John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics

John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics
Average customer rating:

I'LL PROBABLY WEAR THIS ONE OUT TOO.

Thought Provoking Tour of Galbraith's Career and the American Economy in the 20th Century

Bill Buckley Was Right -- For Once (or Twice or So)

Overall: excellent, but with some minor flaws

Worst Economist of 20th. century. Russia, India, China are Evidence.

John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics
Richard Parker
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Social Scientists & Psychologists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Biographies | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Economics of Innocent Fraud: Truth For Our Time

The Essential Galbraith

The Affluent Society

The Good Society: The Humane Agenda

The Great Crash 1929

ASIN: 0374281688
Release Date: 2005-01-27

From Amazon.ca

John Kenneth Galbraith has led an extraordinary life. The world's most famous living economist started teaching at Harvard when he was just 25 years old and has sold seven million copies of his four dozen books. One reviewer said Galbraith wrote "history that reads like a poem." During World War II, at age 32, he was named "tsar" of consumer-price controls in the United States, and he later advised three American presidents and served as ambassador to India. Now in his 90s, Galbraith is still active and has received 50 honorary degrees. All this was accomplished by a Canadian born in a tiny Ontario farming hamlet, whose major at an obscure agricultural college wasn't even economics but animal husbandry. Such an irony is typical of Galbraith's renowned iconoclasm, writes Richard Parker in his 820-page biography John Kenneth Galbraith.

Parker shows how Galbraith's irreverent views were shaped by the Depression, which helped turn him into a passionate advocate of Keynesian economics, the philosophy that inspired FDR's New Deal. Galbraith later became one of the architects of the expansion of federal social services after World War II. Because of his influence in successive administrations, readers get a fascinating fly-on-the-wall picture of debates and intrigue inside the White House during many of the major crises of the Cold War. Galbraith frequently played crucial behind-the-scenes roles that went beyond the duties of an economist: advising President Kennedy during the Cuba missile crisis, helping Lyndon Johnson write his first speech after Kennedy was assassinated, and opposing the Vietnam War, which became his most passionate cause. He later criticized the dismantling of government programs under Ronald Reagan and seemed to love clashing with conservative economists. Parker managed to sift through a mountain of material from Galbraith's long and lively years to distill an engaging narrative that, like Galbraith's own books, is easily accessible to non-economists. --Alex Roslin

Book Description

The life and times of America’s most celebrated economist, assessing his lessons—and warnings—for us today

John Kenneth Galbraith’s books—among them The Affluent Society and American Capitalism—are famous for good reason. Written by a scholar renowned for energetic political engagement and irrepressible wit, they are models of provocative good sense that warn prophetically of the dangers of deregulated markets, war in Asia, corporate greed, and stock-market bubbles. Galbraith’s work has also deeply—and controversially—influenced his own profession, and in Richard Parker’s hands his biography becomes a vital reinterpretation of American economics and public policy.

Born and raised on a small Canadian farm, Galbraith began teaching at Harvard during the Depression. He was FDR’s “price czar” during the war and then a senior editor of Fortune before returning to Harvard and to fame as a bestselling writer. Parker shows how, from his early championing of Keynes to his acerbic analysis of America’s “private wealth and public squalor,” Galbraith regularly challenged prevailing theories and policies. And his account of Galbraith’s remarkable friendship with John F. Kennedy, whom he served as a close advisor while ambassador to India, is especially relevant for its analysis of the intense, dynamic debates that economists and politicians can have over how America should manage its wealth and power. This masterful chronicle gives color, depth, and meaning to the record of an extraordinary life.

Customer Reviews:

I'LL PROBABLY WEAR THIS ONE OUT TOO........2007-05-06

While economist Parker's writing style is not as wryly entertaining as Galbraith's, he presents a lucid and engrossing overview of Galbraith's life experiences as they influenced the evolution of his economic philosophy, as well as his political and social philosophies. Galbraith's biography is skillfully presented against the background of more traditional economic thought with which he was regularly in contention. I judge it every bit as readable and understandable for a noneconomist like myself as for someone in the field. For anyone interested in Galbraith, in Keynesianism, or the history of progressive politics and economics, this work is an absolute must. I refer to mine regularly. This, in fact, is my second copy, having worn out the first.

