i was given this book over 15 years ago. it has become my "bible" for basic skills. we refer to this book at least once a week for advice and instruction - and always manage to find what we're looking for! it does more than touch on subjects! you get in-depth instructions with pictures to guide you through such things as building a foundation and canning your own garden goods. my copy is well-worn from much use! i treasure this book and all the things i've learned from it. for those out there who wish to live more self-sufficiently, you must have this book.

If I could only have one reference book on simple skills for country living this is the one I'd pick. It has how-to-do-it narratives with a multitude of color illustrations, diagrams, and photos. The authors have endeavored to show how previous generations built their homes, produced and stored their food, clothed and entertained themselves without our high-technology gadgets. While each section may not be more than a page or two about a particular skill or task, it is replete with references to books and resources which can be turned to for detailed instruction. This will whet anyone's appetite for becoming a homesteader - even if it's only in your armchair. This is the kind of book kids (and grown-ups) love to read.

A primer on self-reliance and rural skills, this is a large-format book of 456 pages lavishly illustrated with photographs and drawings, about half in full color. Here are 57 subjects, many with subsets, as in gardening, which includes information on soil, cultivation methods, making and using a greenhouse, and specific information on many veggies, herbs, fruits. Some presentations are simplistic, like telling you how to find and evaluate a farm or can produce in only four pages. Building and using a smokehouse gets one page. Using dairy products butters ten pages. Woodworking and furniture making nail down thirty pages. Build and decorate a house and the chairs, tables, beds to furnish it. Build a springhouse, a dam, a well, a water system. Grow vegetables, fruits, grains. Raise bees, fish, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, hogs, sheep, goats, cows, horses. Make cheese, maple syrup, beer, wine, bread, soap, candles, baskets. Cook with wood. Spin yarn, use natural dyes, make cloth, quilts, rugs, hammocks. Learn tanning and leather work, tinsmithing, blacksmithing, toolmaking. Celebrate harvest and holidays with traditional decorations, recipes, toys, games, dances. Learn camping, hiking, fishing, canoeing, snowshoeing, skiing. Whew! This book will keep you happily occupied for several decades.

Although it's not a literary masterpiece, RANDOM ACTS OF BADNESS is an enjoyable read. It's too bad that this book cannot be required reading for all young people, especially those who may consider venturing into drug experimentation. It is truly amazing that Danny Bonaduce is alive today! He tells his story without making any excuses nor blaming others. After reading this, I respect the guy and admire his strength and more-recent altruism. If nothing else, you'll believe in fate; Danny's marriage is a prime example.

I read Mr. Bonaduce's book from cover-to-cover in a single night. I knew him vaguely in Los Angeles, in 1980-something (I really don't remember those years too well), via mutual friends, and he was a wild, messed-up [person] -just like everybody else back then and there, in Hollywood...a lovely, wild, fun place, much like Sodom and Gomorrah must have been before they put in the mini-malls. The delightful thing about Danny Bonaduce is that he is, and has always been, purely Danny Bonaduce, without excuses. It's not "The Partridge Family" movie; it's Danny Bonaduce being honest, and funny, and always accepting the fact that he had been a f..k- up at one time in his life...okay, many times in his life. He doesn't blame his family, his up-bringing, or his "child-stardom"...that would be too easy of a way out-Danny Bonaduce doesn't do anything easy, or simply, even if it may have seemed like the easy way at the time. ...then you get bored with it, or find someone who gets bored with you when you are that way. Mr. Bonaduce got lucky-he found someone who loved him enough to make him love himself. I've never met his wife, Gretchen, but, after reading his book, and hearing him speak of her, I'm fairly certain she is one of those few angels who have found their way to earth.

