The Rexall Story: A History Of Genius And Neglect

Book Description

In the second half of the twentieth century, 20 percent (10,000) of all retail druggists were Rexall druggists. Now there are none, and this book explains why!

The Rexall Story: A History of Genius and Neglect shows how a brilliant and successful business/pharmacy venture was allowed to fail through carelessness and an inattention to the original formula of the company. From the celebrated genius of Louis Liggett—who started United Drug in 1903—to the business's demise nearly 75 years later, this significant text will provide you with new insight into the pharmacy industry.

With The Rexall Story, pharmacists, pharmacy and business educators, and historians alike can see how Louis Liggett single-handedly transformed the retail drug business using innovative business practices and policies. Author Mickey C. Smith, editor of the Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Economics and principal author and editor of the seminal book Pharmaceutical Marketing: Principles, Environment and Practices, uses his expertise to explain how Louis Liggett's techniques were so successful in the industry. This book explores in detail his communication and merchandising skills, his principles in doing business, and his revolutionary techniques for keep his business prosperous.

Using internal documents, photographs, and direct quotes from radio promotions, and the recollections of former Rexall employees, this book chronicles Rexall's story, including:
the beginnings of Rexall—its origins and expansion, International Rexall Clubs, and the unparalleled efforts of Liggett and his franchisees
the "Dear Pardner" letters (1903-1923)—unprecedented in "Big Business" even today, these were personal letters between Liggett and his people
the Rexall "family"—conversations and correspondence with former "Rexallites," capturing how the retirees felt about the company before and after its downfall
the acquisition and marketing of the products of the Rexall Drug Company—including medicinal products, candy, water, cigars, stationery, and toiletries, among others
price considerations for both the drug store owner and his customers—"store brands" and the Rexall One Cent Sale
the distribution of Rexall—moving supplies, channel relationships, training courses, and conventions
record-breaking promotional ideas—"Rexall Ad-Vantages" and other printed media, radio shows such as Rexall's Parade of Stars and Rexall's Magic Hour, The Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show, and The Rexall Train

In this intriguing work of Americana, you'll see how a pioneering drug salesman turned a dream into what was at one time the largest retail drug chain in the country. Yet this is also the story of that dream's demise, that shows how—under the authority of Justin Dart—the original concept of Rexall unraveled until the franchises were all canceled, leaving little but a name and memories.

Customer Reviews:

The marketing strategies and ideas that made it a respected name........2006-11-07

THE REXALL STORY: A HISTORY OF GENIUS AND NEGLECT covers the rise and fall of a pharmacy which became a name brand across the country before big business was a common name. Rexall was the brain child of genius Louis Liggett, who began the company in 1903. The Rexall name grew to become an accepted institution of families across the country until drug manufacturers entered the business and sunk them. Learn about not only Rexall's business and health importance, but about the marketing strategies and ideas that made it a respected name.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

All for One and One for All!.......2005-07-14

I remember the Rexall stores in the late Fifties, not here in Knoxville, but doted around in the small towns of Middle Tennessee. Louis Liggett started the company in Boston in 1903 and they compounded drugs back then, as aspirin was almost the only thing available in pill form. When I was in my young teen years, the only thing I could swallow was Carter's Little Liver Pills. I still can't get the generic Calcium down!

The Rexall products were all high quality and inexpensive. Then the drug manufacturing companies came along and, after 75 years, put them out of business. That's why prescription medicines are so expensive today, and why we have to depend on them. The generics are worthless as far as I'm concerned as they are not regulated and not the same as brand names -- no way! If they were, they would cost more. Everyone knows you get what you pay for.

On radio in 1937 there was a Rexall Magic Hour. In 1949, they presented the 'Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show.' It included a full cast with two young girl singers and ten men doing sundry things in addition to the two stars. Something like Garrison Keilor's 'Prairie Home Companion' show.

In early television, NBC sponsored the half-hour program, 'The Rexall Theatre' on Sunday nights during the summer months which starred Pat O'Brian as your corner drug store pharmacist. The had a 'talking penny' in some of their ads. Comedian Louis Nye advertised their products on t.v. with the motto: "All for One and One for All." Edgar Bergen and his dummy, Charlie McCarthy, appeared on the cover of 'The Rexall Magazine.'