Thought Provoking Tour of Galbraith's Career and the American Economy in the 20th Century.......2007-02-25

Richard Parker gives us a thorough review of the life, politics, and economics of one of the most well known economists of the twentieth century. Along the way, Parker takes the reader on a tour of the battles that roiled post-war American economic thought and of John Kenneth Galbraith's eager participation in those debates.

Although the subtitle of Parker's book on this legendary 20th century economist advertises itself as covering Galbraith's "life . . . politics . . . and economics," Parker is far more interested in the second and third elements. Readers who are expecting a more traditional biography that focuses in equal measure on the subject's personal and professional life will therefore be disappointed, for Parker relegates personal details to a decidedly secondary place in his book. Instead of a traditional biography, "JKB" seeks to explain the rise and fall of the post-war Keynesian economic consensus -- that government must act to spur aggregate demand to prevent the long periods of underconsumption which economices are prone to endure -- and the legacy it has left behind in the 21st century. "JKB" accomplishes this by recounting the career of its most public proponent: Galbraith. With this in mind, the book operates on two levels; on the one hand it narrates Galbraith's career in public service and in academia, while on the other hand it is also a history of the American economy in the post-war world (and the politics shaping it) as seen through Galbraith's Keynesian eyes.

We thus tag along as Galbraith enters the profession while it struggles to explain the origins of (and discover remedies to) the Great Depression; as Galbraith struggles with the implications of Keynes' revolutionary theory about modern economies; as Galbraith, along with a new generation of economists, tries to implement Keynes' teachings to ensure the nation's prosperity after World War II; as Galbraith and Keynes reach the height of their influence in the 1960s, followed by decline amidst the economic shocks of the 1970s; and as the century ends with both Galbraith and the post-war economic consensus seen as relics of an earlier era, replaced by a new form of laissez-faire reminiscent of the 1920s.

Accepting this as the book's premise, Parker works hard to reach the general reader who does not have a background in economics. For instance, I found his treatment of the end of the Bretton Woods system to be the first comprehensible explanation of why it occurred and of its enormous effects on the world economy that I have come across. Still, parts of the book are a bit technical and dry. Parker tends to digress too much at times, with page after page discussing trends in economics in the 1950s, causing one to momentarily forget that this is a book ostensibly about Galbraith. Nevertheless, Parker has constructed an engaging account of Galbraith's foresight and influence in national (and international) affairs. Parker reminds us that many of Galbraith's ideas were years ahead of his time, such as the insight that corporations now play a decisive role in generating demand through advertising, and that he was dead right about Vietnam very early on. Parker allows Galbraith's wit and humanity to shine through. Finally, his analysis of the ups and downs of the American economy over the last sixty years -- from the post-war boom through the chaos of the 1970s and the nation's economic resurgence in the 1980s and 90s -- is outstanding. This book is a must for anyone interested in the American economy since the war.

Bill Buckley Was Right -- For Once (or Twice or So).......2007-01-29

This is really an excellent biography of a fine man and economist. His friend, the noted patrician conservative, Bill Buckley, gives it high praise on his front cover blurb for the book. Hopefully, Gailbraith got Buckley's praise before he died. If he did, I hope he withdrew his earlier comment quoted in the book that, "...Buckley...was invariably wrong." Plus, if he were still alive, I'm sure he would be most pleased with Bill Buckley's criticism of Bush and the Iraq war.

Richard Parker has written an excellent book documenting John Kenneth Gailbraith's very long (98 years) and productive life. I happen to agree with Paul Samuelson that Gailbraith will be remembered long after the neo-classical mathematizers have passed away. Economics is a Social Science that belongs in the Liberal Arts tradition. It should not be treated as a cultish pseudo-science with the "high priests" continuously muttering incantations of statistical and mathematical hocus-pocus. All the time, enjoying well financed academic chairs funded by conservative business interests or working for conservative foundations. Writing apologetics for the corporate business community is certainly going to be far more finanically rewarding than speaking truth to power.