Crux of review: Mr. Bonaduce doesn't take that now-boring route of blaming his problems on his childhood, his "too-early" success, or being afflicted by some mysterious inherent disease-he just tells it like it is, pure and simple. Mr. Bonaduce merely admits that he was an a__hole for a long time, and that now he's better. He cured himself-with a little help from his friends...mainly, his best friend, his wife. We've all read the ... tear-jerkers, and have seen the "former child-stars in AA" specials, and, frankly, it becomes a little tiresome...really gets to be a bit too much to ask you to weep for someone making [more dollars] a year, ..., when most of the country is still cooking up new versions of spam-casserole and wondering if that long-distance call to mom last week may just put you over budget. It's nice, for a change, to hear an honest story about a man who isn't afraid to tell us he is just human, and remind us that we all make mistakes sometimes, and that we can overcome those mistakes, even without the benefit of gazillion dollar rehab centers and scandal magazines that set out to shame you, or at least attempt to, just for a few extra sales points. Mr. Bonaduce didn't have to tell his story to the world, but he did-maybe it's just the entertainer in him, always willing to please his public and give them what they want. Maybe he will help a lot of people who went through what he did, and many are still going through it. No matter how you want to define it, Danny Bonaduce gives you a good read, without apologies, and with apologies. He's a complex man, and he gives you the simplicity of pure truth. He's no longer "Danny Partridge". He's Danny Bonaduce, the grown-up man, and the star he always was-you can take that on both a professional and personal level-either way, he's a star. Good luck, Dan, if you should ever read this, and thanks.

Donn Kean

I'm not going to lie, I don't read very often (for pleasure.) When I saw that Danny Bonaduce had come out with a "Tell All" book I had to read it. It was laugh out loud funny! I love this guy! It is an over 400 pages long of just plain DANNY being himself! If you think you heard it all about him, you probly have. It is just more entertaining hearing it from himself. This also a story of a changed man who got married and grew the hell up.

I even found out by reading chapter 33. "Detroit: Oh, Yea! I was there for a While," that he lived a mile from my house where I lived all my life. He talks about living in Bloomfield Hills. I didn't know this when I bumped into him in Los Angeles a few months prior. I would have said "Hey neighbor!" No, but if I do bump into him again, it will be tempting. I found out that Danny bad mouthed Detroit whenever he got the chance on his radio show. I just want to say I fully agree with you Danny, I hate this fricken city too. The only good thing is Eminem and the auto industry. Oh, and lets not forget your radio show when it were broadcast here.

Keep doing what you do. Everyone who read this book (look at the great comments) appreciates you. You make "The Other Half" a great series. It is worth it to get up at 11:00AM, when I don't have to just to watch it.

Bill Gates is by far the most successful man of our time and probably of all time. This book explains gates earlier life in depth. Who was Bill Gates before the billions? This is all explained in this book. Gates' incredibly driven personality was always present even in his earlier years. Gates is today undoubtedly the most feared man in the industry and thought of by many as the most powerful man in the world.

This book shows both sides of the man behind it all. Enemies and Allies alike are all shown in this book. He fought wars with Apple and IBM and had peace with people like his friend and partner in success Paul Allen and his mother. Is Gates really the "ruthless" billionaire as many consider him to be or a giving loving and gentle man as few people know? Well he's a little of both and the great insight that can be gained by many can be found here in this book.

I previously read a book about Bill Gates by Johanthan Gatlin and this book is far less indepth and much more for a quick read. HARD DRIVE is a book I highly recommend to those of you who are interested in knowing all about Gates. A little out date, this book was released before the release of Microsoft Windows 95 which in many ways brought Bill Gates up in power almost twice as much. At the time this book was written he was the richest in America. Presently he is the richest in the world. I reccomend going out and buying the sequal to this book "Overdrive" which I am about to do. VERY GOOD BOOK OVERALL. Go out and get your self a copy today.

Even though I typically don't like to read books that are assigned to me and I am forced to read this book was just one I could not put down. I loved reading about this book. I was able to understand the whole story of how Microsoft was made. This book gives you an insight to who Bill Gates and Paul Allen really are. The author goes into great detail about how two teen entrepreneurs were able to successfully start up and manage a business. The only thing is that this book is a little outdated meaning there is no current updates. To continue on the sequel book Over Drive which I am in the possess of reading is excellent as well.

This book gives a fascinating insight about Microsoft and how the two buddies Gates & Allen transformed the way we live, learn and play today.

