Book Description
Donald Klopfer and Bennett Cerf had been partners in Random House for seventeen years, but Donald decided that he had to become a part of an even greater endeavor—the defeat of Nazi Germany. Not long after Pearl Harbor, Donald, who was then forty years old, took a leave from Random House and joined the United States Army Air Forces. He served for two and a half years, finally becoming an intelligence major in a B-24 group in England.
Donald and Bennett wrote to each other regularly all during that period. Bennett sent Donald long newsy letters about the book business—authors, sales, publishing gossip—as well as about what was happening in New York. Donald reacted in his wise, serene way to Bennett’s letters, and conveyed news of what was going on in the war, though sometimes censorship took its toll.
This is nostalgia with substance, and because these letters were never intended to be read by anyone else, they reveal, in a convincing and wonderful way, just how special these two men were and how that specialness was reflected in the company they founded.
Customer Reviews:
My, How the Publishing Business Has Changed!.......2003-09-23
Before browsing through Dear Donald, Dear Bennett, the reader should immediately peruse a copy of At Random, Bennett Cerf's memoirs, so he has a chance of understanding what he is reading in this book. I can't believe Random House would treat the personal letters of their founders in such a shabby fashion. Virtually no footnotes, no annotation, no index---nothing. They might as well be putting out the memoirs of Anna Nicole Smith, rather than the keepers of one of the great literary storehouses of the twentieth century. Before spending any money assembling this volume for publication (if indeed they spent any at all!), the editors should have acquired a copy of The Noel Coward Diaries and followed it religiously as a guide. In that volume, Graham Payn and Sheridan Morely obviously spent months poring over every inch of copy, meticulously footnoting each and every name and archane reference so that upon completion, the reader would easily be able to tell the difference between Bob Menzies and Bobby Andrews, the Duke of Kent from the Duke of Windsor, and easily tell whether Sir Noel was writing about Elizabeth Taylor the film star, Elizabeth Taylor the English novelist, or Elizabeth Taylor the non-celebrity dear friend to Coward's inner circle. Here, the editors (who are unnamed and rightly so) merely say that Saxe Commins was a senior editor at Random House and Robert Haas a partner without furthur definition. (More time is spent discussing the typeface of this volume than virtually anything else.) Most readers of these letters would be interested in the details such annotation would provide. Yes, the letters do paint a wonderful picture of the day-to-day operations of the company, the trials and tribulations of America at war, and the deep affection between the two men. It's a shame the present-day editors at Random House did not see fit to put together a better tribute of their founding fathers.
For hardcore Cerf fans........2002-05-30
I waited for a few months for this book to come out, and was truly not disappointed. Of course, I believe that you must be a hardcore Bennett Cerf fan to enjoy it. If you are not a Cerf fan, the book is still an interesting capsule of the World War II era. My obsession with Mr. Cerf began with "What's My Line", I have since obtained most of his books. I recommend reading "At Random", Bennett's recollections of working at Random House Publishing. When you know the story behind these two gentleman, you will appreciate this book more. Mr. Cerf ran in several circles, and it shows in the book. It would be an interesting contrast to have this go against a modern day publishing house letter exchange. Reading this gives the feel of the day. It seemed that the business world, even though still busy, was much more laid back. The letters these two friends mailed back and forth really show the value of personal written communication, a waning part of relationships.
Customer Reviews:
Vegas history lesson.......2005-05-25
While the book is old and dated, the story is extremely well written and keeps the intensity level up there right up to the final pages. While today's Vegas is nothing like the Vegas of old, the book provides a fascinating look into an otherwise secret world. A good read.
educational.......2004-07-06
I liked reading "Green Felt Jungle". I enjoy visiting Las Vegas,
and even though the town is a different place now than it was
at the time described by the book, it still helps to know
some history. One of the fascinating chapters describes the
entry into town of Mr. Benny Binion, and his feud with an
adversary named Herb Noble. Not all gang warfare involved the
Mafia, I guess. I have no idea how true to life the book is. I
can't call myself streetwise, or a tough guy, by any stretch of
the imagination, but it sounds real. One thing I agree with.
However bad the Mafia and other gangsters might have been (and I
have no doubt that they were mostly slimy psychos), Las Vegas
was probably a more interesting place, in some ways, before
the corporations took over completely.
Great history of Vegas.......2000-04-07
This book was great. It steps through the things that happened in Vegas and the truth about the events and people that made this great town.
