In My Own Voice: Memoirs

Book Description

One of the greatest mezzo-sopranos of postwar opera, Christa Ludwig recalls her long and lustrous career singing for two generations of adoring audiences, under the batons of such conductors as Klemperer, Karajan, Solti, and Bernstein, in the great opera houses of the world. Her memoirs make clear why Bernstein said of her, "She is simply the best, and the best of all possible human beings."

Customer Reviews:

Delightful book by the great German mezzo!.......2004-02-16

Christa Ludwig was, in my opinion, the greatest German mezzo of her time, in both opera and lieder, and, as someone else says in an opera review on Amazon, the greatest Elektra that never was and the greatest Brunnhilde that never was. And she is also, as you can see from her engaging book "In My Own Voice," a person of wit, honesty, an exuberance for life, and and with an ability to talk about her gifts and her life that both recognizes what she has and puts it in perspective. As she quotes from the Schubert lied "Geheimnis," in the close of her book:

So geht es auch dem Sanger,
Er singt, erstaunt in sich;
Was still ein Gott bereitet,
Befremdet ihn wie dich.

So it is also with the singer,
He sings, amazed at himself;
What in silence a god made,
Amazes as well as you.

Ludwig talks about her early life, born into a singing family, in Nazi Germany. She takes us through her career, but she tells us much more than a recital of what she sang, when and where. The most fascinating part of this book for me was the description of each of her major operatic roles - which ones she especially enjoyed, the joys and the challenges (and the roles she would like to have sung). She doesn't indulge in gossip, and is generous about her colleagues. She talks about conductors, houses, preparation, and the often lonely and difficult life of a singer.

And she shares with us her introspection about herself and her art. "Was it worth it? What was the meaning?" I am so greatful to be able to read about Christa Ludwig "in her own words."

truly down-to-earth, but also aristocratic.......2001-06-27

Christa Ludwig is inarguably one of the greatest singers and musicians of this or any time. A mezzo-soprano who also made at least one classic recording of a great soprano role (Beethoven's Leonora in FIDELIO), Mme. Ludwig was, in addition, a probing and insightful recital and concert artist. Mme. Ludwig's memoir, expertly translated by Regina Domeraski, reveals a deeply committed artist who is also a human being who has lived a full life, and has no reservations when it comes to talking about either. If you have read any of Mme. Ludwigs's numerous interviews, you will know that she is a frank, uninhibited, witty and no-nonsense person. She is as comfortable talking about Harry Belafonte in Carmen Jones as she is talking about Schubert and Brahms lieder. Very few autobiographies by celebrated opera singers tell you as much about their subject as this one does. If you've read this far, you'll want to have it. Trust me....

Excellent memoir of a great mezzo.......1999-10-29

Christa Ludwig's powerful performances of Carmen, Ortrud, the Dyer's Wife, and others are treasured memories of many opera lovers and record collectors (including me!). And so it's most welcome to have her memoirs and even more so because of her refreshing directness and candor. She tells about her career with honesty, humor, pride, and humility. A very nice selection of photos are especially welcome to those of us who enjoyed her onstage.

Regina Domeraski's translation is an admirably smooth-flowing narrative that lets Miss Ludwig's personality come through clearly.

Most highly recommended.

Book Description

Ken Ventuir's life and his longtime career in golf have been a tale of triumph in the face of adversity.

Growing up in San Francisco, he was drawn to the game for the solitude it offered, the best place for him to find himself - and his dreams. Though his often brilliant career was prematurely halted by injuries, he then emerged as the game's greatest ambassador throughout an unprecedented broadcasting career. Getting Up & Down is the story behind Venturi's captivating rise and fall - and rise again - to the top of the golf world and an inside look at the many different personalities within that world.

Customer Reviews:

Gripping story of heartbreak & triumph !!!.......2006-04-05

Too young to know Ken Venturi as anything but the voice of CBS golf, his story as a golfer is phenomomal. His heartbreaks in the game were many and tend to overshadow the triumphs but this a great story of the human spirit. Some of the most interesting parts of the book are the stories behind the 3 Masters defeats('56,'58 & '60) and the 1964 US Open victory. The "inside" the ropes stories about some of the "Gods" of golf will make most rethink the images that have been fed to us through the years. Don't get me wrong as you would expect, Venturi does it with class. The other thing that will surprise his fans from the broadcasting days is his behind the scenes intensity as a player and as the winning captain of the 2000 Presidents Cup team. I checked it out from my library but will be buying it because it is a story I want my sons to read some day. You will not be disappointed!

