Book Description
"The Power of Servant Leadership" is a collection of Robert Greenleaf's finest and most mature works and an unexpected sequel to his "Servant Leadership." These pieces were designed to stimulate and inspire people in the practice of a more caring leadership and reflect Greenleaf's continual refinement of his servant-as-leader concept, focusing on issues such as spirit, commitment to vision, and seeing things whole.
Customer Reviews:
It's like sitting down with my grandpa & a cup of coffee and talking about life!.......2005-11-23
I appreciated Greenleaf's writing style and the inspiration he offers. While reading most of the essays in this collection I felt like I was sitting down with my grandfather and we were having a conversation over coffee in his den about how to make the world a better place. In the essay "Old Age: The Ultimate Test of Spirit" he referred several times to letters he received from friends and readers about advice they would like and how he responded candidly to them. It made him seem approachable and believable; the style fit well with his content on how to be a servant and make society better. Even in his essays he's coaching younger people! Greenleaf does not write about what he thinks should be done or what might work, but he writes from a long life of experience and reminds us what truly has worked in the past for him and others. It's almost as if he is saying, "Come on, I know you can do it!" The essay "Have You a Dream Deferred?" is actually an address he gave to a group of first-year Ohio Fellows in which he calls the students to take the next three years of their lives at their college or university and use them to make their institution the best it can be, and in turn, they will grow in creativity, distinction, and wisdom, among other noble characteristics. As a recent college graduate I was truly inspired and wished I had heard that speech or read this essay my freshman year. His writings invoke you to action and that shows he truly cares about his work and his message.
I also appreciate Greenleaf's humility and humor. I caught myself laughing out loud many times because of stories and anecdotes he uses to illustrate his points. He keeps his writing as simple as possible, using the same phrasing to describe concepts he truly believes in such as servanthood and leadership. He never uses his expertise, or status, to give his points credibility but rather lets his message, what he believes in, and his many years of work, thought, and broad experience speak for itself.
The essays themselves would be stronger if they had more structure and organization around a succinct argument. In his writings, Greenleaf picks some broad topic, such as seminaries, to write whatever comes to mind. The only attempt at an organization of those thoughts is a subtitle with a word or thought below which he will write a few thoughts in paragraph form and then move on to another thought without attempt to really make connections between his ideas. There are many connections to be made, which are left to the reader, but it would be helpful to know the connections Greenleaf has found. This would not detract from his informal style that I appreciate, but only make it easier to understand his thoughts. Perhaps Spears edited the essays in this manner and gave them even more structure than they had before. In his introduction Spears could draw Greenleaf's unorganized points together; as it is now even in the introduction Spears only lists the main points he finds helpful in these essays without offering much connection between them.
Also, the essay "My Debt to E.B. White" did not fit with the other seven essays whatsoever. In this essay are Greenleaf's thoughts on certain writings by E.B. White that Greenleaf admired and includes long quotations from those texts. For those of us who never knew White, and especially those who rarely read The New Yorker, the essay's point is lost to us. It is much to specific and detailed and the wholeness that Greenleaf is indebted to White for helping him see in White's life is not discussed enough to make the essay so broad to relate easily and connect with the other essays in the collection. It is much better left entirely out of this book.
Overall I found my introduction to Robert Greenleaf, his life, his thoughts, and his style to be engaging, unique, wise, and inspiring. The book was enjoyable to read without dull intellectualizing and what quotes he did use were relevant and very personal to Greenleaf. His years of wisdom are captured in these essays and anyone interested in leadership and how we should organize ourselves to build a better society, especially young leaders full of potential and ripe for service, would do themselves a disservice if they overlook Greenleaf's work.
Highly Recommended!.......2001-03-15
The late Robert K. Greenleaf was widely revered for his profound impact on leadership theory during the last three decades of the 20th century. Eight of his most compelling essays on servant-leadership (a term he coined) are published here in book form for the first time. These essays testify to Greenleaf's legacy and to his important role in the philosophies of leadership and service. Issues of spirit, vision and wholeness are woven through many of these essays, which address individual and institutional leadership in all areas, including government, business, religion, education and philanthropy. We at getAbstract highly recommend this eloquent book to those contemplating or holding leadership positions.
Food for thought for the 21st century leader........1999-08-06
As a Doctoral student writing on servant leadership, I found the newest book put out by The Greenleaf Center to be as interesting and thought-provoking as those published previously. If organizations are to be successful as we enter the 21st century, perhaps this book should become required reading at leadership seminars.