When I hear many of today's conservative economists speak on conservative foundation panels on C-SPAN, I am sometimes reminded of the old radical American economist of Norwegian-American descent, Thorstein Veblen. One of his more direct comments about the education of business oriented neo-classical economists was that they possessed "trained incapacity" by the end of their extensive schooling. Some things haven't changed too much since the early 20th century when he coined the phrase.

Gailbraith's adherence to the less popular and older view of economics as "political economy" will, I believe, win out in the end. Economic behavior is social behavior and cannot be fully extracted from psychological, sociological, anthropological, and most of all, political, concerns. To deny this very basic fact is to live in a fantasy world. Political decisions are enormously important in the workings of national and international economies. Market forces are also of great importance, but there are no "free market" forces that act in isolated purity. Market forces are always contextual--influenced by family, community, custom, mass psychology, politics especially, etc., etc.

Parker convinced me that the U.S. would be a much better place if presidents after FDR had followed Gailbraith's advice. The world would also be a much safer place without the extraordinary levels of US militarism after WWII--with accompanying conservative belligerance. Military spending is necessary up to a responsible, defensive level. After that level is achieved, however, it is incredibly wasteful and injurious to world peace. We would be far better served to invest in our people, their health, environment, and infrastructure than to keep flushing the money down the toilet for more "killer" weapons systems.

John Kenneth Gailbraith was a voice of sanity in an increasingly insane world. He will be greatly missed by those of us outside of the neo-conservative asylum.

Overall: excellent, but with some minor flaws.......2006-05-02

A thorough and well-researched biography that captures the essence of the man, his work and his times. The book's only flaw is that it should have had a rigorous examination by a fact-checker and a copy editor; there are minor errors in facts, spellings of names, titles etc., which unfortunately detract from its overall excellence.

Worst Economist of 20th. century. Russia, India, China are Evidence........2006-03-28

Worst Economist of 20th. century. Russia, India, China are true evidence.

Everything, anything Galbraith has taught, lectured, written is absoulely wrong.

The 20th. century is a perfect example. China India, Russia, once the land of state-sponsored socialism produces one thing and one thing only: mass poverty & mass backwardness.

The CIA factbook states the facts. India and Russia's economy are no more larger than that of tiny South Korea.

Static-closed economies have and will always produce poverty. Witness North Korea: starvation. South Korea, from poverty to high-tech to high income in one, single generation.

Witness Cuba, $U.S.10 (ten dollars) a month all working for the government.

Galbraith, "ivory tower pinhead" had never had a real-true job.

Phony, fake, welfare-for-academic jobs for life as a tentured professor at Harvard.

What kind of adults spend their whole life lecturing in front of of little children. Why aren't they in the real world making it.

If Galbraith has his way, the "government" would control everything and we would all work for the "government" It's the Truth and a true nightmare.

From the experience of the 20st. century. It's time we judge Galbraith ideas: all wrong, completely not grounded in reality.

With universal computers and universal Internet, all these fake, phony jobs will be obsoleted in the 21st. century. He'll have to get a real job like all others who work for a living.

John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics

Average customer rating:

John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics
Richard Parker
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OXAVX4

John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Economic Issues

Average customer rating:

John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Economic Issues
David Hamilton
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Economic Issues, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1356 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: John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics.(Book Review)
Author: David Hamilton
Publication: Journal of Economic Issues (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 39 Issue: 4 Page: 1071(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

With forty well structured and easy to follow topics to choose from, each workbook has a wide range of case studies, questions and activities to meet both an individual or organization's training needs. Whether studying for an ILM qualification or looking to enhance the skills of your employees, Super Series provides essential solutions, frameworks and techniques to support management and leadership development.

*Developed by the ILM to support their Level 3 Introductory Certificate and Certificate in First Line Management
*Well-structured and easy to follow
*Fully revised and updated

Book Description

The German research satellite CHAMP had been launched in summer 2000. Its modern instruments and near Earth orbit allow for the first time to collect data of the gravitational and magnetic fields and in addition to sound out the atmosphere and ionosphere by using GPS techniques. The book is the result of the first meeting of the international CHAMP research groups gathering 18 months later at the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam. Besides technical information the volume offers a comprehensive overview over the use of CHAMP data for Earth System Research in the fields of Geodesy, Geophysics and Meteorology.

