Agent Books

This book has something about sendmail for everyone.
I know sendmail very well, and have used it for years.

But even I and sendmail gurus I work with learned a lot.

this is a great book.

The first killer application of the Internet was email. For over twenty years, the most common program used to handle this was sendmail, written by Eric Allman. Over this time, sendmail has become a fully fledged language, with a very inelegant syntax. To learn how this, you need the book "Sendmail" by Costales and Allman.

The basic problem is that twenty years of ever increasing complexity in mail handling has created concomitant complexity in sendmail. For system adminstrators, the sendmail configuration files are probably the most complicated things they have to understand and maintain.

The rub is that most sysadmins have many duties, and little time to thoroughly read the above book. What is needed is a crib sheet, that lets you quickly solve very common sendmail configuration issues. Wherein the need for this book. Hunt takes a pragmatic approach. He tells you enough to handle these common issues. Sometimes, this comes at a slight cost. For example, he never really fully explains the the sendmail class notation. For a rigorous explanation, you still need Allman's book. But as a practical matter, you probably not that curious about the notation anyway. Hunt's approach may solve your problems quicker!

An interesting aspect of this Cookbook is that it shows the recent evolution of sendmail, as seen in the subtitle at the top of the cover, "Spam-Fighting". Sysadmins who dealt with sendmail from 5 years ago or earlier will recall nothing pertaining to antispam techniques.

But just as email was the first killer application, the second killer application was the browser, starting in 1992-3. The third killer application was spam, often viewed via the second application. In the last 5 years, spam has grown amazingly. So much so that it has been debated on the floors of the US Parliament! It has gotten to the point that some alarmists are even claiming that this third killer app might be crippling the first app!

Well, this Cookbook has several sections, including an entire chapter, focussed on various antispam techniques, like procmail parsing, or hooking up to Real Time Block Lists like spamhaus.org. The efficacy of such methods may vary widely, but you do get a choice. Though none of these currently appear to offer a truly effective countermeasure. You are still getting tons of spam, aren't you?

Perhaps some genius in the not too distant future can help us!

Great book, exactly what I needed. I'm pretty good with Sendmail, but there is nothing like just looking up an issue and following through a solution. I would recommend this to anyone who works with Sendmail!

Working with sendmail can be very challenging at times; while the documentation for it is very complete, finding real-life use-cases can be tough and messing up a configuration is very easy. Fortunately the sendmail authors and community adopted the m4 language to help make building and managing sendmail configurations less painful (I remember having bad dreams about sendmail configuration language when I started learning it). Even with m4, understanding what goes where when and why in a sendmail configuration file can be a real challenge.

O'Reilly helped we mere mortals out tremendously with the publication of "Sendmail: The Definitive Guide," a book that helped demystify and clarify many of sendmail's inner-workings and configuration options. Even with this book, it was still hard to answer real-life use case questions, like how to enable SMTP AUTH for sendmail, how do I use LDAP with sendmail, how do I use sendmail to accept email for multiple domains in a virtual hosting environment, how do I use blackhole list services?

Enter "Sendmail Cookbook." This clear, easy to read, well-indexed book contains a wealth of useful recipies that make previously difficult to figure out tasks quite easy. The book is organized in typical Cookbook fashion; each chapter or section stands on it's own, and if it does require knowledge of other sendmail configuration topics, the section includes cross-references to other relevant recipies and references to appropriate sections in the "Sendmail: The Definitive Guide" book, which is a nice additional feature.

This cookbook starts with recipies that step the reader through building and installing sendmail, with sections on configuring the build so that sendmail compiles with SSL/STARTTLS support, LDAP support, and SASL support. Chapters that follow deal with everything from enabling and configuring SMTP AUTH, to securing sendmail itself, to controlling spam. Recipies use m4 whenever possible and only dip into the sendmail configuration language when necessary, another feature I found very impressive.

I own quite a few O'Reilly books; this is one of a small number that I enjoy just picking up and flipping to a random page and reading; I always find something that I either didn't know or had forgotten. I wish I had this book seven years ago when I was struggling to learn the basics of sendmail configuration and administration; I might have more hair left if I had! I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with sendmail, be that daily administration or occassional troubleshooting.