Greenleaf has a style all his own, but the material flows well and is readily understandable by the reader.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who leads in organizations.
Book Description
In this inspirational and practical book are gathered some of the classic works of visionary management consultant and educator Robert K. Greenleaf. This volume includes his definitive work on developing servant-leadership in a university, Teacher as Servant. Along with that parable are two of his essays, "Life's Choices and Markers," and the original version of "The Servant as Leader," written for a student audience. Each provides a different but complementary perspective on servant-leadership and its relationship to the art of teaching and the act of learning.
For this edition, the editors have added commentary to make the parable and essays even more useful to those interested in the teaching and practice of servant-leadership.
Highlights:
--ideal text to use in teaching servant-leadership to anyone with ties to the academic world
--appropriate as well for teaching in the business world
Book Description
Since 1970, Robert Greenleaf's (1904-1990) writings on servant leadership have powerfully influenced every imaginable field of endeavor, from management training and education to corporate ethics and religious missions. Scores of books and articles expanding on or using his concept of applying humanist values to life and work have appeared since then, but less has been written about the man himself. Authorized by Greenleaf's surviving children, this biography covers his early years in Indiana, where he was born, and the great inspiration his father provided as the prototype "servant leader." The book details the sources of his thought, describes his experiences as a businessman and a Quaker, highlights his friendships with dozens of luminaries - including Eleanor Roosevelt, Aldous Huxley, and the Menninger brothers - and shows how he changed business history long before his first book was published at age 73.
Customer Reviews:
A Brilliant Book on Greenleaf.......2005-07-01
This is a splendid book that beautifully captures the spirit, the ideas, and the intellect of an American giant in management thought. Don Frick is a masterful biographer whose grasp of his subject matter treats us to tantalizing pieces of information about Greenleaf even as he recreates the complex, often paradoxical mosaic of his life, artfully illuminating the man and the extraordinary legacy he left behind. Engaging, insightful, deeply fascinating and, ultimately, prophetic, this book is not about management in the 20th Century when its subject lived, but about managing in the Information Age of the 21st century. Fortunately, Frick's biography is no hagiography, which makes it all the more powerful, but the careful consideration of a man's life-a man who had a deep impact on society, yet who wrestled with inner demons and speaks to us out of his humanity. Frick gives us a feel for Greenleaf himself by inserting excerpts of his writings throughout the book, yet he never disrupts the continuity of the text. It's as if Greenleaf has whispered something in our ear at just the right moment. The real story here is not just servant-leadership, but what Greenleaf can teach us about living as well as about managing in today's turbulent environment. I can't get over how well Frick has told his story, how engaging he has made it, and how much he has to offer us in its pages. I enjoyed the biography immensely and am grateful to Don Frick for creating a comprehensive portrait of Greenleaf's remarkable life. The book is a pleasure to read as well as a exciting journey of the mind and spirit. Enjoy!
Ken Lay: Take Note.......2004-08-17
In the wake of the Martha Stewart and Ken Lay trials it is important to keep in mind that this behavior is the exception and not the rule. In my experience, the people who succeed in business are those who are aware of the contribution that they make to society. Robert K. Greenleaf: A Life of Servant Leadership sketches a history of the evolution of the concept of Servant Leadership, a concept that has been a cornerstone of thought for many great philosophers such as St. Francis, Lou Tzu, Confucius, Rumi and Gibran. The life of Robert Greenleaf is a living testimony to how the principles of Servant Leadership can be successfully applied to ones professional and personal life. From Greenleaf's example, we learn that effective leaders, lead out of service to their fellow man. Just imagine the strength of a business community that embraces this standard of conduct. The impact that Robert Greenleaf has had on corporate America is truly revolutionary. Robert Greenleaf was an enlightened, twentieth-century business executive practitioner and a twenty-first century visionary whose work is rooting in fertile ground in a global economy and WORLD PEACE!