Story of a hard life, a good life.......2004-12-07

Ken Venturi as the voice of golf on CBS is one of the most popular sportscasters of his day. Now retired, he finally has a chance to say things that he couldn't say on the air or anywhere else. In this book he talks about his life as a golfer, his life as a sportscaster, and his life as a man.

He has not had a life that was all roses. Medical problems from carpal tunnel ended his professional golfing career after only 10 years of play. Other illnesses plagued he and his wife from back surgery to multiple bouts with cancer. He has not only survived these, but through it all has kept his sense of humor and overall happiness with the world.

As an accomplished communicator, Mr. Venturi has the ability to tell stories about golf, about himself that make very good reading.

A fair book from someone who's been there.......2004-09-09

Not only read Ken Venturi's book, but read the many different reviews here. To those who accuse Ken Venturi of sour grapes and whining about his close Masters losses, I say that every golf tournament has two stories to tell. Everyone loves a winner obviously, but the guy who tasted victory and had it snatched from his hands also has an interesting story to tell. If Greg Norman or Tom Weiscopf ever write their autobiography, or Sam Snead could tell his story of the '39 US Open, it too would strike some as just sour grapes. Doesn't make their stories any less valid. As for stories of gamesmanship, rule bending, and maybe even (borderline) cheating, why do so many golf fans show a willingness to believe it about some major champions (like Seve Ballesteros, Vijah Singh, Gary Player) but find it implausable when discussing someone like Arnold Palmer? Are they still so childlike in their awe of their golf hero that even firsthand reports are automatically dismissed? Reminds me of what Tommy Bolt always said about news stories of his club throwing. He said that Arnie threw as many clubs as he did, but the stories never stuck. Anyway, a good book, Ken. And I too miss your voice on TV, particularly at the Masters.

A Famous Golfer's Dual with Self.......2004-07-07

Come back --- underdog --- fighter --- champion --- commentator. These are words about Venturi, who it seems most of his life was always dualing with himself against others to show them what he was made of: toughness and talent that could and would succeed in winning.

He suffered through much: hand injuries, marriage trauma, etc. But the biggest hurdles were those letdowns, those meltdowns which occur in sports when one is so close to seizing the brass ring, only to have it slip out of grasp. As Venturi would describe, someone else always played phenonemenal to do just that. He would be a previous generation's Greg Norman.

Anyone who was so close and fondly associated with the likes of Nelson, Sarazen and Hogan, now this is a special person. Or for Vince Lombardi to admire the look in an competitor's eyes, this is a special golfer. One who endured severe heat and win his country's national golf championship in the doing, this is a special golfer.

This carried over in his broadcasting. Concise, poignant, to the point. Let the golf describe most of the action. I like millions admired and respected his great gifts for commenting, but never really knew about the stammering. Maybe the greatest hurdle of all. What courage he showed and can encourage all who have such to do the same. A man of principle.

Somehow as good as this read was with all the fascinating stories and incidents, I thought it was slightly "I oriented" too much. Thus, four not five.

A prima donna, but an interesting golf life.......2004-05-26

Venturi is a bit of a prima donna - you can't be on TV for 35 years without a touch of that - but at the same time he has lived a very interesting life in golf, and come across some very interesting people. I forgive him his brushes against Palmer and Player: I have no doubt that those people, while projecting saintly public images, are extremely fierce competitors willing to work everything possible in their favor, and I thank this book for having the nerve to reveal that side to me. In a similar but more positive way, I came away with a much more well-rounded sense of people like Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson.

Venturi's attitude about his own play and level is interesting: while he blames injury and circumstances for many losses and for not having achieved full potential, I think he minimizes the way many greats have overcome similar problems.

The main thing, though, is that I read this book because I sorely miss his voice - and attitude - on TV. He's been replaced by a generation of blabbermouths who, unlike Venturi, are unable to push their own considerable egos aside to comment on the sport itself. Johnny Miller is by far the worst offender, but they're all reasonably guilty. And if I see Peter Kostis "analyze" another errant swing I think I'll puke. I miss you, Mr. Venturi.

