The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A. C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas

Book Description

Athlete, magician, marketing genius, millionaire- A. C. Gilbert was all of these, but he made his name by refusing to grow up. In 1913 Gilbert poured his boyish enthusiasm into a new toy. He called it the Erector Set, and the A. C. Gilbert Company sold 30 million of them. In this engaging book, award-winning journalist Bruce Watson tells the story of this amazing toy and its remarkable inventor-who, in 1918, became "The Man Who Saved Christmas" by convincing the U.S. War Resources Board not to ban wartime toy sales. Going beyond biography, Watson asks important questions about toys, boys, girls, science, and the way our perception of each has changed. The result is a quintessentially American tale of ingenuity, enthusiasm . . . and a marvelous invention that fit industrial America like a nut fits a bolt.

Customer Reviews:

A Toy Lovers' Hero.......2006-03-27

This book is being hawked to book club types who read widely if not deeply, but it seems to have missed its intended audience. The first clue is it has two subtitles. The second appears when you crack the cover. Watson seems to have reprised the successful writing style of his other books. What results is neither fish nor fowl.

The few black and white pictures will have toy collectors salivating for more. Any serious? afficianados will be put off with Watson's frequent recourse to pop psychology and his continual penchant to restate the obvious. What this book makes you want is a full scale, photo-drenched guide to the A.C. Gilbert toy company and especially erector sets.

Erector sets also have a long, speckled history, being bought at one point by Meccano, the British equivalent, and recently reissued by various companies who apparently just bought the name. As with Johnny Lighting, Aurora Models and Lionel Trains, Erector longs for some toy lover to bring back the real thing: kits that build various structures and vehicles and especially robots, not those currently in vogue with nostalgic adults (but ignored by creative kids) that only construct one rickety model.

That said, this book does a great job of recreating the possible environment of A.C. Gilbert's company and how he lived and breathed toys. As one subtitle suggests, he ought to be every toy lovers' hero for the way he saved Christmas in 1918 from a proposal that would force parents to buy war bonds rather than toys for their kids. Rather than appearing in circulating libraries and book clubs, this book needs to be redone with far more graphics and toy pics and aimed at toy collectors who would discover in A.C. Gilbert a mentor and hero.

Erectormania.......2006-02-25

Although I was born too late for the Erector set boom, I, for the most part, enjoyed this biography on toy magnate A.C. Gilbert. Part man, part boy, part inventor, part showman and all business, this gave good insight into the man behind the legendary toys. Again, I'm a little out of the loop as far as Gilbert's toys go, but I'm willing to wager that this would be much more enjoyable for somebody who grew up with Erectormania.

Required reading.......2003-09-12

This book should be required reading for industrial designers, toy designers and anyone else involved in design, marketing or production of consumer goods. This is a very important look into market forces, consumer behavior and the importance of placing the consumer first amd foremeost in your product design.

The book may be a biography, but is also a textbook for every enlightened designer and marketer. I will make this required reading for the Industrial design grad student I am mentoring.

Add to the fact that the author's style is at times hilarious, sometimes matter of fact, and the bottom of page 208 and page 209 will bring tears of joy and pride to your eyes.

Well written, entertaining and incredibly informative.

Examines how toys help avert or discharge childhood violence.......2003-02-09

A.C. Gilbert wore many hats: athlete, magician, and self-made millionaire - but he made his money by creating the Erector set toy back in 1913, making an invention which changed how boys played. The Man Who Changed How Boys And Toys Were Made isn't just a biography of an inventor; it examines how toys help avert or discharge childhood violence, how high-tech toys may serve a different purpose, and differences between how both sexes play.

Great book, well done.......2003-02-01

Bruce Watson takes the reader from AC Gilbert's childhood to his days at Paradise. He explains how this industrial legend developed and advertised his "Toys for Boys". And Mr. Watson explains the reasons why Gilbert's toys were not as popular for the 60"s child. A good read.

The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A. C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas

Average customer rating:

The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A. C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas
Bruce Watson
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ3LGM

Amazon.com

The astonishing thing about wide receiver Wayne Chrebet's young career with the New York Jets has nothing to do with his 75 catches in 1998 or his 18 career TDs going into the 1999 season. It's that he has a career in the NFL at all.