The Secret of Success: "Service".......2004-08-14
As a University Professor, what I really like about Robert K. Greenleaf: A Life of Servant Leadership is how well Don Frick reflected on the people, historical events and experiences that evolved Greenleaf's management style and ultimately the Servant-Leadership Philosophy. It is one thing to understand the concept but the richness of that understanding is greatly enhanced with an understanding of the experiences that supported Greenleaf's theories. I think the book will have a very broad appeal. It is a "How To: management book that comes alive in the form of a BIO. I think it will appeal to a broad audience. The Greenleaf bio with appeal to research scientists, because of how effectively Greenleaf understood the human factors of scientific research and how those factors drove results and the success of large corporate projects. Bob was a research scientist for ATT. Finally in terms of a broad appeal, this is a story of a man whose integrity and personal values were reflected in how a corporation managed a business. His priority in life was to serve his fellow man. The corporation can be tool of service and everyone benefits. It is a great contrast to the ENRON and TYCO stories in which the lack of integrity and personal values ultimately resulted in the demise of the company and the retirement funds of thousands of people.
The First and Truly Definitive Biography of Robert Greenleaf.......2004-07-22
This book is a labor of love and will likely stand for a very long time as the definitive biography of Robert Greenleaf. The author had access to Greenleaf's family and private papers. You will learn how and why Greenleaf was able to develop his ideas about leadership and their vital connection to altruistic service, stewardship and a higher standard of ethics in our world today. Frick relates how he grew up, what his family life was like, what his career in corporate America was like and how his unusual 'second career' as a writer and consultant shaped his thinking. If you wish to understand servant leadership, Greenleaf's gift to humanity, and perhaps our only true hope of finding the leaders we need to create a better planet, then you need to read this book. FIVE STARS EASILY!
Book Description
Twenty-five years ago Robert Greenleaf published these prophetic essays on what he coined servant leadership, a practical philosophy that replaces traditional autocratic leadership with a holistic, ethical approach. This highly influential book has been embraced by cutting edge management everywhere. Yet in these days of Enron and what VISA CEO Dee Hock calls our "era of massive institutional failure," Greenleaf's seminal work must reach the mainstream now more than ever. Servant Leadership helps leaders find their true power and moral authority to lead. It helps those served become healthier, wiser, freer, and more autonomous. This book encourages collaboration, trust, listening, and empowerment. It offers long-lasting change, not a temporary fix and extends beyond business for leaders of all types of groups.
Customer Reviews:
Still Ahead of Its Time.......2007-07-07
Even after 30 years, this book is still decades ahead of its time. Corporations and individual leaders are just beginning to understand the power that is bestowed upon them by using these concepts and are even slower to react. For the time being, this book will have to reside in the philosophy section since it's practical use is limited to individuals, not entire cultures; corporate or otherwise.
This book is recommended since it will challenge you to change your focus of leadership from self to subordinate, from getting power to sharing it, and from clique to community. "Primus inter pares" (first among equals) is the central theme running throughout the book and although the theoretical construct is worth exploring, the cultural change necessary for it to gain a foothold is immense and will take decades if not centuries to overcome.
Greenleaf is of the opinion that for this cultural change will happen, it will most likely happen within the confines of large corporate atmospheres, not churches, foundations, or universities. Unfortunately, it's like a scale with greed and hunger from power on one end and servant leadership on the other. I'm not sure "The Prince" will lose his weight anytime soon.
Servant leadership is a hopeful dream that will take a lot of work to be popular in practice instead of in an MBA program or on a large scale. Until then, it will have to be one person at a time. The question is, will it be you?
It's only communication if the message is received.......2007-02-23
I found the ideas in this book rather interesting. However, it's a tough book to get through. Greenleaf's writing style is difficult to follow, this is not an easy read. I would not recommend Servant Leadership to someone who is looking for quick practical advise on honing their leadership skills. In my opinion, this book is better suited to those who have an academic interest in the subject. Additionally, it's been ~30 years since this book was published, many of Greenleaf's ideas have filtered into more contemporary texts. I compare it to the music of Jimi Hendrix. While he is the brilliant innovator of a genre of music, 30 years later today's broad audience doesn't understand the context of his work, but can find and enjoy his influence in the music they relate to today.
Not For the Weak of Heart.......2006-06-08
Servant-Leadership is rapidly becoming a popularized term and a popular concept to bandy about in many circles.
This is the book that started that trend.
Published originally in 1977, it contains articles and concepts that found their germination in the turbulant decade of the 1960's. While you might imagine from the term "Servant-Leader" that the ideology of this book stems from religious conviction and it certainly does include that, you may be surprised to read in the first chapter of the book that it finds its inspiration in literature. Specifically, the Servant-Leader who captured Greenleaf's imagination and catalyzed the writing of this book was the fictional character Leo in Herman Hesse's "Journey to the East."