The streamlined Rexall Train criscrossed the United States from Boston to L.A. and served most states (exceptions were Nevada and West Virginia) but skipped Knoxville for a route going from Chattanooga to Nashville to Memphis. We had the Southern and L&N railways for this area; the ticket shown was similar to mine every summer to Washington, D.C. on Southern Railway. We still have an active freight railroad in Knoxville, locally owned and making noise day and night. Sometimes, it wake me up as I sleep with my window open as I did in the old days. It works out of the old L&N terminal renovated for the 1982 World's Fair.

In place of Rexall, we now have Walgreen's; the thing I dislike the most about this firm is the problem of "substituting" for the medicines your doctor prescribes -- not generic, but something totally different with unnecessary ingredients added. This could cause harm to a person's health. There are a handful of small locally owned drug stores, Long's in west side of town being the most popular. In Pulaski, Reeves's on the Square will still sell a nickel coke. Gregory Macdonald wrote about it in one of his books, A WORLD TOO WIDE. Check it out.

Customer Reviews:

So so........2004-06-29

The story of Sifford is a very inspiring one. The book was just written in a horrible way. Every other sentance starts with the word "hell". It gets boring afterwards. The first half of the book moves very slowly, but the second half picks up a little more speed. This book will let people know that before Tiger Woods, there was Charlie, Lee Elder, and a lot of other guys too. It is a very good book. What Sifford went through was just horrid, but that's the reality of the world we live in. I could never blame him for being so bitter after all these years of obstacles and not being praised for what he has done. Never mind praise - just for not being allowed to play the game of golf. My limited grasp on golf parlance probably made it a little boring to read this book. But it's a good book, although it may make you a little sleepy.

A great book!!!.......2001-04-28

I read this book a few years back before it was offered through normal distribution channels. Mr. Sifford was actually distributing this book from his home. Being from Greensboro and a golfer, I was extremely impressed by Mr. Sifford's commitment to the game and his determination to play as a PGA professional. You truly wonder what the golfing world has already missed by not allowing Mr. Sifford and other African American golfers to pursue their dreams. When Mr. Sifford was attempting to break the "color barrier" there were more black professional golfers than there is today! His story is heartbreaking and encouraing, what he and other black golfers experienced (to include in my hometown of Greensboro NC) is almost beyond belief! I would strongly recommend reading this book.

Any hacker worth his putter should read this one !.......1998-08-04

This book took me to a time when all african -americans could look to their heritage with pride. Jackie Robinson was a great man and I place the accomplishments of Charlie Sifford right along side of his. He showed us what real intestinal fortitude is all about. This should be required reading for all youngsters interested in participating in sports. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great story of courage under enormous pressure. This book teaches us about the strength and character we all posess inside.

Just Let Me Play: The Story of Charlie Sifford the First Black PGA Golfer

Average customer rating:

Just Let Me Play: The Story of Charlie Sifford the First Black PGA Golfer
Charlie Sifford , and James Gullo
Manufacturer: British American Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VCCE0G

Average customer rating:

Just Let Me Play The Story of Charlie Sifford The First Black PGA Golfer
James Gullo, foreword by Arthur Ashe Sifford Charlie
Manufacturer: British American Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDTI46

Average customer rating:

Just Let Me Play: The Story of Charlie Sifford, the First Black Pga Golfer
Charlie Sifford
Manufacturer: British Amer Pub Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OM3IFI

Customer Reviews:

Justifably acclaimed as the preeminent resource.......2003-02-10

Now in a new, fully updated and expanded 47th edition, the Hollywood Creative Directory: Winter/Spring 2003 continues to be justifably acclaimed as the preeminent resource for contact information regarding studios and networks, film and television executives, production companies, independent producers, television shows and staffs, as well as projects in development. Cross referenced by name functions as kind of a phone book to Hollywood with over 10,000 entertainment industry professionals, and their companies, the Hollywood Creative Directory is an invaluable, indispensable resource and a very highly recommended addition to all personal, professional, academic, and community library Theatre/Cinema Studies & Resources reference shelves.

If you need to find a producer..........2002-12-20

I bought this hoping to gain some insight about how to reach production companies with a series I had developed and written a few scripts for. It doesn't give any insight, but it is very compreshensive and if you already have something filmed, it might be the best next step to getting it sold.

