Customer Reviews:
What a truly vile woman . . . .......2006-06-28
I must say, Jerry Oppenheimer's book is definitely a page-turner. The whole Martha Stewart phemonenon always made me a little queasy; after reading his book, I know exactly why. Some reviewers have said that this book is mean-spirited or overly negative. That's not Oppenheimer's fault. During the course of the book he interviewed family members, colleagues, and former friends/business associates of Stewart's. The portrait they unanimously paint is of a really awful human being; a petty, vindictive, greedy woman who clawed her way to success frequently on the stolen ideas and hard work of others. At best, she comes across as cold, aloof, and distant. Nevertheless, truly villainous people are fascinating in their way, and Martha Stewart is no exception. I always had the feeling she had a closet full of skeletons, and Oppenheimer's book colorfully brings them to light. It's not a deep intellectual read, but it's definitely a fun one.
A fascinating look at one of America's pop culture icons.......2003-10-19
Before the story broke about the insider trading scandal involving Martha Stewart, I did not have a good idea of who she was. I was curious to find out so I purchased "Just Desserts". The book did not seem to be a "hit piece", as others have portrayed this book. What I found was a writer who disected the image from the the real person. It is a very interesting study on Martha Stewart's troubled past regarding her domineering father and Martha's need to become rich and famous no matter what the cost and no matter who got in the way. I came away feeling very sorry for her. Whether you are a fan of her's or not, the book does a very good job of showing the fake from the real. The onscreen personae and her real actiions behind the scenes will shock and astound. The author also delves into the fantastic business savy that Stewart displayed throughout her career. She was very often underestimated, but always a step ahead of the competition. A real modern day Jeckyl and Hide story.
Not only does the book describe the interesting antics and unreal behavior of Stewart, it also touches on the gullibility of the people who surrounded her and how they naively followed her every whim. It is an interesting study of how people will believe in the image of a person and cling onto it no matter what the true reality is. In the case of several people such as her former husband and several business associates, they finally saw past the facade and saw the real person behind the disguise. This is a tragic story but very revealing on what motivates some people towards ultimate fame and power.
The Ultimate Stepford Wife-Martha!!!!!.......2003-10-06
Ok, first off, let me say that I have nothing wrong with a woman that is independent, hard working and creative.
What I do have a problem with is a woman that won't get therapy for her lack of people skills due to her lousy childhood.
Look Martha, not all women feel "inadequate" becaue they don't spend lots of time on silly compulsive activites such as gathering fall leaves from the backyard and matching them! (when you're rich and have a staff, then you can do these things)
Do I feel rage or jealousy becaue I don't do these things? No.
Do I realize that Martha would be nobody without her PR machine and spin doctors? Yes.
Does she make pretty stuff? Yes,
Does she have some serious interpersonal problems? Yes.
Good book all around.
I do feel sorry for her family.
And yes to some reviewers, even men have to contend with this.
Makes Oprah seem like a fuzzy kitten..........2003-09-05
WOW, was this a ruthless illustration of Martha Stewart! She's described as an obsessive-compulsive insomniac (she would only sleep for 2-4 hours a night, then get up and paint her entire house in one day), who's main goal is to be on top through ruthless power and manipulation (she stole business ideas, designs and didn't give credit to friends, coworkers... to the point where if a person demanded royalties, she would find some loophole in the legal system to prevent them from getting any profits -- Me-YOW!) This depiction is a far cry from the soft-spoken homemaker you see on her show. She's described by family and friends as dominating, cold, sadistic, abusive and absolutely ruthless. She even cuts down her elderly mother in front of her family: "She only makes peasant food!" she snipes. I've never read anything like it.
It starts with Martha's family and where she came from in New Jersey. Apparently, Martha's father was a perfectionist who shoved his beliefs, anger and attitude down her throat; nothing was good enough in his eyes and because of him, the Monster-Martha is what is alive today. Even as a child, she sabotaged a little girl's cake recipe in order to take her little business away for herself. Signs that a powerful, heartless woman was going to surface.
Martha was cutthroat and vindictive. She pretty much screwed over anyone and everyone around her to further only herself -- she didn't even care about her family, including her daughter and husband, whom she brow-beated to death in front of family and friends until he (who was just wimpy from the start) finally had the nerve to leave her, prompting incredible stories of stalking, vandalism and public screaming fits -- till he had a restraining order put on her.