This is definitely a book for systems administrators. You won't learn the basics about sendmail, or get an introduction. This book is for folks who generally know sendmail, but are having specific issues with it.

The first chapter has a lot of very specific fixes for a bunch of operating system specific issues. After that the solutions become a bit more general.

The two standout chapters are chapter four, on relaying, and chapter six on spam filtering. Both of these have great introductions and in-depth techincal descriptions, with effective graphics, covering the topics.

I recommend this book for systems administrators and for people actively using with sendmail.

If your career aspirations lie in the show biz world, don't forget to consult actor/producer/casting director Steve Stevens Sr.'s So You Want To Be In Show Business: A Hollywood Agent Shares The Secrets Of Getting Ahead Without Getting Ripped Off. Stevens also has a background representing struggling actors: his 50+ years experience in the acting trenches lends to an eye-opening industry reference crucial to learning about casting, agents, and more.

I picked this great guide up last week, finished it in a day, and am totally changing the way I approach this business! There are so many little things that the authors recommend doing that I would never have thought of--I am much more confident, because now I feel like I am fully prepared when I go into auditions... Thank you!

This is my first review of anything, but I felt like I needed to give this book a plug--even though it comes from a small, independant press, this book should be in every acting/directing/theater class in the nation. Cady and Stevenson take you through the inner workings of the agent business, the right/wrong approaches to auditions, the way to work in Hollywood while keeping your sanity, all while maintaining an easy tone that gives one the confidence to take a chance and try to be a star! Great work, and a bargain for those of us who thought they knew the business.

This is an absolute must-have for all actors! After being an actress for over 20 years, I have spent countless hours reading books on the business of acting. "So you want to be in Show Business," is the most complete book I have ever read on the subject. Steve Stevens Sr. masterfully blends humor along with the no-nonsense truth about this crazy business. All while giving encouragement and sharing his passion. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Highly informative and very entertaining... anyone thinking about embarking on an actor's life should read this book! Loved it!

It's a shame that this book seems to never have taken off. It's chock full of great information that I have not really seen elsewhere. It only takes you so far given that its publication date is close to 30 yrs ago. in 1978. But the information is, as the other reviewers have remarked, spot on and super fascinating. It's written well, too, not boring. I came over to it's info page here on Amazon to see if there was any other book like it. If you can find a copy, buy it you won't be disappointed. Just again keep in mind that you won't find info after 1978.

'A ground-breaking investigative survey of parapolitical America, "Spooks" was one of the first books to report on the privatization of the intelligence function: the application of intelligence practices to commercial activities, and the emergence of CIAs-for-hire in the private sector. Within this general framework, Hougan unearths great chunks of America's "secret history." The war between Jimmy Hoffa and the Kennedy family is seen to have had a public and a private side, with the latter fought by countermeasures genius Bernard Spindel against "an archipelago" of public and private intelligence agencies working for Bobby and Jack.

Calling Howard Hughes "an American Dracula," Hougan offers a blow-by- blow account of the bedside battle fought by Intertel and former CIA agent Robert Maheu for control over the drug-addicted billionaire's body and empire. Other sections of the book describe Robert Vesco's assault on Investors Overseas Services; Richard Nixon's "French connection" to industrialist Paul Louis Weiller; the efforts of paramilitary wizard Mitch WerBell and CIA superspook Lucien Conein to introduce a "final solution" to the War on Drugs; and the World War II background of Japanese and German agents who played key roles in the Lockheed bribery scandal. Packed with anecdotes, footnotes, and proper names, "Spooks" is a classic.'

I, like the previous reviewer, found this book quite by accident, but it had only recently been published as a paperback. I loaned it out, it never came back, and I searched relentlessly for a hard-bound. I keep it in my safe. It is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. I learned a great deal about the machinations behind which Vescoe, Hughes, Maheau, Nixon and many other heavy-hitters of the 50's and 60's carried out their agendas and their whims. Again. Your mission is to find it. Read it. Lock it up. If you loan it out, 'they' will get it.