More important is, the book gives us a glimpse of an often misunderstood genius, Bill Gates himself. Read this book and you'll get the idea what makes him tick. Really, he is not as bad as some people would like us all to believe.

"Portraits of Success: 9 Keys to Sustaining Value in Any Business" by James Olan Hutcheson is just another "how to succeed at business" book. I wish its value was more than that, but it isn't. It is neither passionate nor any more informative than its competitors.

In the business books I have read recently, I found this one lacks the authority and substance I found in others. William Pollard's "Soul of the Firm" has the authority, as he took ServiceMaster to a new level. "Values of the Game" by Bill Bradley was worth the read because of Bradley's unique metaphorical look at life. "Leadership" by Rudolph Giuliani has power because of what Giuliani has gone through. "Portraits," however, has a flaccid tone to it. I felt as if it was researched information regurgitated into book form. I felt like I was reading the kind of book which gets sold after a corporate sales seminar.

The book, as seen in the subtitle, can be boiled down to nine major points. In each, Hutcheson retells stories of business success and failures, from security company founder Richard Wackenhut to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

Action items accompany each chapter, and herein lay the book's greatest value. Hutcheson provides a topic sentence to lead the mini-lesson, but weakly completes the thesis in the following paragraphs.

The redundancy of subject matter mixed with a bland presentation has me suggesting to you to look elsewhere. It was not edited tightly enough to build the necessary tension and excitement. Overall, "Portraits of Success: 9 Keys to Sustaining Value in Any Business" lacks the poignancy I have come to expect from professional advancement books.

Anthony Trendl

There are many other books now in print which also claim to offer all manner of business "keys" or "secrets." What sets this book apart from most of them is not easily explained but I now attempt to do so. Hutcheson draws upon a wealth of real-world business experience, first during the years when he went to work part-time as a telemarketer at Olin Mills, Inc. (which his grandfather founded), eventually heading the Olin Mills Portrait Studios; and then after he left Olin Mills to found his own company, ReGENERATION Partners. The range and depth of his practical experience in the business are thus extensive. The nine "Keys" Hutcheson shares in this book are based on personal experience, not theory. What also differentiates this book from most others I've read is Hutcheson's consistent emphasis on both human value and human potentiality. He understands full well that one of the greatest challenges decision-makers now face in their organizations (regardless of size or nature) is to help ordinary people produce extraordinary results... and do so in collaboration with others. Hence the importance of respect for human dignity in any workplace. Hence the importance of a manager's faith in human potentiality. Throughout his book, Hutcheson affirms that respect and faith in no uncertain terms.

With regard to the nine "Keys" themselves, no news there. They could just as easily be seven (Covey) or 21 (Maxwell). Everyone is in favor of building companies that last, believes that companies need effective leadership, that a meritocracy is preferable to anarchy, etc. Of course, Hutcheson makes no claim that his "Keys" are "Secrets." Again, what sets his book apart from so many others is the meticulous care with which he presents and discusses the "Keys" in terms of achieving and then sustaining maximum value in an organization. Because there is a continuity to his thought processes when developing his ideas, the chapters should be read in sequence.

With regard to the "Portraits," Hutcheson "paints" several. Those I found of greatest value are of Legend Airlines (which illustrates the power of "fable") and Southwest Airlines (which illustrates the importance of "traditions, myths, and shared beliefs"); also, those of the New York Yankees, Dell Computer, and Katz's Deli. (Katz's Deli? Yes. Read Chapter 7 in which Hutcheson explains why it is imperative to "give the next generation room to grow.") Frankly, I was surprised to encounter a discussion of Dennis Rodman in Chapter 2. What's he doing in this book? Hutcheson explains why. He tells his own "business story" in the Preface and then concludes the book with "Closing Reflections." The tone and style of the narrative throughout made this reader feel that I was engaged with Hutcheson in a personal, albeit one-way conversation. (So many other business books seem to be an anthology of graduate school lectures.) Credit Hutcheson with having a caring personality as well as a sense of humor.

