Enterprise Books

This is a great book with lots of different excepts from books and poems and songs about love.

The little big book of love is a wonderful book. It includes a lot of victorian looking pictures, love notes, poems, stories.
There are some absolutely cute poems in it, and I love having it around just to look through the pics. It's perfect for anyone.

Treat yourself to this chunky Valentine filled with the most delicious and timeless tributes to love. You can read the intimate love letters of such famous couples as Napolean and Josephine, Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, Isadora Duncan and Gordon Craig, and many more. You'll also savor excerpts from famous stories and plays such as Pride and Prejudice, The Velveteen Rabbit, the famous balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, and much more. My favorite section is the love poems, thirty hearfelt selections including the flawless "To My Dear and Loving Husband" by Anne Bradstreet as well as works by Shakespeare, Yeats, Lord Byron, and more romantic souls.

But don't think of this as just a literary anthology. Besides being one of the best in that genre, it also includes tempting meals as a prelude to a night of love. Complete aphrodisiac meals plus tempting desserts like the ultimate chocolate mousse and lemon hearts are guaranteed to keep the Valentine feeling year-long. You'll also find a recipe for fortune cookies which allows you to put in your own message. The recipe is footnoted with lots of suggestions to get your mind brainstorming, like "Birds do it, bees do it, we'll do it tonight" or any other messages you'd like to convey.

A final section includes love songs from the likes of Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, the Gershwins, and others. Of course, for days after reading these lyrics, I found myself constantly humming "I Only Have Eyes for You" by Al Dubin and Harry Warren.

Every page is illustrated with full-color images, over half from the early twentieth-century. They enhance the words, even those from people I never thought of as particularly romantic (Woodrow Wilson, e.e. cummings, John Adams, to name a few). So nice to know that love is truly a universal feeling that touches us all!

This anthology is a pure delight, guaranteed to keep love in your plans 365 days a year.

This is a compilation of poems, classic excerpts from plays and stories, words from popular songs, sweet tasting recipes, love letters, short-short stories, and illustrations that focus on love as a theme. The poets, storytellers, and playwrights represent a who's who of English literature to include Shakespeare (his sonnets), Twain, Joyce, Dumas, and Angelou among other notables. The love letters include Churchill, Napoleon, Darwin (an extract from his famous Journal), and Kafka, etc. The songs are older classics.

The collection is fun, well designed, and can be leisurely read in no particular order as desired by the reader. Cupid struck pay dirt with this wonderful collection that will brighten up anyone's day. THE LITTLE BIG BOOK OF LOVE makes a wonderful unique Valentine's Day present that will not lie on a coffee table, as the recipient will relish the wide variety of tributes to the power of love.

Harriet Klausner

THE LITTLE BIG BOOK OF LOVE, which measures seven by seven inches but is an inch and a half thick, is a marvelous gift for your sweetheart (or yourself!) to be kept on a nightstand or coffee table--perfect for reading aloud or for solitary indulgence. Including both familiar standards not-so-commonly found works, this volume is filled with poems (Shakespeare to cummings to Gillom), story & play excerpts (JANE EYRE to THE VELVETEEN RABBIT), songs (Cole Porter and the Gershwins), recipes (Honey Figs, Seduction Salad, Sinful Chocolate Fondue), letters (Napoleon, the Brownings, E.B. White), and 19th century illustrations (cupids, Victorian lovers, hearts, flowers, and doves). To complete the package are a table of contents and a woven-in red ribbon bookmark to find and mark one's favorites (opening to a random page and reading is fun, too). This is a quality book of quality literature to last as long as your love.

Kimberly Borrowdale Under the Covers Book Reviews

Captivating reading. Toni's story of her life growing up and understanding the beautiful spirits surrounding her is so amazing. This book provides the reader with a comforting look at the prospects of spiritual enlightenment beyond this earth plane. At the time of reading this book, my father was very ill and the reality of losing him was overwhelming. I was very blessed to have Toni Lynn Wood and her spirit family help me personally and through this book throughout a very difficult experience. I recommend this book to anyone ready to embrace spiritual guidance and contentment as you walk through your journey in this life.

