Spectrum 4: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art (Spectrum (Paper), 4)

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The Spectrum awards fill an important niche in the art world, by recognizing the often-overlooked contributions of fantasy artists. Spectrum 4: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art includes all the juried work from the Spectrum awards for 1996--and if this collection was any indication, it was a banner year. The book itself has an excellent, art-centered layout that keeps commentary to a minimum and lets the individual pieces speak for themselves.

Expect to be dazzled repeatedly by the sheer variety and quality of the work anthologized here. Spectrum 4 does a fine job of demonstrating how much variety exists in fantasy art. Alongside the ever-present fantasy standards (dragons, fairies, vampires) you will find highly original, challenging works of often-extraordinary breadth. Highlights include brilliant pieces from James Gurney's Dinotopia, Rafael Olbinski's haunting Calendar, and this year's Grand Master Award winners Leo and Diane Dillion. This book is sure to satisfy art lovers craving the bizarre, the terrifying, and the spectacular. --Brendan J. LaSalle

Customer Reviews:

Just Amazing~!!!.......2007-03-20

I vividly remember the first time I saw this book at the local comic book store. Wow~ Just amazing, it blew my brains out. There is no other book like Spectrum series books. Book features full color drawing, paintings and sculptures by fantastic artist from all over the world. You will see so many styles and techniques that you never seen before. This is a must for Artist, Illustrators, and Art Directors.

Pure magic........1998-07-18

Almost any one of the pieces in this collection is worth the price of the book. There are no monkey swathes of paint against white canvas here, my friends. No, here are works that will quicken your breath, accelerate your heartbeat, and ignite the synapses in your mind. And as my fellow reviewer commented, this book is a wellspring of inspiration. Just flip the pages and see for your self. Works like "Number 16" and "Prudence II" present this point more eloquently than I ever could. I have only one pique. There was no art from any of the Galerie Morpheus artists like Giger, Yerka, and De Es. Despite this, I urge all fans of SF and Fantasy art to buy this book. You won't be dissappointed.

Endless source of inspiration for artists........1998-03-27

Spectrum 4 is one of those books that artists turn to when ideas are at a premium. The artwork is so voluminous and diverse in character. Every possible stylization of fantasy art is represented. Some works are intense and mysterious, dark and brooding. While others follow a campy, comic book hero genre. My favorite works are more of an illustrative fairy tale approach. However, I find this book to be a wonderful resource for those times when the well is running dry.

Spectrum 4; The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art

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Spectrum 4; The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art
Cathy & Arnie Fenner Fenner
Manufacturer: Underwood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K4XQ3O

Book Description

Mike Disfarmer was a true American eccentric. Born Mike Meyer, he changed his name to distance himself from both the surrounding farming community of his native Arkansas and from his own kinfolk—claiming that a tornado had accidentally blown him onto the Meyer family farm as a baby. The son of a German-born Union soldier in the heart of the South, Disfarmer was an agnostic from Lutheran stock among the church-going Baptists and Methodists, and remained a confirmed bachelor in a community of large families.

Despite his outsider status, as the resident studio photographer in the tiny town of Heber Springs from 1917 to 1956, Disfarmer was the ultimate insider, privy to each family's rites of passage—from first birthdays to high school graduations, from engagements to anniversaries, from army furloughs to funerals. His studio portraits present the people of the heartland during the turbulent times of the early 20 th century. Disfarmer documented the farm families as they sent their sons to fight in World War I, struggled through the Great Depression, and returned to battle for World War II. His career concludes with the optimistic 1950s, as his previously somber camera joyfully captures the pairings of bobby-soxed young women and their James Dean-wannabe boyfriends.

Previously, Disfarmer's work was known only from a cache of glass-plate negatives that had been salvaged from his studio after his death and spanned a fifth of his 40-year career. The culmination of an unprecedented two-year historical reclamation project in which a dedicated team of researchers scoured every family album in every home along every dirt road in Cleburne County, Disfarmer: The Vintage Prints presents the never-before-seen original vintage prints of the enigmatic photographer throughout his career.

Born Mike Meyer, Disfarmer owned and operated a private portrait studio for most of his adult life. Usually using antiquated glass-plate negatives, Disfarmer captured the likeness of the residents of Heber Springs, Arkansas and the surrounding farmland during a pivotal moment in American history. He died in 1959.