A better way to break in to television is through an agent or manager, but you might be able to get a spec script into the hands of a showrunner for a current network show.

anyway, I think it was worth the money.

Amazon.com

A whirlwind tour of the sexual revolution in America, Make Love, Not War grew from the author's fascination with a bygone period of rebellion and experimentation whose effects linger throughout the culture. Born in 1969, David Allyn remembers "growing up with the vague sense of having missed something magical and mysterious. I remember the adolescent's agony of realizing that my parents and teachers had witnessed extraordinary social transformations, the likes of which we might never see again." Allyn's zest for his subject, and his dewy-eyed admiration of the sexual pioneers of the '60s and '70s, make him a pleasure to read, although the topic may be too large for a book of this size. There is little space to put subjects like public nudity, the demise of censorship, and the challenge to miscegenation laws into historical context. The author's more detailed discussions fare better, and he offers engaging new source material--in many cases from his own interviews--on open marriage, the joys of the Pill, gay liberation, and the sexual double standard. Although an advocate for sexual freedom, Allyn notes the paradox that "perhaps, in the end, shining the light of liberation into every dark corner of daily life has made it more difficult to indulge in some sexual pleasures spontaneously and unself-consciously." We may now feel an urge to define ourselves sexually at a young age, he argues, missing out on the thrill of the forbidden, and the chance to just fool around. --Regina Marler

Book Description

When Helen Gurley Brown's Sex and the Single Girl hit bookstores in 1962, the sexual revolution was launched and there was no turning back. Soon came the pill, the end of censorship, the advent of feminism, and the rise of commercial pornography. Our daily lives changed in an unprecedented time of sexual openness and experimentation.

Make Love, Not War is the first serious treatment of the complicated events, ideas, and personalities that drove the sexual revolution forward. Based on first-hand accounts, diaries, interviews, and period research, it traces changes in private lives and public discourse from the fearful fifties to the first tremors of rebellion in the early sixties to the heady heyday of the revolution.

Bringing a fresh perspective to the turbulence of these decades, David Allyn argues that the sexual revolutionaries of the '60s and '70s, by telling the truth about their own histories and desires, forced all Americans to re-examine the very meaning of freedom.

Written with a historian's attention to nuance and a novelist's narrative drive, Make Love, Not War is a provocative, vivid, and thoughtful account of one of the most captivating episodes in American history. Also includes an 8-page insert.

Customer Reviews:

How did I miss the sexual revolution?.......2007-04-02

Graduating from high school in 1967 put me in the midst of the sexual revolution, but being a product of fifties parents and working my way through college, I never got caught up in it despite attending San Jose State, a campus housing a Black Panther Society. How did I miss the fact that The Weathermen and the SDS had at their cord (along with "over-throwing the U.S. government and anniliating the sexual tradition of monogamy) the ideology of Make Love Not War? Allyn has written a book so jam packed with information on the "sexual revolution," a chronological as well as psychological time line of events that has gotten us, believe it or not, closer to the dreamed of equality for men and women of all sexual orientations. It is a must read. I plan to read it again. Now if we, the children of this era, could just work on the "Not War" part.

Summary of Political and Social Aspects leading to the S.R........2007-01-05

Interesting book, discusses the social evolution which produced the conditions for the Sexual Revolution and the political/legal battles which ended government/university oversight of individuals and their sexual choices. For anyone under 40 the book also opens a window into the relations between men and women before, and during the Sexual Revolution. Worth buying and reading, particularly if you are interested in understanding how the Sexual Revolution has impacted male/female relations today.

GOOD CHOICE OF SUBJECT, BUT POOR ANALYSIS, LITTLE INSIGHT.......2001-12-21

The sexual revolution of the 1960's and 1970's is an important subject about which almost no documentation or analysis remains. David Allyn's Harvard U. Ph.D. dissertation, repackaged in this book, MAKE LOVE NOT WAR: The Sexual Revolution, An Unfettered History (2000), is one of the very few books about that subject currently in print. Mr. Allyn has not done a high quality job in treating his subject, but the fact he chose it at all at least keeps the subject alive and in public view, and may cause some future researcher/writer to pick up David Allyn's dropped baton and continue the race a further distance, hopefully with better results. Allyn's MAKE LOVE NOT WAR book is like Samuel Johnson's famous dog reported walking unassisted on its hind legs....never mind that it was not done skillfully....we should be grateful it was done at all.