More surprises remain in store throughout this book that challenges concepts seemingly ingrained in human nature and counter-intuitively argues for several revolutionary premises, not simply on the basis of morality, but rather effectiveness and societal need.
In particular, Greenleaf argues that the advent of big business, large institutions, and corporate growth requires a paradigm shift in the view of leadership. Contrary to the anti-authoritarianism so ingrained in the 60's, Greenleaf argues that large organizations hold tremendous promise to accomplish correspondingly large results. What is needed are leaders who will embrace the organizations and see them almost as separate entities, living organisms as it were, love them, care for them and serve the population within and without through them.
The qualities that Greenleaf profers as indicative of such growth and service are:
1. Do those served grow as persons?
2. Do they, while being served become healthier wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?
3. What is the effect on the least privileged in society?
4. Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived? (Greenleaf 1977/2002 p.27)
In practical terms Greenleaf argues strongly for such Servant-Leaders to rise up and shake off the traditional trappings of leadership within archaic and dusty organizations and equally archaic leadership models, where the emphasis has been upon elevating managers to de facto leaders of these institutions and instead, elevating Trustee's and Board Chairpersons to reject passivity, reject the role of a rubber stamp and exert leadership that embraces values, takes risks and empowers people.
It is a clarion call to activist leadership that feels very much a derivitive of the 60's altruism, yet rejects the across the board discarding of all institutions as irretrievably corrupt and inherently in need of dismantling.
This 25th anniversary edition issued in 2002 comes after the fruits of this call have culminated in Servant-Leadership's adoption as a legitimate and growingly influential leadership model in both academic, private and public sectors.
The influence of this concept and the leadership institutions that are adopting the model in their training and operations is remarkably going beyond its author who passed away in 1990.
Notable as well for its forward by Stephen Covey and an afterword by Peter Senge, this edition should be a welcome addition to the leadership library of every student and participant in the leadership melieu. Whether you accept and adopt the premises contained, there is wisdom and insight for all who wish to read. Answers in some context are given, but more importantly, tools are provided with which to frame the question for those moving forward.
I highly recommend this book as an indispensible tool for understanding the leadership issues and needs of this generation.
A Challenging Read.......2002-07-18
If you are looking for a leadership book with a different approach from the usual leadership book, and one that is intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking, then you should definitely read this book of collected talks, essays, and articles from Robert K. Greenleaf.
Armed with varied and extensive civilian leadership experience, Greenleaf boldly took me on "a journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness." This journey challenged me early on when Greenleaf stated that the traditional hierarchical leadership used in most organizations, one person in charge as the lone chief atop a pyramidal structure, is the likely cause of most of our leadership problems. Greenleaf favored another, less frequently used tradition where the principle leader is "primus inter pares" - first among equals.
Throughout the book, Greenleaf made a compelling case that "primus inter pares" exists in important places with conspicuous success. With my leadership experience rooted in the traditional military hierarchical structure, at times it was difficult to understand Greenleaf's perspectives on the first or second read.
Greenleaf's insights into the servant as leader (one who makes sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served) in the first chapter lays the foundation for his subsequent chapters: the institution as servant, trustees as servants, servant leadership in business, servant leadership in education, servant leadership in foundations, servant leadership in churches, servant leaders, servant responsibility in a bureaucratic society, and America and world leadership.
With all the recent attention focused on moral and ethical breakdowns within some large and powerful institutions (Enron, WorldCom, Arthur Anderson, the Catholic Church, etc.), this book's continued relevance is obvious. Overcoming my challenges in reading this book was definitely worth the effort.
The best book on Leadership.......2001-10-02
You only need one book on the purpose and spirit of leadership and this is it. The single first essay is all that is really needed, yet Greenleaf offers several alternate versions for various professions and walks of life. Stick with the first and any specific one that applies to you.
This is why leaders lead. No tricks, no help here for someone wanting to learn leadership tricks to advance or get ahead. If you have a cause, if you want to serve, then this is for you. Corporate ladder climbers and greedy chumps need no waste their time.
Book Description
Maurice Richard, aka The Rocket, not only ushered in hockey's modern era with his prolific scoring touch and fiery play, but his famous temper triggered one of the darkest moments in hockey history — the Montreal riot of 1955. Dozens of vintage photographs and complete stats complete this tribute to an amazing athlete from hockey's golden era.