Customer Reviews:

Recently Discovered Photographs of Disfarmer, the Walt Whitman of Photography.......2005-11-23

For those who found the simplistic, honest, raw portraits of the ordinary townsfolk of Heber Springs, Arkansas taken by Mike Disfarmer (aka Mike Meyer) from 1939 - 1946 as touching as did this viewer, then this book is a must. As recently as 2004 the many prints and negatives of Disfarmer's 'people pictures' that spanned his entire career as a quiet small town photographer were discovered and are here printed, many for the first time.

The result of the research and compassion for the gifts of Mike Disfarmer as an observer of the common man fill the pages of this fine book, produced with the highest quality on fine paper. The subjects are couples, individuals, soldiers from WW I and WW II home on leave or ready for departure to the frontlines - this is a captured moment in history of life in middle America that is reminiscent of the poetry of Walt Whitman or the dust bowl of Dorothea Lange. Turning the pages of The Vintage Prints is like meeting paused souls who are of the earth and of the time (WWI to the 1950s) and the effect is one of aesthetic pleasure as well as deep nostalgia for a more honest time. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, November 05

Customer Reviews:

Unfortunately, not even close to a prequel.......2007-09-23

While Voyeur , a book with green cover was stand alone fun-filled weird comedy, Voyeurs INC part one , two and three explore pathological personalities and are much more shocking and bizarre . For some it is advantage, for me disadvantage . There is no humor like in the first book that started it all (green cover , Hideo Yamamoto's VoyeUR without s at the end.)

NOT FOR KIDS!!!

A different manga..........2000-06-29

Join Ken, Smile, Cho and their dog Husky. Catch the "Voyeurs Inc." van for a ride into the wild world of voyeurism (= spying on other peoples' lives, particularly their sexual behavior). Having access to state-of-the-art surveillance gadgets, being a Peeping Tom in the over-crowded Japan is nothing more than a hobby for our team who eventually decide to do it professionally, for business and above all pleasure. However, would you ever expect that such situations as prostitution practiced by "innocent" schoolgirls, actually exist? A story of twists and turns unfolds before your eyes, making you anxious to keep reading and reading until the end, just to find more surprises...

A lot of funny moments are present as well as some "private" ones. ;) Hideo Yamamoto has certainly done an excellent job, being responsible for the story AND the artwork... Although the content of this book is supposed to be for mature readers, I would recommend it not only to readers above 18 but also to those above 16 because it is not THAT disturbing. Some of the "bad" words and even a few of the amazingly detailed pictures are censored, but not TOO censored.

The text of this graphic novel, is one of the best I've seen in a translated manga. There are absolutely no typing errors. Good job, U.S. publishers!

The "Vol.1" printed on the cover of the book, indicates that future sequels are planned; so this is a good chance to start building your own special collection of bizarre comics, a.k.a. MANGA! :)

(Note: This graphic novel is supposed to be the sequel to Hideo Yamamoto's "Voyeur". However, the story of "Voyeurs, Inc." has NOTHING to do with "Voyeur" except for the fact that both books' main theme is about voyeurism.)

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An enjoyable author, but the book is physically too big.

14 books in 1: Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men In A Boat, Three Men On The Bummel, Diary of a Pilgrimage, Novel Notes, Paul Kelver,

Terribly disappointing

14 books in 1: Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men In A Boat, Three Men On The Bummel, Diary of a Pilgrimage, Novel Notes, Paul Kelver, Tommy and Co., They And ... Of An Idle Fellow, Second Thoughts of
Jerome, K Jerome
Manufacturer: Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0954840178

Book Description

This unique, great-value edition contains 14 full length works by the English humorist Jerome K Jerome. Includes the complete text of: Three Men in a Boat, Three Men on the Bummel, Diary of a Pilgrimage, Novel Notes, Paul Kelver, Tommy and Co, They and I, All Roads Lead to Calvary, Idle Ideas in 1905, The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, Tea-Table Talk, Told after Supper, and The Passing of the Third Floor Back. A must for any fan of Jerome K Jerome's original and witty writing!