MAKE LOVE NOT WAR (2000) is almost completely a compendium of popular, mass press and periodical feature story and news coverage of sexual theme material which appeared during the 1960's and 1970's. The mentality of most material reported is almost all airheaded, intentionally salacious stuff (as indeed is the final phrase of the book's subtitle..."An Unfettered History"). Hugh Hefner's "Playboy Philosophy" reflects this mentality best and exemplifies it importantly, and it is no accident author Allyn zeroes in on the phenomena of Hefner, Playboy Magazine and its imitators, and similar slick stuff of those times which appeared.

Hugh Hefner's opinion of the sexual revolution and its signifigance is not the stuff of which important scholarship and social and philosophical insight should be based, regardless of how profitable his magazine was in the 60's and 70's and still is.

Meanwhile, issues of supreme importance such as the impact sexual behavior and sexually related human needs have on individual health are entirely ignored. The term "health" does not appear in the book's index because, indeed, it is not discussed or investigated as a central topic.

The management and intellectual investigation of sexual needs and behavior is an important but ignored subject, mostly outlawed and forbidden throughout recorded history. The Sexual Revolution of the 1960's and 1970's, clumsy and temporary as it was (and as poorly documented and analyzed as it was), was a landmark exception to this dreary situation, an exception we are not likely to see repeated in the life time of the people who lived through it. Those people are now entering their 60's. They are still with us, still available to be interviewed.

Hopefully, some future writer/researcher will consider this subject in the future carefully and skillfully. When and if that happens (as it did not happen with MAKE LOVE NOT WAR), human society will be the better for it.

Really gripping account.......2001-06-12

Because the 60's sexual revolution has been analyzed to death, this book may not initally seem like it covers new ground. but it presents the classic topic in a refreshing and balanced perspective.

Irrespective of the reader's own personal judgement, Allyn contends the sexual revolution was not solely one large orgy. but the creative work of many different movers and shakers that allowed us to enter into a dialog on the meaning and worth of sex outside childbearing. His history of the sexual revolution differs from earlier works such as Playboy's own (largely self-indulgent volume) because it readily gives credit where it is due to women and non-heterosexuals.

While the sexual revolution was supposed to be for the benefit of everybody in young America, the continued difficulty of securing contraception, the illegality of abortion, and loco parentis policies in Colleges made the concept an intially hollow promise for many women. Others, working in the new left quickly discovered they were expected to be little more than a Housewife/Sex object with an armband and picket sign to their male counterparts. Sexism was so pervasive the doublestandard was just repackaged in psychedelic garb.

The author points out it was feminists and gay liberationists who challenged narrow defintions of sexuality and brought the sexual revolution closest to accheiving it's utopian vision.

Because most other conventional histories of the 60's ignore or marginalize the contributions of these groups, this book should be required reading as part of a college course on the 1960's. Far from being monolithic, the sexual revolution had many unsung leaders, and we could not have the discussions on safe sex today were it not for these pioneers.

Recall Sex, Not Titillation.......2000-06-16

For those who lived through the sixties (and can remember it!), this book will trigger a myriad of memories. There is an abundance of names of persons who, at the time, seemed to be on the cutting edge of new ideas and values, but who now seem quaint and illogical. Trivial and significant aspects of popular culture are placed into the mosaic of society's evolutionary events. The reader will likely derive a better understanding of America's search for the meaning and control of sex, but will be left wondering "So why are things the way that they are today?" Perhaps the question defies a sensible answer. Despite a possible negative connotation to my comments, I believe that the book is well worth the time and money, but the reader need not approach it with a yearning for sexual excitation.

Make Love Not War : The Sexual Revolution, an Unfettered History

Average customer rating:

Make Love Not War : The Sexual Revolution, an Unfettered History
David Allyn
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O62198

Average customer rating:

Make Love Not War: The Sexual Revolution - An Unfettered History
David Allyn
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WNKP46

Average customer rating:

Make Love Not War. the Sexual Revolution: An Unfettered History
David Allyn
Manufacturer: Little, Brown & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IN0BJ4

Average customer rating:

Make Love, Not War The Sexual Revolution: An Unfettered History
DAVID ALLYN
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTQM8Q

Book Description

This mind-boggling book consists of three types of trivia: a) trivia in the colloquial definition of the word (inessential, obscure, limitedly-useful facts), b) significa for "little-known facts that have too much importance to qualify as mere trivia" as defined by almanac writers Irving Wallace, his daughter Amy and his son David Wallechinsky and c) schoolbook knowledge and general information that constitutes "cultural literacy" as defined by E.D. Hirsch Jr. For packaging and presentation of the material there are different formats.

