Editorial Review

There's probably no woman in America who is as famous--or controversial--as Martha Stewart. In Read more

Reviews (109)

Disingenuous and unkind
Chris Byron's schtick is to pretend to be a friend of Martha Stewart, but tell her story in the most cruel light.No friend would write a book like this.Hence, from the start one feels he is disingenuous while trying to establish his cred.
An intriguing story of Martha's surprising roots evolves in a memorable biography
Martha Stewart's story has all the trappings of fiction: written and read by author Byron, it tells of her rise to fame, her hidden world, and a background which led a quiet girl to become the richest self-made businesswoman in America, selling her confidence and poise to a nation. An intriguing story of Martha's surprising roots evolves in a memorable biography.
Another book written by a man judging the success of a woman
I found this book to be informative in the respect that it was not a "tell all" but instead an attempt to deliver accurate information.However, while the author tells the reader that he is a neighbor and friend of Martha's he also gives a critical review of how her busness took it's toll on her personal life.The only reason this is done is because Martha is a woman and so is expected to devote time to her family and run an empire at the same time,Of course this is not something expected of her male counterparts,Just as asking Martha about her hysterectomy is not something asked of bussnessMEN.As for some reviewers here who state that she is everything they hate about women, thats a good thing because I don't think Martha is looking for a date from you anytime soon.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Business    4. Business & Economics    5. Business/Economics    6. Businesswomen    7. Corporate & Business History - General    8. Entrepreneurship    9. Entrepreneurship Of Specific Groups    10. General    11. Home Economics (General)    12. Home economics    13. Home economists    14. Industries - Media & Communications Industries    15. United States    16. Biography: general    17. Business & Economics / Industries / Media & Communications Industries    18. Business & Management    19. Family, Home and Practical Interests    20. Hospitality industry    21. USA   

Reviews (34)

Dont waste your time
Horribly written. No sequence or point. I can't imagine Robertson gave the author more than 20 minutes of access and didnt answer a real question. Contradictions abound.
Save your money
A horrid little book that reads like the kind of "vanity" tome that CEOs privately print for their friends and relatives. You know, books with titles like, "Forty Years at the Helm of Acme Industries." It's that bad.
Trash
A superficial, mind-numbingly stupid love song to the controversial fund manager who up-ended in early 2000. Every mistake justified or ignored, every act of hubris minimized. Absolute garbage that must surely go down in history as one of the worst business books of recent years. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Business    3. Business & Economics    4. Business/Economics    5. General    6. History    7. Institutional Investment    8. Investments & Securities - General    9. Robertson, Julian    10. Tiger Management (Firm)    11. Business & Economics / General    12. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (26)

Remarkable Turnaround

The Ultimate Motivator
If you would like to read about how a no nonsense guy took Nissan from being extinct to one of the top automotive companies in the world you need to read this book.It has many great lessons and principles that you can apply to your everyday life or job and turn your life around!

shallow
David Magee's book tells the very interesting story of how Nissan's fortunes were revived by "a fiery, intellectual, Brazilian-born, French educated man of Lebanese descent, Carlos Ghosn".
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Subjects:  1. Automobile industry and trade    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Business    5. Business / Economics / Finance    6. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    7. Corporate turnarounds    8. Industries - Automobile Industry    9. Japan    10. Leadership    11. Management    12. Nissan Motor Corporation in U    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / General    15. Ghosn, Carlos    16. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (92)

Flawed Statistics
I've read about 15 investment/finance/accounting books this summer. I found "Practical Speculation" lacking. The first two chapters were interesting, but the scatter plots and statistics were seriously flawed.
Good show
The book by Victor Niederhoffer (VN) and Laurel Kenner is written in much better style than VN's first book. Unlike his first book, which describes a sort of `blood and guts' style of investing, the authors believe that a more empirical approach points the way towards investment success even though I did wonder occasionally, if they follow their new investment approach to the letter.
Excellent!
When it comes to clarity of analysis coupled with avant-guard writing ideas, you can't beat Niederhoffer and Kenner.This book shatters many investment and trading beliefs.Although I do not agree with everything between these covers, Practical Speculation is an excellent book.Niederhoffer's knowledge of applied statistics is obvious throughout the book, and he has many ideas clearly presented.This is a good antidote to much of the mumbo-jumbo which is contained in other books.You may not start to make lost of money after reading this book, but it might keep you from losing some! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Finance    6. Investment Analysis    7. Investments & Securities - General    8. Investments & Securities - Stocks    9. Securities    10. Business & Economics / Finance    11. Investment & securities   