Book Description

The Films of Vincente Minnelli examines the career of MGM's leading director of musicals, melodramas, and comedies in the 1940s and 1950s. Widely admired for his flamboyant sense of color and camera movement, Minnelli played a crucial role in maintaining the studio's reputation as the "home of the stars." Describing the director's contributions to some of the most celebrated works of Hollywood's golden era, this volume also includes a close analysis of five important films that represent the full range of Minnelli's career: Cabin in the Sky, Meet Me in St. Louis, Father of the Bride, The Bad and the Beautiful, and Lust for Life. These lively readings provide commentary on problems of genre, directorial style, cultural politics, and the connection between aestheticism and mass culture during the first half of the twentieth century.

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Vincente Minnelli and the film musical
Joseph Andrew Casper
Manufacturer: A. S. Barnes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0498017842

Average customer rating:

Interesting biography
Minnelli on Minnelli
he has selective memory

I Remember It Well
Vincente Minnelli
Manufacturer: Samuel French
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Betty Garrett and Other Songs: A Life on Stage and Screen

ASIN: 0573606072

Customer Reviews:

Interesting biography.......2004-08-27

This is a well written and interesting biography. He manages to talk of his marriage to Judy Garland respectfully and thankfully does not sink to pulling punches [although you would've thought that he'd attend her funeral, if just for Liza]. There are some really good rare pictures of Garland and him on their honeymoon as well as many of Liza as a child.

Minnelli provides accurate detailed accounts of his varied and exciting career but unfortunately fails to do so on his private life. He gets many facts wrong [e.g. he claims that Liza couldn't walk until she was 2, however there are many pictures in many different books to prove otherwise] although this is understandable as memories become cloudy with the passing of time. My only other complaint is that he focuses way too much dteail on his work, the brith of his second child is glossed over compared to the lengthy description of his next movie.

I also liked the lack of bragging in his book which appears in so many autobiographies, it makes the book much easier to enjoy. I wondered why he doesn't mention when he was born but later found out that it was because he would take ten years off his age for his whole life.

Minnelli on Minnelli.......2003-08-25

If you're the voyeuristic type of star bio reader, you'll probably want to look elsewhere for the juicy details on Judy Garland's ups and downs. We learn only the bare outlines of Minnelli's life with Judy Garland and little about any other romantic interests. His attitude toward Judy was one of sympathy, but he really didn't know how to cope with her. She was a difficult person to live with. You can tell Minnelli really dotes on daughter Liza, and he even lets her voice into this book, quoting a lengthy interview he and she gave to a reporter. Liza sings well, but I've never enjoyed listening to her talk. I've never heard her say anything interesting about herself or her life.

Minnelli, on the other hand, has many interesting things to say about his life and career. He begins with his boyhood and tracks his career to the present. His approach is much like that of star biographer Gary Fishgall. Every job, every Broadway production, every film, and his role in completing each is described in satisfying but modest detail. He includes his failures as well as his successes. I find this much more interesting than who slept with whom.

he has selective memory.......2000-11-18

In the introduction to his autobiography, Vincente Minnelli apologises. He has an insecurity about writing of his life since he believes he has "tip-toed" through it, and he isn't interested in serving up gossip about the people he has encountered. He says he would rather be remembered for his knowledge of rococco furbelows than for anything else. This soon clues you into what kind of book you are getting, one written by a man whose notions of taste and discretion are going to provide an anaemic experience. After a painfully hyperbolic forward by Alan Jay Lerner, and a scripted conversation between his daughter Liza and himself in preparation for the production of A Matter Of Time (the book was written in 1974), Minnelli goes through his past. His transition from window dresser to costume designer to theatre then Hollywood is catalogued, but requires one to have seen the end result to appreciate the detail. And his damnable "discretion" gives it all a reserved and waxed tone. Also those looking for any evidence of his reknowned bisexuality will be disappointed, not surprisingly. Minnelli's reluctance to settle in Hollywood is based on his belief that American films up to that time had no style - the camera rarely moving. This argument is clearly coloured by his initial unsuccessful venture in Hollywood, and is as spurious as the idea that Lerner proposes that it takes a true artist to create something really bad. Minnelli provides an interesting prefiguring of his soon to be wife Judy Garland and her drug addiction when he mentions he was given amphetamines and sedatives to get through the long working hours, but the trial so exhausted him that he soon disposed of this method of endurance. One might then consider Garland's choice, and he makes it clear that she made a choice to continue with the drugs after the years when she began at MGM and she was required to put in 14 hour days, as either foolhardy or admirable in a perverse sort of way ie she was more of a man than he could be. He mentions her pathological desire for approval and the negative influence of her mother who he quips must have been the inspiration for Mama Rose in Gypsy, who was incapable of giving Judy the loving words she so desperately needed to hear. Minnelli may attribute himself with helping Garland's evolution from child-star to woman in her films, and giving her an appreciation of "beautiful things" but ultimately he feels he failed her. "I thought I had a bottomless reservoir of love to offer, but Judy found me lacking". He adds though that any man would, because of the deep-rooted and open wounds of her childhood, and her depressive notion that self-destruction would "pay them back", a revenge on those at the studio who had wronged her. It is ironic in their A Star is Born relationship that after a brief shared success, his stock would rise and hers would fall, leading to her departure from MGM and his greatest triumphs. More interesting though is the perceived failures - Brigadoon which he blames on Gene Kelly's lack of enthusiasm, and Kismet, his own reluctant commitment. He lost the chance to direct the film of My Fair Lady because he wanted a percentage, and had planned to direct Marilyn Monroe in Goodbye Charlie before she died. I also liked the mention of projects abandoned - the life of Bessie Smith with Tina Turner, and Liza as Zelda Fitzgerald!