Customer Reviews:

An enjoyable author, but the book is physically too big........2007-05-08

I'd recommend both the author and his work but not in this format. A paperback that is nearly 10" by 8" by 2" is too heavy and clumsy to hold and read. I've already dropped it a couple times and I'm hoping I can finish reading it before the binding starts to go. Too expensive a purchase to last through only one reading.

14 books in 1: Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men In A Boat, Three Men On The Bummel, Diary of a Pilgrimage, Novel Notes, Paul Kelver,.......2007-02-08

This book offers an extremely rare opportunity - to own most of JKJ's works in one volume at a terrific price! I have been collecting Jerome K. Jerome's books for years; editions ranging from early 20th century to contemporary paperbacks. And now I have them all, the works of the greatest, the most brilliant humorist ever born (to say nothing of his punctuation!)

Terribly disappointing.......2007-02-08

Unless you must have the text of these 14 Jerome K. Jerome books, don't waste your money (as I regret doing) on this terribly disappointing volume. It's densely printed, in two columns per page, in a rather small typeface, and has none of the illustrations that the original books had and that, for me, added much to their charm. I opened this volume once, and immediately put it straight into my bag of "Books to be Discarded."

Ronald Wyllys

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Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow
Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome
Manufacturer: Hard Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow
Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummel
Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog (Tor Classics)

ASIN: 140694713X
Release Date: 2006-11-03

Book Description

Do not blame me, Ladies, the fault lies with you. Every right-thinking man is an universal lover; how could it be otherwise? You are so diverse, yet each so charming of your kind; and a man's heart is large. You have no idea, fair Reader, how large a man's heart is: that is his trouble--sometimes yours.

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Now, which would you advise, dear? You see, with the red I shan't be able to wear my magenta hat.

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Humorous,Witty and Thought-provoking
Old books are the best books
Laughed out loud and forced my colleagues to read it.
Written in 1892, an up-to-date humorous look at life.

Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow
Jerome K. Jerome
Manufacturer: Mondial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Essays | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummel
Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow
Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog (Tor Classics)
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Augustus Carp Esq.: By Himself (Prion Humor Classic)

ASIN: 1595690247

Book Description

You've been in love, of course! If not you've got it to come. Love is like the measles; we all have to go through it. Also like the measles, we take it only once. One never need be afraid of catching it a second time. The man who has had it can go into the most dangerous places and play the most foolhardy tricks with perfect safety.

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Customer Reviews:

Humorous,Witty and Thought-provoking.......2006-04-28

In English literature,humour is always a tame but sharp instrument to get at things which otherwise be poisons to be consumed by a body. over the depths of time,writers have forever employed the various designs of humour and subtle sarcasms to dart their disdain at the numerous worrying sides of the socirty. In "Pride and Prejudice" for instance,Jane Austen pokes at the gentry stratum in an overtone of hilarisity and witty ironies. a compatible mechanism is employed by Mark Twain in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and by Charles Dickens in "nicholas Nickleby" and co by Monsieur Jerome.

At the heart of Lerome Klapka Jerome's compilation of humorous essays titled "The Idle Thoughts Of An Idle Fellow" rsides a vociferous thrill of fun and joviality that often gets moulded into criticism of the eternal absurdities of human nature. In fourteen intricate essays,the author of "Three Men in a Boat(To say nothing of the Dog!),itself a marvellous and classic novel,explores thevarious dimensions of life and provides a perfect reflection of life in his essays. indeed the quinessential theme of art is to mirror life in imaginary colours,to speak about life through the illusory characters. Jerome K. Jerome's essays are direct and invoke a conversational beat and as the reader jumps from one topic to another,he actually does so in terms of the myriad facets of society.

"On Being Idle" is a great way to start the journey. Excerpts from the author's personal life tingled by meanderings away from the theme takes the reader on a voyage that finds parallel ideas in other essays. The next offering "On Being in Love" is one daring foray into the realm of womanhood and the next,"On Being in the Blues" is deeply soaked in pathos and invokes lofty diction. It perceives agony and sorrow both through the personal and the general perspectives. "On Memory" is an exemplar of marvellous nostalgia as the author takes on a ride back into the dark corridors of time. In this,Jerome K. Jerome encaptures memories and yearns for those bittersweey bygone days. "Even the sadness that is past seems sweet",he writes and goes on to relive the past in words. the philosophical touch here is at its acme,a gradual uphill climb that had been gradually gathering force.