Martha is depicted as someone who never learned affection, or at least had an incredible dark side that was calculating and vindictive. She would purposely hire people who were creative and brilliant, but they either had low self-esteems to begin with or she broke them down. She DEFINITELY was masochistic and manipulated everyone who came in her path on her rise to power. The only time her affections seemed to be positive, were when sex was involved, and then she came across predatory. She's also illustrated as an incredible liar; family and friends reflect on her writings of her "happy past" and say all of them are either exaggerated or completely fabricated.
After reading what a terror she was in the past, I can actually believe the insider trading stories -- it just fits. Oh and the new edition adds that little chunk in the end.
Upon finishing this, I'm blown away at what a terror she was and has become. She is obviously a person who will stop at nothing to be on top, including her cheapness and just downright vicious scheming. She's also obviously brilliant, with a chip on her shoulder about her poor past and is also considered racist, sexist and as the book says: "WASPy in true form."
Martha Stewart is a nightmare in this book! I wouldn't want to come within 20 ft. of her (much less meet her in a dark alley) after reading this. Personally, I think she's mentally screwed up something fierce, but the fact that she concentrates all of it into her work is phenomenal.
4 stars -- one missing due to some anonymous sources (which I don't always trust as true) and the fact that it pretty much had NOTHING positive to say about her; I would have liked to see a little positive stuff. You know, to kind of balance it out. Then again, maybe there wasn't anything positive. This woman is the anti-Christ!
Otherwise, good trash to read!
Eat Your Vegetables First, You Can Learn Something From This.......2003-08-26
Certainly one of the greatest uses of biography is to learn from someone else's mistakes. For that reason alone it's worth it to read Just Desserts. I have been in awe of the curious Martha Phenomenon since it first began many years ago. Martha could not have made her climb to the top had she not been pandering to a generation of women not unlike herself, women who were scarred by the aftermath of World War II. These women, bereft of family structure and traditional roots, were particularly vulnerable to Martha's opportunistic nature. As an astrologer, I understand many of the dynamics of Stewart's personality. That she fantasized her past was but an extension of her ability to turn common lead in to gold on a daily basis. The emergence of her dark side might be understood as the obsessive wrath and demonic unresolved self hatred of her father, whose aspirations she was doomed to pursue because he had not been able to. And more, Dear Reader. But buy the book and find out for yourself. Like another commentator before me on this website, I decided by page 38 that I was glad I was not Martha!
Book Description
He was The Intimidator. A nightmare in the rear-view mirror. A unique winner in the boardroom. A seven-time Winston Cup champion. A driver whose personal success story and dedication inspired the adoration of millions of fans. Then on February 18, 2001, just seconds from the Daytona 500 finish line, the world of stock-car racing suffered a devastating loss as Dale Earnhardt fatally careened into a track wall. The tragic shock waves, and an unprecedented outpouring of respect and love, have not stopped since.
At the Altar of Speed takes readers behind the scenes of Earnhardt's celebrated life, tracing his rags-to-riches journey to the top of America's fastest-growing sport. Beginning with Earnhardt's early days growing up in small-town North Carolina, veteran sports writer Leigh Montville examines how a ninth-grade dropout started on the dusty dirt tracks of the South, went through two marriages and a string of no-future jobs before turning twenty-five, then took about a million left turns to glory. Through the pitfalls and triumphs, Earnhardt would ultimately become a celebrated champion, whose lifetime earnings would top forty-one million dollars. The son of a legendary racer, the father of a NASCAR star, he lived a total auto-racing life filled with triumph and sadness, great joy and great pain.
Transporting readers to the colorful, noisy world of stock-car racing, where powerful engines allow drivers to reach speeds of 200 m.p.h., At the Altar of Speed vividly captures the man who drove the black No. 3 car, a man whose determination and inner strength left behind a legacy of greatness that has redefined his sport. Illustrated with a section of full-color photographs, At the Altar of Speed is a tribute to both the man and his unbeatable spirit.
Customer Reviews:
Exciting tale that will interest even those who aren't NASCAR fans!.......2007-06-27
I haven't been much of a NASCAR fan, but after listening to AT THE
ALTAR OF SPEED: THE FAST LIFE AND TRAGIC DEATH OF
DALE ERNHARDT by Leigh Montville, I just might change
my mind.