This first book is a most fascinating story about a woman who has devoted her life to serving others. The author has done a wonderful job of relating those incidents in Toni Lynn Wood's life as a spiritual healer that have prepared her in many different ways for the work she ultimately chose. Her unusual experiences and own personal suffering have provided the drive and compassion to bring the gifts of the spirit world to those in need of healing, comfort, or encouragement.

The book describes the eight spirits who work through Toni and explains how each of them came to work with her and what their specialties are. Through the author's incredible interviews with Toni's spirit family, I have learned much that has helped me immeasurably on my own spiritual path.

I personally have been helped repeatedly by the healing, guidance, and protection of these loving healing ministers who work through Toni. I consider myself very fortunate, to say the least, to have met her and also to have been able to take advantage of the invaluable information offered in the "Living in Both Worlds" series of books. I can't recommend them highly enough.

When I first picked up this book, I was amazed at how easily I was drawn into the life story of Toni Lynn Wood, spiritual healer. I was fascinated by what I was reading, learning many new things, including the attachment of spirit to our energy rings. I was very impressed by the author's (Julie Rae Paetow) ability to comunicate both Toni's world with her friends in spirit and Julie's evident bond with Spirit as well. I would strongly recommend that everyone read this book because I believe you will find the information and insights contained in it will help you as much as they have helped me.

What impressed me as I first began reading Living in Both Worlds: A Healer and Her Journey with Spirit was how easily the author, Julie Rae Paetow, brought me into the world of Toni Lynn Wood and her Spirit family. Julie's writing style is one which I find easily accessible; she crafts words together in a manner which conveys complex subjects and concepts simply.

Whether one is new to the world of spiritual discovery or an experienced traveler on a lifetime journey, I feel all readers will gain tremendous insight into the truth of this life as they read the life story of Toni Lynn Wood, watch her first rebel against, and later embrace, her life's work, that of a spiritual healer.

Enjoy.

This book made it easier for me to understand how a medium really works with the spirit world. It is well written and very humerous in areas. I really love the authors style of writing. It will make you laugh and cry as you learn about the life of this healer, Toni Lynn Wood. I loved it and I know others will love it as well.

One of the great mystries of the business world skillfully uncovered, at least for me.

T'was nearly perfect

The basic premise of this book is based on the relationship between two things: location and market. To borrow a quote from the book - " The right location in the wrong market will cause your business to fail - more than if you plan the wrong location in the right market." Building upon this belief, the author teaches the reader how to systematically go about researching for the right information as well as analyzing it. The book is written in a down to earth manner and is very easy to follow. It is comphrehensive and is one of the best books on choosing location.

Simply the best practical book for finding the best location for your retail store. It is full of practical ideas and tips on how to choose a location. I have read evey single page several times. The proposed techniques are useful for a start up business and a mega chiain store. It is full of sketches to show the impact of different locations on the store traffic.

If you only need one book for store location. Then this is it.

The best book about location. No theoretical lesson, but the essentials to work with. I'm a McDonald's rep in Belgium and 'll use the guidelines in my work. Belgium is one of the 7 countries were McDonald's losing money due to bad locatios!

Since June 2004 I've lost 35 pounds on a low-cal medically supervised diet that used pre-packaged shakes and entrees. Going into the maintenance phase now I am looking forward to starting to cook again. After receiving this cookbook for Christmas, the third in a great series of cookbooks, I went through and dog-eared the pages of the recipes that fit my criteria of low-cal.

Tonight I made Beer-Braised Pork Chops, page 219. It was EXCELLENT and sooo easy and less than 30 minutes. Only 5 ingredients. The moistest pork chops I've ever made. I ate one serving, only 173 calories, and put the other servings into individual containters in the fridge and freezer for quick meals later in the week. Don't let the Low Carb title of this book limit you. Pick all the great recipes that can fit into any nutritous diet regime.