In "On Vanity and Vanities" and "On Furnished Apartments",the writer applies cunning euphemisms birdered on sly allegories,transmutating into pride and furniture respectively in each case to higher terms. "On Babies" is more like a disconcern from Jerome K. Jeome towards the fuss that people make over babies and is replete with an undertone of life's inevitable end---death. The other esays in the book---"On Being Hard Up","On Getting on in the World","On the Weather","On Cats and Dogs","On Being Shy","On Eating and Drinking" and "On Dres and Deportment"---all are sketches on common,explained yet undefined attributes of life. in them,as well as in others,the abilit to tell stories so refinely and in so unique a fashion keeps the reader engaged in his work and keeps on wondering how the writer moces astray from the chosen topic,explores the bigger landscape and then springs back to the original theme in a manner that is astonishing in a vast degree.

"The Idle Thoughts of an Idle fellow" is no doubt a great work of literature but on a number of occasions it does fall short of the level of humour and fun that Jerome K. Jerome had reached in "Three Men in a Boat" and "Three Men in a Bummel". Sometimes you're left irritated by the writer going off-track and sometimes the comedy becomes tpoo ordinary. but even so,the essays never go deep into social scars and restrain themselves on the fringes of emotions and sentimentality. the book's not dark,it's not dramatic and it's not tragic but it's a vivid display of the common and unconventional things in life in an uncommon and unconventional style.

Old books are the best books.......2002-04-19

I found this book at a garage sale. They were only selling books, because the sellers father had passed away leaving them a huge library they didn't want. They had all sorts of books. I was scrounging around and came across a small old green book. I read a little and bought it. I've reread it a thousand times it is the most insightfully hilarious thing i have ever read. If you haven't read it your missing out.

Laughed out loud and forced my colleagues to read it........1999-04-23

I came across this first when it was being narrated on the BBC's Radio 4 and just *had* to find the text. Since the book's out of print, and thus difficult to find, note it's also available through Project Gutenberg, which publishes out-of-copyright books on the Internet.

Written in 1892, an up-to-date humorous look at life........1998-08-26

Jerome has the uncanny knack of looking at life in the l800's and unknowingly applying it to our life of today , a hundred years later. It is uproariouly funny, tearfully sad, but always true. His chapter on dogs and cats is enough to make you roll down the hall. Also not to be overlooked, his dedication in the front is to his friend, his PIPE. Oh, to be able to look forward to more of his writtings, but, alas, only three items were printed, it seems. A must in anyone's library for pure joy and insight.

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Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow
Jerome K. Jerome
Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IAQ0D8

The idle thoughts of a surgical fellow,: Being an account of experimental surgical studies, 1956-1966,

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The idle thoughts of a surgical fellow,: Being an account of experimental surgical studies, 1956-1966,
Stacey B Day
Manufacturer: Cultural and Educational Productions, Canada and U.S.A
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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THE IDLE THOUGHTS OF AN IDLE FELLOW
Jerome K. JEROME
Manufacturer: Henry Altemus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IXV29C

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THE IDLE THOUGHTS OF AN IDLE FELLOW
JEROME
Manufacturer: DENT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Idle Thoughts Of An Idle Fellow
Jerome K. Jerome
Manufacturer: W. B. Conkey Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K2OEO6

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Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow

Manufacturer: SNOWBOOKS LIMITED
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H8WBIO

Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow : A Book for an Idle Holiday

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Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow : A Book for an Idle Holiday
Jerome K. Jerome
Manufacturer: Henry Holt & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GP2K84

Book Description

Notes from the Underground: The Cinema of Emir Kusturica is the first book on the Sarajevan film-maker to be published in English. With six highly acclaimed films to his credit, Kusturica is already established as one of the most important of contemporary filmmakers. Underground won the Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival and Arizona Dream with Johnny Depp won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Including his most recent film, Black Cat, White Cat, this book delves into diverse facets of Kusturica's work, all of which is passionately dedicated to the marginal and the outcast.