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Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Stephen Harvey
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0060162635

American Film Melodrama: Griffith, Vidor, Minnelli

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The object of its own description.

American Film Melodrama: Griffith, Vidor, Minnelli
Robert Lang
Manufacturer: Princeton Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 0691047596

Book Description

"The difficulty for men or the impossibility for women of living up to patriarchal society's ideal order is the very stuff of melodrama," writes Robert Lang in this daring work on what the author sees as the central genre of American film. Lang contends that the true melodrama is essentially an Oedipal drama--a dramatization of the ways in which we are all formed within a matrix of familial imperatives. As he interprets them, these imperatives are often crippling reflections of patriarchy. Revealing how melodrama both submits to patriarchal ideology and confronts it, he believes that we can learn from it either how to be happier on its terms--which are the terms of life in Western society--or how to find our way out of the familial labyrinth.

Lang traces the development of melodrama in the first fifty years of the American cinema by offering detailed interpretations of Griffith's Way Down East, The Mother and the Law, and Broken Blossoms; Vidor's The Crowd, Stella Dallas, and Ruby Gentry; and Minnelli's Madame Bovary, Some Came Running, and Home from the Hill. Drawing on the insights of Irigaray, Kristeva, Deleuze and Guattari, Peter Brooks, and several contemporary film theorists, he focuses on the psychoanalytic aspects of the films to bring us new insights into the way we live our lives.

Customer Reviews:

The object of its own description........2002-10-29

Much work remains to be done to rescue from academic dismissal on the grounds that it is "melodramatic" not just a significant body of film but of literature and music as well. But the author of this book-polemic ignores the aesthetic while politicizing the theoretical. His representation of gender roles in the "world at large," moreover, is no less Manichean than the narrative worlds that are the subject of his discourse. Women suffer under "patriarchy" (mainly because Lacanian theorists and the likes of Catherine McKinnon say so), and the oppressive power relations evident in cinematic melodrama should make us want to address life's gravest problems, which can all ultimately be traced to the rule of patriarchy.

This book may prove useful to a few readers as an introduction to some major currents in 1980s French post-structuralist theory, but it falls far short in addressing the aesthetics or pleasures of the texts it examines let alone the challenging field of "music drama."

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artistically serious efforts

The Death of Classical Cinema: Hitchcock, Lang, Minelli (Suny Series, Horizons of Cinema)
Joe Mcelhaney
Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Belle de Jour (BFI Film Classics)

ASIN: 0791468879

Book Description

A study of three classical filmmakers and the films they made at the cusp of the modernist movement in cinema.

Customer Reviews:

artistically serious efforts.......2007-01-19

McElhaney gives a sophisticated treatment of the later films of Hitchcock, Lang and Minnelli. Of these directors, Hitchcock and Lang are perhaps better known to Americans. The author shows that the reader (or viewer) can derive a deeper appreciation of the films made by these men during the 60s. By not just considering each film in isolation, but in the context of the other films by that director and the other 2 directors.

The films looked at in the book were not generally the highest grossing of the directors'. But a main theme of the book is that they should be regarded as artistically serious efforts. Perhaps more so than they were at the time, since when a film appears, its box office yields are often defined as the only real criterion of success. The elapsed decades permit a more nuanced treatment and appreciation.