Now I do need to disclaim that Lauri is my sister. BUT, I have a BS degree in dietetics and would not endorse any cookbook I did not believe in. In college I lived with Lauri off and on and she is one of the most creative cooks ever. She taught me how to cook meals from scratch that were sooo tasty. A better learning ground than any food classes I took for my degree. She cooks with the passion of an artist, marrying herbs and spices just right is a real niche. And as an educated mechanical engineer she has refined the science of EACH recipe, testing them over and over in her kitchen before adding them to her cookbooks. If you've ever made a recipe from a book, magazine or the paper that obviously was incorrect in it's methods, timing or proportions, like I have, you will appreciate that Lauri tests EACH of her recipes to perfection so you know you can count on it coming out just right. ENJOY.

I am so excited about this new low carb cookbook: so far every recipe has been incredible! I usually have to "tweek" recipes in most low carb cookbooks (including the recipes from the low carb queen Dana Carpenter). But so far with Lauri's new cookbook, most of my margin notes are simply a heart symbol next to the recipes that I love (which are so conveniently listed at the beginning of each section). Lauri's first cookbook was good but this one is great! I applaud how well this cookbook is organized. Each section has the recipes categorized as Induction, Weight Loss and Maintenance. This has been very helpful!

When I get a new cookbook, my first choices are the vegetable and chicken recipes. So far I have made the Chicken in Coconut Sauce with the Hawaiian Salsa (incredible!), Chicken Paprika (oh my god!) and the Aspen Chicken (outstanding). As for the vegetables, I've tried the Turnips Au Gratin, Poached Red Cabbage and Pepper Jack Cauliflower; all are super great. But the Mock Rice Pilaf is out of this world and brilliant! I can't wait to try all the wonderful looking variations offered.

Now let's talk about chili - the Slap Me Silly Chili is unbelievably delicious and what a cute name! This chili has a little heat (although not as much as Lauri seems to think it has) but it is the flavor that slapped me silly. Wow! It is so good! The blend of spices and textures is excellent. Perhaps it is the chorizo sausage that sets this chili above all others.

For breakfast I have tried two variations of the pancakes and love them. The spiced Pumpkin Muffins are delicious and so very moist. I had the Hot Cereal this morning which has 12g of fiber and it is wonderful too. However, I did tweek this recipe by omitting the psyllium husk (because I didn't have any) and substituting a bit more flax seed meal.

As for the desserts, so far I have made the Blackberry Yogurt Pie which was outstanding and a really healthy dessert option as well as the Ginger Pecan Cookies which never completely cooled as my whole family gobbled them up. I'm looking forward to making the other cookie recipes.

Although I have tried only a handful of recipes so far, I am astounished that each one has been so incredibly wonderful! Move over Dana Carpenter, it looks like you are going to be usurped by Lauri Ann Randolph as my new favorite low carb cookbook author.

If you are looking for an easy to understand, easy to use low carb cookbook, with tasty recipes to indulge in, this is the book for you. It is a well organized book with a friendly tone.
I love how she adds special details about prepackaged low carb foods, sweetners, fats and oils, herbs and fiber, to a simple course in cooking with alcohol. Lauri's a good teacher, who shares her wisdom in a down to earth fashion. Whenever I pick up her book, I feel like I'm visiting an old friend. Right now I'm going through a soup kick, and Lauri has some amazing soup recipes, from her Pumpkin Coconut Soup to her Barbados Stew. I love how now and then she shares her story about what inspired her to create the recipe. It really is a treasure of a cookbook, and one that I highly recommend whether you are watching your carb intake or just looking for good eats!

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful .. each recipe is perfect and easy to make! The instructions are so clear that even I can cook like a pro. Some of my favorite recipes are the Cheesy Chicken with Artichokes, Confetti Snow Peas, Curry Turkey Salad, the Sauerbraten and the Chicken Caesar Salad. I've also made the Almond Cookies at least 10 times since the first of the year; they are so good!

This cookbook is huge, packed full of great recipes. And there is lots of other information in it too, like the proper oil to use for different cooking methods. The discussion on the different cuts of beef has been useful for me too.