Customer Reviews:
A GREAT LOOK AT A LEGEND.......2007-04-10
THIS IS THE STORY OF MAURICE RICHARD FORMER NHL GREAT. THE STORY IS VERY SHORT SIMPLE AND VERY EASY TO READ. I REALLY ENJOYED READING OF THE ROCKET'S NUMEROUS HEROICS AND ALSO A BIT OF HIS FAMILY LIFE. THE BOOK IS LOADED WITH MANY GREAT PHOTOS OF MAURICE ON AND OFF THE ICE. I SUGGEST THIS BOOK FOR ALL CANADIAN FANS AND FOR THE NOSTALGIC HOCKEY FAN. A MUST READ.
Remembering the Rocket's Red Glare.......2000-06-12
This spicy little book of collected essays on one of the greatest hockey players ever belongs on any true hockey fan's bookshelf. The Rocket was more than just a man, or a hockey player. He was an institution, as evidenced by the recent state funeral for our lost hockey great. The Rocket harkens back to a day when the fighting spirit of a single player could enliven the hearts and minds of a generation of fans. First-rate!
Book Description
"An eminently sensible read that should remain a benchmark volume."-Independent on Sunday
From 1920s marijuana mayhem through the heroin chic films of the '90s, Shooting Stars investigates the drug myths propagated in movies. Shapiro asks not only whether films have glamorized drugs, but shows the clear but complex links between censorship, public morals and the Hollywood dream machine, from Reefer Madness through The Man with the Golden Arm and on to films such as Panic in Needle Park. An invaluable and unique work of reference, which will be of use to students and teachers of media studies as well as film buffs.
Harry Shapiro was born in London and has worked in the drug field for over 20 years. He now lives in London.
Customer Reviews:
Seen 'em all? Read this book. Otherwise..........2005-10-15
I enjoy reading about film, and had previously read (and enjoyed) "Shooting to Kill" by Christine Vachon and David Edelstein and "Down and Dirty Pictures" by Peter Biskind, so I thought I this would be a great book for me.
I haven't seen many of the "classic" indies detailed in the book (i.e. Slacker, She's Gotta Have It, Go Fish, etc.), so I had trouble understanding (and sometimes paying attention to) parts of Pierson's book. I did learn a lot (and I'm happy about that), but I was also confused much of the time. It would have certainly helped if I would have seen the movies he was detailing. He didn't write the book for people like me. He probably wrote it for people with already strong backgrounds in independent film.
I predict it's a really good read if . . . you have seen loads (i mean loads!) of indie films since the "Stranger Than Paradise" (1984) and you already know about the directors and distributors of the post-1984 indie scene.
If you don't feel like your an industry expert just yet, trying reading "Shooting to Kill" or "Down and Dirty Pictures." They assume much less about the reader. Then watch the "classics" mentioned in these books. Then read this book. You'll appreciate it much more.
Revised version published as Spike Mike Reloaded.......2005-04-22
Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes was revised and published in January 2004 under the title: Spike Mike Reloaded. It contains a new foreward by Kevin Smith, new chapter by John Pierson, and a new dialogue between the two of them.
If You're Going to Sundance ..........2004-04-17
The "A Guided Tour Across a Decade ..." portion of the title is a little misleading to some.
While he talks to and about Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Michael Moore, Jim Jaramusch, Spike Lee and others, and while it's a first account of the American independent film movement circa 1990s - this is NOT a book about their films (either as analysis or critique) or them (as directors and their techniques or merely celeb gossip).
This is a book about the trials and tribulations of being a producer's rep.
There are two types of people who should read this book and would find it useful.
If you plan on directing or producing a movie - consider this book a MUST READ - film distribution 101 reading.
He talks in relevant detail about representing some of the most important American independent films of the 1990s including SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT, CLERKS, ROGER & ME and others. While he gives an almost day-by-day blow of some of these films as they travel from film festival circuit to deal making to publicity tours - the real value is are the details about the process that one can expect as an independent film maker.
Now, a decade later, many things have changed (especially the financing numbers and studio/distribution situation today versus the 1990s) - what hasn't changed is the overall process of what you might encounter and expect. Here's a great opportunity to read what they encountered and what lessons you might learn from them.