Chrebet is the prototypical sports overachiever, the guy who's told at every stop that he's too small, too slow, too this, too that, but his secret is he never listens. He just goes out and proves them wrong. A standout football and basketball star in high school, no major college took notice. At Division 1-AA Hofstra College, he caught five TD passes in his final game to tie one of Jerry Rice's records, and the pros turned the other cheek. "I just wanted a chance," Chrebet writes poignantly. "I'm the kind of guy, if you give me a crack, I'm going to turn it into the Grand Canyon." On draft day, no cracks appeared. Chrebet stared at the TV in agony as, round after round, team after team passed him by. Inconceivably, he watched a receiver who missed the entire college season with a broken leg get the call--"At least I have two healthy legs here"--while his own phone is ominously silent. "None of them thought I was good enough."

Which, in all good prototypical-sports-overachiever tales, is just what Chrebet needs for inspiration and incentive. At last, the sad-sack Jets--perfect irony for Chrebet, a lifelong Giants fan--leave the door slightly ajar, and the rest is history. Of the receivers who entered the NFL in 1995, including the 31 draftees, Chrebet's stats put him second. His team, after years in the doldrums, is a contender again. "If you're given the opportunity," he stresses, "you might as well take advantage of it." Every Down, Every Distance is a nice example of what can happen when you do. --Jeff Silverman

Book Description

The NFL's most popular wide receiver tells the remarkable and inspirational story of how he went from an undrafted walk-on to an everyman hero and star of the New York Jets.

Growing up in hardscrabble Garfield, New Jersey, Wayne Chrebet was always too small or too slow or too something to be taken seriously as a football player. And even after an impressive career in high school, he wasn't even a blip on the recruiting radar screens of the big-time college programs.

Instead, Wayne went to Hofstra University in Long Island without a scholarship. Mom and Dad paid the eighteen-thousand-dollar-a-year tuition, and Wayne held up his end of the deal by earning a degree while setting record after record on the football field. But even after tying an NCAA mark held by Jerry Rice, Wayne's name was not called during the 1995 NFL draft. Undaunted, Wayne dedicated himself to being ready if and when he got the chance to prove the skeptics wrong.

Four remarkable years and hundreds of catches later, Wayne has been singled out as one of the key ingredients that turned the Jets from laughingstock to Super Bowl contender. His secret is simple. He plays as if every down and every distance to go were his last.

Full of inspiration, motivation, and charm, Every Down, Every Distance is the perfect book for football fans who root for the underdog.

Customer Reviews:

reads like memoirs.......2001-07-13

Wayne is a little too nice in this book, constantly thanking his friends and family, complimenting other players and coaches.... He isn't negative about anyone, and this is frustrating because you want to hear the dirt about the Jets and you won't get it here. Still a good, quick read. I don't think it would be a good book for non-football fans; he goes through too much detail about catching passes and specific Jets games. (that is, after he's done chronicling the contributions of his high school basketball coach) It's really a very good book, but you do have to sieve through the thank-yous a little bit. Also it's written after the 98 season, so who knows how positive he is now, after the last two years?

I couldn't put it down............2001-01-20

I bought this book on a Saturday night, late. I decided to wait until I came home from work on Sunday to start reading it. I came home at four on Sunday and took it out... I couldn't put it down! I started reading at four and I didn't put it down until my parents forced me to for dinner. If I didn't have homework I know I would have finished it that night. I brought the book to school the next two days... and I finished it. I normally hate to read but this book was great. I loved to learn about his life. How almost everyday when he was a kid he'd end up getting hurt, and he just kept doing it. I almost cried when he talked about his grandma and when he finally made the NFL. It's a must read for any JET or Wayne Chrebet fan. If you love reading about underdogs coming out this is a definite read!

Every Down, Every Distance: My Journey to the NFL.......2001-01-16

This book was awesome. I recommend it to anyone who wants to read it and those other illiterate people.

A must read for anyone who loves the underdog.......1999-10-23

The story of Wanyne Chrebet is a must read for all people who have to overcome the odds. A 5'10" 185lbs who was passed up and told that he couldn't follow his dream, Wayne Chrebet shows with hardwork nothing is impossible. A true American sport role model who everyone can look up to. Wayne Chrebet is one of us, he doesn't want to be treated differently and has a real idea about how lucky he is to be playing a game. If you like the underdog or your down on your luck this book will definately help you out. Also, a great story for tennage kids who are having a tough time at school or making a atletic team. This book has stories that everyone can relate to, from death of a loved one to good pizza, this story has it all.

