Investment Valuation: Tools and Techniques for Determining the Value of Any Asset, Second Edition, University Edition

Book Description

Investment Valuation
Tools and Techniques for Determining the Value of Any Asset
Valuation is at the heart of every investment decision, whether that decision is to buy, sell, or hold. But the pricing of any financial asset has become a more complex task in modern financial markets. Now completely revised and fully updated to reflect changing market conditions, Investment Valuation, Second Edition, provides expert instruction on how to value virtually any type of asset-stocks, bonds, options, futures, real assets, and much more.
Noted valuation authority and acclaimed NYU finance professor Aswath Damodaran uses real-world examples and the most current valuation tools, as he guides you through the theory and application of valuation models and highlights their strengths and weaknesses.
Expanded coverage addresses:
* Valuation of unconventional assets, financial service firms, start-ups, private companies, dot-coms, and many other traditionally valued assets
* Risk in foreign countries and how best to deal with it
* Using real option theory and option pricing models in valuing business and equity
* The models used to value different types of assets and the elements of these models
* How to choose the right model for any given asset valuation scenario
* Online real-time valuations that are continually updated at www.damodaran.com
A perfect guide for those who need to know more about the tricky business of valuation, Investment Valuation, Second Edition, will be a valuable asset for anyone learning about this critical part of the investment process.

Customer Reviews:

Very Informative - Not the easiest read.......2007-08-27

This book gives a good description of the theory behind different valuation techniques. It is very detailed and very helpful. The only downside is that it is hard to get through at times.

Comprehensive View of Investment Valuation.......2007-06-23

An overall excellnet text on valuing any asset. The author does a wonderful job of highighting the only 3 rational ways to value any asset: discounted cash flows, relative valuation, and the options pricing model. This book may help you consider the value of assets using all 3 methods to arrive at a true valuation for your purchase or divestment.
A must have for anyone who values assests.

A great reference for any finance student.......2007-05-13

Like other reviewers have said, this book should not be used as an undergraduate textbook. But as a reference book it is among the best for reviewing valuation principals. It covers many asset classes, including equities, bonds, options, futures, and real estate. This book also does a good job of breaking down principals used for valuing various firms (private, start-ups, takeover targets).

The real value for me, however, was its explanations of various DCF models and how they are used: adjusted present value, equity valuation, and firm valuation. The material does a good job of getting to the reason behind the numbers and not just how to use them (such as its explanations on how to determine a terminal value).

In summary, a great read for an undergrad or graduate finance student who wants to get familiar with valuation techniques, or even for an analyst who needs to brush up.

Best valuation book I've read.......2007-05-01

From dozens of valuation books I've read, this is the best one. All different views and theories are explained with good examples.

Investment Valuation: Tools and Techniques for Determining the Value of Any Asset, Second Edition .......2007-03-08

Great, perfect step by step valuation instructions!

Book Description

Helping others to make occupational choices requires a combination of skill and a deep understanding of the world of work as it is today and will be in the future. Unlike texts, which focus only on skill, Careers Guidance in Context is designed to develop understanding of the factors, which shape both the labour market, and careers guidance as an occupation in itself. Careers Guidance in Context re-evaluates the concept of `a career' in the light of economic restructuring, globalization and the growth of information technology. It draws together up-to-date theories about guidance work and debates the importance of integrating theory and practice. Examining the processes in which practitioners engage when working with individual clients, the book also explores careers guidance within a group setting - an area that has previously been neglected in the literature. The book will be invaluable to students on courses in careers guidance, counselling and education. It will also be of great interest to professionals who need to keep up-to-date with current thinking and practice.

Environmental Careers, Environmental Employment and Environmental Training: International Approaches and Contexts (Umweltbildung, Umweltkommunikation Und Nachhaltigkeit,)

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Environmental Careers, Environmental Employment and Environmental Training: International Approaches and Contexts (Umweltbildung, Umweltkommunikation Und Nachhaltigkeit,)
Peter Lang
Manufacturer: Peter Lang Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Natural Resources | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Interpreting Career: Hermeneutical Studies of Lives in Context

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Interpreting Career: Hermeneutical Studies of Lives in Context

Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Workplace | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Labor & Industrial Relations | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Clinical Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Health, Mind & Body | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0275939502