Editorial Review

This must have been an extremely difficult book to write. Its subject, Alfred Loomis, never gave interviews during his lifetime and destroyed all his papers before his death. "Few men of Loomis' prominence and achievement have gone to greater lengths to foil history," writes author Jennet Conant. Had he not done these things, his name would be better known--and this probably wouldn't be the first biography about him. So who was Alfred Loomis? "He was too complex to categorize--financier, philanthropist, society figure, physicist, inventor, amateur, dilettante--a contradiction in terms," writes Conant. Loomis established a private laboratory in New York and hired scientists whose work in the 1930s wound up making possible both the radar and the atomic bomb. These developments were essential to Allied victory in the Second World War. Conant is perhaps the only person who could have pierced Loomis's obsessive secrecy and written this book; she grew up with Loomis's children and other members of his family. Her grandfather, Harvard president James Bryant Conant, was one of Loomis's scientists. Read more

Reviews (37)

Perhaps the greatest 'scientist agitator' of the 20th century
A great book.
Inspiring! Truth is more amazing than fiction- A great peice of American History
I thank Jennet Conant, the author for the deep courage and amazing amount of effort that must have gone into the production of this book. Mr. Loomis is of true hero quality yet he's not without his human flaws and failures. We get to see more than a glimpse into one of the greatest unsung heroes of science, technology, finance and World War II. I was truly inspired by the dedication, altruism and purposefulness of Mr. Loomis and many of the great people mentioned in the book. I also learn from their mistakes. There are times where the book gets a bit too verbose and into trivialities, but that's easy to forgive considering the degree of detail and historical accurateness that the author apparently intended.

Would that we had men of this caliber today...
In all my readings about science and men of science, it became quite clear that many of the most important discoveries were made by men who were not only from families of wealth and prestige, but also men who were trained for one area (such as law or diplomacy or finance) who later in life found that their avocations became their life-long pursuits; often to the good of mankind. In Alfred Loomis, there came a mixture of innate abilities in finance, physics, diplomacy, and plain-old curiosity, of the like we may never see again. Part of this is because of the type of education that Loomis received as a member of the elite class of American aristocracy. Part of it was the sheer genius that was Loomis.
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Subjects:  1. (Alfred Lee),    2. 1887-1975    3. 20th century    4. Atomic bomb    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. Business    10. History    11. History Of Science    12. Loomis, Alfred L    13. Military - Weapons    14. New York (State)    15. Physicists    16. Research    17. Rich & Famous    18. Scientists - General    19. Tuxedo Park    20. U.S. History - World War II (Domestic Aspects)    21. United States    22. United States - 20th Century    23. History / Military / Weapons   

Reviews (7)

World's richest man
Andrew Carnegie was born in Scotland in 1835 and came to America at age 13. He started working with the Pennsylvania Railroad, and then got in on the ground floor of the steel business. Unlike Rockefeller, his great rival in the race to become the world's richest man, who was motivated by a pious Baptist fervor, Carnegie was a Scottish agnostic Darwinist. (He was three times richer than Rockefeller, by the way.) A frequent contributor to popular magazines of the day, mainly on economic and social issues, he was a follower of Herbert Spencer.
Immense
The blurb "as thick and densely-packed as a rail of steel" would fit nicely on the back cover of this book, I think.Blurbs aside, Wall writes well and seems to have an exceedingly good handle on every aspect of Andrew Carnegie's life.The beginning is slow to get going but as momentum builds, the author's use of source material, insightful opinions, and historical detail provides a portrait of Carnegie that would be impossible to glean from a smaller study.This is a book designed for scholars that is written well enough for a layperson.It is, however, a commitment: one to the tune of about 1000 pages.Black coffee, comfortable chair, good reading light, and an overwhelming interest in the life of Andrew Carnegie are all suggested before turning over the first page.
Excellent Read!!!
This book is finest, most comprehensive, and exciting biography ever written about Carnegie. No Carnegie biography, before or since, has ever approached the excellence of Wall's masterpiece. Read more

Subjects:  1. 1835-1919    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Business    7. Carnegie, Andrew,    8. Humanitarians    9. Industrialists    10. Philanthropists    11. Reference    12. Steel industry and trade    13. United States    14. Biography: general    15. Charities & voluntary services    16. Entrepreneurship    17. USA   

Reviews (1)