It's a good story, not just for Jet fans, inspiring.......1999-10-10

If you don't know Wayne Chrebet's story, it is simply that everyone said a guy who played football at a small college (Hofstra), isn't built like your typical NFL receiver(5'10" 185lbs.), and didn't get picked in the draft, could possibly become a starting player in the league. As a Jets fan who sat in the stands when they were 1-15, I can tell you firsthand that Chrebet was the only reason to get excited during that season! Chrebet never gave up and luckily he was surrounded by family and friends that had the same attitude. Yeah, the writing isn't exactly Hemingway, but Chrebet is the everyman. That is why people identify with him and think, "Yeah, that could be me on that team." Good easy read. Better if you're a Jets fan.

Customer Reviews:

Writing about movies for the sheer joy of it........2000-11-02

Barry Gifford clearly knows and loves his noir. This book is comprised of columns Gifford wrote -- I forget the publication they originally appeared in -- recounting the plots of noir cinema, both from the '50s and from more recent times, in a stripped-down prose any hardboiled novelist would be proud of. These aren't reviews so much as praising bits of imitation -- Gifford seems to be challenging himself to write the perfect synopses of the movies he recounts, with a language that truly captures the feel of the genre. Minimalist meditations on crime films. You won't learn much about the movies Gifford writes about from this book (other than the stories) but if you've seen them and love them, you'll enjoy reading his prose, and if you haven't, you might get motivated to hunt them down. I forget the films he lists, exactly -- Nick Ray's excellent IN A LONELY PLACE is in there, but that's not pure noir by a longshot. David Lynch fans might note that the book also includes a critical piece on BLUE VELVET that puts the film down as "academic pornography" and sick stuff, and further lays down the putdown of calling it "phlegm noir." This is particularly funny in that Lynch ended up adapting Gifford's subsequent WILD AT HEART, and that the two collaborated together on LOST HIGHWAY... a film which I suspect contains buried references to Gifford's writing about Lynch here -- when Robert Blake (as that demon-figure) and Robert Loggia (as the pornographer) are squaring off and one of them, I forget which, says "No one makes ugly like we do..." Lynch and Gifford's alter-egos? Anyhow, it's a fun book...

Book Description

Hip-hop culture began in the early 1970s as the creative and activist expressions -- graffiti writing, dee-jaying, break dancing, and rap music -- of black and Latino youth in the depressed South Bronx, and the movement has since grown into a worldwide cultural phenomenon that permeates almost every aspect of society, from speech to dress. But although hip-hop has been assimilated and exploited in the mainstream, young black women who came of age during the hip-hop era are still fighting for equality.

In this provocative study, Gwendolyn D. Pough explores the complex relationship between black women, hip-hop, and feminism. Examining a wide range of genres, including rap music, novels, spoken word poetry, hip-hop cinema, and hip-hop soul music, she traces the rhetoric of black women "bringing wreck." Pough demonstrates how influential women rappers such as Queen Latifah, Missy Elliot, and Lil' Kim are building on the legacy of earlier generations of women -- from Sojourner Truth to sisters of the black power and civil rights movements -- to disrupt and break into the dominant patriarchal public sphere. She discusses the ways in which today's young black women struggle against the stereotypical language of the past ("castrating black mother," "mammy," "sapphire") and the present ("bitch," "ho," "chickenhead"), and shows how rap provides an avenue to tell their own life stories, to construct their identities, and to dismantle historical and contemporary negative representations of black womanhood. Pough also looks at the ongoing public dialogue between male and female rappers about love and relationships, explaining how the denigrating rhetoric used by men has been appropriated by black women rappers as a means to empowerment in their own lyrics. The author concludes with a discussion of the pedagogical implications of rap music as well as of third wave and black feminism.

This fresh and thought-provoking perspective on the complexities of hip-hop urges young black women to harness the energy, vitality, and activist roots of hip-hop culture and rap music to claim a public voice for themselves and to "bring wreck" on sexism and misogyny in mainstream society.

Customer Reviews:

Hip-Hop From A Woman's Point Of View.......2006-02-27

Gwendolyn Pough has done something that many would have never thought could be done she wrote a delicate yet interesting academic book on an era that many seem to think will faze out hip hop has been with us for three decades or more hip hop has continue to thrive even when things that had nothing to do with it where use it against it but Ms. Pough takes it even farther she takes it to a point where most will tell you don't exist she breaks it down and tell you how woman yes I said it woman not just any woman but black woman step in and made their selves known in hip hop even though other hip hop scholars deny that ever being.