Book Description

This work reports on a range of research studies in the career field that use biographical, narrative, and ecological approaches within an interpretive framework. It responds to the recognized dissonance between career theory and research, on the one part, and practice, on the other. It also responds to the view that in recent years practice has outstripped career theory and research. The qualitative approaches used in the research reported have gained popularity in the social sciences in recent years, but have been largely untried in the career field. This work offers specific interpretive studies that range over the life span and involve a number of perspectives including contexts such as parental influence, socio-political milieu, early career studies of apprentices, medical students, and nurses, studies of the established careers of secretaries, women entrepreneurs, teachers, and studies of the careers of older workers. In addition, the book contains interpretive studies pertaining to career theory, counseling and other interventions, and the research process. It also recognizes issues highlighted by a postmodernist perspective. A number of audiences will find this book useful: industrial/organizational psychologists, counseling psychologists, career counselors, counselor educators, and researchers in the career area from psychology and sociology.

Organizational Communication in the Personal Context: From Interview to Retirement

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Organizational Communication in the Personal Context: From Interview to Retirement
Mark Hickson , Don W. Stacks , and with Marilyn Padgett-Greely
Manufacturer: Allyn & Bacon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Communications | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Interpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Social Psychology & Interactions | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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

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ASIN: 0205197752

Book Description

Given the changes taking place in the economy and the workplace during the last decade this book provides a much needed tool for people who are just starting their careers or who are seeking to change their career path. Unlike other books which focus on some abstract corporation, this book emphasizes the employee's needs and perspectives, shows how to navigate the real organization of today, and includes frank discussions of issues of downsizing, "rightsizing," professionalism, promotion, and the like. Covering the entire spectrum of organizational communication issues-from researching the company and assembling a resume to dealing with leadership roles and changes in corporate culture-this book provides practical, up-to-date advice on how to develop communication skills. Those seeking a job or career change.

Teacher Development and the Struggle for Authenticity: Professional Growth and Restructuring in the Context of Change (Professional Development and Practice Series)

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Teacher Development and the Struggle for Authenticity: Professional Growth and Restructuring in the Context of Change (Professional Development and Practice Series)
Peter P. Grimmett
Manufacturer: Teachers College Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Pedagogy | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Vocational Guidance | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0807733512

Cultural context of career choice: meta-analysis of race/ethnicity differences.(cultural career counseling): An article from: Career Development Quarterly

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Cultural context of career choice: meta-analysis of race/ethnicity differences.(cultural career counseling): An article from: Career Development Quarterly
Nadya A. Fouad , and Angela M. Byars-Winston
Manufacturer: National Career Development Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Career Development Quarterly, published by National Career Development Association on March 1, 2005. The length of the article is 5076 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: Cultural context of career choice: meta-analysis of race/ethnicity differences.(cultural career counseling)
Author: Nadya A. Fouad
Publication: Career Development Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2005
Publisher: National Career Development Association
Volume: 53 Issue: 3 Page: 223(11)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Art and Design GNVQ Selection Pack: FOA: Packaging / FOA: Printing / Steel: Solutions in Technology / GNVQ Teachers Notes Covering Contexts

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Art and Design GNVQ Selection Pack: FOA: Packaging / FOA: Printing / Steel: Solutions in Technology / GNVQ Teachers Notes Covering Contexts

Manufacturer: Hobsons PLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Brief Introduction to Vocational Testing in a Developmental Context (146p)

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Brief Introduction to Vocational Testing in a Developmental Context (146p)
Harvard University. Office of Career Services and Off-Campus Learning
Manufacturer: Harvard Univ Office of Career
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Vocational Guidance | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9991693742

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Learning Through Work-Related Contexts

Manufacturer: Qualifications & Curriculum Authority
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Lesson Planning | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Vocational Guidance | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1858383625

Book Description

Schooling your horse is fundamental to any equestrian pastime, so getting it right is essential to the horse and rider's progression.

With 101 Schooling Exercises, you can plan the exercises you want to ride according to the level of you and your horse's ability. Whether to increase horse's balance, generate impulsion or for more advanced lateral exercises, the easy-to-follow exercises include all the information you need to ride the movement correctly, what may go wrong and advice on how to correct it.

Each exercise is accompanied by an aerial illustration of the arena and additional diagrams showing the rider's position including where the emphasis should be on the rider's aids. Celebrities from the equestrian world also divulge their favorite training exercises including celebrity tips and advice.