This is a very exciting tale of Ernhardt, a ninth-grade dropout who
went through two marriages and a strong of no-future jobs before
turning 25 . . . he then became a legendary champion, only to
die in a 2001 crash.
Montville interviewed many close to Ernhardt, and it shows . . . I got
a real feeling for the man, as well as for his role in the tremendous
growth of the sport . . . though I still might not run to watch the
Daytona 500 or any other race on TV, I will not at least appreciate
all that the drivers have to go through to even enter the event.
Great introduction.......2006-03-02
Biography on one of if not the best driver in NASCAR history. Montville walks the reader through the triumphs and defeats of Earnhardt Sr. through his racing career and establishment of DEI. He concludes with the legacy of the "intimidator" after his untimely death at the 2001 Daytona 500. Well written book that only introduces the reader to the Earnhardts.
Dale Earnhardt was the man!.......2004-12-22
Scott Stout, I bet you didn't even read the book. Don't go bashing it just because you are not an Earnhardt fan. Folks are growing tired of your reviews, look how many find them helpful! (SS, WMD).
Montville informs well.......2003-03-05
I just finished this book, and I absolutely loved it. It had me laughing, crying, and everything in between. I'm an avid NASCAR fan, and Dale Earnhardt is and will always be my favorite driver. I am following the path of his son, and I have also read Driver #8. Both books are fantastic, and a lot of fun to read. Very hard for me to put down!
This Book was Written by a NASCAR Outsider.......2003-01-02
It's obvious that this book was written by an (admitted) outsider to NASCAR. After finishing the book, I felt like Leigh Montville sat around listening to stories about Dale and then decided to write a book about those stories. I'm sorry, but I feel like the only reason this book was written was for compensatory reasons.
In one section, Mr. Montville writes that whereas other NASCAR drivers said that they were friends with Dale, Dale did not feel that they were his true friends (saying that you would always see them hang out at his trailer, but you would not see him hanging out at theirs). Dale did admittedly hang out with other drivers (outside of race weekends) and go vacationing, hunting, and fishing with them.
Being a huge NASCAR fan, I was overall very disappointed with this book (though I did enjoy the section about Dale and Neil Bonnett). If you want a brief overview of Dale's life, then this may be the book for you. If you want to find out the real/more in depth story, then I would suggest you buy a book from an author who either really knew Dale personally or has spent most of their life affiliated with NASCAR. That's what I plan to do.
Product Description
Takes readers behind the scenes of auto-racing champion Dale Earnhardt's celebrated life, tracing his rags-to-riches journey to the top of America's fastest-growing sport. Begins with his childhood days in small-town North Carolina, & examines how a 9th-grade dropout started on the dusty dirt tracks of the South, went through two marriages & a string of no-future jobs before turning 25, then took about a million left turns to glory. Through the pitfalls & triumphs, Earnhardt would ultimately become a celebrated champion whose lifetime earnings would top $41 million. The son of a legendary racer, the father of a NASCAR star, he lived a total auto-racing life filled with triumph & sadness, great joy & great pain. Color photos.
Average customer rating:
- THE MAN IN BLACK ***** THE INTIMIDATOR
|
At the Altar of Speed: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt
Leigh Montville
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
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Customer Reviews:
THE MAN IN BLACK ***** THE INTIMIDATOR.......2006-05-03
Dale Earnhardt was The Man. #3 was The Car. they were the team that made the fear run through their fellow racers. Bump drafting and marking another race car with a tire print was part of Dale's game plan.
This book takes the reader behind the scenes in the early life of Dale and how he became the man behind the wheel on race tracks to earn 7 rimes The NASCAR Championship. His love for the race, his fans and especially his family is threaded throughout the book.
Daytona 2001 was to be the big race to begin a new season. With Dale driving for Richard Childress the famous black Monte Carlo #3 and having two of his own cars driven by Michael Waltrip and his youngest son, Dale Jr. it was an exciting day that was to be celebrated. But the final lap held Dale's fate in it's hands. Blocking the drivers behind him, he was helping his own two cars push to the checkered flag. They made it across the finish line with Michael winning the race.
Dale's final race ended with his entrance not to Victory lane at the trace but one far higher by death which took him to the pearly gates.
Many fans share their stories of dealing with the news of Dale's death as well as fellow drivers, team owners and NASCAR ececutives.
The book is well written with several pictures that are wonderful.
If you are a race fan, you will want to read this and add it to your NASCAR collection.