Needs a somewhat more critical eye of Ted
The book dishes out Ted Turner's wisdom, but leaves an important fact neglected: after becoming rich, Ted Turner's mind cracked and slipped away into bipolar disorder, and since then Turner has been running around making boneheaded comments about Christianity, concocting oddly New Age and semi-delusional programs like "Capt. Planet," and using his money to give himself a platform to be a [fool] in front of the United Nations (where he gave a speech about how monotheistic religions should be abandoned because, well, human beings put their pants on one leg at a time) and Brown University (where he extolled the Sept. 11 hijackers as visionaries and courageous men). The true story of Ted Turner ranks with the tragic tales of Howard Hughes and John Nash, once-brilliant men whose lives were ruined by mental illness. It's amazing that Ted Turner has been able to use his wealth to propogate bizarre ideologies that come straight from his diseased, psychotic mind, and no one has had the courage to point out that Turner is afflicted with a psychotic disorder and his New Age, so-called "humanistic" ideas are really just delusions brought on by a chemical imbalance. Of course, Fox News routinely lets us know all the [foolish] things Ted Turner says... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Business    6. Businesspeople    7. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Television Personalities    8. Entrepreneurship    9. General    10. Historical - U.S.    11. Sports team owners    12. Telecommunication    13. Turner, Ted    14. United States    15. Biography: general    16. Business & Economics / General    17. Radio & television industry   

Reviews (35)

(Elite Print by biographer Walker);(italics by autobiographer Lewis)
There was a consistent pattern of the italic matter in which Lewis* kept to his focus "business" and businessman (and bussiness women) and just a brief mention of activity with his wife and children(the book opens with a lengthy discussion of his "humble beginnings" andhowhis older relatives,especially his grandmother were his greatest strength as a boy, although he does mention his great love for his mother and respect for his step-father and siblings)...His thrill for being accepted at "Harvard" never left him and there is a bldg for law students named after him on Harvard's campus.He gives insight into the wars within in the brokerage world(and how one should be careful what one sells,even with biggies like "McCall Patterns" since if the company should falter in any wayshortly after you've sold it,you might be legally held responsible to the buyers) and how "other values" matter more when he gets in swiftly fading health... his biographer ,Blair(co-author of the book published posthumously) does a marvelous insert between the Lewis's italics and also includes : an epilogue(others were left to mourn for him on01/19/1993); an index ; &a list of all who contributed to "his* story).It was a book worth reading.

Bio/autobiography of a superstrong personality
I've been reading more business related stuff as of late, and I picked up "Why Should White Guys..." a while back. Reginald Lewis earns tremendous respect in my eyes for his intense energy and willingness to take risks to achieve. Reading this book, you can see what a trailblazer he actually was as he pulled off a seemingly impossible buyout of Beatrice Foods and then drove them to strong economic performance.
Marvelous, instructive, educational
In an era when corporate America dominates the political and cultural landscape in music, art, dance, pop culture, even athletics (try to buy a ticket to a professional sports game-the corporations have block-purchased them out of range for most familes), there comes a time when the average person must ask himself if he or she is going to live the nine to five life of lifetime struggle, or will he take the leap into the world of business entrepreneurship where the promise of the American dream of big money and big power is still possible. Reginald Lewis takes you there whether you are old, young, black, white, male or female.
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Subjects:  1. 1942-1993    2. African American businesspeopl    3. African American businesspeople    4. Biography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Black American Sociology    7. Business    8. Business / Economics / Finance    9. Entrepreneurship Of Specific Groups    10. General    11. Lewis, Reginald F.,    12. Millionaires    13. United States    14. Biography: general    15. Entrepreneurship    16. Lewis, Reginald F    17. USA   

Reviews (16)

A critique of Watson senior by Kevin Maney
This book is generally pretty good, as evidenced by my 4 stars I quite enjoyed it. There is a lot of insight into what the biographer believes Tom Watson was, and I put it that way because there is a lot of interpolation by the author on what the goings on were around the company. It's an enjoyable read, but very repetitive and you can tell by the writing that it is written by someone not accustomed to writing books (the writer is a journalist). It lapses in and out of formal and informal narrative, repeats itself constantly, the author has a particular fondness for describing Watson's diatribes as "cuttingly" (which is a word?).
Highly Recommended!
This book seems to have been written primarily because the author learned about the existence of boxes of Thomas Watson's papers that had never been read by any biographer or journalist. In some cases, the author's access to these new materials does help fill in some minor gaps in the existing accounts of Watson's life. And cumulatively, they take some of the shine off the legend, impressing upon one how humdrum the daily life of even a business titan must be. This book is reasonably well written and packed with memorable anecdotes. While it doesn't offer stunning new insights, we commend it as a readable, accessible and balanced introduction to one of the greatest executives of the twentieth century.