Who will derive the greatest benefit from this book? Certainly decision-makers in who need to increase and sustain the value of their organizations. Also founders of family-owned businesses who have an urgent need for assistance with succession planning while growing the business. Also those in charge of business units and even departments within large organizations if the operations for which these executives are responsible are underperforming (i.e. not adding sufficient value to the parent).

Finally, I highly recommend this book to those who have recently embarked on a business career. Why? Because it will be to their great advantage to understand the importance of what I call "value-adding effort," of what Napoleon Hill once referred to as "going the extra mile." When each of our three sons and then our daughter embarked on a business career, I offered only two pieces of advice: "Love whatever you do to earn a living" and 'Become indispensable to your employer." I wish Hutcheson's book had been available to them then. Countless others will be grateful that it is available to them now.

This is a difficult book to categorize - on one level it's a framework for business (or personal) success, on another it's an account of one man's personal observations and astute conclusions. Above all, it's lucid and remarkably well written. At the core it's about building self-esteem in yourself and others, and how to develop your most important assets - your people.

I like the way Mr. Hutcheson immediately draws you into his life and the forces and personalities which influenced him from an early age. He clearly explains what the book is about and why he wrote it, weaving in story telling, analysis and definite purpose. He continues by laying out the nine keys to sustaining value, which are actually guidelines that can be used in business or in personal endeavors. Each key is empirically supported, is illustrated and reinforced by portraits of success, and is laid out as a set of action items which clearly show how to use the key.

My first pass through the book was fast and left me with the impression that much of it was common sense. A more careful reading, however, showed that what seems like common sense if actually the author's ability to articulate insights gained through a lifetime as an executive who worked his way up in a family business, and his later observations as a consultant. I was so impressed with what I read that I gave a copy to my boss (I work for a privately held company based in India), and he was as impressed as I with the advice given and the clear outline for implementing it. It's about leadership, doing the right things for the right reasons, and how to build and maintain a distinctive culture.

This is a down-to-Earth book that imparts excellent advice and the insights behind the advice. It is inspirational, yet practical, and is true to its title with respect to providing nine keys to sustaining business value.

If you have any curiosity about the world of the schizophrenic mental patient and about mental hospitals, this book is a must read. Lori Schiller does an excellent job of describing that world in much descriptive detail as she experienced it during the 1980s. And she chronicles her descent into deeper and deeper illness and then her amazing recovery after she is placed on the dangerous drug, Clozapine. I could have used a scene or two with dialogue, but as a true personal account, the book is good even so. Lori Schiller's loving parents had the money or perhaps the insurance coverage to sustain her for years in private hosptals. One needs to note that for every Lori Schiller who amazingly recovers from schizophrenia, there are thousands of hopeless patients on back wards of state hospital who, unlike her, will never recover and will never be able to write about their worlds. Lori is a miracle-child in every way.

This is a beautifully written book about a woman's battle with schizophrenia. She begins by describing her descent into the illness and the confusion she experienced. Somehow Lori Schiller manages to describe her experiences with the illness so that you can always see the person inside the mental illness. This is not an easy feat but invaluable for professionals in the field. The most moving scene, to me, was her description of being in a psychiatric hospital and hearing a baby crying. She was frantic because no one would help the baby-yet the baby wasn't real. This is what mental illness is like and why it is such a painful experience. My favorite part of the book was that she reaches a point where she is successfully living with schizophrenia. Too often we forget that people can live with this illness. Not everyone is forever doomed to a halfway house or psychiatric hospital. This is a book every mental health professional should read, especially if you are considering work with the mentally ill.

when i first heard about this book several years ago, i could not wait to get my hands on it. the story attracted me as it is my own story. and i was not to be disappointed. never before had i read a book that so expressively described my own illness. since it first came out, i have read it many times. this book is honest and direct and tells our story as it needs to be heard, for lori gives the true and painful portrayal of how a psychotic brain manifests itself through behavior. i was glad that she told so forthrightly of her experiences in the hospital. it is because of such honesty that people like us can learn to tell our own stories and demystify society's understanding of mental illness, particularly schizophrenia. through this telling the unfair stigma that has been placed upon us is exonerated. i also liked that the people in her life told their stories as well, for an illness such as this affects all involved. i am grateful to lori and amanda for helping me to gain insight into my own illness and understand better what my family and those closest to me have endured and still endure. i highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gaining an honest understanding of mental illness and the impact on the individual and their loved ones.