Gwendolyn takes you back to the days when working the turntables was a way to perform, rapping was a way to be heard, graffiti was a way to be seen because the state didn't want to have a performing arts curriculum so the black youth found away to allow their culture to thrive without the help of those who were educated to teach them these things they didn't need anyone to tell them what was the correct note or the proper way to do a dance the generation of that time was determine to make something of their selves and to say that this culture as Ms. Pough considers Hip Hop continues to grow so does other aspects of it from Rap to the Urban gear we see not only is it baggy jeans anymore we now see our young black brothers sharply dress in a three piece suite courtesy of Sean "P Diddy" Combs, brothers are wearing GRILLZ in their mouth because of Nelly, and last but surely not least women artist aren't afraid to take the stage because they have seen Missy, McLyte, Mary J Blidge, Queen Latifah, TLC, Salt N Pepper those ladies before them do it and they are determine to do it their selves I mean if you look at it Missy Elliott she is doing big things from producing to running her very own company. You can't tell me that hip hop has not arrived and that the black woman didn't help it arrive I mean woman are playing important roles in hip hop movies I know you all saw Brown Sugar where Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan are representatives of hip hop she is a part of it just as much as he is but no man will ever tell you hip hop is represent like it is black and white / man and female but Gwendolyn Pough has no problem telling you the truth behind the culture we know as Hip Hop.

After reading the book I sat back for a moment and really thought of what Ms. Pough said and her book now for me it was easy to accept as a young black woman working in the hip hop industry as a radio personality I see it all the time some black female artist trying to go up against whatever fella that's on the corner rapping its nothing to see a sister battling it out to maintain her place in the game they will get raunchy with their words and say something that you wouldn't expect but they will do what it takes to stand with the fellas because they know what its like to be in the male world of hip hop. So I stand give Ms Pough a applause for her dedication and hard work to make today's world understand that woman have a place in every culture even hip hop.

Different Perspective..........2005-12-31

Unfortunately I must disagree with the other reviewers in that Pough's book is a history of women in hip hop. It is actually much more than that. Check It While I Wreck It is mainly a discussion of black women in the public sphere and questions how black women are portrayed not only in hip hop culture but in black culture. The author asks the reader to review some of the things we as women love so much about hip hop and ask how much these things have influenced today's young women. She gives her own reasons of why women have a hard time breaking into the hip hop culture and engages in the age-old question: can black women uplift themselves and embrace their own culture without the emmasculation of black men. With that said, if you are looking for a history of women in hip hop, this may not be your best source. However, if you looking for a study of black womanhood as a culture and its evolution, this would be a great choice.

First Ladies of Hip Hop... Please Stand Up!.......2005-06-30

"Wave ya hands in the air and shake`em like you just don't care." These are words often used to hype the crowd for hip-hop concerts around the country. I found myself singing the same tune as I read this remarkable tribute to African American culture, hip-hop and feminism. Pough does an exceptional job of researching the roots of black women in the hip-hop phenomena, which has swept the world and become embedded in its very foundation. The hip-hop culture is broken down and explained through the lens of black women detailing how it has changed and how women are viewed. She traces the rhetoric of women in all hip-hop genres: urban literature, rap & soul music, development of the spoken word, and black film. The essence of the title, Pough explains is how black women bring "wreck" which is a form of praise to describe the "skill and greatness" of the lyrics.

Do you know the great women of hip-hop? You should take the time to sit down with this account of rap legends - Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Yo Yo, Salt-N-Pepa and many more. You will learn about Sylvia Robinson, the owner of Sugar Hill Records, break-dancer Baby Love, and poet lyricist Jessica Care Moore and Sista Soulja. Pough uses the work and dedication of these women to help readers understand how women are portrayed in hip-hop. She reaches back to Sojourner Truth preaching black power and equal rights use then leaps forward to Queen Latifah performing socially conscious rap and Salt-N-Pepa exuding sexuality in their breakout lyrics. From the stereotypical roles of "mammy" to the present day images of "chickenhead", black women have used rap music to outline their life, reconfigure their identities, and breakdown the historical stereotypes and negative images that male rappers have constructed.

Pough has provided the world with a well-researched, provocative account of hip-hop culture and the women who have added to its success. Readers can relive the development of hip-hop and sing the songs, remember the films, dances and slang made popular starting from the early 1970's to the present. This is a must-have book for every hip-hop lover, feminist, or African American studies student/department. The issues discussed in this book will provide hours of discussion for anyone who reads it. Pough has brought "wreck" to the area of academia.
Reviewed by M. Bruner for Loose Leaves Book Review

Bringing Wreck.......2004-10-08

When hip hop made its debut onto the urban scene in the 1970s, most saw it as a fad that would eventually fade into oblivion. Some thirty years later this culture, essentially born from urban decay, with its eclectic mix of rap music, poetry, dance, dress and attitude, has become universal.