Book Description

Mutualistic interactions between ants and plants involve rewards offered by plants and services performed by ants in a mutually advantageous relationship. The rewards are principally food and/or nest sites, and ants in turn perform a number of services for plants: They disperse and plant seeds; they protect foliage, buds, and reproductive structures from enemies such as herbivores and seed predators; they fertilize plants with essential nutrients; and they may sometimes function as pollinators. In this book Professor Beattie reviews the fascinating natural history of ant-plant interactions, discusses the scientific evidence for the mutualistic nature of these relationships, and reaches some conclusions about the ecological and evolutionary processes that mold them. Mutualisms involving single pairs of species are the exception rather than the rule; usually arrays of ant species interact with arrays of plant species. Variation generated by this complexity results in variation in the function and the effectiveness of the mutualism. The result is that at any given time and place some or all of the interacting species may experience full, intermediate, or episodic benefits, or no benefits at all. This highly dynamic picture is unlikely to be confined to ant-plant mutualisms, but rather may be representative of a host of other kinds of species interactions. This important work is the first broad and thorough treatment of the subject of ant-plant mutualisms. Its natural history, experimental approach, and integration with contemporary evolutionary and ecological literature will appeal to a wide variety of biologists.

Seed Dispersal by Ants in a Deciduous Forest Ecosystem: Mechanisms, Strategies, Adaptations

Average customer rating:

Seed Dispersal by Ants in a Deciduous Forest Ecosystem: Mechanisms, Strategies, Adaptations
Elena Gorb
Manufacturer: Kluwer Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1402013795

Book Description

Countless ants transport and deposit seeds and thereby influence the survival, death, and evolution of many plant species. In higher plants, seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) has appeared many times independently in different lineages. More than 3000 plant species are known to utilize ant assistance to be planted. Myrmecochory is a very interesting and rather enigmatic form of mutualistic ant-plant associations. This phenomenon is extremely complex, because there are hundreds of ant species connected with hundreds of plant species. This book effectively combines a thorough approach to investigating morphological and physiological adaptations of plants with elegant field experiments on the behaviour of ants. This monograph is a first attempt at collecting information about morphology, ecology and phenology of ants and plants from one ecosystem. The book gives readers a panoramic view of the hidden, poorly-known interrelations not only between pairs of ants and plant species, but also between species communities in the ecosystem. The authors have considered not just one aspect of animal-plant relationships, but have tried to show them in all their complexity. Some aspects of the ant-plant interactions described in the book may be of interest to botanists, others to zoologists or ecologists, but the entire work is an excellent example of the marriage of these biological disciplines.

Ecological Relationships of Plants and Animals

Average customer rating:

Ecological Relationships of Plants and Animals
Henry F. Howe , and Lynn C. Westley
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Over the past two decades, numerous field and experimental studies on the ecology and evolution of animal and plant interactions have been reported by botanists, zoologists, and ecologists. This textbook offers a comprehensive summary of this extensive and widely scattered literature, and in
so doing presents the subject as a coherent, accessible discipline. The authors describe familiar areas, such as herbivory and pollination, and discuss new information on subjects such as seed dispersal, the genetics of coevolution, structural and chemical plant defenses, and the implications of
human use of animal and plant communities. As they explore these issues, the authors raise provocative questions of fundamental importance: How can an earth teeming with plant-eating animals be so green? Do plants really need animals that pollinate their flowers and disperse their seeds? What
happens to tropical plant communities when fruit-eating toucans and monkeys are killed by encroaching humans? By drawing together information on many diverse aspects of the subject--and presenting a challenging and insightful look into the complexities of plant and animal inter-relationships--this
unique book represents a vital contribution to the ecological literature.