I have, for several years, been a member of various computer animation lists, and that's where I'm coming from with this review. This is the one book which has consistently come up on those lists when dealing with general issues (the Principles of Animation, etc), simply because it is the best. It is not the best tutorial book, since it is not written as a tutorial: it is a history of Disney. If you want a tutorial on computer animation, go elsewhere. But that will probably NOT be as much help to you as reading this book, because after reading this, you will be inspired. I think this is why people are so religeously fervent when speaking about it - not because they found it useful for the large number of techniques and tips which are slipped in throughout (though very many of them are out of date or not applicable in the computer animation world), but because the book inspires. I thought it was expensive, but after I bought it and read it the first time, I realised it was cheap at the price. It is gorgeously produced, and filled with colour pics and examples of what it talks about. Worth buying if you are into animation, or if you are interested in the history of Disney.

The two Authors of "The nine old men" knew what went on at Disney Studios. "A Prime source, you just can't read a better source than these authors! Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston's expertise, honored by the American Film Institute and other prestigious resourceszz; guide you through the characters in many animation movies; job descriptions of departments in the making of these movies, steps in animating a scence, ingredieants of a scene, principles of animation, story, character development, animating expressions and dialogue and more.

"Buy the book---no reservations"---the worst that can happen, you return the book to amazon.

Carl Santy.
C.S.

If you can only afford one book on animation, this is the book to own. It's a wonderful "oversized" high quality hardcover full of illustrations and wisdom that I feel are priceless. If you take just one bit of wisdom from this volume, it will have paid for itself. Every time I open it, it's as if I had one of the Disney masters sitting next to me. The principles discussed are a distillation of wisdom over many years from one of the premiere animation pioneers and will provide an excellent foundation as you explore the wonders of this art. I've paid much more for other books, which didn't even come close to the content in this one. It's really a treasure that you will reference time and time again even at twice the price!

This book is a must have for anyone interested in Tiki or kitsch art. Describing themselves as "urban archaeologists" seeking remnants of Tiki culture, the authors provide a fun and informative look at this vanishing art form. The book does an acceptable job presenting the evolutionary history of Tiki, from the 1920s to the present. Key events, such as the establishment of Trader Vic's, and the Kon Tiki craze of the late 40s, are looked at in further detail. There is also a good look at the "artifacts" of Tiki art and architecture throughout the United States. The book is packed with color photos of Tiki mugs, matchbooks, buildings, and much more.

However, the book does lean a bit too much towards making the book eye candy. The Book of Tiki uses intense colors, and ultra-hip page compositions that make it difficult to read (typically Taschen, but I still found it distracting). Also, a consolidation of information would have made it easier to reference, such as a table differentiating the different "Trader" Tiki businesses. Also, some of the text ("Exotica and the Tiki style were denounced as contrived rituals of the imperialist establishment at the same time that the Vietnam war developed into and ugly mistake, with native huts and palm trees burning on TV."), had me wondering if they were being tounge-in-cheek, or were actually serious.

Nevertheless, this book is the current bible for Tiki aficionados, and is well worth having on your bookshelf.

What a fabulous book! The definitive book on tiki culture! I can't imagine that anyelse could ever surpass the excellent work done by Sven Kirsten. This book is truly a joy. I'll often rush through a new book but I took my time with this beauty. Entertaining, absorbing and stylish, it's just as much fun to merely look at as it is to read it. Each page is an adventure. I was impressed by the scope of the book - it deals with not just restaurants but with motels, apartment buildings, home entertaining, etc. Sven Kirsten also profiles the major innovators and originators of tiki culture. The best part is that the book is presented (tongue in cheek) as a guide to the urban archaeologist, interested in uncovering the remmnants and traces of the now-extinct tiki culture.