Average customer rating:
- A nighttime delight!
- A fun book
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Vamps: An Illustrated History of the Femme Fatale
Pam Keesey
Manufacturer: Cleis Pr
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Femmes Fatales
ASIN: 1573440264 |
Amazon.com
Books about goddesses, books about vampires, and books about film stars are common, but Vamps: An Illustrated History of the Femme Fatale is a rare treat: it combines all those topics and more within a historical context for understanding our long-time fascination with the dangerous, alluring female. The story starts in prehistory with the worship of a mother goddess who was also the Lady of the Beasts, and spans the centuries from ancient Greek and medieval views of harmful women through the hysterics of the romantic period. The history of film vamps goes from Theda Bara in A Fool There Was (1915) to Natasha Henstridge in the Species movies (1990s), and includes beautiful photographs of all the usual suspects--Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson, Tallulah Bankhead, Louise Brooks, Maila Nurmi (a.k.a. Vampira), the two Morticias, and many others.
A coffee-table-size paperback, Vamps is also an eye-catching blend of well-researched (but lighthearted) writing and dramatic black-and-white illustrations on every page. Author Pam Keesey is already known for her knowledge of dark female characters, having edited other Cleis publications such as Women Who Run with the Werewolves: Tales of Blood, Lust and Metamorphosis and Dark Angels: Lesbian Vampire Stories. She draws on an impressive range of sources, including The Malleus Maleficarum, Robert Graves's The White Goddess, 1950s fetish magazines, and even Pat Robertson on the subject of feminism. The artwork samples ancient stone carvings, medieval engravings, and portraits of dangerous women by John Singer Sargeant and Edvard Munch, among others. Included are a bibliography, a filmography of stars, a videography of titles, and an index.
The only thing that seems off-base about this book is that a whole chapter is devoted to Sharon Stone. Maybe Keesey is a big fan. --Fiona Webster
Book Description
Popular vampirologist Pam Keesey invites you to feast in the company of the most beautiful, alluring and untamed women in history. From Dark Goddesses to flappers, Vamps: An Illustrated History of The Femme Fatale presents 2,000 years of campy, witty and dangerous Bad Girls -vampires, witches, bitches, vamps, femmes fatales, & screen trash together for the first time. Popular culture - especially film - is filled with images of the femme fatale, the woman who destroys those she seduces. According to Keesey, all bad girls can trace their origins to the vampire, that quintessential evil woman who uses sex as a weapon. From Greta Garbo to Sharon Stone, these irresistible women are marked as excessively sexual, creatures of great appetites who step outside the realm of acceptable feminine behavior to satisfy their desires. Keesey's fascinating cultural history is punctuated by excerpts of interviews with film stars and critics. Vamps book is a must-buy for vampire lovers and movie fans who treasure images of women as powerful, sexual beings. Includes 100 black and white photographs (including rare photographs of film favorites) along with complete annotated filmography, bibliography and video resources.
Customer Reviews:
A nighttime delight!.......2000-12-28
The rare book that combines deft writing with a wealth of facts about the women we love to hate (or envy as the case may be). A great book for both movie fans and vampire lovers, this book (given to me as a hcliday gift) is one I will read and re-read for years to come for entertainment, inspiration and research for my novels. Thanks, Pam!
A fun book.......2000-08-11
This book is a lot of fun. Ms. Keesey goes about chronicaling the history of the "Femme Fatale" - the fatal woman using books and stories, though her primary media is cinema. She leaves nothing unturned, either, exploring B films, cult cinema, and pornography. The book is informative, even if it doesnt go deep into many ideas. I found it like reading a special issue of a favorite magazine. The pictures are excellent, the style is funny. Ms. Keesey also clearly has a definate concept of the evolution of the Femme Fatale, portraying it as somewhat linear, and the lesbian edge, while interesting, and certainly valid, seems emphasized to the point where you wonder if non-lesbian women are even capable of being Femme Fatale's in this day and age. However, it is a fun fun read, and the pictures are great. An excellent coffee table book.
Book Description
Susan Polgar became the first female Grandmaster at age 15—and it wasn't luck that got her there. Her use of tactics, combinations, and strategy during her games gave her the critical advantage she needed against her opponents. In Chess Tactics for Champions, Polgar gives insight into the kind of thinking that chess champions rely on while playing the game, specifically the ability to recognize patterns and combinations. With coauthor Paul Truong, Susan Polgar teaches the tactics she learned from her father, Laszlo Polgar, one of the world's best chess coaches.