This is my 4th low carb cookbook and the only one I need. The weight is starting to come off again because I am enjoying cooking again. So if you are only going to buy one cookbook, then I highly recommend this one; you will not be disappointed.

if there were more stars for reviews this book would keep going. laurie really "gets" it. these recipes are awesome and i didnt think she could get better than the last book which i bought for friends for gifts. this book is the best of the best she gives us info on some of the things we have to buy for seasonings as well. i can now mix herbs to give to friends along with the book . picture a basket with the book and a packet of herbs de provance that you made up yourself i am blown away by all the additional info in this book as well this author approaches cooking from the perspective of making food with ingredients from the market,made without being time fussy and making enough to have additional meals. there are all different carb counts for all phases of the lifestyle and best of all many of the higher counts give choices to leave something out for the induction phase, while still being able to have the item now isnt that original... i can have pancakes many different ways and she has lots of breakfasts for those of us who dont ever feel like eating breakfast. she uses the new dairy beverage (hood countdown) for some recipes in place of cream and i find that the cream makes things very thick where the dairy beverage gives more of a custard texture.i have never had hicama going to try that soon. i reviewed all my other cookbooks and when the weather gets better ill be having a yard sale. if you can only afford one or two low carb books i can tell you my shelf has laurie's two books and george stellas and you dont need any others . that is until laurie comes out with number three.....

Miller and Le Breton-Miller present a well-researched and well-written study focused on 4 themes in family-run firms: command, continuity, community, and connection. These themes translate into management principles that can and should be used by public companies and other organizations as well. Their (sometimes counter-intuitive) findings show companies such as Cargill, L.L. Bean, The New York Times, IKEA and others manage to survive and thrive. An insightful and interesting book.

Modernisation theorists and chandlerian followers have developed plausible arguments that there are too many weaknesses in family-controlled businesses such as nepotism, small-scale, and short-lived.

Danny Miller & Isabella Le-Breton Miller capture mounting primary and secondary data from 58 family-controlled companies in the US and suggest that family-controlled companies can be as marvellous as their nonfamily-controlled peers. This book provides a rich source of useful insights to business excutives in having a novel understanding family-controlled companies.

According to the International Family Enterprise Research Academy, family-controlled companies dominate every aspect of economic life in the world but the study of family-controlled companies has received scant attention in proportion to the significance of their contribution to the economic growth in the US. This book is a classic in family business research and I highly recommend it to all business executives and researchers.

This is a great book! It is well grounded in excellent case study research and good theory. The authors bring to life some important and profound wisdom about the sources of advantage that family firms have and what makes them successful. Well written, the book is easily accessible to scholars, public policy makers and the public at large. I am impressed by the depth of the research in the book and the time frame it covers. The diversity of companies examined in the book helps to illustrate how effective management can make a significant difference in the ways family firms surpass their rivals in their performance. This is a "must read" book!


Shaker A. Zahra
Paul T. Babson Chair of Entrepreneurship

In several recent reviews, I have quoted remarks by Jack Welch when explaining why he admires small businesses: "For one, they communicate better. Without the din and prattle of bureaucracy, people listen as well as talk; and since there are fewer of them they generally know and understand each other. Second, small companies move faster. They know the penalties for hesitation in the marketplace. Third, in small companies, with fewer layers and less camouflage, the leaders show up very clearly on the screen. Their performance and its impact are clear to everyone. And, finally, smaller companies waste less. They spend less time in endless reviews and approvals and politics and paper drills. They have fewer people; therefore they can only do the important things. Their people are free to direct their energy and attention toward the marketplace rather than fighting bureaucracy."

In his E-Myth Mastery, Michael Gerber cites the following statistics: "Of the 1 million U.S. small businesses started this year [2005], more than 80% of them will be out of business within 5 years and 96% will have closed their doors before their 10th birthday." Everything Welch says is true in terms of the potential advantages which small businesses have and the statistics which Gerber cites suggests that very few of them know how to achieve and then sustain those advantages.

I include these quotations now because they are directly relevant to what Miller and Le Breton-Miller offer in their own book, Managing for the Long Run. For owners and other decision-makers now involved with family businesses, they explain HOW to achieve and then sustain a competitive advantage. True, various "lessons" were revealed by the authors' rigorous and extensive research on a number of family-controlled businesses (FCB) which have become major corporations, notably Cargill, Hallmark Cards, L.L. Bean, Motorola, and Wal-Mart.