Customer Reviews:

Great training aide........2007-09-30

This book as a fantastic aide while training yourself and your horse. The exercises are very well described and illustrated. There are also hints for what to watch out for, and what to do if something goes wrong. The progression of exercises is well thought-out and great for slowly building up the skills of your horse. There is also a section which suggests which exercises may be good for which problems (such as collection, flexion, or gait transitions). This is a wonderful manual to have around when you need some great ideas for what to work on. Highly recommend for any rider serious about their equitation.

101 Schooling Exercises: For Horse & rider.......2007-05-06

I recomend this book because is very easy to pratice with my hore with fast and good results!

101 SCHOOLING EXERCISES for Horse & Rider.......2007-03-12

There are several books on the market with schooling exercises, arena patterns and the like, but this book I found to be more useful than the rest. The things I liked about this book were numerous . There are exercises contributed by top trainers/riders such as Richard Davison, Sylvia Loch, John Lasseter and Jennie Loriston-Clarke, to name a few. All the exercises themselves take up a whole page which are very clearly done and in this large format book (11 x 8 1/2 inch) which gives plenty of room to clarify the exercise. In order to help the rider the exercises are further clarified by accompanying text such as "How do I ride this exercise?" "What should happen" "How do I ride (travers)?" "Moving On" "What can go wrong?" and "If it's not working"
The section on Rider's Problem Solver further outlines a unique way to use the book. An example being "My horse is stiff on one side" - so the required exercises for this problem are given. There are further chapters on Why School Your Horse?, Structuring Your Schooling, The Horse's Way of Going, The Rider's Position, Making Things Work and Setting up Your Arena. This book is not to be missed and will be invaluable to the rider who has to work alone and the less experienced to see how an exercise should be performed.

The most useful book you'll need.......2006-10-12

This book is equal in theory and practicality. It teaches you how to ride your horse to practice a specific principle. It gives you inspiration and fun what to do with your horse. The diagrams are fantastic.
The riding-level chart is funky: and no explanation of what they mean.

Essential Daily Training Reference.......2006-01-15

This is one of the most useful books I own. I've already purchased several copies for myself, my trainer and have given them as gifts. Now every training session begins and ends according to plan; no more useless circling the arena.

Customer Reviews:

Process control change.......2006-01-31

Based on this book, we are changing all our process control. It has gained our CEO's trust.

SPC at its Pure and Original Dogma.......2004-12-23

This book is for all practicing professional on SPC and an eye-opener for the novice. It highlights many important topics specially the four state of a process model and shows how the process behaviour chart ( a.k.a control chart)can help in reaching the ideal state. The correct and wrong way of doing the calculation for the establishment of the control limits is also discussed and clarified and much more . This is a must to have for all who wants to go through their personal path to SPC . Buy this Book !

The best book to learn SPC.......2004-07-31

SPC is a widely MISUSED and OVERused term in the manufacturing world. It is amazing how many myths and misunderstandings exist and are accepted as rules of thumb. Understanding Statistical Process Control explains the foundations of Shewhart's control charts in depth, tying up its usage in real world. This is the simplest, most accurate guide for learning and applying SPC. Wheeler carefully separates the facts from fiction. His examples and excercises give reader a chance to see how control charts should be used in real world.
Conclusion: BUY IT

Recommended read for beginners and experienced practitioners.......2004-02-25

The book is well written, the examples illustrate the concepts in a nice way. Readers new to Statistics ought to read about basic concepts of Statistics from other texts that deal with the subject on a simpler level, then read this book.

Certain topics are not included although they are relevant in today's business context - for instance, Lean, and Mass Customization have resulted in many processes being changed around to small lot sizes. This requires the use of Short Run SPC, and it is covered in a separate book.

I keep the book handy as a ready reference, and also recommend it on a regular basis.

Explains the SPC philosophy extremely well!.......2001-10-12

This book starts with a extremely well explained chapter on the philosophy of control charts. This is really the most important part of the book. Other topics about rational subgrouping and myths are also very well covered. The book deals with interesting examples which should be a little bit more up-to-date. Presenting control charts on mm-paper is outdated in this computer era.