• Teaches players how to calculate the effect of a move in order to gain an edge over an opponent
• For intermediate to advanced chess players of all ages
Customer Reviews:
One of the best written books on tactics for beginner or more advanced beginner........2007-05-18
I like this book because it show many types of tactical themes which we usually meet over the chessboard. Even more important is that this books give hundreds of exercise for you to practice. Some book on tactics or similar features books called " how to attact, how to sacrifice etc ", they just choosed games from grandmasters for illustration and neglecting to give exercises. ( or even have, just a few ). This is not helpful. To improve one' standard, you have to work hard. After finishing reading this book, I would recommnend to read John Nunn's " Learn chess tactics" which the presentations are similat, but the exercises are more difficult.
Is This More Than Just Another Tactics Puzzle Book?.......2007-03-01
This book doesn't offer much more than your typical tactics puzzle book; but if you have you buy a puzzle book, you will not go wrong with this one. Besides the usual organization into chapters such as Forks and Double Attacks, Deflection, Discovery, Double Check, Skewers, Trapping, Decoys, Intermediate Moves, Pawn Promotion, Back-Rank Problems, Attacking the King, Mate in 2, Mate in 3, Mate in 4, etc., Polgar and Truong offer some extra chapters such as Sibling Positions, Traps and Counter Traps, and Famous Combinations that make this book unique to the tactics puzzle genre. In the Siblings chapter, we are introduced to postions that have very small differences, but differences that are big enough to make a huge difference in the evaluation and move selection. This is good practice for the beginning student (it also forces you to appreciate positional subtleties). The Traps and Counter Traps chapter also forces the appreciation of subtleties, because one transposition of moves could mean losing a won ballgame. The Famous Combos chapter rounds out the book with a set of classic combos every aspiring chess student should study at least once.
Each chapter has about twenty-five puzzles, ranging in difficulty. The positions are not as difficult as Reinfeld's 1001 books, but they are hard enough for training purposes, and work well for the student. I went through this book when I was rated in the low 1800s, and the positions kept me alert. I didn't get bored.
The typos and mistakes are minimul. I noticed one or two positions that didn't correspond with their intended solutions, but it was only one or two. they didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the book.
Excellent Tactics Book: Not to hard, not to soft. Just right........2007-01-02
This is an excellent book to improve your chess. I am a chess novice, I know how to move the pieces, but I can use all the help I can get. I find most tactical books are either too hard or too easy. This one finds the right balance with the problems progressively harder as each section progresses. It is one of the few chess books I was able to read from cover to cover without scratching my head trying to follow endless variations.
The best part occurred not while reading the book, but over the board. I was playing a match online, and I spotted a forced mate in 3 in the middle game when my opponent blundered!! Woo! Hoo! Let me tell you, I was stoked.
After studying this book, I went from about 1000 against ChessMaster 10 to about 1400 in about 4 months. This brings me to a key point I studied the book. I worked through each problem in the book. Then I worked through it again and again. I worked though the book 6 times. The book became progressively easier to work though, so do not get discouraged. This book will improve your game.
Perfect follow up to WC's Guide to Chess.......2006-08-31
The first book I read was World Champion's Guide to Chess. I learned a lot from it. This is an excellent follow up to that one. The format is very similar. There're plenty of excellent examples. Just about any tactical motif is in the book. I think this book is good for anyone from about 700-1400.
Thanks for the referral - this is the other good book!.......2006-08-15
Amazon.com shows a suggested book with the one you are looking at. This has helped me get my dad to buy several good books on chess. After getting and really liking "Winning Chess Traps for Juniors" (five stars and great) it had this book suggested and I got it (five stars and great). I want to thank thes authors for writing such great books on tactics and chess traps (actually books along the same line in many ways) and amazon.com for making good referrals!!!!
Book Description
The role of large-scale business enterprise--big business and its managers--during the formative years of modern capitalism (from the 1850s until the 1920s is delineated in this pathmarking book. Alfred Chandler, Jr., the distinguished business historian, sets forth the reasons for the dominance of big business in American transportation, communications, and the central sectors of production and distribution.