It is important to remember, however, that all of them had modest origins and during that perilous period encountered most (if not all) of the same challenges which FCB start-ups now face. Most of the most valuable business books were written to answer critically important questions. In this instance: What distinguishes great family businesses? (Please see Chapter 1.) A related question: What are the "potent priorities" of great family-controlled businesses? (Please see Chapter 2.) Another related question: Why do so many family-controlled businesses stumble? (Please see Chapter 8.) In between Chapters 2 and 8, Miller and Le Breton-Miller focus on five primary characteristics: brand building, craftsmanship, operations, innovation, and deal making. They devote a separate chapter to each. I prefer not to list their key points which are best revealed within the narrative's frame-of-reference and sequential context. However, I now express my appreciation of various Tables and Grids which so efficiently illustrate the cohesion, indeed interdependence of what the authors characterize as "The Four Cs": Command, Continuity, Community, and Connections.

All of the specific mental and business models, strategies, tactics, values, and applications which Miller and Le Breton-Miller recommend are based on their conviction that "the only way to sustain good performance is to [begin italics] act in the best interests of the company and all its stakeholders. [end italics] First, boards and top managers must be motivated to be courageous and farsighted stewards. Second, they need to concentrate on and invest deeply in a substantive, enduring mission. Third, they must assemble a unified, value-driven staff that uses its initiative for the interests of the whole firm. Finally, they must form enduring, win-win relationships with external partners."

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Gerber's most recent E-Myth book. Also Gary Harpst's Six Disciplines for Excellence, Steven S. Little's The 7 Irrefutable Rules of Small Business Success, and Jason Jennings' Think Big, Act Small.

This book is amazing. I know of no other book in the management literature as cogent, as provocative or as compelling as this one. No wonder family businesses outperform their publicly-held counterparts. This book challenges not only our prejudices about family businesses, but also they way we manage our own. It shows clearly why these companies have succeeded and grown over decades to become the powerhouses they are now - their competitive advantages are sustainable.

The book defies what we think of as best management practices for public companies. It reminds me of Collins's "Built to Last" and Level 5 leaders. The underlying research is THAT good.

For me, the centerpiece of it all is an elegant matrix that describes how these companies have been able to deliver on 5 core strategies through the advantages long tenure, patient capital, etc. No quick accounting fixes here. Locate your own company within this matrix and the companies they studied will offer new guidance as you make your biggest bets and make your toughest decisions.

I was dumbfounded at how short-sighted and small-minded I had become as a manager. It's not a quick read, but read it. And you will never think in quite the same way about your strategy, your core competencies, your markets, or the way you leverage/steward your current resources.

This book is both sophisticated and practical. My hat is off to Miller and Breton-Miller.

This terrific new book from two of the world's best-known and respected marketers - Stan Rapp and Chuck Martin - contains a powerful surprise for the reader. The title suggests that it might be about the authors' special take on e-marketing -- it turns out to be that, and much more.

The authors actually tackle a full range of enterprise issues from integrating IT and marketing functions to strategic partnerships to email marketing. Their points are substantiated with dozens of examples and numerous case studies. The effect is a convincing and eye-opening presentation of the extent to which marketing does, and should, pervade every aspect of business today.

The thread that that pulls the authors' observations together is the customer-centric philosophy pioneered by co-author Stan Rapp in his and Tom Collin's book, "MaxiMarketing," published in 1986. The result is a well-organized unfolding of ideas and solutions that help the reader understand how new technologies, such as the wireless Internet, might be used to build customer relationships while simultaneously improving a firm's operating efficiency.

Obviously, the authors are high-level thinkers. Many of their ideas stimulated new ideas for my own business, which is the whole point of a book like this. For example, their discussion of how to turn products into "offerings" by surrounding them with value-added services was especially interesting and helpful.