SPC: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition (Walkabout)

Average customer rating:

Excellent, self-paced program
Self-paced learning materials
This author doesn't know the first thing about statistics
Worst book for SPC users
"Practical"

SPC: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition (Walkabout)
James C. Abbott
Manufacturer: Robert Houston Smith Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Statistics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Quality Control | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Total Quality Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1887355030

Book Description

Statistical Process Control, or SPC, is one of the most misunderstood and underused tools in modern business practice. SPC: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition debunks the myth that SPC is only for engineers or technical managers. In fact, SPC is the proper set of tools for any operation where a product is created using a continuously repeated process. This is true for both manufacturing and service industries (sometimes the "product" is actually a service to people.) Author James Abbott uses everyday language to explain WHAT makes SPC work, WHY it will work for every situation, and HOW it fits into the overall decision-making process. This third edition of SPC is the result of years of feedback and refinement. An expanded appendix provides complete glossaries of terms, constants, formulas, and a practice question and answer section.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent, self-paced program.......2003-10-08

This book, along with the Self Study
Guide, are excellent self paced learning materials. I highly recommend these materials to anyone whose job demands a thorough knowledge of Statistical Process Control.

Self-paced learning materials.......2003-08-12

The SPC " Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control" along with the Self Study
Guide are excellent self paced learning materials. I highly recommend these materials to anyone whose job demands a thorough knowledge of Statistical Process Control.

This author doesn't know the first thing about statistics.......2001-08-12

I think that it is sad that a book of such extremely poor technical quality, which the author believes is "practical understanding", fools so many people who do not understand statistics themselves. If you have not been exposed to statistics for sometime, or have always wanted to learn statistical methods, then this should not be your first book. Anyone who has been exposed to a good book on statistics, or attended a class or seminar on statistics, will quickly see that this book contains numerous incorrect definitions and interpretations of statistical terms and methods. A book review of this book by noted statistician, Lloyd Nelson (who is an ASQ Fellow and Shewhart medalist) appeared in the April 2001 issue of the Journal of Quality Technology.

As an example, the author defines the binomial distribution as one which has two modes, which he has confused with the biMODal distribution. The range is defined as the (data point - average), which would produce both positive and negative values. Of course, the range is known (by everyone else except the author) as the difference between the largest and smallest values of a set of data, so it can never assume a negative value. His discussion of control charts also demonstrates a lack of understanding as to their use and the underlying distributions on which they are based. For instance, his statement that the binomial and Poisson distributions are a special case of the normal distribution is blatantly incorrect. The list of examples goes on and on, and many more can be found in Nelson's book review.

The best advice this reviewer can give someone shopping for an easy to read and credible book on statistics is to pass this one up, save your money, and keep looking. If you subscribe to one of the journals of ASQ (American Society for Quality), namely the Journal of Quality Technology and Technometrics, then read their book reviews. The reviewers are very knowledgable and are composed of Senior Members and Fellows who have considerable practical and theoretical knowledge. They can offer valuable information on which books give the best value for the money.

Worst book for SPC users.......2001-08-01

This text is one of the worst in terms of technical merit and correctness. The author obviously does not have much of an idea about statistics and how to implement SPC....

"Practical".......2001-06-24

" The word practical in the book's subtitle says it all. The book has a decision making focus (still has the math). This really clarified everything for me. Not just a math book but a how to make SPC work for you. The idea of different tools for strategic and tactical decisions was new and refreshing."

Practical Understanding of Capability: Implementing Statistical Process Control (Spc)

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Practical Understanding of Capability: Implementing Statistical Process Control (Spc)
James C. Abbott
Manufacturer: Robert Houston Smith Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Total Quality Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1887355006

Average customer rating:

The truth hurts

Trying too hard

A fine writer shoots himself in the foot

More irritating than entertaining

One of the most frustrating reads in quite some time

The Happiest Corpse I've Ever Seen: The Last Twenty-Five Years of the Broadway Musical
Ethan Mordden
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Broadway & Musicals | Theater | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
History & Criticism | Theater | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Composers & Musicians | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

One More Kiss: The Broadway Musical in the 1970s

Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s

Sing for Your Supper: The Broadway Musical in the 1930s (Golden Age of the Broadway Musical)

Beautiful Mornin': The Broadway Musical in the 1940s

Coming up Roses: The Broadway Musical in the 1950s

ASIN: 0312239548
Release Date: 2004-09-23

Book Description

For Ethan Mordden, the closing night of the hit musical, 42nd St. sounded the death knell of the art form of the Broadway musical. After that, big orchestras, real voices, recognizable books and intelligent lyrics went out the window in favor of cats, helicopters, yodeling Frenchmen, and the roof of the Paris Opera. Mordden takes us through the aftermath of the days of the great Broadway musical. From the long-running Cats to Miss Saigon, Phantom, and Les Miserables, to gems like The Producers, he is unsparing in his look at the remains of the day. Not content to scold the shows' creators, Mordden takes on the critics, too, splaying their bodies across the Great White Way like Sweeney Todd giving a close shave. Once more, it's "curtain going up," but Mordden is not applauding.