True History of Las Vegas.......1999-05-07
As a child I remember growing up in Las Vegas, knowing the real truth behind som eof the more notorious figures in town. I remember finding a copy of Green Felt and was enthralled by the truth as I knew it. I grew up in the casino business and some of the people mentioned in the book were like family (remember until recently Las Vegas was truly a small town). If only someone would produce this into a "A" movie. With the interest in "mobs" and "gangsters" I feel the public would love it, if done right. Of course as with the movie Casino, the political leaders would dismiss its authenticity and publicly deny anything ever happened. I highly recommend this book to those interested in how the casino industry gre in Las Vegas, its roots, its founders and how it got where its at today ......
Book Description
In this documentary, John, a struggling twenty-one dealer, becomes a multi-millionaire and says "I guarantee that you can do it too, if you apply my formula to your life and use a dog-eared copy of this book to keep your dream alive."
His motivation has nothing to do with personal gain. It has to do with passing on to the reader what he's been privileged to learn. He says, "It's my duty as a Christian." He struggled through different jobs, served a tour in the military, failed in small businesses, had a bad marriage, and worked for a few years as a twenty one dealer. He fought his way out of the Green Felt Jungle and shares his escape route with you.
Customer Reviews:
Very Insightful Book.......2002-03-26
This book has given me the motivation to go for my dreams. John does a great job with this book.
Average customer rating:
|
The Green Felt Jungle
Reid
Manufacturer: Trident
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O8BNU4 |
Average customer rating:
|
The Green Felt Jungle
Ed Reid
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GS4N54 |
Book Description
40 quotes from great films ... and 900 movie-related clues!
Show off your skills at wordplay and your aptitude about the silver screen with these acrostic puzzles filled with movie facts, trivia, wisdom, and wit. They range in difficulty from "Easy Rider" to "Mission: Impossible," and will have you scrambling for answers to clues like "Actress who rolled in the sand with Burt Lancaster in 'From Here to Eternity,'" "Catchphrase for Cuba Gooding Jr. in 'Jerry Maguire,'" and "Early Woody Allen comedy about a bumbling bank robber named Virgil Starkwell."
"Peter Scher combines a deft touch in puzzle-writing with a dazzling knowledge of cinema history." --Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon, acrostic writers for the Sunday New York Times
Customer Reviews:
Awesome.......2006-08-21
Excellent - For people who love movies, this is addictive fun. More please!
Great combination.......2002-01-25
My family loves movies and acrostics, so this is the perfect puzzle book for us. Fortunately, we have a spread of ages, so what one person doesn't know, another might. And it's great fun to find that a clue, or even an entire quote, is from a favorite film. There's a nice mix of easy/hard, old/new, well-known/obscure, and Hollywood/foreign. The joy of acrostics is that they build momentum, so even if you know only three or four answers at the beginning, you can make educated guesses on the quote that often get you headed in the right direction in figuring out a difficult clue. We're eager for a second book from Peter Scher. Our only complaint is that the answers are too accessible; we quickly taped the back of the book shut when it arrived.
Better than Crossword Puzzles.......2000-11-28
I had never done acrostics before, but now I'm hooked. These are interesting, challenging, clever, and fun. Give them a try!
Movie Buff's Delight.......2000-11-12
This book is clever, beautifully presented and lots of fun. Although a movie and crossword puzzle fan, I had never done or understood acrostics. The instruction here are clear and the puzzles, though challenging are doable. The quotes are entertaining and the clues bright and thought provoking. Give it a try.
Book Description
Enter the quiet living rooms and cacophonous gaming environs of gaming kingpins like Richard Garriott and John Carmack, who invented games such as Quake and DOOM. Learn about gamers who make their living by winning gaming tournaments, and secrets of devoted gamers who practically live at LAN parties and gaming conventions.
Customer Reviews:
Inspirational Book.......2007-03-25
First of all- this is one of the few books I bought and could not put it down for more than a few hours. I will admit I'm a bit bias as Richard Garriott is one of my personal heroes in life. But added surprise of how Dungeons & Dragon got started in the first chapter really pulled this book together for me as an indie game developer. Hoping to walk in the very foot steps of those mentioned in this book, I found it more as a roadmap of how to plan ahead for my own future gaming company and things I should consider. Without trying to, this book represents the D&D-SCA-Gamer type of person, who wishes to escape the mundane world around us. To live and breathe in a Fantasy world where the possibilities are only limited by the imagination. Growing up in Texas myself, I was surprised to find out how many other Texans game developers there were, aside from Richard. I would recommend this book for any interested in RPGs/Gaming/SCA.