Perhaps the greatest value of the book is that its seven "imperatives" provide the basis for a sound strategic direction. Follow them and there's little doubt the book will live up to its promise of "dominating" the competition. That's especially helpful these days when change is so rapid and so much is new and untested.

Read this book and be prepared for some very powerful ideas and new directions not just for marketing, but for the entire business.

I really enjoyed this book and benefited a lot from its excellent content as it was easy to follow and presented E-marketing as it should really be: more MARKETING and less E, or less Technical Mumbo Jumbo.
Being an IT Business consultant, I highly recommend this book to anyone in the IT Business especially technical people who need to bridge their gap between Technology and Business knowledge.

Cheers.

Amr Selim
IT Business Consultant

Commit the Seven Imperatives to memory, but not as a mere mantra. This an essential tool bag ready to go to work. 'Max-e-Marketing in the Net Future: The Seven Imperatives for Outsmarting the Competition in the Net Economy' are seven elegantly crafted and clarifying doses of excellent advice that will de-fuzz the out-of-focus business models of many dot.coms, and for that matter, help any company struggling to straddle and merge the old ways of doing business with e-business. Concise examples from over 200 companies from American Express to zoho.com are cited and explained. Real-world case studies and real-world top executives exclusively interviewed, coupled with Martin and Rapp's own considerable depth and breadth of experience, make this juicy reading. Their perspective is bulls-eye. Once begun, I didn't put it down. Using Martin and Rapp's premises for avoiding pitfalls and grasping opportunities, our dot-com has redefined and refined our own business model so completely that we now have a clear path to profitability. We even take the author's message to the Fortune companies we now call on. 'Max-e-marketing In The Net Future' is all about really getting really real.

Max-E Marketing is a book that I read in an evening, put to work in a day, and will be absorbing for some time to come while evaluating and implementing the seven imperatives in my own business environment. I found the pairing of co-authors Stan Rapp and Chuck Martin to be a master stroke. The combined power of their marketing savvy, e-business vision, and journalistic discipline yields a clarity of thought and usefulness of principle that should help any business executive who is determined to outsmart the competition in the Net Economy. But what really sets this book apart is the rich mix of real-world examples. They represent a range of companies and industries so broad that every reader will find a way to relate to every major point. The seven imperatives each reflect straightforward click-and-mortar business strategy, yet they are presented here as marketing strategy. Lest a reader miss the point of that, the authors deliver the message one more time in imperative number seven: "Make business responsible for marketing and marketing responsible for business."

Commit the Seven Imperatives to memory. But not as a mere mantra. This is an essential tool bag ready to go to work.

"Max-e-Marketing in the Net Future: The Seven Imperatives for Outsmarting the Competition in the Net Economy" are seven elegantly crafted and clarifying doses of excellent advice that will de-fuzz the out-of-focus business models of many dot.coms, and for that matter, help any company struggling to straddle and merge the old ways of doing business with e-business. Concise examples from over 200 companies from American Express to zoho.com are cited and explained. Real-world case studies and real-world top executives exclusively interviewed, coupled with Martin and Rapp's own considerable depth and breadth of experience make this juicy reading. Their perspective is bulls-eye. Once begun, I didn't put it down.

Using Martin and Rapp's premises for avoiding pitfalls and grasping opportunities, our dot-com has redefined and refined our own business model so completely that we now have a clear path to profitability. We even take the author's message to the Fortune Companies we now call on. "Max-e-marketing In The Net Future" is all about really getting really real.

What a great book! It's easy to read, funny and it does a great job of explaining, piece by piece, the aspects of finance and it's interaction with a small business. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who owns a business, is thinking of owning a business or just wants to better understand what the finance world looks like from the outside.

It takes a black-box perspective on the subject to avoid dragging the reader into all the minute details while still giving the reader plenty to chew on, like COGS, depreciation, lease vs. buy decisions, and inventory valuation. The intent of this book is not to teach the reader to be an accountant but rather a book to teach the businessperson how to better use accounting as a tool so they can be more effective.

And I *love* to use of the example small business of Rosie's Spouse Houses to tie each accounting concept directly to specific "real-world" situations. The great use of humor really helps break up what can be a relatively unpalatable topic.

