is extremely insightful as it helps the reader understand the odds of success and failure across the business world and thus leads to much more informed strategies.

Finally, Mr. Zook has focused nearly a third of the book on implementation and execution strategy. This makes the book and its recommendations highly actionable instead of leaving the author asking "so what?" The book sets out a systematic and understandable road map for adjacency expansion. More importantly, it discusses issues that are critical to growth initiatives such as: organizational structure, decision making processes, staffing, accountability and reporting, etc.

In sum, I highly recommend Beyond the Core, especially to global business leaders looking for a practical guide for profitably growing their businesses. Enjoy!!

Questionable Choice of Examples and Lack of Definitions!.......2004-03-15

Many people who have been burned by going into new areas will grade this as five-stars for encouraging caution in expanding a company's scope. If that's all you want from a book, this is a five-star book. If you want to learn what the exact lesson is, and why that lesson is true, you'll have to look elsewhere however. If you want to learn how to beat the odds in this area, you will also have to look elsewhere.

I found Profit from the Core to be a directionless mishmash of data without firm definitions that repeatedly espoused the idea of "stick to your knitting." As a result, I took up Beyond the Core with great trepidation. At first blush, Beyond the Core seemed to cure some of the peripheral problems of Profit from the Core . . . until I began to notice how almost all of the important examples of continuing business model innovation had been excluded that seemed to fit all of the criteria (except perhaps being willing to be interviewed by the author). Mr. Zook continues to avoid defining what "the core" is, so that basic problem continues.

The book's message is "stick to your knitting . . . unless you have not choice . . . then don't go away from your cost advantages and knowledge." If you want to know a little more about that message, you can read all of the key points in the book summarized in the Afterword on pages 189-192 in less than five minutes.

The book will mainly be helpful to those who are thinking about making unrelated acquisitions. The advice: Don't do it! The odds are way against you . . . but even the most unrelated acquisitions sometimes work (GE bought NBC and has done well with it, for example). The book lacks clear direction for how some overcome the odds.

The book was also curiously silent about how companies can use small experiments to test their way into new areas. That's the way that most firms expand beyond their core.

The methodology looks very much like those employed in Build to Last and Good to Great . . . but don't believe it. Cases were selected in part based on whether Mr. Zook could interview the companies. So it's really a subjective sample. So take the conclusions with a selective grain of salt. Here are some of the cases of those who have prospered with expanding into new areas that seem to fit the Zook criteria but don't appear in the book: Beckman Coulter; Berkshire Hathaway; Clear Channel Communications; Education Management; GE; Iron Mountain; Nucor; Paychex; Sony; Virgin Group; Xilinx; and Zebra Technologies. It's not surprising that the book fails to describe the discipline of continual business model improvement as a best practice . . . a serious omission for this subject.

Ultimately, I think the flaw behind the book is to look at moving "beyond the core" separately from looking "at the core." If the two books had been combined into one that looked at how to outperform the competition, there would have been the basis of helpful insights. Or, this book could have been scoped down into how to grow into new areas with internal development activities versus acquisitions. That would have been helpful. But with the focus of "beyond the core," you are left in a never-never land that you may not want to be in. The other interesting question that could have been addressed is how companies prospered by eliminating the old core and replacing it with a new one through acquisition as a number of companies have.

As I thought about why the author might have chosen this direction, I realized that it may be an unconscious use of the older ways of strategic thinking. Those analytical schemes separated thinking about existing business areas from entering new ones. For some time though, most strategic thinkers have emphasized seeing the questions as connected. You should, for example, be pursuing your best opportunities. That means comparing all choices in some manner at the same time.

The other problem with data-heavy studies like this one is that you are relying on backward impressions (with 20-20 hindsight). Studies of best practices are best done by looking at the decisions and actions when they are made . . . and then measuring the results to see what happens. Interviews taken at such times reveal much different information than the neat success stories spun after the fact. Clayton Christensen does a good job of explaining this issue in chapter one of his new book, The Innovator's Solution.

As I finished the book, I began to think about the many unsuccessful unrelated acquisitions that I have run into among companies. In almost every case, I remember reading a thick book by a name consulting firm that had explained at the time of the purchase why the acquisition could not miss. Perhaps a follow on for this book would be how to avoid bad advice in evaluating acquisitions.