The Story of a Leader
All great stories have a good guy and a bad guy.In this story, it's the same guy.Thomas Watson, Sr., by sheer force of personality, created IBM.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Business    4. Business & Economics    5. Business/Economics    6. Businessmen    7. Computer Industry (Economic Aspects)    8. Computer industry    9. Corporate & Business History - General    10. General    11. History    12. History Of Specific Companies    13. International Business Machine    14. United States    15. Biography: general    16. Business & Economics / General    17. Business & Management    18. Information technology industries    19. Watson, Arthur Kittredge    20. Watson, Thomas J    21. Watson, Thomas John   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Artists, Architects, Photographers    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography And Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Business    8. Fashion    9. Fashion design    10. Fashion designers    11. France    12. History    13. Paris    14. Pictorial works    15. Rich & Famous    16. Art / Fashion   

Reviews (10)

Great book to read over and over again!
This book was very helpful to me. It allowed me to see the different scenarios that could go wrong or right with starting a business and that ANYONE can start a business. You just have to believe in your idea and work hard to make it happen. I was totally inspired by a couple of women mentioned in the book, who continued despite the outside worlds negative remarks. I will definitely read it again and I recommend it to anyone who can't decide on whether to start, stop or continue. Continue!

Loved It!
I bought this book out of curiousity as a fellow Tarheel, Atlantan and Apprentice fan. I am an avid reader, and this book was by far one of my favorites on the subject of starting your own business. Instead of reading about people like Warren Buffet and Donald Trump, you can read about regular people with the entrepreneurial "bug" that made it happen for themselves. I loved that Wes did not write about how he became successful, rather took the time to seek out others that share the desire to get out of corporate world and fulfill their dreams of owning a business.

GR8Read
You will really enjoy this book. Great stories and ideas. Makes you think. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Business    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Businesspeople    7. Case studies    8. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    9. Entrepreneurship    10. Leadership    11. Success in business    12. United States    13. Business & Economics / Entrepreneurship   

Reviews (3)

When Business Women were just that.....
I knew a fair amount about Helena Rubenstein, but knew little about her rival Elizabeth Arden, and this book pulled no punches about their rivalry. It was a time when those two created their own fortunes and companies from the ground up, something that doesn't seem to happen in the cosmetic industry today. It seems all you have to do is be a "media darling," sign a contract, and your name is plastered all over all kinds of products. Helena may have been rithless to those around her, but Miss Arden seemed to take great delight in backstabbing and the like. I'm sure I'm prejudiced, but Madame Rubenstein, albeit tiny, cut a regal figure,and to me,Miss Arden was a bit on the frumpy side. A very enjoyable book for those interested in the battle between those two.

Two Women With Similar Ideals
Rubinstein and Arden had a rivalry that you might compare to that of Jack Benny and Fred Allen--i.e. one largely conducted for publicity reasons.Lindy Woodhead has donesome amazing research, can you imagine, she spent months kneeling on the floors of Krakow parishes to find just the right birth certificate for Helena (nee Chaja) Rubinstein--not an easy thing to do, especially given the fact that Rubinstein lied about her age by several years!And in every case Woodhead goes the extra nine yards to try to distinguish what is true and what is false about her two millionairesses.They were among the first to sell American women the "culture of beauty," to insist that the cosmetics they sold would bring the consumer a whole zeitgeist of pleasure, not just individual beauty treatments.To this end they conspired with Madison Avenue and devised decades worth of intriguing, perhaps misleading advertisements.
War Paint
This is such a juicy story. Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein were two glamorous divas, who come to life and the stories of their personal and business lives are fascinating. The author describes the rivalry between these two women with rich details, describing how their animosity fueled their growing empires.The story is even more interesting because of the times in which they lived, and Woodhead does a great job of explaining their very glamorous social circles. I can't wait to share this book with my friends, especially those who love fashion. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1870-1965    2. 1878-1966    3. Arden, Elizabeth,    4. Beauty culture    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. Business    10. Business Enterprise    11. Businesswomen    12. Cosmetics industry    13. Cosmetology    14. History    15. Rubinstein, Helena,    16. United States    17. Women    18. Biography & Autobiography / Business    19. Biography: general    20. Fashion & beauty industries   

Reviews (8)