This book is excellent. Like the previous two, I have to say that I found the book quite by accident then never found another copy. The material is excellently researched, thouroughly referenced and is just amazing in the level of detail. Although the book is somewhat dated, if you want to know about the situations that are still affecting us including oil prices, defense spending and nuclear proliferation, this book is the one for you.

It has been some time since I read this book which I found completely by chance in a used book store. Having an interest in the subject, I purchased it and subsequently found it to be full of information about the intelligence community and what the agents do when they leave the FBI, CIA, NSA (you fill in the blank) etc. In one paragraph on Prince Barnhard of the Netherlands, the author provides more background and insight into the powerful structures that govern the world than could be found in years of reading Time magazine. If you see this book, buy read it and do not lend it to anyone.

This exam prep course is amazing. I took all the courses required by TREC to fulfill my education requirements, however, they were not enough to prepare me for this exam. The included exam questions and review system was the key to my success and many others who used the same book. Highly recommended if you want to pass your test the first time!!

I just passed my state exam and found the CD to be very helpful. I highly suggest it for preparing!

I found this book to be very helpful. I especially liked the glossary of terms and the condensed review in the middle of the book. I used the CD exams as practice for my test to get used to the computer format. I passed both parts on my first try and I think this book helped me do that.

This book is a must if you dont remember much from your classes. The refresher course is straight to the point, and the tests on the computer really help out ALOT. If you can pass the tests on the cd, passing the exam is easy.

This is more helpful than the college courses I had. The college courses are required, but this is a definite "must have" before taking the test.

An awesome story. Multiple plots all winding around today's questions and everyday struggles dealing with the realities of cancer, abortion and infertility. Strong Christian questions and bitter sweet decisions. A great read. Couldn't put it down.

I could hardly put down this book after reading the first few pages. This is an outstanding suspenseful book by a new writer. We can only hope for many more from him.

Couldn't put it down! Topical, reverent, and up to date... this novel makes you think.

Great literature should flow, from start to finish this captures your interest and flows like a river.

I recommend to anyone and everyone.

I bought this book because I recognized the name of the author as a seminary classmate of mine and so I ordered it as much out of curiosity as anything else. I am happy to report that I am now an official member of the "couldn't put it down" club. I had the luxury of reading it during the great blizzard of '03 that struck the northeast so I had a couple of days to read it while being snowed in.
The book is fast paced and it grabs you immediately. The plot brings together a wide range of elements - there is the spy/suspsense/FBI angle, the tragedy of lost love dimension, moral dilemmas, medical research and the ethical questions associated with certain types of research, and a little danger to boot. I have read a smattering of the popular Christian fiction out there, so although I don't consider myself an expert in this genre but I have read enough to know that this book is as good or better than most of the popular Christian fiction out there. I highly recommend it.

Wow! I made the mistake of taking this book on a 6 day business trip to fill up my spare time. Once I picked up the book I had to force myself to put it down to go to bed. I finished it in two evenings. Then I had to find another book to fill up my spare time.

It is a fast action detective thriller with several interesting plot twists. Mr. Delk sprinkled just enough politically incorrect humor in the book to keep me wondering when the next joke was comming. Without giving too much away it is fun to see how he constructed a story with knowledge from a number of different disciplines.

The most fascinating thing about the book, however, was Mr. Delk's developement of the characters. Most everyone in the book was far from a one dimensional character. He explores several sides of each of the main characters. I found myself learning a lot about human nature as well as being entertained.

It was one of the best books I have read in the last couple of years.

Cookie's book is one of those 20 or so of the many books I have ever read that I really treasure and recommend to my friends unreservedly. By the end of the book you have something of an insight into this fascinating and wonderful person. I just hope it gives each new reader as much pleasure as it did me when I first read it!

wonderful book!!! every lady needs to read this! cookie mueller rules!