Customer Reviews:

The truth hurts.......2007-05-20

I recommend this almost as highly as the others in this series. There's nobody better at giving an overview of the Broadway Musical; his musical literacy alone is probably unique among writers on the subject.

That said, you should read one of the earlier books first, because he's naturally using earlier decades as referents. This book is also a little darker than its predecessors, but don't blame the messenger for the bad news. He finds some good in almost every season, and never actually indulges in the despair that the titls promises.

Yes, there are a few jokes that fall flat. Yes, his 'political' opinions are ignorant and cold-hearted -- the exact opposite of his theatre criticism -- but they total perhaps a page or two out of three hundred, and don't seem to influence his theatrical judgement. For example: you may not agree with his take on 'Ragtime', but he doesn't use his deep dislike of one aspect of the story to dismiss the overall production. (Actually, he does do that to 'Zorba', but that's in his book on the 60s.)

Trying too hard.......2005-11-30

Granted, I haven't read Ethan Mordden's series of books on musical theatre...and they have been well-reviewed on this site. I chose this book primarily because I wanted a book that examines the last 25 years of Broadway musicals and is fairly recent. This book surveys the period from 1978 - 2003 on Broadway (and off).

Although I did agree with many of Mr. Mordden's views on various musical projects throughout the last 25 years, I have several misgivings about recommending this book.

1). Mr. Mordden tries too hard to be witty and many of his jokes (witticisms) push too hard to be funny. Some are downright tasteless...example: when he refers to a musical based on "Our Town" that, due to Mary Martin's fatal cancer the project was "killed".

2). Mr. Mordden regularly insults his readers and Broadway audiences, regaling them for their "stupidity" while making numerous factual mistakes of his own in research. He refers to only "four original songs" from the movie Footloose that transferred to the stage version. Wrong! A couple of times, he also assigns roles to the wrong actor in his synopsis of the shows.

3). Mr. Mordden, in attempting to be witty and funny, is quite often just downright mean and bitchy.

4). His pretentiousness is on full display in the use of numerous references to Broadway as "The Street". I've never heard it called this...is this his own invention to try to coin a term and be hip and trendy? Several times, he also get tied up in the syntax of his sentence structure and the overuse of his thesaurus in order to impress. Thus, his meaning becomes muddled and difficult to understand.

5). Mr. Mordden decides that, in writing this book, he has good reason to throw in right-wing political propoganda here and there. I'm not sure why, but he does it regularly which weakens his arguments as he analyzes the shows. He rips "Ragtime" for glorifying terrorism...not only is this analysis ridiculous, but totally out of context for a musical set in the early 20th century.

Although Mr. Mordden is quite astute and dead on in many instances...his insistence on writing in the manner and style he does makes reading the book a disappointing experience in the long run.

A fine writer shoots himself in the foot.......2005-10-02

As other reviewers have noted, Mordden's decade-by-decade series on the Broadway musical has been superb to this point. His wit and genuine love of the form, together with an encyclopedic knowledge of social and cultural history, made his earlier books treasures -- "Coming Up Roses" was the best of a choice lot.

What a disappointment that "Happiest Corpse" turned out so bitter and screed-filled. Specious politics aside, by indulging himself in extended rants against Burt Lancaster, the movie version of "The Producers", "Ragtime", stupid audiences, and so on ad nauseam, Mordden clouds the fact that he's really not reporting on a corpse at all. It's easy to miss among the political outbursts, but Mordden finds many recent shows to praise and wonderful scores to extol. Yet the reader can hardly appreciate the good news when the overall tone of the book is so nasty. It's sad, not to mention ironic, that Mordden has become as humorless and bombastic as the Left he so thoroughly despises.