Part I "50 Questions in 50 Categories" consists of Final Jeopardy-like questions

Part II consists of "101 Subject Quizzes" with 10-25 questions each depending on the subject and type of the quiz.

Quizzes like "Mini-Biographies," "Middle Names," "Familiar Names," "What's My Line?," "A Date with History," "What's in a Dog's Name? are puzzle-like. These quizzes require patience in making sense of and unravelling the clues. The time-consuming and demanding "Mini-Biographies" and "A Date with History," have been divided into four levels- easy, moderate, hard and stumper so that one can get used to the material in a graduated manner and tailor efforts according to the level of difficulty.

Quizzes with very strict requirements for format of the answer like "Three Times the Charm," "Isms in the Movies," "Alliteratively Speaking," "T_____ Mania," "The Game is Afoot," "Your Pan or Mine?" will challenge you to give what you think is the right answer in the proper format.

Quizzes like "This or That" where you have to pick from two choices can be stumpers if you haven't nailed down tricky information. Think of the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? scenario of the 50-50 lifeline when deciding between two choices can be an excruciating win-or-lose situation.

Some quizzes afford a distinctive flavor and appeal. "Name the Country" and "Not Born in the U.S.A. have a cosmopolitan range. "Of Stereotypes, Archetypes and Prototypes" takes on sociological labels and trends. "It's a Slithy World After All" is a delightful voyage into the world of portmanteau vocabulary.

All in all, this book refuses to let readers put it down once opened.

Customer Reviews:

An incredible and detailed collection of trivia quizzes.......2002-05-16

Hinayana Bawagan's Trivia For Smarties is an incredible and detailed collection of trivia quizzes on everything from history to popular culture, other countries, tv shows, stamps, movies, famous quotations and much, much more. The questions are not mere multiple choice; the reader must dredge the answers from memory, or else consult the handy answers section. Guaranteed to bend the mind of even the most hardcore trivia buff, Trivia For Smarties is a most engaging and entertaining book for party games or a personal challenge!

Challenging Trivia.......2002-04-06

This book will challenge trivia fans. There are 50 questions in 50 different categories that lead off the book. The puzzlers are more difficult than the actual test given for getting on Jeopardy!

The rest of the book has 110 quizzes each with 10-20 questions. The answers appear in a separate section in the back of the book and include dates, years and extra information not normally found in an answer section.

Many of the quizzes begin with a short explanation or example to make it clear what type of responses will fit the material. This is necessary because the author has cleverly found unique ways to present her material.

One quiz gives a middle name and asks the reader to get the first and last name. W "Fritz" M is of course Walter Mondale.

Can you name movies with only two or three-word famous quotes?
(1953) "Prove it."

or movies and actors in the scenes based on short descriptions?
Watching the World Series with the TV turned off

There's a good mix in the book of academic subjects like history and science along with TV and movies.

The book is not a study guide for getting on a TV game show though. The book tests what you know and gives you a chance to prove it. I have spent many hours resisting the temptation to quickly flip to the answer section and instead taking the time to think about a correct response to a stumper. It's a great feeling to figure one out that didn't immediately come to me.

Book Description

Developed and comarketed with SWiSHzone.com, this first-ever SWiSHmax book is packed with tips, techniques, and secrets from the world's top SWiSHmax users
SWiSHmax offers an easy, intuitive interface that lets Web designers create cool Flash movies, effects, and even games-without learning Flash or ActionScript
SWiSHmax is the premier product of SWiSHzone.com, which reports 500,000 unique visitors a month, 3 million downloads, and 200,000 registered users
A companion Web site is packed with examples and templates from the book, exclusive SWiSH content, and a tryout version of SWiSHmax

Customer Reviews:

Limited "Bible", but Mandatory Documentation.......2007-04-07

The other reviews in here about this book are mostly accurate - this "bible" is the best printed reference on SwishMax, but also the ONLY one. Regardless, you will at least get close to finding what you need with this book, sometimes adequately, sometimes only enough to point you in the right direction (like to someone else's web site).