In her new book CHECK IT WHILE I WRECK IT, Gwendolyn Pough, assistant Professor of Women's Studies at the University of Minnesota, highlights some of the contributions of noted female rappers to hip hop and explores their impact on the evolution of the genre.

Dr. Pough explains the phenomena of "bringing wreck" a catch phrase often used in hip hop circles, as a form of praise, to describe "skill and greatness." The author uses this terminology to ascribe to the ways in which various female rappers; from the lyrically raunchy Foxy Brown and Lil Kim to the socially conscious Queen Latifah and Lauren Hill have brought "wreck" to the world of hip hop by causing "disruptions which somehow shifted the way black people were viewed in the society at large." The author further expounds on the theory that the hip hop culture has the power to "affect change and bring wreck in a meaningful way" and exhorts female rappers to recognize the tremendous possibilities of hip hop and use it as a force for good.

CHECK IT WHILE I WRECK IT is a thought-provoking, enlightening read which affords all readers a window into the world of an often misunderstood, yet extremely popular culture. At the core of this book is the author's call for female rappers to continue to "bring wreck" to the hip hop world, as they strive to carve their own niche in this essentially male dominated culture.

Reviewed by Autumn
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Erudite and Culturally Relevant.......2004-07-25

Throughout the history of Hip-Hop, its relationship with women (particularly Black women) and feminism has been strained. Though there have been a few success stories regarding women on the scene and behind the scenes of the Hip-Hop movement, women's place in it have been, for the most part, invisible, degrading, and kept to a minimum. In Gwendolyn's Pough's exciting new book, Check It While I Wreck It, the assistant professor of women's studies at the University of Minnesota examines the dysfunctional relationship between Black women, feminism, and Hip Hop.

The book commences with a history of Black women in the public sphere who have contributed to the betterment of African-Americans such as Angela Davis, the historical Black clubwomen, and women who were trailblazers in the blues music industry. Pough reveals how Black women laid the foundation for future successes for the entire race. Pough writes "Black women were major players through Reconstruction, the civil rights movement, and the Black Power movement." In fact, because of their exclusion, the author even suggests a re-writing of history.

Later the author gives us a more recent history of women's contributions to the arts and Hop, including Sylvia Robinson, the label owner of Sugar Hill Records, break dancer Baby Love, and female rapper Roxanne Shante. The book gives major props to Grammy-winner Queen Latifah, Sista Soulja, MC Lyte, and poet Jessica Care Moore.

Pough also critiques the products of popular culture such as movies like Boyz N The Hood and Just Another Girl on the IRT, books such as Sista Soulja's The Coldest Winter Ever and Omar Tyree's Flyy Girl, and of course rap records such as L.L. Cool J's I Need Love, and Latifah's U.N.I.T.Y.

The book is best when examining the problems that exist between women and Hip-Hop, from the objectification of women in music videos to the acts of hyper-sexual rappers such as Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown. Pough writes "Today, in addition to the old images of the sexually promiscuous Black women...we have the bitches, hos, stunts, hoochies, pigeons, chickenheads, and baby mamas put forth by Black men rappers. The need to struggle against stereotyped images is still present." Let's hope this book will keep the discussion that invokes change alive.

"Check It While I Wreck" is a thoroughly researched, erudite, and culturally relevant work that is virtually impossible to put down. Reminiscent of the writings of bell hooks, this scholarly work in feminist theory and Hip-Hop culture is destined to be an instant classic taught in college lecture halls across the country.

Book Description

Whatever happened to the old-fashioned children's games and songs? Old favorites like Kick the Can, Fox and Geese, and Red Rover encouraged camaraderie, physical activity, coordination and social interaction-as electronic and computer games never can. Family and campfire singalongs helped preserve the folksong and storytelling tradition while instilling in children a sense of community and a confidence in their musical capability.

Writer and poet Sharon O'Bryan has gathered a collection of the old games and songs. She brings the old days back to life with instructions for outdoor games like King of the Mountain; car games like Graveyard; card games including Old Maid; and favorite party games such as Blind Man's Bluff. Lyrics and music to singing games and campfire songs are added to this collection to offer old style amusement for every child and occasion.

Customer Reviews:

The best old fashioned classical games.......1999-09-01

GAMEKIDS, international natural play webmagazine and club highly recommends this book to our members. The book features some of the best games for children of all ages to play. The book contains some of the classics - many of which children today perhaps have never heard of (i.e. kick the can, run sheep run, horse, etc.)