The detailed summary on a deal-memo and points that they negotiated regarding the distribution contract and revenues from distribution and home video - are worth the price of a USC Film School class (not the whole education - the books not that great - just a excellent class :-)
If you are a film fanatic and want to learn a portion of the nuts and bolts of the process of film festivals and independent distribution - you should find this book of interest.
Why only three stars? Deduct one star for ... this book would've been more interesting if we got more of a first hand account from the directors and their feelings during the process along with John Pierson's.
Deduct another star because the industry and the financial numbers and the players have changed so the details of the situations are not very useful.
But the foundation of Sundance and other buzz-worthy festivals reached the public eye during this period so if you're going (or thinking of going) to Sundance, Toronto, et al - get up to speed on all that's transpired so far.
Again, this is a MUST READ for aspiring directors and producers. For others, it all depends on how interested you are in the history of the business process of indepedent film-making ...
too much horn-tooting.......2001-07-24
What could've been a good guide to modern indie film is bogged down by Pierson's relentless and self-serving tooting of his own horn. Who cares?!? What we really want is the inside story of all these independent films and filmmakers. Pierson seemed to lose track of who the stars of his book should be. I also found the author's writing and his overall knowledge of movies to be lacking. A much better book on the same broad topic is "Celluloid Mavericks" by Greg Merritt, which covers the entire history of American independent film from a much more literate and balanced perspective.
Definitely for Kevin Smith fans.......2000-07-17
Although I'm a big fan of indie films, I found this book a bit dull. Not that I'm looking for a typical Hollywood put on the glitz and glamour type of book, but the book basically deals with how the author put together financing and got distribution for some indie films. It definitely could have been told in a more exciting way. The best thing about it is the interviews with Kevin Smith that are interspersed through the first half or so of the book. Then, they drop off, and I did as well. The author is definitely a huge fan of Kevin Smith, which is great, as there are a lot of Kevin's journal entries included about when Clerks was at Sundance. If you like Kevin Smith, this is a good read, if only for the interviews and the chapter about Clerks. If not, then well...you might like it, but it's a little dull. If you haven't seen Slacker, Go Fish, Roger and Me, Clerks, She's Gotta Have It, Amongst Friends, Reservoir Dogs, etc., then you might have a hard time as well.
Book Description
Shape the Future of Civilization.
·Strategies for every Victory condition
·Tips and tricks for City and Empire management
·Advanced combat tactics to help you win every battle
·In-depth tips for improving your civilization's cultural status
·Analysis of the new units, improvements, and Wonders
·Secrets for achieving multiplayer domination
Customer Reviews:
Buy the Game Instead.......2003-07-29
missed are special strategies and techniques, shortcuts, more than just the rote recitation of what you get with the game itself.
I love CIV III despite the almost absurdly long times at the end. Especially fun are the huge games in which you are sometimes centuries meeting your nearest neighbor. The most annoying facet is control of enemy territory. It is nearly impossible to keep a city once it is captured as it almost always reverts back to its former owners. Fix this bug!
Buy the game instead.......2003-07-23
If you purchase the game and take your time, you can soon learn almost everything that is in this book. What is missed are special strategies and techniques, shortcuts, more than just the rote recitation of what you get with the game itself.
I love CIV III despite the almost absurdly long times at the end. Especially fun are the huge games in which you are sometimes centuries meeting your nearest neighbor. The one thing I don't like about the game: It is nearly impossible to keep a city once it is captured as it almost always reverts back to its former status. Fix this bug!
Play The World Strategy Guide Review.......2003-05-26
I thought this book was pretty good. A lot of it is review (for me) but I did learn some other strategies and tricks. The tricks weren't as useful as I thought, but besides that, the book provides good information for beginners and veterans.
No new information here.......2003-02-19
The Play the World Strategy Guide is nothing more than a printed version of the Civlopedia, which is included with the game. The "strategies", if we call them that, can be summed by saying: "win the game". The manual reminds players to keep the end objective of winning in mind, but provides zero guidance on how to get there. Anyone with a week of playing experience could probably right a more insightful look into the game.
Book Description
In its fourth edition, Economics Explained continues its announced purpose -- to explain that mysterious thing called economics. But there is a new urgency to the book. It is announced in the first sentence of the introduction: "Just in case the reader-to-be hasn't noticed, disturbing things are going on in the American economy these days."