Nutrient Elements in Grassland: Soil-Plant-Animal Relationships

Average customer rating:

Nutrient Elements in Grassland: Soil-Plant-Animal Relationships
David C. Whitehead
Manufacturer: CAB INTERNATIONAL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Biochemistry | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Soil Science | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Agronomy | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Nutrition | Special Topics | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Food Animals | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0851994377

Book Description

This book is an essential reference source covering the chemical elements that are nutrients for plants or animals. It deals with the concentrations and transformations of these elements in soils, grassland plants, and ruminant animals, particularly cattle and sheep. For each element the following data are given: forms occurring in soil, factors that affect availability and concentration, uptake and distribution in grassland plants, role in animal nutrition, amounts and forms excreted by grazing animals, and concentrations needed by ruminant animals.

Herbivores: The 38th Symposium of the British Ecological Society 1997 (Symposia of the British Ecological Society)

Average customer rating:

Herbivores: The 38th Symposium of the British Ecological Society 1997 (Symposia of the British Ecological Society)
Han Olff , Valerie K. Brown , and R. H. Drent
Manufacturer: Blackwell Science
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Ecological Relationships of Plants and Animals
Henry F. Howe
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UKUJ6K

Average customer rating:

Ecological Relationships of Plants and Animals
Henry F.; Westley, Lynn C. Howe
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKPBA0

ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS PLANTS & ANIMALS

Average customer rating:

ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS PLANTS & ANIMALS
HOWE
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OK8PO4

The Sportsman's Bible: Holman Christian Standard Bible, Camouflage, Simulated Leather with Zipper Closure
Average customer rating:

MOM WAS SEARCHING ALL OVER THE PLACE FOR...

The Sportsman's Bible: Holman Christian Standard Bible, Camouflage, Simulated Leather with Zipper Closure

Manufacturer: B&H Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Other | Bibles | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Bible & Other Sacred Texts | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

With God on a Deer Hunt (Outdoor Insights Pocket Devotionals)

A Look at Life from a Deer Stand Gift Edition: Hunting for the Meaning of Life (Chapman, Steve)

Into the High Country: Spiritual Outdoor Adventures

Another Look at Life from a Deer Stand: Going Deeper into the Woods

Sportsman's Bible: Holman Christian Standard Bible

ASIN: 1586403222

Customer Reviews:

MOM WAS SEARCHING ALL OVER THE PLACE FOR..........2007-03-11

THIS...HAD TO ORDER IT AND NEVER CAME IN AT THE BOOK STORE. I FOUND IT RIGHT AWAY HERE AND IT SHIPPED OUT QUICKLY AND I SAVED HER MONEY. IT WAS A GIFT GFOR MY BROTHER...THANKS SO MUCH!

Sportsman's Bible: Holman Christian Standard Bible

Average customer rating:

Great Bible!

Sportsman's Bible: Holman Christian Standard Bible

Manufacturer: B&H Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Bible & Other Sacred Texts | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

With God on a Deer Hunt (Outdoor Insights Pocket Devotionals)
A Look at Life from a Deer Stand Gift Edition: Hunting for the Meaning of Life (Chapman, Steve)
Into the High Country: Spiritual Outdoor Adventures
A Hunter Sets His Sights: Taking Aim at What Really Matters in Life (Chapman, Steve)
A Hunter's Call: Capture the Adventure of a More Meaningful Life

ASIN: 1586400959

Book Description

The perfect gift for Father's Day, his birthday, a son's birthday, graduation or any occasion. With its Superflauge Game camo cover, the HCSB® Sportsman's Bible is ideal to slip into a pocket and carry into the field. Both cover and page edges are completely non-reflective.

In addition to the full text of the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, the Sportsman's Bible contains devotions written for hunters and fishermen. These devotions connect the timeless principles of God's Word with the passion of millions of North American men. The Sportsman's Bible also contains timely tips on hunting and fishing as well as steps to take in the event of various emergencies.