There are over 200 games: outside games, car games, card games, singing games and campfire songs, and some of the best party games we've seen!

This is truely a classic which every family, school, and library should have!

It has wonderful ways to get kids out the door and movin'!.......1999-04-15

What a precious book. From the day I read about it in the paper, I was interested. Several of my friends look for ways to entertain our kids at their birthday parties. This book itself is a birthday parthday theme. I ordered two just from reading the review in the paper. I just received them today. I have read it and are now at the computer ordering more for several kids birthday's. Kids spend to much time watching games on TV and not enough time playing them. The book encourages family time, too. You can tell it was written from her heart with the true love for children and their happiness. Thank you for writing this book!

Great Book and Author!!!!.......1998-12-17

I personally know Sharon O'Bryan and have read her book. This is a great, back to the basics, approach to FUN!!! Its educational, fair and most of all FUN!!! I would suggest this book to anyone involved with children, whether it be ina school, daycare, or camp type setting.

Book Description

This book contains a logistics approach to inventory management-from the warehouse through the distribution system, from the supplier to the customer. Written for managers, it outlines objectives and performance measures pertaining to customer service, inventory investment, and operational efficiency. Factors affecting inventory are fully discussed and warehouse environments are fully explored, including types and objectives, packaging, material handling, and costs involved.

Customer Reviews:

Nice quick intro to the basics.......2003-05-03

As the title implies, this is a "basics" book. Actually more of a workbook than a book, it quickly covers the basic concepts of inventory management. A little forecasting, a little lot sizing, a little accounting etc.
This little workbook could be very useful as part of an in-house training program for workers unfamiliar with inventory management.

Not what it claims.......2003-03-13

BASICS OF INVENTORY MANAGEMENT is astoundingly worthless. For the price, I thought, how could I go wrong? Indeed, I went wrong.

The author clearly has an extensive background in discreet manufacturing, but he is unable to rise above the paradigm. His short book attempts to cover the basics of discreet manufacturing as it relates to inventory management. Note that this is in contrast to the book's title, which does not suggest such a specific and narrow focus.

The author makes no effort to discuss basic inventory management from a pure warehousing perspective. Every example given is within the context of a discreet manufacturing environment, and quizzically, assumes the reader to knows a great deal about manufacturing while imparting no useful knowledge in terms of inventory management. The book is of absolutely no value for anyone outside a manufacturing environment.

For a book that contains only 121 pages, the reader will be surprised to find several sections, each several pages in length, where the text simply makes no sense. These sections appear to be placed into the book at random, without explanation or excuse. Chapters, called modules, contain one bulleted list after another, mostly without meaning. It is as if the author is so familiar with the material, he assumes the reader will know his meaning without an explanation. The result is a puzzling and bizarre collection of seemingly disassociated facts, manufacturing anecdotes, and pointless tidbits of information.

At the end of each module are a few short exercises to reinforce the material, and answers to each exercise are in the back of the book. This would be very useful if the answers to the questions posed in the exercises had been presented in the module, but the questions tend to beg speculation that a reader familiar only with the text would have no hope of answering. The questions that stick to the technical aspects of manufacturing, such as calculating lot sizes, might be useful if the author consistently supplied the reader with the appropriate formula and supporting data, but in most cases one or both is missing.

Everything mentioned above would contribute greatly to the feeling that the book had been thrown together with little thought and even less editing, but as if to underscore the idea, the book is riddled with errors -- and not just the typographical variety. These are serious errors that a reader without experience in manufacturing would not catch. These are errors in the very heart of the material, facts presented that are simply wrong.

All in all, BASICS OF INVENTORY MANAGEMENT is not worth its small price. It is deceptively titled, so if you are looking to learn what the title suggests, the text will not suffice. If you know enough about manufacturing to understand the few intelligible sections, you already know more than this book will teach.

Matches it's promise of an easy read.......2000-10-10

I bought the book based on it's title. I wanted a quick overview of the subject and this is exactly what it gave me. It is an easy read and covers most of the basics.

It spends a bit too much time on unnecessary financial information, and too little on the link between inventory and purchasing, but other than this it is well rounded.

It contains a number of very simple exercises (a bit too basic sometimes) that reinforce what you have read. These are useful.

The book contains mostly all of the required equations and formulae that an inventory controller would need.

Recommended reading as a refresher for professionals, or a start-up guide for students and people new to the industry.

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