I found out about this book & jumped at the chance to read it. Cookie tells some of her experiences being an underground Film star & Adventuress. I always loved Cookie in John Water's films, but I never got that chance to read her work, But Now I am a big Fan. She never whitewashes her experiences with Drugs, Sex, hippies, farming, whatever. I hope her other collections are reprinted and well distributed very soon. Meet back up with an old friend, you might not have really known, through this great collective memoir.

Cookie Mueller was a goddess inflamed. Her stories are hysterical, beautiful, outrageous, and heartwrenching. It's true what they say above; we're lucky she took notes.

I really identified with Cookie Mueller, the author of "Walking Through Clear Water." We were born a few months apart, lived our lives travelling back and forth between coasts, probably attended events together in 60s era San Francisco, East Village, NY, etc. One thing for sure, after reading this book, I wish I had known her and feel like I did. She comes across as so alive and vibrant on the printed page, that when I learned in the "about the author" page at the end of the book that she had died of AIDS in 1989, I felt as though I had personally lost a friend.

Do not let that depressing bit of information in any way dissuade you from reading her story, or to get the impression that this book is at all morbid or maudlin. This is one of the funniest accounts of life on the fringes of American culture I've read in many a moon. She has such an enagingly humorous conversational style, that even when she is describing truly horrifying scenes such as an attempted rape in the backwoods of Maryland, the effect owes more to Rabelais, than to Peckinpah.

Mueller reminds me a lot of a female version of Ken Kesey. Her prose moves along with the same sort of wild energy and the incidents she describes never get bogged down in needless detail. She has great writers' instincts. She sees life in the same tragi-comic vein as does Kesey, as well. Perhaps they both had run-ins with the same Cosmic Joker, at one time or other. Whatever the personal histories, they were certainly kindred souls, who had a look at the full spectrum of humanity and were able to get their impressions down on paper in thoroughly memorable ways.

This is as easy and enjoyable a read as you are likely to come across. I'm by no means a fast reader, but was able to breeze through it in just a few hours. I can unreservedly say that I couldn't put it down, and I find that rare these days. Spend a few hours with Cookie Mueller. She'll probably make friends with you, too.

BEK

Hold onto your hats, Whiskey is off and running again; well sort of running, except for the part where she falls asleep and lets Chester and Prince Harry almost drown in a riptide.

From the beginning scene through the interesting and puzzling sub plots, to the satisfying ending, I was hooked. Wonderful characters, quirky town of Magnet Springs and cleptomaniac dog; I don't know what more you could ask for!

I don't want to give away the story, but if you are looking for a new author with a twist of Janet Evanovich, you are looking for the Whiskey Mattimoe series by Nina Wright.

Pull up a beach chair, and enjoy!

I have enjoyed all the humorous Whiskey mysteries and it's a delight to get to spend time with the delightful characters in Magnet Springs once again.

I love the new doggie that has come into Whiskey's family and only wish she was mother enough to welcome it herself! I figured by the way these stories are going that she would land up with the 11 missing children that seem to be lost the entire book. I mean her house just keeps getting fuller. In this one, Whiskey has rented a house to a mother with 2 kids, but neighbors start complaining about at least 11 children living there. Then the mother is killed, the children missing and Whiskey has her hands full once again. Also she is attracted to yet another guy that her stepdaughter once again steals right out from under her. Oh, well, there's still one left...her ex-husband. The author keeps you guessing on this one and really I don't care about her love life. I only care about those cute and funny dogs and the mystery which is great and will keep you on your toes!

If you like laughter with your mystery--and especially if you appreciate well-written dialogue--THIS is the series for you. Wright crafts a compelling mystery, but more to the point, she creates thoroughly delightful characters, both canine and human. Whiskey Mattimoe lands in deep doo-doo but comes out as fresh as a sunny day on Lake Michigan. You'll want to be there for the whole thrilling ride.

Read it and laugh till you weep!