A Quality Look At Baron Battles
This is an attempt at a sympathetic biography of Jay Gould.He loved his family; he could also be a ruthless warrior in the world of business.So from one perspective, if one doesn't want to face someone who is attempting to stick his financial sword in your fiscal chest, one should not enter the gladiatorial ring that is Wall Street.Except people who need their jobs to support their families are hurt by the displacements resulting from baronial battle.What, to Jay, was a game of chess where the benefits of baron-class fortunes were to be won, was to the employees a time of incalculable chaos.Jay met his ambition, and his family enjoyed the resources of opulence; his victims suffered chaos and the destruction of families that must have resulted.Of course nothing has changed as the United States experiences deindustrialization; the elite have a heck of a ride.
Financial Titan & Business Genius
Edward J Renehan, has produced a marvellously written book about the ruthlessly honest, financial genius & business titan Jay Gould. A resounding five star effort, deeply researched, well thought out and arranged.
Thorough but technically challenging
Renehan really did his homework. He also does a fair job of trying to reduce some of the mischaracterizations and misunderstandings about some of Jay Gould's machinations. Yet Gould remains less than admirable and still a bit of an enigma. The primary difficulty is the need for degrees in law and finance to fully appreciate the intricacies of Gould's schemes. Some were brilliant. Some schemes were lucky. Most of the time meant to manipulate markets. Gould's repeated use of stock shorting, watered down stocks,"pools" and injunctions makes one's head spin. Gould and his regular colleague in crime, Jim Fisk, used the law -- especially easily swayed or purchased judges -- to have their way with the financial markets.
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Subjects:  1. Biographpy    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Business    7. Businessmen    8. Capitalists and financiers    9. General    10. Historical - U.S.    11. United States   

Reviews (2)

A wine reader's Cuvee.
If you live in the Northwest and have any interest in wine, this is a book for you!It is what I call a "great read"(a "must" read if you will).It captures the flavor of real winemaking with a background of facts (vines, soils, geology, geography, climate and latitude), a sustained taste of optimism with a strong aroma of humor throughout. Real people, real places, real wine--this book is the real deal! Try it, you'll like.

Interested in Wine and the People Who Make It?
Linda Kaplan's book, "My First Crush," is a fun and informative romp through Oregon's wine country.From the colorful town and townspeople of McMinnville to the creepy crawlers on the grape sorting line (and I don't just mean insects), Linda is able to bring winemaking to life.
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Subjects:  1. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Business    6. General    7. Industries - Agribusiness    8. McMinnville    9. Miscellanea    10. Oregon    11. Wine and wine making    12. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Business    5. History Of Specific Companies    6. Middle East - General    7. Middle East - History - 20th Century    8. Biography & Autobiography / Business    9. History of specific subjects    10. Manufacturing industries    11. Middle East    12. True Stories   

Reviews (10)

Stories of an Innovator: Building the Better Vacuum Cleaner
This book is subtitled "an autobiography," but it isn't really about James Dyson, the man. It is about James Dyson, the inventor and designer who conquered the vacuum cleaner market. The difference? Dyson includes everything that might explain his success as an inventor, but gives only limited attention to his personal or interior life. Dyson briefly mentions some crucial points, like the strain his ongoing travels put on his marriage, or his wonderment at his companies' many lawsuits, but if you're seeking a man's inside emotional story, this isn't it. However, if you're looking for an exciting account of an inventor who proceeds, as Dyson puts it, in an Edisonian fashion, read this book. We recommend it to anyone engaged in design, engineering, marketing or innovation. The stories it contains, especially the descriptions of inspiration or frustration - are refreshing in this theoretical age, as is his advice on creating and marketing innovative products. Dyson's book proves that a vital place still exists for individual vision and old-fashioned perseverance.

An entrepreneur's struggle and testimonial
This is a great story of a stubborn, possibly cantankerous, designer turned manufacturing entreprenur.It was a real page-turner and I couldn't put it down.
Edison Lives Today
The story told here, an autobiography, is one of the most inspiring that I've read in a long time.Dyson is an inventor and industrial designer who has taken his bagless vacuum cleaner from the garage to a huge enterprise. I loved this story and wound up really admiring the man. His distinctive approach to industrial design, his perseverance and gutsy self confidence enabled him to show that even in the world of huge multinationals, with all their central research laboratories, there are still opportunities for the lone inventor to make it, big-time.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Business    4. Business & Economics    5. Business/Economics    6. Businesspeople    7. Corporate & Business History - General    8. Dyson Appliances Limited    9. Dyson, James    10. Electric household appliances    11. Electric household appliances industry    12. Great Britain    13. History    14. United States    15. Vacuum cleaners    16. Business & Management    17. Education / Professional Development    18. Finance   

Editorial Review

Nobody can match George Plimpton as an adroit weaver of interviews into a tight narrative fabric. Plimpton can make even a negligible life into a magic-carpet ride, as in his editing of Jean Stein's perennial bestseller,