The startling discovery you make with this book is that SWISHmax is far beyond the simple tool it is often portrayed as. It's scripting, though not adequately covered in this book, allows you to virtually never set foot in Flash again except for the most complex of projects (which might represent 0.001% of all Flash content on the web).

The book is a little too mechanical in how it explains how to do things. It's a lot of step-by-step with little explanation. Also, if you're a visual person (like most of us), you'll find the book to be extremely frustrating in how it's mostly text with few screenshots. The screen shots that exist are usually very limited, most always small portions of something, like portions of the outline or layout panels - and you virtually never get to see complete pictures of anything at all. Just individual panels at most. This does make you have to pay attention cosely to the reading the text, and it also cuts down on the size of the book, which I can accept. But sometimes you just need to see things in full screen context, and this book is VERY weak on that as well as visuals in general.

I specifically purchased this book for the included chapters on preloading, scripting and creating an image gallery that had built-in external loading. The descriptions of putting them all together were tolerable, and the projects do work. But the frustrating part is that the action script text you're typing in (advanced mode) from the book's examples often don't work - I found myself having to actually download the projects from the web site and open it up to copy and paste the code into the project. Then it seems to accept it. You also have to read between the lines a lot in these tutorials, lessons and explanations to grasp the concepts of the steps because scripting concepts are largely left unexplained. To be acurate, this book reads exactly like an automotive repair manual.

Scripting: This book is a good reference for scripting elements, but not in syntax. It describes all the elements of the language, but not the proper use of it. You will find no syntax examples other than what you find in the mechanically described "just type this here" project tutorials. It wil be up to you to figure out proper syntax by studying the examples. On a positive note, however, for each script sample, each line of script is broken down to at least a simple explanation as to what the line does, so you're not left completely in the dark.

Preloaders: These chapters make this book worth its weight in gold. Not only are multiple types of preloaders covered in terms of simplistic to complex, but a loading concept that SWISHmax users will find extremely useful if they want to hang with the big Flash dogs - external loading. That is, dynamically loading external movies into your own movie at runtime. Very slick. It is covered briefly and inadequately, but regardless, there it is in print for the brave-hearted to experiment with and really give professional Flash developers a run for their money (which SWISHmax does a lot better than Flash-snobs are willing to admit).

The one thing I learned from this book is that SWISHmax is far more incredible and powerful in terms of scripting and doing virtually everything I see done in Flash than what is commonly known. The problem is that the documentation (even in this book at times) always seems to be one step above abysmal - a real disservice to this otherwise amazing product that, in my opinion, is usually more desirable to develop in than Flash, which I have also used for years.

I read a well-written review in here that states that SWISHmax is capable of creating "FLASH-LIKE" content. Correction: SWISHmax creates 100% Flash Player-compliant SWF content. SWF is SWF, regardless of the tool you used to create it. SWISHmax scripting, right along with ActionScript 2.0, is ECMA-compliant.

"SWISHmax Is Not Flash": On page 385, the author attempts to point out that "SWISHmax Is Not Flash" with a poorly thought out comparison. The surprising discovery you make is that the areas that the author states are differences between SWISHmax and Flash actually prove to be similarities - even direct equals with just different descriptive names. The end result is that the comparison inadvertently proves that SWISHmax is so similar to Flash that the differences are virtually of little to no significance (other than how much easier SWISHmax is to use comapred to Flash - that one comes across loud and clear). Allow me to elaborate with just a few examples:

1. The author points out that Flash allows you to edit sound files compared to SWISHmax simply using LAME to compress WAV to MP3. Reality check - who uses Flash to edit sound files when much better editors are available anyway? 90% of the time, professionals will have their sound files edited to the nth degree long before they even get them anywhere near either Flash or SWISHmax.

2. The author also states that Flash tweens and SWISHmax doesn't - but in the same sentence the author then goes on to say that SwishMax automatically tweens for you, producing the same result.

3. The author also states that Flash can produce web applications and SWISHmax really doesn't - but in this very same book she includes web application programming examples, such as how to program an online shopping cart.