In 2000, over 15-million Americans purchase hunting licenses and 30-million bought fishing licenses. Churches are becoming aware of this significant market and are sponsoring wild game dinners and father-son ministries that focus on men's interest in hunting and fishing. Jason Cruise, founder of the Tennessee Outdoor Network and Coordinator of Outdoor Ministries for the Tennessee Baptist Convention, is executive editor of the special devotional section which contains articles by well-known outdoorsmen as well as tips for hunters and fishermen, and what to do in case of various emergencies.

Customer Reviews:

Great Bible!.......2004-11-01

This is a great translation. It is very accurate and highly readable. The bible itself is way cool. The cover is made out of camouflage canvas and has a slip tab closure. The paper edges are camouflage green. I don't hunt and had no use for the devotions for hunters but I was looking for a soft cover bible and this will do the trick nicely.

Essential Manners for Men: What to Do, When to Do It, and Why
Average customer rating:

whatever/

okay, but not essential

Good but short and not Great

An enjoyable read that covers the basics

Misleading title; and book contains more obvious than helpful information

Essential Manners for Men: What to Do, When to Do It, and Why
Peter Post
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Interpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Men | Gender Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Etiquette | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Modern Gentleman: A Guide to Essential Manners, Savvy & Vice

Emily Post's Etiquette, 17th Edition (Thumb Indexed)

How to Be a Gentleman: A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy

Emily Post's The Etiquette Advantage in Business: Personal Skills for Professional Success, Second Edition

A Gentleman Gets Dressed Up: What to Wear, When to Wear it, How to Wear it (Gentlemanners Book.)

Accessories:

Braun 8595 Activator Self-Cleaning Shaving System with LCD Display

Sonicare Elite 7500 Power Toothbrush

ASIN: 0060539801
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Book Description

Essential Manners for Men helps men make the right decisions about what to do and say in every situation that counts. Peter Post, great-grandson of Emily Post, distills the essential information men need for all the important roles they play in life.

Organized into three parts -- "Daily Life," "Social Life," and "On the Job" -- Essential Manners for Men resolves situations that can stump even the savviest. Peter Post's advice is sharp-witted and sensible, with tips, boxes, and candid anecdotes about his own etiquette blunders. Topics include:

The most important behaviors to avoid and emulate at the gym, at work, on the golf course, at home, out with friends, at a business social event, and a child's ball game

Tipping, driver's "ed-iquette," introductions, sportsmanship, and parenting

Successfully sharing living spaces with a roommate, significant other, or spouse -- from the toilet seat to the remote control to the kitchen sink

How to throw a great party or be the perfect guest

How to successfully navigate the business dinner

Things men do wrong that make women wince, and things men do right that women love

The five-step process to resolve any situation where there is no etiquette "rule"

Short and shoot-from-the-hip honest, Essential Manners for Men is a book no man can afford to be without.

Customer Reviews:

whatever/.......2007-01-14

Bought for nerdy cousin. cant say it helped him much. he seemed to enjoy though.

okay, but not essential.......2006-12-11

This book is okay. There are a few good pointers in here; if you happen to get a copy it's worth holding onto. Some of the things the author writes about, though (helping around the house, helping with the kids, wedding invitations, etc.), will probably strike most guys as common sense. That said, if you're a 20-something guy who hasn't realized that women don't appreciate it when you stare at their breasts, then this might just be the book for you.

Good but short and not Great.......2006-08-18

Covers several items but is somewhat limited.

Felt like it was more for a butler than a regular man.

However, it did have some good material and I did get good information from reading it.

An enjoyable read that covers the basics.......2006-05-21

I bought this book hoping to be both entertained and instructed about how traditional gentlemanly ways should be applied or adapted to our times. In many respects, Essential Manners for Men did not disappoint; the author's impressive credentials are indeed sufficient to make one listen and take notes about everything etiquette.

The work is divided into three sections that include most situations in which a man will find himself--Everyday Life, Social Life and On the Job--making the book quite complete in terms of topics covered. And refreshingly, the author defines etiquette at the start of the book--as behavior containing the three ingredients of Consideration, Respect and Honesty. This definition is used as a prism to analyze the behaviors covered by the book, an approach that makes the advice consistent and easy to remember.