How to write a fun mystery:

Abra the Afghan
Assorted canines (Prince Harry the Peemeister, Norman, Velcro)
Almost dog, Floozy
One harried real estate agent
A dash of three hot guys
Outrageous supporting characters including a smooth talking realtor, a possible ghostly mayor and one harpy/stepdaughter

Mix together in Magnet Springs and viola, instant murder mayhem

Whiskey again finds herself in the midst of canine adultery, crime and possible insanity as she accepts a listing from a dotcom millioniare. Chester and Abra steal scenes left and right.

Whiskey is "volunteered" to be a unpaid deputy when a woman with 11 kids disappears and winds up dead. The only credible witnesses are Abra and Norman. The dialogue (especially between Whiskey and herself) are hilarious.

Visit Magnet Springs again but please don't wear any bling. Abra will mug you for it.

This book provides a unique account of the Viet Nam war seen through the eyes of psychiatrist. Doug Bey's account of treatment in the battlefields and the sidelines was compelling; I read it cover to cover and ignored all other demands until done.

I was captured by this journey of war that unfolds in stories both large and small with the insightful commentary that comes from the original experiences, tempered by long years in the field of psychiatry.

While this memoir is rooted in the Viet Nam experience it has implications for the current men and women in the armed forces and should be required reading for those involved in the treatment of mental illness and the trauma of war.

However, the heart of the story remains one man's voice telling us the stories of war with all it's characters, events, and personal change. It's a gem of a book.

We all know, or knew, someone in Nam. An easily readable, enlightening chronicle of the time with touches of humor. I highly recommend this book.

Great narration of life in a support unit in Vietnam, the problems faced when returning home and the lasting effect on the lives of those who served. Very much enjoyed and appreciated.

War memoirs rarely show up on my reading list. Therefore, my enthusiasm about this book is not based on widely comparative reading in this area, but rather on the merits of this book itself. I really enjoyed reading this book, viewing familiar material from a completely different perspective than I would ever have had from my own experience, and it is a darn good read as well. Bey was a young psychiatrist in his early 30s when his induction notice arrived. His time of military service included a tour of duty in Vietnam at the height of the war, 1969-1970, reflections on which form the heart of this book. Bey was one of a small group of psychiatrists assigned to combat divisions (Wizard 6 was his radio handle). Each of these divisions had one psychiatrist, one social work officer, and several social work and psychology techs. These teams of mental health specialists found themselves in the strange position of helping others adjust to an environment that was itself plainly bizarre. Bey relates these initial impressions in a masterful chapter, "Stepping Through the Looking Glass," drawing the comparison to the Lewis Carroll classic. As just one example among many of the young doctor learning the rules by which this strange world was governed, Bey relates a time early in his tour in which he was requested by a military court to evaluate a prisoner charged with criminal offenses. Bey dutifully wrote a lengthy evaluation, stating in as many ways as he knew how that this prisoner suffered from a personality disorder, not a mental illness, and was therefore likely to repeatedly criminally offend. Surprised that the court let the man off, Bey found out that the court had not read his evaluation at all, but surmised from the heft of it that this man had genuine psychiatric problems. However, they were so miffed at having to let this criminal offender off the hook that they really threw the book at the poor guy following in the docket!
There are many very interesting features of this memoir. Bey deals very forthrightly with issues of racial, class and cultural differences in relation both to military justice and to psychiatric and mental health issues. He approaches these issues with a clear, personal point of view, but is refreshingly aware of the strengths and limitations of his own perspectives. He also recognized the peculiar position he and his fellow medics were in as relatively high-ranking officers who had no long-range military career goals. Their indifference to military protocol was sometimes comical, sometimes rebellious, sometimes useful in getting things accomplished outside of channels, but it was also always a position of privilege.
One of the things that surprised me in this memoir was the almost complete absence of any discussion of politics. Although Bey does suggest that he was politically very conservative (just to the right of Genghis Khan, he says...) and generally supported the war effort (albeit, with grave doubts about the way the war was being conducted) candid discussion of war politics simply does not come up, either in the direct talk among the officers or in Bey's own interpretive narrative. The nearest to it is one episode in which, at the behest of a black fellow officer with whom he was very close, Bey attended a meeting of black enlisted men and relates the speeches presented there, which focused on their anger and resentment at fighting for the freedom of Vietnamese while having freedoms denied to them in the USA. This episode is related, however, not in the context of discussion of the war itself, but of racial tensions within the military. The main sense one gets here is that, aside from brief episodes of extreme action, the war was experienced by the soldiers themselves as grindingly boring. I suppose this strikes me so strongly exactly because, as I remember those years, heated discussions about the war seemingly consumed us stateside, and this brings home again the chasm of difference in perspective between those who actively participated in the war and those, like me, who did not.