Good overview, a little too much on the Garriott.......2004-09-02
Overall, the book provides a good overview of the evolution of the genre detailing the early use of university computing resources for covert sessions of SpaceWar, Adventure and Colossal Cave thru to the emergence of the Professional Gaming League.
Where the narrative starts to get bogged down is when it gets to Richard Garriott (aka Lord British), the creator of the Ultima series of games. (For the record, I'm a huge Ultima fan - the original Ultima packaging, with a knight on a black warhorse facing off against a dragon emerging from hot lava, was the reason I bought my first computer.) Once the authors get to Garriott, the pace slows as we explore his life in extended detail from his early family life to the release of Ultima Online. In contrast, significantly less time is spent on the other pivotal computer games like Doom, Half-Life and EverQuest. While I'd be the first to point to Garriott's role in the development of this genre, all roads don't necessarily lead to Lord British.
Net/Net: Decent overview of a topic that has often been eclipsed by the more glamorous console videogames industry. Would have appreciated less detail on Garriott, and more on the other games.
Full Disclosure: Reviewer works as a marketer for Windows and Xbox games at Microsoft.
True fans and gamers, it's must-read material.......2004-05-24
Very enjoyable and non-heavy book stretching back to Gygax and his crew of Chainmail folks up through the current crop of MMORPG play (yeah, Carmack and Romero and all those guys are in it too). A great read and a diverse one too, in that it discusses the technical issues of game development and game play, video games in a social context and under fire from concerned activists, and also a cool look at the personal lives of the key players who introduced the games themselves, Never boring, and although it's not a super heavy read it's got definite gems of inspiration and insight. It's well written and engaging. If you're a fan, (especially if you had a C64/Atari/Pong and spent time with the 20 sided die) it's a must have. Lots of fun! I'd disregard the 1-star bad review (if you read past page 14, it gets much more interesting Kathy82...that goes for most books, btw).
WHOA!!!.......2004-04-30
This book taught me alot about how the games got started and how video, board, and pen and paper games bring people to gether if any ones looking for an interesting read this is for you. im going to buy and apple2 just so i can play some of those games. ITS GREAT!
How Lord British lost his virginity--p. 14--very big deal!.......2003-12-08
Was given this book as a freebie--someone must be buying up copies. For an Austinite, this adoring account of the life of a hasbeen fifth-string techno-celebrity is a little embarrassing in its breathlessness--kind of reminds one of the courtiers who saluted when Louis the XIV's chamber pot was carried by, except this isn't the Sun King, guys. Get a life, or at least an authentic artist to swoon over--all of Garriott's stuff was strictly derivative. Now that we have the real Lord of the Rings to watch, who cares about cheap imitations?
Average customer rating:
- THIS BOOK TAUGHT ME TO BE A WINNER!
- Best for advanced beginners
|
The Greatest Book of Poker for Winners!
George Epstein
Manufacturer: T C Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Gambling
| Card Games
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Card Games
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Poker
| Card Games
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0938648438 |
Customer Reviews:
THIS BOOK TAUGHT ME TO BE A WINNER!.......2004-09-20
I have read lots of poker books. This one finally gave me some easy to follow rules -- that actually work! I follow Epstein's rules and now win more sessions than ever! I highly recommend this book.
Best for advanced beginners.......2002-08-05
Epstein's book starts out hokey and somewhat trivial, although his poker "rules" may not be obvious to everyone. The book strengthens quite a bit once he begins to discuss strategies in detail, so the book is probably best for an advanced beginner. The best chapters, the all too brief chapter on Texas Hold 'Em and the chapter on the psychology of poker, were written by a co-author.
Parts of this book, including the title, come across as a vanity publication for Epstein and his friends and family - he even quotes his own pithy remarks. But if you want to learn how to play poker, and you haven't figured out that you shouldn't drink while playing or play hands with little chance of winning, this is a place to start.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Plastics Engineering, published by Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc. on May 1, 2001. The length of the article is 412 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: There is Life After Retirement.(Review) (book review)
Author: James P. Toner
Publication:
Plastics Engineering (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 2001
Publisher: Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc.
Volume: 57
Issue: 5
Page: 95
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This book has been written to help you become more skilled at
the art of selling your art. It is a workbook, a book to write in. It will guide you through the process of learning how to sell your art and
how to make money doing it!
The making of art and the selling of art are essentially different. For most of us, artmaking is intensely personal and private. Only when we are finished are we willing to share what we have done. Selling art is, on the other hand, a social activity in which we need to interact with the world outside our studios. This book provides a vocabulary and structure for that interaction.
When you have finished doing the exercises in this book, you will have a personalized, step-by-step marketing and action plan for selling your work.