A must-have book!

I just glanced through this book at a local bookstore and was in heaven. It's priced much lower here on Amazon, so buying it on-line is the way to go. Actually, I was a bit envious as this is the definitive book I would write on Tiki culture if I could. The history, factors, collectibles and magic of Tiki are covered in tremendous detail. Amazing illustrations, photos, trivia, historical notes and more await all fans of Tiki culture. I would say that Kirsten's book delves further into Tiki culture than any book this Tiki collector has ever seen. Simply a must buy for anyone who loves Tiki culture, or anyone looking to discover the magic of this "lost" time. I'm buying 2 copies--one for my friend and one for me.

Deep within the mind of the creative artist often lies the tendency to become destructive. Nowhere is this more apparent than in this brilliantly written work. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" describes the effects of alcohal and drugs in calculated journo-prose. Initially assigned to cover a motorcyle race in the desert, the emphasis soon shifts from responsibility to reckless partying. The book meanders between odes to opium, mescaline and other mind-altering substances to ethical issues and social commentary. The book is a true story, which recounts the adventures of Thompson, alias Duke, and his obese lawyer, alias Gonzo in Las Vegas in the early 70s. Generally regarded as a collection of infamous drug exploits, the book also captured critical acclaim for it's abrupt and edgy style, and has remained a favorite in journalistic circles. The drug concotions enable Thompson to comment carelessly on everything from social issues to personal exploration, providing an objective critique of modern American life. The language is edgy and vulgar, lacking refinement and dignity. As well he knows, Thompson himself resembles these remarks and at least in this instance, life does imitate art. Overall, it is an odyssey into the mind of a true gonzo-journalist, chock full of emotion and definately worth a few hours of your time. The brains cells are up to you.

Other books of interest: "Post Office," by Charles Bukowski, and "THe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," by Tom Wolfe.

I loved this great,savage,and wild novel on Hunter S. Thompson. Its all about HST going on his way to Las Vagas to find the American dream.He's got his attorney side kick with him and there doing every thing you would of never thought possible. Breaking all the rules in a beautiful way.There is no way I can really explain it, it shifts thoughts from flash backs from the sixties and it will explain all your dreams in a way.It's a mind twister, well to me it was.You have to read it 5 or 6 times because you learn new things from it every time you read it.There are secerts all in there even if they were not ment to be, but it's all in your in your mind. Its a very good book on the drug culture also ,HST Knows how to have savage fun, and take all the sick and twisted thoughts of highly powerful LSD trips and spill them out in front of you while you read this great book and truley show you the mind of a genius. It just shows you a very good way to live life to the fullest. And it's funny too in a good and weird way.Well i could go on for ever about HST and this great book but every thing stops some were ,so just go get the book and read it because you would be missing somthing very amazing and savage at the same time. Hope you enjoyed and Goodbye.

Thompson possesses a magical way with words, and his writing style is a pure pleasure to read. Incredibly funny and surprisingly poetic and insightful; Hunter waxes on elegantly, with a perspective and intelligence that is astonishing. The first half of the book, and in particular the opening scene, is excellent, witty, and about the funniest thing in print. The latter half, while still intoxicating and good, is a bit chaotic, as the quest for the Dream winds down and the aftermath of the search is examined. The movie with Johnny Depp is also great; it is best to read the book and then immediatly watch the movie because so much is said in Hunter's unique way of talking, that without reading the book first, much of what he says is missed; also, everything takes on a greater significance, yeilding a better understanding of the rapid series of events. Thompson, with this book alone, proves his genius for all of time.

Interesting book that is written as an autobiographical account of the Keno twins. Outling their early years, then teen years and into their present careers and positions. They describe how they started their quest for antiques. Covering flea markets in the north-eastern US. Traveling around the countryside on a motorscooter looking for old door hinges to sell. They studied and sold early American pottery. They finally became "Antique Dealers". An interesting account of how they discovered many of the most famous pieces of American furniture that we have all heard about within the past 20 years. Not a book on how to evaluate antiques. Some how you feel closer to them having read the book.A wonderful read.