The Films of Kirk Douglas. Introduction by Vincente Minnelli.

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The Films of Kirk Douglas. Introduction by Vincente Minnelli.

Manufacturer: The Citadel Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GWKPHK

The films of Kirk Douglas. With an introd. by Vincente Minnelli

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The films of Kirk Douglas. With an introd. by Vincente Minnelli
Tony (1927-) Thomas
Manufacturer: Secaucus, N.J., Citadel Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VT0R9Y

Being a clown: curious coupling in The Pirate.: An article from: CineAction

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Being a clown: curious coupling in The Pirate.: An article from: CineAction
Douglas Pye
Manufacturer: CineAction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00082IMXC
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from CineAction, published by CineAction on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 8659 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: Being a clown: curious coupling in The Pirate.
Author: Douglas Pye
Publication: CineAction (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: CineAction
Issue: 63 Page: 4(10)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The far side of Paradise: the style and substance of Yolanda and the Thief.: An article from: CineAction

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The far side of Paradise: the style and substance of Yolanda and the Thief.: An article from: CineAction
Alexander Jacoby
Manufacturer: CineAction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00082IMYG
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from CineAction, published by CineAction on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 5630 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 far side of Paradise: the style and substance of Yolanda and the Thief.
Author: Alexander Jacoby
Publication: CineAction (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: CineAction
Issue: 63 Page: 38(7)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

A New Series Fills a Void in 17th-Century Italian Music
Drawing on the riches of a largely unknown repertoire, this innovative series makes available in modern score a large selection of Italian sacred music scored from printed part-books that has never before been published in modern editions.

Conveniently organized and presented in modern scoreEach genre is organized for easy accessibility. Mass settings are presented in chronological order. Vesper and compline music is arranged according to the number of voices, chronologically within each volume, beginning with works for one and two voices and progressing to compositions for multiple choirs.

Book Description

Dinosaurs, the Wild West, Space Travel, and the Civil War! In the year 2202, dinosaurs have been discovered on the planet Cretasus. But these dinosaurs are just as smart as the humans now flocking to their home. Velociraptors trade in alien weapons, leptoceratops guard their desert secrets, and T-rex dynasties protect their nests from egg raiders. Despite the dinosaurs, human pioneers arrive in drove at New Savannah's busy spaceport. Lured by free land, gold, and simple freedom, they yearn for a new life. Their wagon trails soon trudge west on the rutted path of the Tecumseh Trail, bringing new adventures to the planet of Cretasus.

Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex is a science fiction world setting. The basic premise is that the Civil War did not end as we know it, but resulted in separate Federal and Confederate nations. This state continued into the space age. In the year 2202, an alien planet full of dinosaurs was discovered, opening new mysteries and establishing the world of Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex.

Your character could be a bronco rider, riding the dinosaurs for ranchers, farmers, the military, or pure adventure. You could be a soldier: a Union ironclad pilot, a federal sheriff, or a rebel blockade runner. You could be a street fighter come to find your fortune, or a homeworld dissident fighting for freedom. You could be one of the legendary Wild Ones, fearsome humans who leave human company to sleep with the dinosaurs. You could be a Union machinist, always equipped with the latest technology. You could be an idealistic infantryman, a freelance dino hunter, a warp pirate, a Union turncoat, an outer ranges explorer, a dino rustler, or an alien hunter. The world of Broncosaurus Rex is in your hands!

This book uses the 3.0 edition of the d20 rules set, and is fully compatible with the world's most popular role playing game.

Book Description

It's one of the hot topics for the 1990s--how to apply quality improvement techniques originally developed for the manufacturing sector to service industries. How to Take the Lead in Business Process Management details how to do it, providing a step-by-step formula that helps companies improve quality and productivity in the support areas. Here in one comprehensive volume is all the information an organization needs to start the improvement process right away: how to determine customer needs and expectations and deliver the best service; how to establish which processes drive your business; how to create process improvement teams and train team leaders; how to eliminate bureaucracy, simplify the process, and reduce processing time; how to measure progress and provide feedback to participants; how to document the levels of improvement and certify operations and activities; and how to ensure ongoing improvement. Two special features further enahance the value of this highly practical guide: (1) a chapter of case histories, showing the results of business process improvement, and (2) an exhaustive section that guides readers in the application of problem-solving methods, value analysis and process analysis techniques, perfection analysis, work simplification programs, and more.