Each of the three major sections of the book are sub-divided into chapters covering more specific situations in which a man may face the forked path of right and wrong behavior--such as in the car, in the gym, on the phone, on a date, at the dinner-table, in an interview or at his office-desk. Besides the aforementioned Consideration, Respect and Honesty, Post covers each situation in light of two things: commonsense (which is not as common as many think) and what others, especially women, may find offensive, annoying or plain boorish. In support of his ideas, Post includes the results of many surveys showing such things as "what women find most annoying in a man," which are undoubtedly valuable tidbits for us chaps.

In general, the result is a collection of solid, basic advice on how not to impress others negatively. And basic though it may be, I defy any of us guys reading this to be able to check off every "do" as something we always remember to do--from leaving the toilet-seat down to stoically keeping our eyes on the "time elapsed" display while a modern Venus De Milo graces the StairMaster in front of ours.

This book may be especially valuable for guys on the younger side who are just starting out on the social scene and who may need a reminder that yes, their parents actually knew what they were talking about when they said that hogging the remote control would make a bad impression on your guests.

On the downside, I found some of the reading to be a little humorless and occasionally trite. I was hoping to hear Jeeves, half-smiledly guiding me through the timeless Ganymede club of gentlemanly behavior; but I sometimes got a stereotypical lecturing dad, a moralizing minister or a dry statistician telling me what polls say I should or should not do. Then, some of the advice was overstated. Yes, failing to leave the toilet-seat down is not terribly good manners; it will however not make or break your marriage--and if it does perhaps that says more about your partner than you.

But perhaps this point of criticism is a tad unfair, since the book actually delivers exactly what it promises. It is, after all, entitled "ESSENTIAL Manners for Men." As such, I think it should belong on the shelves of most of us guys, and it should be re-read from time to time. However, there are other books that make for a more interesting read and treat the subject from a more artistic/philosophical angle--such as the delightfully old-fashioned work by Willy Farnese "The True Gentleman," which (alas) is no longer in print.

Misleading title; and book contains more obvious than helpful information.......2006-02-20

This book is probably not helpful to anyone seeking more than VERY basic social skills. I did not find anything particularly informative. The writing is long-winded, is generally an midly annoying, boring lecturing style. At many points, it actually seemed as if the author was not a man, but rather, someone's wife carrying on about the commonplace, stale female gripes and frustrations about how filthy are their men. Where's the male backbone? Not here. The male author seemed to cowtow to the female of the house; it actually looks like he mirrored the concerns of various women consulted and then determined that essential manners require full male compliance.

Also, the title of the book seems misleading due to the very obvious matters discussed. I thought this book would build an intermediate or advanced level of male manners, but most of the information is irrelevant or too basic to be helpful.

Sorry for the negative report; it was a let-down, but then again I only paid $5 for it.

Essential Manners for Men: What to Do, When to Do It, and Why

Average customer rating:

Essential Manners for Men: What to Do, When to Do It, and Why
Peter Post
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEX4SW

His and Hers: New in Town (Super Models of the World Series)
Average customer rating:

Love it

A Classic Love Story

His and Hers: New in Town (Super Models of the World Series)
B. B. Calhoun
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books
Moving | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 038078470X

Customer Reviews:

Love it.......2002-03-17

I love this book, I think it so cute. It's great that it's from the viewpoints of both Justin and Lila. I never get tired of it. It actually inspired to write my own story like it. I wish there were more books out there like this one, it's sweet, funny and while the ending is predictable, it fits well. I definetly reccomend this for kids 11 and up, they'll love it.

A Classic Love Story.......2000-03-25

His and Hers:New in town, is another adition to classic love stories. The idea and theme relate so much to the real world, that the story is actually believable. The characters are also great. They're not perfect, and they have their own problems to deal with, but you can get a good picture of them, and relate them to friends that you know. Justin is new in town, and falls for Lila at first sight, and the same goes for Lila when she sees him. Lila developes plan to try to get Justin's attention, and she thinks that they always fail...but do they? The book is pretty good. It has a good plot and it flows easily. Plus, it give you Justin and Lila's perspective. All in all, it is a sweet story that makes you wish for more when it is over.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books