The Cinema of Emir Kusturica: Notes from the Underground.(Book Review): An article from: Cineaste

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The Cinema of Emir Kusturica: Notes from the Underground.(Book Review): An article from: Cineaste
Andrew Horton
Manufacturer: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0008EALWA
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Cineaste Publishers, Inc. on September 22, 2003. The length of the article is 1265 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: The Cinema of Emir Kusturica: Notes from the Underground.(Book Review)
Author: Andrew Horton
Publication: Cineaste (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2003
Publisher: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
Volume: 28 Issue: 4 Page: 65(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Notes from the Underground: The Cinema of Emir Kusturica.(Book Review) : An article from: The Modern Language Review

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Notes from the Underground: The Cinema of Emir Kusturica.(Book Review) : An article from: The Modern Language Review
Peter Hames
Manufacturer: Modern Humanities Research Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Modern Language Review, published by Modern Humanities Research Association on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 688 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: Notes from the Underground: The Cinema of Emir Kusturica.(Book Review)
Author: Peter Hames
Publication: The Modern Language Review (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association
Volume: 99 Issue: 1 Page: 272(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Vincenzo Ruffo : Il Primo Livro de Motetti a Cinque Voci (Milan: Castillione, 1542), Motetti a Sei Voci (Venice: Scotto, 1955) (Sixteenth-Century Motet, Volumes 19-20)
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Vincenzo Ruffo : Il Primo Livro de Motetti a Cinque Voci (Milan: Castillione, 1542), Motetti a Sei Voci (Venice: Scotto, 1955) (Sixteenth-Century Motet, Volumes 19-20)

Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0824079205

Book Description

Motetti a sei voci (Venice, 1555)

Book Description

Forty-one highly-detailed accurately rendered illustrations of ancient animals include the Megistoterium, one of the largest flesh-eating mammals that ever lived; the Smilodon, largest of saber-toothed tigers; the giraffe-like Indricotherium that browsed on treetops and many more — all royalty-free. Captions.

A Coloring Book of Prehistoric Mammals on the Rise in the Southwest

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A Coloring Book of Prehistoric Mammals on the Rise in the Southwest
Jennifer Owings Dewey , and Lucy Lyon
Manufacturer: Museum of New Mexico Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0890132380

Prehistoric Mammals: An Educational Coloring Book

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Prehistoric Mammals: An Educational Coloring Book

Manufacturer: Spizzirri Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0865450226

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Doodle Art: Tp-17: Prehistoric Mammals
Rita Warner
Manufacturer: Price Stern Sloan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Getting to 'Closed': A Proven Program to Accelerate the Sales Cycle and Increase Commissions
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Tactical way of closing the sale.

Insightful!

How to Reduce the Sales Cycle

Revolutionary system for increasing sales

Getting to 'Closed': A Proven Program to Accelerate the Sales Cycle and Increase Commissions
Stephan Schiffman
Manufacturer: Kaplan Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0793153891
Release Date: 2002-06-12

Book Description

Turn prospects into revenue with a proven program from the nation's leading sales prospecting expert.

There is a crisis undermining American business: Salespeople are wasting time with people who don't know what they want to buy, aren't really interested in buying, or have no authority to buy. The result is a time management nightmare leading to losses in income and productivity, says Stephan Schiffman, a respected sales prospecting expert. His new book, Getting to ""Closed"", presents effective strategies to turn prospects into revenue, using a proprietary system that has been implemented by more than 100,000 salespeople at major companies worldwide. Based on real numbers and ratios, his clear and proven action plan transforms careers and increases sales.

Customer Reviews:

Tactical way of closing the sale........2005-11-11

This book does NOT talk about HOW TO close the sale. It talks about the system of closing the sale. From making cold call to closing the sale.

Good idea for Sales Managers. Somewhat easy way of organizing your prospects/clients. Read it. It will clear few clouds for you and answer questions like: How can i manage my clients better.

Insightful!.......2003-02-26

Stephan Schiffman's short to-the-point book features his new Prospect Management System, which is designed to help you become a more effective salesperson. This hearty addition to sales literature shows you how to be more systematic as you generate prospects and devote your attention to the ones who are most likely to buy. Instead of just playing a numbers game, Schiffman emphasizes ratios, so you can zero in on your best clients while developing new prospects - since only a few leads become sales. The book's charts and examples illustrate its principles, although the quizzes after each chapter seem unnecessary. If we were hawking this book, we from getAbstract would pitch it to those who sell big ticket items by developing leads through cold-calling.