Customer Reviews:

Still Relevant and Valuable.......2007-02-09

I recently re-read this book, first published in 1991, and found that - despite all the changes which have occurred in the business world since then - most of its material remains solid and relevant. In the Preface, H. James Harrington observes that organizations "are thinking differently about their processes. Processes are no longer viewed as just production processes. Today (i.e. in 1991), management realizes that that there are many processes that use material, equipment, and people to provide many types of outputs and services. They are called business processes, and today they are even more important to competitiveness than production processes." In this context, I am reminded of what Peter Drucker asserted (in 1963) in an article which appeared in the Harvard Business Review: "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all." Presumably this is what Harrington has in mind when suggesting that "automating a bad process not only ensures that we can do a bad job every times but that we can do it faster and with less effort than before."

Harrington carefully organizes his material within ten chapters, followed by an appendix that provides "Interview Guidelines." His pragmatic approach throughout the narrative focuses on what to do to initiate and then sustain business process improvement (BPI):

Focus on business processes
Set the stage for BPI
Organize for process improvement
Use flowcharting to draw a process "picture"
Understand the process characteristics
Streamline the process
Use measurements, feedback, and action to "load, aim, and fire"
Qualify (i.e. establish credibility for) process
Benchmark process

For me, some of the most interesting and valuable material is provided in Chapter 5, "Understanding the Process Characteristics." Harrington identifies five (Flow, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Cycle Time, and Cost) and explains what must be done to get them in proper alignment (hence the importance of a flow chart) in terms of people involved, objectives to be achieved, strategies and tactics to be executed, measurements, evaluation, and modification.

As they embark together on a journey to achieve the desired objectives, they should realize that they will be involved in a marathon, not a sprint. They must be persistent but patient.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out sources which were published later, such as Dan Madison's Process Mapping, James R. Press's Process Improvement and Process Management, Process Improvement Essentials: CMMI, Six SIGMA, and ISO 9001, John Jeston and Johan Nelis' Business Process Management: Practical Guidelines to Successful Implementation, and Paul Harmon's Business Process Change: A Manager's Guide to Improving, Redesigning, and Automating Processes.

The quality: the best competitive tool!.......2005-07-21

In the actual times of constant, requiring and increasing professional improvement, you just have just only an alternative: to isolate yourself from the world: It's not an optional choice, but a question of surviving.
The leadership process must involve all the team under his service; otherwise your destiny is uncertain in the values market: your market share will vanish silently and if you don't act and react faster than the business dynamic, you will be out of game: I think the comparison may be established without any risk: the quality in the Darwinian environment will become in an additional gene to survive.
You do not have to think but living according this life system. This adaptation process has a hard barrier, the resistance to change: most of people live with this mental premise: the minimum effort and the maximum boring.
Arnold Toynbee wrote about the minority creators, that attitude does not sound challenging for any artistic activity, because the quality, conceived as one the main ingredients of the creative work is inherent in the inner process.
I wrote an article in the local press in 1996 named "Art and quality" (available for any one who is interested) in which I remarked this ineffable premise.
James Hillman stated once that the first enemy of the art is the mediocrity, and the quality process in last instance follows that change of behavior.
In this sense Harrington's text is a fundamental guide that explains step by step a wholesome creation process of a qualitative thinking, you will obtain the practice tools and the extreme useful basic elements available for any person.

Excellent Starting Point.......2004-09-04

This book was highly recommended to me and it did not dissappoint. Simple yet powerful practices and principles are clearly laid out in an easily understood manner. I now have a foundation to build upon with future readings on the subject of BPI.

More Info........1999-09-08

I rate it a 2 because it didn't give that much information. Some people just don't have enough money to go out and buy books. Especially young adults on a fixed income. When I come to the internet I expect to learn and read, not spend my money. Thank You

This is the essential Quality book........1999-07-20

This book is a great investement. This book explains much more than Business Process Improvement, it also breaks down the sub categories of Quality management into easy to digest pieces. Harrington makes the complex/theoretical Quality "mechanics" easy to understand. He explains today's business trends which can help any business become more productive.

Manufacturing Industries have been using these Quality techniques for years and Harrington helps any business adopt these "tried & true" measures. I recommend this book to anyone who is in the Quality field, or for anyone who is embarking in TQM.

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Business Process Improvement: The Breakthrough Strategy for Total Quality, Productivity, and Competitiveness
H. James Harrington
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OEAGUG

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