Antiques Roadshow twins Leigh Keno and Leslie Keno take readers on a fascinating journey through their early childhood and adult life of antique collecting. From digging up old bottles in a creek and collecting rare bits of stoneware to the vast international world of high stakes antique collecting-this book will have you enthralled for hours-even if you don't care for smelly old furniture! By the time one is half way through their book one can feel the excitement starting to catch on. Who knows? Someone who reads this book might be motivated enough to become the next Sotheby's or Christie's president!

"Hidden Treasures" is a friend for anyone whose pulse has ever reacted to the sight of a grand piece of antique furniture. For those who have ever become breathless or teary-eyed over fruniture, it should be required reading. The most appreciated surprise of "Hidden Treasures" is how generous the Kenos are with their knowledge -- reading this book is almost like being enrolled in an advanced course in American furniture complete with field trips and historic background. There's even a textbook like glossary for quick reference to terms.

The world of the Keno brothers is one of extreme privilege and yet, as we travel from their modest and nurturing childhood to the decisive playgrounds of the wealthy -- Sotheby's, Christie's, and the Winter Antiques Show -- we feel welcome, if not at home. That is, perhaps, the most endearing charm of these identical gentlemen -- they are seemly unaffected by their palacial world -- driven primarily by their passion for historic masterpieces of American furniture and a childlike enthusiasm for the hunt. The honesty and power of their passion ignites every page of their book as it does everyday of their lives. And, it is so infectious that many will be inspired to begin plotting their first five, six, seven, or eight-figure purchase of Americana.

My only slight disappointment was with some of the writing. The masterful talent of Thatcher Freund, author of "Objects of Desire" could have been put to good use on this project. I only wish he would have been part of the team. Then, the book would have been perfect -- an American Masterpiece.

This book changed my life completely especially on time management and setting priorities including annual goals and objectives.

It is easy to read, practical and lists easily and clearly on how to work on improving yourself. You will be amazed at the resuts proven ideas. Till today, I still believe in the adage, "Ask Lakein's Question" whenever you are not sure on what would be the next best course of action and priority.

How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life is, perhaps, the best book on time management ever written. It does not waste your time but gets right to the point. You must establish SMART (specific, measurable, achieveable, related/relevant, and time framed) goals for yourself and then prioritize them using Lakein's A/C system. "A" goals are the most important to you and you must plan on spending 80% of your time to achieve them. "C" goals (TV, lawn care, shopping, etc.) are the place where most people "waste" their lives and spend 80% of their time. This ratio must be reversed, according to Lakein.

He would agree with e.e. cummings that "To be nobody but yourself in a world that is night and day trying to make you just like everybody else means to fight the hardest fight any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." Once we have set goals that utilize our unique talents and abilities, we will have the will power and determination to do the work necessary to achieve them.

To accomplish our goals Lakein recommends that we make a daily "to do" list and always start with "A's," not "C's." Most of our time is spent working harder on things that don't matter. We may be efficient, but Lakein suggests that our goal is to do what matters most and become effective. "Work smarter, not harder" is the mantra he wants us to repeat and couple that saying with his last piece of advice --"Do it now."

Stick your finger into this small book and any page you hit will have wise words to put into action. Learning comes from daily practice and developing habits that "put first things first," taken from Stephen Covey's best seller, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People -- also recommended is Covey's fine book on effective living appropriately titled First Things First.

Rarely has a book that costs so little paid such rich dividends. You won't be disappointed.

When I got the book, I was somewhat sceptical that a book could teach me what I already knew. (Make lists of to-do items etc) But this book is really amazing. It will tell you how you end up wasting time and what to do about it in a positive way. I would like to mention a couple of ideas that I found in this book: a) No matter how silly, do something related to work with a high pay-off. b) Effectiveness (doing the important things) should be preferred over efficiency (Doing something of not much importance very well)

I read this book every week and have got an additional copy to carry in my bag always to get these excellent ideas entrenched in my head.