Not All Adjacencies Are Appropriate.......2004-02-12

Perhaps you have already read Profit From the Core: Growth Strategy in the Age of Turbulence which Zook co-authored with James Allen. It was based on rigorous research which revealed the key strategic decisions that most often determine growth or stagnation in business. They note: "Central to our findings are three ideas: the concept of the core business and its boundaries; the idea that every business has a level of full-potential performance that usually exceeds what the company imagines; and the idea that performance-yield loss occurs at many levels, from strategy to leadership to organizational capabilities to execution." In the five chapters which follow, Zook (with Allen) examines "the types of strategic business decisions that most often seem to tilt the odds of future success or failure." Zook correctly suggests in this book that many organizations cannot resist the appeal ("the siren's song") of "miracle cures" of their problems. Zook focuses entirely on what has been verified in real-world experience, on what is practical, and on what will reliably achieve the desired results of sound strategic decisions.

In the first chapter of this book, Zook discusses what he calls "the growth crisis" which many (most?) organizations encounter. He observes, "Finding or maintaining a source of sustained and profitable growth has become the number one concern of most CEOs. And moves that push out the boundaries of their core business into 'adjacencies' are where they are most often look these days." I agree with Zook that these strategies have three distinctive features: "First, they are of significant size, or they can lead to a sequence of related adjacency moves that generate substantial growth. Second. they build on., indeed are bolted on, a strong core business. Thus the adjacent area draws from the strength of the core and at the same time may serve to reinforce or defend that core. Third, adjacency strategies are a journey into the unknown, a true extension of the core, a pushing out of the boundaries, a step-up in risk from typical forms of organic growth." Much of the material in this brilliant book is guided and informed by what Zook claims is "the new math of profitable growth." Specifics are best provided by Zook himself.

Zook presumes that those who read this book already know what a core business is, and more specifically, what the core business is of their respective organizations. Given his objectives, that assumption is probably necessary so that he can explore the opportunities which (key word) appropriate adjencies offer. Fair enough. However, my own experience suggests that companies frequently extend the boundaries of a core business without fully understanding what that core business is. Railroads probably offer the best example. Only much too late (if then) did senior-level executives at major railroads realize that their core business was transporting people and cargo, NOT "railroading." Obviously, trains are confined to the tracks as are ships to the water and trucks to the roadways over which they proceed. Early on, what if owners of railroads and their associates had addressed questions such as those Zook poses in his Preface (Page ix)? Had they done so, presumably they would have recognized appropriate adjacencies which include taxi cabs, Super Shuttle, local delivery services, and "overnight" delivery services (e.g. DHL, FedEx, and UPS). While they're at it, why not own or forge strategic partnerships with over-the-road trucking companies and cargo airlines? Given the central locations of railroad stations in major metropolitan areas, it would have been easy enough to combine a full-range of travel services within an upscale retail mall.

The question to ask, therefore, is not what an organization's core business is. Rather, what could AND SHOULD it be? The correct answer to that question is important, of course, because without a proper core, there can be chaos. Also, the correct answer suggests appropriate adjacencies by which to achieve and then sustain increasingly more profitable growth.

In the Afterword, Zook imagines himself engaged in what he calls the proverbial "elevator" conversation during which he reviews the "key messages" contained within his book. It serves no good purpose to list them here because each must be carefully considered within a meticulously formulated context. However, once the book has been read, I strongly recommend that all of these "key messages" be reviewed on a monthly (if not weekly) basis. For decision-makers in at least some companies, this may well prove to be the most valuable book they have read in recent years.

Standing Tall.......2004-01-31

Standing Tall among Business Books, Chris Zook has indepth research examples of Companies portraying picture of today's business times. Numerous CEO reports, charts and graphs with real practical illustrations are varied. Outside a core business, the expansion is detailed in this book - on how to go ahead framing and practically applying the ways and means so as not to harness the existence levels. The books offers nurturing roots of business, examples on adjacency expansions with pros and cons of success and failure measures. The name itself speaks big 'Expand market without abandoning Roots' and the rule of the game lies in effective management. The author pin points steps to leverage best avenues and the possible adjacent moves so as to reach competitive edge and pooling profit without harnessing the roots of main frame business. In today's time, with diversifications, 'Beyond the Core'- the book serves a Good Reference and as I read on Chris zook's comments, I feel this is a 'Grab Pick' and Must for all Big Company Executives.

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