"Velcome Captain. You are the new Vizard-Ya?" "Ya. I mean, yes sir." "Vell, I must tell you dat I don't know if I believe in psychiatry." "That's okay, sir; I'm not sure I belive in colonels." This interchange took place in 1969 when Doug Bey M.D. aarrived at the base camp of the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) in Di An, Vietnam, to begin a one year tour of duty. His reponses to the U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with the German accent are vintage Doug Bey. They show his quick wit and his way with words, his irreverence and his college-wrestler toughness.
I write with familiarity because Doug and I took psychiatric residences togther at the Menninger School of Psychiatry in Topeka, Kansas. We were goth in the Berry Plan, in which the Army allowed us to complete our training but then expected us to go on active duty for two years. Doug and I both ended up in Vietnam. I was hospital based at the 67th Evaucation Hospital in Qui Nhon.
Being assigned to a division meant that Doug had a Jeep and the freedom of movement to get a good pulse of the whole unit. His radio call sign was Wizard 6. He and his talented techs took care of all kinds of emotional problems but found the so-called combat fatigue of previous wars less prevalent in Vietnam. Instead were acting up personality disorders, racial issues, communications problems between officers and the often quite young soldiers, alcohol and drug problems, and anti-establishment attitudes reflective of the anti-warm movement in the U.S.
In Topeka Doug had studied the psychology of organizations under Dr. Harry Levinson. Doug applied the techniques of organizational case study to the 1st Infantry Division. His goal was to find stress points, such as abusive officers or nonsensical regulartions, and to try to deal with such problems before they became major. This emphasis prevades the book and provids exceptional insights of a unit at war.
Doug also writes of his own coping devices in an unpopular war far from home. He tried to forget about home, immersed himself in his work, developed relationships with his colleagues, observed and kept notes, isolated negative feelings and stayed away from war politics.He also admits that he overused alcohol to self-medicate. He reports one frightening experience when he was to intoxicated at the time of a Red Alert that he mistook a friend for the enemy and pointed and pulled the trigger on his .45. What saved a tragedy was that he forgot to remove the safety. Throughout the book he is unsparing in presenting his own failings, which makes his story ring true.
He writes of how his Vietnam experiences affect him even to this day. He has a lifetime of things to ponder, such as the obviously battle-hardened infantryman who barged into Doug's office and announced that he wanted the doctor to know that he was gay and who then ran off; or the grieving crowd around a Vietnamese boy who lay next to his mangled bicycle, the victim of a US military truck that didn't stop.
Doug also compares and contrasts Vietnam with Iraq. His disquieting conclusion is that the two conflicts are becoming more and more similar.
This book has value not only for the people with military interests but also for mental health workers. The descriptions of the smells and noises of the country and of the people and their sad plight rang so true to me. I found myself nodding my head in agreement as I read. Doug really got it the way it was. My biggest disappointment is that I didn't write this book. But I'm glad somebody did.

Ed Colbach M.D.

Very well written and easily understood. This book would be beneficial for College students as Required Reading. We have given this book to our first time home buyers to assist them with the home buying process. It has truly assisted us with educating them in a simple and meaningful way. They are more prepared and willing to buy their first home. This book has made our job much easier when working with first time home buyers. Thank you Gary Keller! Rick and Teri Brenkus

This should be required reading for every first time buyer! Having been in the real estate business for the past 22 years I have read many real estate books and most of them confuse and scare our people! What I love about this is that buyers can totally relate to it. The book is an easy read that is simple to understand with no hard to comprehend terms. It flows at a great pace with many down to earth, real life stories. This is a perfect item to share and pass on to anyone you care about. Everyone who hasn't bought a home should read this book and then take advantage of the current market conditions! They will build wealth and thank us in a big way in a few years!!