This new edition is about these disturbing things: a trend toward inequality of incomes, the appearance of a new "globalized" capitalism, the "specter" of inflation. As before, Robert Heilbroner and Lester Thurow treat these problems in language that seeks to make clear their causes and treatments. In this straightforward, highly accessible reference, Heilbroner and Thurow -- two of America's most respected and articulate economists -- offer all the economics essential for becoming an effective investor, a savvy business decision maker, or simply an informed member of society.
Customer Reviews:
economics explained.......2007-09-30
I ordered the wrong book so I never used this book. However, the supplier was very easy to work with.
the hobo philosopher.......2007-06-27
This is an excellent introduction to today's economics. It covers the basics like supply and demand, inflation, savings and investment, but also covers more modern concepts like privatization and the public sector, globalization and money and banking. It touches on a few traditional economic personalities - Smith, Marx and Keynes. It discusses the national debt and deficit spending and all the major things most people are talking about in today's average world. If you know nothing about economics but want to learn, this is the book for you. If you know all about economics but want to review the basics this book is for you. This book even discusses the ethics and morality of our modern day capitalism which I thought was rather refreshing.
not so great.......2005-05-05
I'll tell you what this book is: it's a primer on financial markets for people who already have a strong background in economics (say, college courses in micro and macro) and are looking to transmute that knowledge into the kind of practical know-how that will help them make money with their investments.
The authors do not specifically recommend specific investments or brokerage houses, no; it's more of a general review of economics, though with a constant view towards putting that knowledge into practical and profitable use in a variety of situations.
Well, once you understand that, the book isn't so great, despite one of the authors (Heilbroner) being just famous for his excellent "The Worldly Philosophers." Plus the thing's out of date, being (among other things) pre-tech bubble burst.
However, I can help you: if you need a book that does what this book is trying to do, perhaps the best one I know of is "How the Economy Works," by Edmund A. Mennis. Also immensely useful is the "Guide to Economic Indicators" by the editors of the British magazine, the Economist (also useful for Americans). Both are available on Amazon.
If, however, you are merely looking for an entertaining and informative precis of contemporary economic issues and aren't planning on doing anything knowledge-requiring with your money, this book simply will not do. The writing is stuffy, the coverage is incomplete, and the explanations are way too elliptical for a novice.
For this last purpose, seek out instead Charles Wheelan's "Naked Economics."
Remove the mystique and the mysteries.......2005-04-22
The authors don't dodge controversial issues and choose sides in this superbly written book.
They show profusely that economics is mainly about capitalism and the costs and benefits of economic freedom.
One of the essential issues in economics is the tension between the claims of efficiency and justice, between conservatives and liberals. But they draw the line between disagreement and sheer incomprehension.
Their cause is the liberal one: the government can add to the growth of GNP.
But frankly not in the way the actual government is doing it by 'cost overruns in defense programs' (a massive part of the federal budget), instead of investing in infrastructure, R & D and, most importantly, in education.
They fustigate supply-side economics (serving all wealthy taxpayers, but pulling the rug under the feet of the needy), or Milton Friedman's 'Doing Nothing'.
On the Negative Income Tax solution they remark: 'That may accord with our Sunday morality, but not with our workday morality.'
By the way, this book is a clearly explained textbook on economics (macro and micro, money-banks-gold, consuming-saving-investing, big and small businesses, GNP, income distribution, externalities, rationing ...)
The index is superb.
It ends with a severe warning: 'Having fallen behind, we will stay behind.'
If you should read one book about economics, this is it: a magisterial course, even for economists.
A great place to brush up or begin your econ studies.......2004-04-22
I really admire this writer a great deal because he has a gift for making complex concepts clear as crystal. I don't know about you, but I am sick of overly sarcastic or "humorous" approaches to series topics - the whole "atomic fusion for dummies" style of writing. I find a clear, insightful explanation entertaining enough, thanks. When I read this book, I found it thrilling because all the basic economic principles we all live with everyday (but so often are clouded in mystery) suddenly opened up before me because of the author's clarity.
It is true that Mr. Heilbroner is a liberal\democratic leaning economist. He admits that up front, however, in the introduction, and he promises the reader that all points of view in the book will be clearly marked as opinion and never given as fact. I should say that I lean to the right heavily, and I did not find this book unfair or overly biased at all. If you are a conservative like me, do not omit this book because of the author's stated economic preferences. It is a wonderful book full of deep insights and observations, written for serious grown-ups looking for an introduction into the fascinating world of economics. --Mykal Banta
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