Two final comments: (1) Mordden's reference to "Patty Lu" is not a mistake but a joke from a previous Mordden footnote, in which he pretends that Robert and Patty's family name is Lu, and Jubilation T.'s last name is Corn. It's a lame joke but Mordden seems more prone to these lately. (2) Mordden can't have seen "Bat Boy" or "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" to dismiss them so snottily. Both were terrific musicals in the classic form, even if their subject matter was outre. Mordden falls all over himself praising "Urinetown" (no Barbara Cook there either, by the way), a good show but not the equal of either "Bat Boy" or "Hedwig".

More irritating than entertaining.......2005-03-06

While I find Ethan Mordden often erudite and highly entertaining,I find his comments often irritating and inaccurate. His new book, THE HAPPIEST CORPSE I'VE EVER SEEN contains inaccurate information on productions which involved both of us, from placing the New Amsterdam Theatre Company's final presentation, Jerome Kern's SALLY, before producer Bill Tynes' death to a cryptic "all was well till someone claimed to have found the Bennett parts at the St Louis Muny" about my restoration of Cole Porter's lost show JUBILEE. If Mr Mordden can't keep the information accurate on matters in which I was involved, I question the accuracy of other areas in his expertise.

To my knowledge, Ethan and Bill Tynes were good friends and it's my memory that Ethan was on the board for The New Amsterdam Theatre Company. Bill's health in 1986 delegated the March production of JUBILEE to Sally Hassenfelt, who became the New Amsterdam Theatre Company's producer at Bill's death in January 1987. SALLY was the only show produced under her regime in January 1988; the late Bill Tynes was still credited as producer.

Bill had wanted to use the March 1986 performances of JUBILEE as a backer's audition to present a major revival, but his health limited his time as producer and Ms Hassenfelt, who had been brought in to assist Bill, asserted her power over casting and director by bullying everyone, from me to the Cole Porter Trust. One "period musicals" authority tried to sabotage my working on JUBILEE by attempting to locate the original scores and parts, but nothing was located. In his latest book, SING FOR YOUR SUPPER, Mr Mordden's comments on JUBILEE, removing Tommy Krasker and me from any reconstruction or revival comments, show that he's been studying the photocopy of my vocal score that I gave him in 1986.

One of the most frustrating reads in quite some time.......2005-02-10

I reviewed this book for Talkin' Broadway [...] I have never been so frustrated reading a book as I was reading this one. While there is no doubt that Mordden is a knowledgeable aficionado of Musical Theater, he also comes across as bigoted, hypocritical and even homophobic (and considering that he is a gay man himself, this is more than a little appalling).

When he sticks to simply writing about the shows, he can be clear and incisive. At those moments he ranks with the best writers of theatrical criticism. Then on a dime he will sideswipe the reader with an absurd blanket statement, such as dismissing "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and "Bat Boy" due to the fact that "...the farther we get from shows with a valid role for Barbara Cook, the farther we get from what is enjoyable" yet extolling Michael John LaChiusa's "Hello Again" and "Marie Christine" or William Finn's "Falsettos," neither of which contain roles truly suitable for Cook. Comments like "...those who truly love the musical - basically gay men and Frank Rich..." and "The Full Monty tells of married couples and teaches homo tolerance" go beyond eye-rolling into purely offensive. And the inclusion of "The Tap Dance Kid" into a chapter entitled "Why Can't Susan Smith and Timothy McVeigh Have a Musical? Hitler Has One" that explores shows like "Capeman" and "Assassins" is even worse (and including "Movin' Out," constantly called "Movin' On," and "The Full Monty" into a chapter on musicals on the disenfranchised, since he believes that the white working-class male is a minority due to actions by "... special interest groups, lone-ranger spoilers and the ACLU [that] make war on everything from the Pledge of Allegiance to Christmas..." is just plain head-scratchingly wrong.

Most disturbing of all, however, is a frothing rant against "Ragtime" that ends the chapter. While it is perplexing that Mordden can consider "Ragtime" an exultation of terrorism due to Coalhouse's targeting of firehouses but can equate the `losers' in Assassins with "Islamists killing the symbol of the success they can not have," his statement that "Ragtime" "reveals how slavishly Broadway buys snake oil from the wreckers and stooges of the hard left" belongs more in a treatise by Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly than in a critical essay on an art form.

HAPPIEST CORPSE I'VE EVER SEEN: THE LAST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE BROADWAY MUSICAL

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HAPPIEST CORPSE I'VE EVER SEEN: THE LAST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE BROADWAY MUSICAL
ETHAN MORDEEN
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTKZUW

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