Customer Reviews:
Straight-Forward and Accessible Marketing Planning for Artists.......2007-08-02
We discovered this book through an Amazon search, looking for a
good but approachable marketing text for our first Art as Business
course in 2006. We liked the tone of the book as well as
the content. It offers solid market and business info for artists while
being written for the "right brained" individual. Also we liked how
Jonathan had broken the content into nice, easily digestible chunks.
It works well with our business counseling structure.
Connie Lorenzo / Program Director, North Coast Small Business Resource Center
A Beginner's Guide.......2007-03-24
This book is highly recommended for the artist who is either unorganized and just hasn't put much thought into the financial side of things. If you are highly organized or have done some planning regarding the financial side of the art business, skip this book. And if you are looking for actual information on marketing your work, skip this book.
This series of worksheets will help you recognize and organize your personal and business goals. It will lead you through the steps of calculating how you should be pricing your work and how to determine what your liveable wage is. It will not give you any ideas on how to acheive this other than a short checklist of different venues you can sell your artwork.
Personally, I hoped for a bit more marketing inspiration than this book was able to offer me. But I speak as someone who has already spent long hours calculating the dark financial side of the art world. If you haven't done that, go ahead and buy this book, it's worth the small amount of money. Otherwise, you're better off scouring the internet for marketing ideas.
Motivational Action Plan.......2007-03-19
I am a believer is seeing is believing...and in Real Estate we had forms on how to make money monthly and the steps to get there...this travels the same path...Mr. Talbot has put between the covers of this book...forms, structure, interaction....and personal insight in to ones self.....You have Income/Expense Summaries, Goals, Promotions and every conceivable type of form you need to get from the beginning of your path as an Artist to a well marketed and Profitable Functioning Artist.....if you only do the work....and fill in the blanks you will be given insight...After just attending Mr. Talbot's workshop....yes, I took his recommendation and also bought the compendium book, "How to Survive & Prosper as an Artist by the brilliant Ms. Caroll Michels...... Both Michels and Talbot have refired my knowledge ( initially acquired via Real Estate Broker and Horse Breeder/Trainer) on marketing and the new applications in their books follow the same thought now applying to my Art....What a great base with which to return to my greatest love, "Art"...Carolyn's by Design
Great direction for artists finances and marketing!.......2007-01-28
This book was very helpful in identifying everything an artist must really think about in trying to make a living from their art. Many excercises and worksheets help to narrow the focus of the artist's intent in order to be more successful in promoting and selling their unique artwok. Based on my relationships with many artists who are lacking in business training, this would be an excellent resource to get them on the success track!
Marketing and Finances for the Artist!.......2007-01-09
It's always been too easy for me to focus on producing my art and let the financial and marketing side slide. This book made me aware of new ways to promote and market my work and helped me make plans to do so. Some of the questions in this book caused me to face "tough" realities about making and selling art, like the question about "if I sell everything I make at the prices I'm currently charging, will I make money?" But the book also showed me how small changes in price can make big changes in profit. I found it helpful that the book isolated the issues of promoting and selling my work just for the satisfaction of seeing it out there in the world. And then I could also focus on the promotion and sales sections, the parts which deal with expenses, variable costs,
fixed costs, and profit.
Books:
- Dear Father, Dear Son: Correspondence of John D. Rockefeller and Jr.
- Edsel: The Story of Henry Ford's Forgotten Son [R-239]
- Flagler, Rockefeller Partner and Florida Baron (Florida Sand Dollar Book)
- God's Capitalist: Asa Candler of Coca-Cola.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Southern History
- Gordon Conway: Fashioning a New Woman (American Studies Series)
- Grounded: Frank Lorenzo and the Destruction of Eastern Airlines
- Hablando claro
- Half Luck and Half Brains: The Kemmons Wilson, Holiday Inn Story
- Henry Ford: The wayward capitalist
- Her Dream of Dreams: The Rise and Triumph of Madam C. J. Walker
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- The Essential Baker: The Comprehensive Guide to Baking with Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Spices, and Othe
- The Fierce and Beautiful World
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- The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky: A Visual Fugue
- Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity
- The Prophet's Dictionary: The Ultimate Guide to Supernatural Wisdom
- Tax and Legal Aspects of Ec Harmonization
- Status Influences in Third World Labor Markets: Caste, Gender, and Custom
- Southern Africa Wildflowers
At Random: The Reminiscences of Bennett Cerf
Another Life: A Memoir of Other People
By Its Cover: Modern American Book Cover Design