First Time Home Buyers need to take advantage of the current market. As Gary Keller notes in this book, there is never a wrong time to buy the right house. As a Realtor, I've given this book out as gifts to our first time home buyers. They've really appreciated the great stories and helpful information. The book is packed full of information. I've found that my clients that read the book come into the process more prepared. Your First Home is a great tool to attract new buyers. Agents can offer the book as a gift and they'll be giving something of tremendous value and their customers will appreciate it.

I have sold homes for over 24 years and I believe that this book should be required reading for every home buyer..New or experienced. Learn the right way to buy a home in any market!

I was curious to read this book as I have read several books written by the same author. It was an anedotal look at buying your first house as told by many of the most successful executives in the Keller Williams Realty family.

I found it interesting that no matter what their walk of life was when they originally purchased a home, they knew that it was the right thing to do, for the right reasons.

Home ownership does more than provide a roof over your head. It gives you the freedom to decorate the way you want to, instead of living in a house that the landlord won't allow you to make uniquely your own. It allows you to learn the responsiblity of ownership instead of relying on a landlord to take care of the property. It also showed that in most cases the value fo the property increased and created the largest share of a person's net worth.

It was an easy read, I think I read through the entire book in a couple of sittings. I would recommend it to anyone thinking of buying their first home, because it is not a sales book but the story of several different people from different parts ot the country that all experienced the same end result.

Arthur Klebanoff takes you on a journey through the world of publishing that will open your eyes to the intricate maze of possibilities. His stories, all based on personal experience, confirm that there are several positive solutions to every problem or obstacle. And moreover, his words and wisdom resonate with honesty and integrity. I loved this book. It has given me a glimpse into a world (publishing) that is frequently criticized as cold, commercial, and impersonal, and shown me that there are literary agents that know there way around and retain their integrity, honesty, and creativity to make it work for both the author and the publisher. And the stories of clients, complications, and subsequent solutions are both mesmerizing and encouraging. Steven Gurgevich

A MUST BOOK FOR ANYONE WHO WONDERS WHY BOOKS BECAME A FUNCTION OF CORPORATE INTEGRATION.Klebanoff lays it all out there- the branding of names , integrated ties ins with every corporaste entity from the vatican to golf gear makers,the integration of book reviewing with book publishing and corporate promotion .Just as the meat business was transformed by total integration ( from the beast to McDonalds)Klebanoff describes why every book is part of the corporate process of integrated
content .

This idiosynchratic and highly personnal memoir by Arthur Klebanoff, one of the nation's premier literary agents, is chock full of fascinating tidbits about the worlds of publishing and politics, and how they came to intersect in Mr. Klebanoff's high-power career. Not nearly as polished, perhaps, as Michael Korda's volume on his years in publishing, and Mr.Klebanoff's name-dropping is excessive. But overall, the book has a quirky charm that makes it hard to put down.

Arthur Klebanoff is one of today's most formidable and well known literary agents and a key figure in a front-page, technology-centric legal battle with publishing giant Random House in a case focusing on the question of who owns the electronic rights to the great books of the 20th Century. In The Agent: Personalities, Politics, And Publishing, Klebanoff vividly recounts all the lessons he's learned as a professional, ranging from his early days in politics to his current position at the center of the book rights corporate and judicial maelstrom. Klebanoff asserts that these days every author is an agent of their own future and shows how to create multiple opportunities for success in a constantly-changing literary marketplace. The Agent is much more than just another publishing tell-all autobiography. It is an insider's report on publishing industry transitions and challenges. Here also is a compelling and informative account of Random House's initial charges of copyright violation and reactions by major publishing players and the first legal case to directly focus on the vital question of who owns electronic rights in book publishing. If you are an author, literary agent, publisher, marketing director, or publicist, then you need to read Arthur Klebanoff's The Agent.