How to Reduce the Sales Cycle.......2002-09-05

There are several excellent books on sales and sales training. This is one of the best. It offers what I consider to be a uniquely comprehensive, cohesive, and time-effective system which Schiffman calls a "Prospect Management" program. Apparently this system have been adopted, in some instances modified, and then implemented by more than 1,800 different organizations. I agree with Schiffman that the word "organizations" is more appropriate than "companies" because colleges, universities, and churches as well as other non-profits must also generate substantial revenue from their respective constituencies. If anything, their need to manage their "prospects" effectively is even greater than is the need of for-profits. Benefactors, for example, must be convinced to sustain (if not increase) their financial support; volunteers must be enlisted; and staff members must "buy into" necessary changes in policy and procedure. All organizations (regardless of size or nature) will derive substantial benefit from the wealth of information and insights which he shares in this book.

Schiffman carefully organizes his material within three separate but interrelated Parts: The Fundamentals, Learning the System, and Getting Up and Running. The foundation of the "Prospect Management" program consists of complete and current information about prospects which is prioritized and then classified within four active stages of the sales cycle. First, decision-makers who have agreed to a preliminary meeting; next, decision-makers who then specifically indicate interest and agree to discuss budgets and pricing; next, decision-makers who have made at least a verbal agreement; and finally, decision-makers who have become customers, (i.e. signed a contract). Schiffman also has another category, "Fallbacks/opportunities": assumed but unverified decision-makers with whom initial contact has been made but who are not as yet prospects. "These are candidates, suspects, leads or referrals -- people [you] want to do business with, but with whom [you] do not yet have a real relationship." Because change is the only constant in today's business world, Schiffman correctly emphasizes the importance of constantly updating the prospect database. Hence the need for constantly obtaining new information. Subjected to rigorous evaluation, the information is converted it into intelligence data which guide and inform the "Prospect Management" program.

As Schiffman would be the first to point out, the "Prospect Management" program as he presents it may not be wholly appropriate in all respects to a given sales organization. That is to say, decision-makers must be prepared to make whatever modifications may be necessary. For example, consider how varied sales cycles are (e.g. those for a Boeing 777, an SUV, a major appliance, an insurance policy, or a pair of sneakers); also, the differences between and among so-called "inside" and "outside" salespersons; also, the number of decision-makers and decision-influencers involved. Nonetheless, the basic principles of Schiffman's "Prospect Management" program remain valid no matter who is selling what to whom.

Some of the best material is provided within five appendices but I strongly recommend that they be read only after reading the 20 chapters which precede them. Schiffman introduces and then explains his system step-by-step. There is a continuity to his thinking which is reflected in the sequence of the material provided. With great care, he "walks" his reader through that material. Also, at the end of the first 18 chapters, he includes a "Quick Quiz" for the reader. (The correct answers can be found after the final chapter.) If at times the narrative seems redundant (and it does), that is because there are several key points worthy of being reiterated. The accumulative impact ensures that those key points will be retained in the reader's mind long after the book has been read.

Obviously, I think highly of this book. However, given the importance of maximizing sales and (yes) commissions, I think salespersons and especially those who supervise them should consult several different sources of information and counsel. Therefore, I also highly recommend Rackham's SPIN Selling, Boylan's The Power to Get In, and Werth's High Probability Selling. Each of these also offers much of value. However, I again stress the importance of formulating, implementing, and then constantly fine-tuning a cohesive, comprehensive, and time-effective sales program. For that reason, I'd start with the "Prospect Management" program and modify accordingly.

Revolutionary system for increasing sales.......2002-07-11

Direct, powerful, and easy to implement.

Like a lot of great ideas, Schiffman's system seems obvious -- once you've used it for a while. The fact is, though, he's come up with a remarkable, and remarkably simple, sales management tool that no one else has.

I predict that this book will change the way a lot of sales departments around the country and around the world operate. Required reading for every person who sells for a living or manages salespeople.

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