4. And I'll add my own comparison item the author could have included but (wisely) didnt: LAYERS. Huge issue. It's often claimed that Flash does layers (providing unique timelines to any object) and SWISHmax can't. Not true - all objects on the screen in SWISHmax are automatically layered in accordence with their stacking order in the outline panel. It's automatic but fully alterable according to taste and need. If that isn't enough, you can take this layering further by grouping objects into sprites (and embedded sprites inside those) to the nth level to seperate timelines. In SWISHmax, layering is so automatic that it's not even a concern and usually proves to be far easier to deal with than in Flash. Flash, on the other hand, has documentation that warns you not to get lost in your own layers.

In general, this book tries (and for the most part accomplishes) to solve a big problem with SWISHmax, which is authoritative, comprehensive documentation - NOT capability. In my line of work, I see million dollar web sites done by professional Flash developers that I can easily duplicate in SWISHmax down to the last detail - provided I'm willing to navigate my way through "SWISHmax documentation hell" first. And with this product, documentation hell it truly is (got that, David Michie? You've got a Flash-killer here. The only thig holding it back is lousy documentation, so spend the money!).

This book, however, greatly improves that trip through hell.

Excellent book to learn SWISHMax.......2007-02-12

This book is a excellent resource to learn SWISHMax. It's a great book!

Dissapointing... but the only book on SwishMax.......2007-01-08

The SwishMax program is, for those readers unfamiliar with it, a remarkable software tool that allows one to create FLASH-LIKE animations and even complete websites. SwishMax has been around for a couple of years, though it started out as plain "Swish", and has progressively increased in features and in the actual interface one works with. However, SwishMax is not a substitute for what is now Adobe's FLASH (FLASH continues to be the premier web tool). For example, SwishMax has no "built-in" objects as FLASH does. But SwishMax's great attraction is it's relatively simple interface, easier learning curve, and of course it's price. In the hands of a designer with good SwishMax skills (especially someone already familiar with FLASH) some rather spectacular results are possible rivaling FLASH. Having said that however, SwishMax, while easier to work with than FLASH, still can perform some rather complex feats - limited only by one's ability to understand how SwishMax works. And SwishMax can also get somewhat complex. And it is this subtle point that the Swishmax Bible, in my opinion, clearly misses the mark: The book seems to be a rewrite of the SwishMax HELP (which is itself lacking in many ways). If you're looking for a decent introduction and review of SwishMax in terms of what the various interface elements are and what they do, and find the program's HELP lacking, then this book will probably help you. What this book will not help you with are topics such as when and when not to use a Sprite, and how to create a scrolling text list, for example (the examples show you how to create these but as with the entire book, there's no detailed explanations). Many users of SwishMax already have an understanding of the SwishMax interface and want to know how to "put things together" in a way that produces meaningful results. For example, although the book shows how to build a rather interesting website with SwishMax, all it does is step you through the mechanics - it tells you nothing about how the various components work together to produce the results. If there was a presumption that the previous material was a foundation that should have provided the insight, that presumption is squarely off-the-mark. It's not enough to go through the mechanics of how to do something, especially with this kind of stuff. It's vitally important that the reasons why something is done the way it is are clearly explained - that's the purpose of instruction and should have been the guiding principal with this book. Unfortunately, this is the only book on SwishMax around. So if you're a complete novice or new to SwishMax this book will help. But the online HELP and introduction do a decent job of this, too. Just don't expect to find any information here that will take you to truly being a SwishMax expert able to create true FLASH-like websites (if that's your goal). For that, you'll have to know someone with the insight and skills that can show you, or find some other sources of on-line tutorials with specific instructions.

Very good book, easy to understand.......2006-11-03

I bought this book a few months ago, and I think its great for somebody who doesn't know anything about the software, its very easy to understand even for the novice and the web material helps a lot.

Still the Best Deal in Town.......2006-09-12

In a nutshell, this is not only a great book, but THE most authoritative guide to SWiSHmax available. Focusing on the omissions (thin coverage of scripting) would be like complaining that the ONLY coffee shop in town doesn't serve Hawaiian Kona.

Coming in at 664 pages, you won't find more information for the price anywhere, including e-books (believe me, I've looked). The lack of coverage on scripting can be compensated by visiting some of the SWiSH forums and community websites.

I think you'll be in good shape if you use the two-prong approach: the SWiSHmax Bible for all the A-Z fundamentals, and the forum & community websites for the targeted questions & problems.

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