The managerial revolution, presented here with force and conviction, is the story of how the visible hand of management replaced what Adam Smith called the invisible hand of market forces. Chandler shows that the fundamental shift toward managers running large enterprises exerted a far greater influence in determining size and concentration in American industry than other factors so often cited as critical: the quality of entrepreneurship, the availability of capital, or public policy.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding.......2007-07-14
This superb book is an exceedingly well documented and well written description and analysis of the birth of a major contemporary institution, the modern corporation. As Chandler points out, this is an American story. The modern multiunit, vertically integrated corporation run by professional managers emerges in the USA and assumes its modern form by the eve of WWI. Chandler distinguishes carefully this form of "managerial" capitalism from other forms of capitalism. A major distinction is between this (and other) form(s) of large scale capitalism and a Smithian market capitalism characterized by multiple price interactions at many levels of production and distribution. In the large, integrated enterprises Chandler describes many of the market tranactions are replaced by internal, administratively managed transactions under the direction of specialist managers and central coordination. Hence the replacement of Smith's invisible hand with "The Visible Hand" of the title. Other alternative forms of large scale capitalism discussed by Chandler include "entrepreneurial capitalism" in which even large enterprises are dominated a single figure, a small number of figures, or a family, and "finance capitalism" in which enterprises are controlled by financiers as opposed to professional managers. Both these forms appear in various industries in Chandler's descriptions, often as precursors of modern corporations.
Chandler begins with a discussion of economic organization in the USA in the early 19th century, stressing that even with national expansion and improvement of waterborne transportation, the economy remained largely Smithian in nature. Chandler is something of a technological determinist. With the development of steam power, particularly steam railroads, and telegraphy, the stage is set for the evolution of the modern corporation. These technologies produce an enormous expansion of both the volume and speed of economic activity. In turn, the huge increases in economic volume and velocity made possible, perhaps even demanded, the emergence of large enterprises integrating many aspects of the transport business. The advantages of eliminating transaction costs drove the railroads into larger and larger forms with 'roads' assimilating many of the functions carried out previously by small businesses. In the process, the railroad companies developed many of the features of corporate organization and governance that characterize modern businesses.
The managerial practices of the great railroad companies would subsequently be carried into other industries. Again, Chandler sees this as being driven at least partly by technological improvements. The emergence of capital intensive, continuous production technologies in many industries would favor vertical integration and bureaucratic management. The enormous increase in volume of business made possible by transport and communications industries also made possible close integration of production and distribution in many industries, leading to further development of integrated corporations run by professionals. Chandler is careful to point out the complex aspects of the story. The Sherman anti-trust act, for example, is seen as actually accelerating the development of integrated corporations in many fields because it made horizontally organized cartels legally risky. By the eve of WWI, the major actors within and contours of many major industries had assumed their modern form.
Chandler is describing a fundamental change in the American and indeed world economy. As he points out, a businessman of the 1830s would not have felt out of place in the counting house of a 15th century Italian merchant. This same businessman would, however, have found the offices of the Pennsylvania Railroad of 1880 quite foreign. Chandler describes very well the transition from the world of Adam Smith to the modern economy where many sectors are dominated by large, bureaucratic oligopolies.
Good information, but not too "edge of your seat" reading.......2001-12-09
This is basically the business history of the United States (in fact, I read this book for a class entitled that). It traces the story of how the visible hand of management in business replaced what Adam Smith called the invisible hand of market forces. The content is very in depth and only the most serious economic historian would find this a good book to read.
The book is divided into the following sections:
--The traditional processes of production and distribution (plantations, textile mills, factories, etc.)
--The revolution in transportation and communication
--The revolution in distribution and production
--The integration of mass production with mass distribution
--The management and growth of the modern industrial enterprise
It should be noted that Alfred Chandler, Jr. won the Pulitzer and Bancroft awards for this book.
Most interesting book on America and how it works I've read.......1998-05-11
Chandler give a fascinating review of America's physical history, with emphasis on the development of the coal, railroad, steel, and telegraph industries in making the transportation and communication revolutions possible. The birth of this infrastructure made the rise of mass production and mass marketing possible. The most interesting changes which resulted were in the evolution of the managerial structure and science which became necessary, and which in turn made the transformation of our world possible. "Big business" became not only possible, but essential. That this was an evil system driven by greed is a myth. The book gives detailed descriptions of the birth and growth of many large companies including the big railroads, US Steel, Standard Oil, Singer, MacCormack, DuPont, etc. It is a fascinating narrative.
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