The only place this book falls a little short (but for good reason - it's already a long book!) is on financial statement analysis. For that, I'd recommend the book "How To Read a Financial Report" by John A. Tracy.

I have (and will continue) to recommend this book to my friends who own small businesses.

Robert Cooke use humor throughout the book to help nonfinancial manager understand financial reports. The use of the Spouse House Firm throughout the book allows you to see the develop of financial reports as they apply to a small growing firm. Robert writes as he is right in front of you talking to someone he has known for a long time. He uses humor to help you understand the difficult concepts of the book. If you are looking to learn financial statements or just refresh your skills this is the book I recommend.

OK. You're reading about this book because some brilliant mind at your company decided you should head up the financial decision-making department of your company. Never mind that you majored in Italian and never studied finance! Or, you are new to business and want to start your own company, and you know you need to know a bit about bookkeeping and financial management. Congratulations! You've found the right book.

"The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course In Finance For Nonfinancial Managers" is a great little book. Every small business owner who hasn't formally studied finance should read it.

Robert A. Cooke covers it all-- sales, cost of sales, expenses, buying, leasing or doing without, the balance sheet and income statement, and much more. This is not a bookkeeping text per se. "The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course In Finance For Nonfinancial Managers" teaches finance which is a broader topic. A strategic topic needed for successful growth of a company.

Unlike many introductory small business books, "The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course In Finance For Nonfinancial Managers" does a really good job discussing budgeting and long-range planning. Using the numbers to plan rather than just recording them for the sake of tax-reporting purposes is what finance and financial decision-making is all about.

Further, Cooke makes financial business planning, which is considered by many to be a boring topic, rather fun to read. He follows the new fictional start-up company, The Spouse House Company. The company makes little sheds, Spouse Houses, for spouses who are in the dog house and who need a little shed in the backyard to hang out in until trouble blows over and domestic tranquility is restored.

The book ends with a short self-test you can take to see if you have retained the information covered in the book. But, hey, this is real life and not school. You don't have to take the short little test if you don't want to. Nor do you have to work out the short review questions. But, I'd recommend you do.

"The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course In Finance For Nonfinancial Managers" is not only very readable, but reads quickly at only about 270 pages. That means you will be able to read it twice.

In addition to "The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course In Finance For Nonfinancial Managers," if you are starting your own business, you should also pick up a copy of "Small Time Operator," which covers taxation dates and issues, and a copy of my own "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur." These three books will give you a strong tripod base upon which to build your small business and entrepreneurial finance knowledge.

Peter Hupalo, Author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur."

I'd definately recommend this book to anyone who feels phased by finance. Either as a refresher course to revamp finance skills long gone or for newcomers to the subject. The material is very relevant and extremely readable which makes an otherwise droll subject quite lively and interesting. I would have given this book 5 stars but being the pedantic reader that I am, I discovered that some of the calculations were actually inaccurate and, even worse, the answers to the review questions were wrong too. This doesn't help when you're not a natural number cruncher and need solid accuracy to assist in the learning process. Needless to say, its still a fundamentally good book and I know I'll be referring to it over again to make sure the basic concepts stick.

This book starts teaching before chapter one even gets under way by setting the expectation that you really can learn (and better, apply) finance no matter what you're trying to do.

The sample situation that follows all the way through the book really helps focus on the concepts being taught. Some of the examples are humorous and some make you want to share what you're reading with a loved one.

I bought this book because I'm just starting to deal with the budget aspects of network management, and needed to figure out how to lay out what I want to do technically to non-technical folks who have the company checkbook. I already know what I want to do, how much it will cost - demonstrating benefits and describing it in language the "C" team - CEO, CFO - speaks really helps.

One of the best discoveries for me while reading this book is that in addition to helping me achieve the goal above, I found the concepts are applicable to budgeting for the home as well.

It's definitely worth a read!

This manual is extremely helpful for both the novice and the veteran user. The introductory section on project management is one of the best I have seen, and worth the price of the book by itself. Entertaining yet concise style. Book is well organized and information is easily found.
Highly recommended.

I used to have the Bible book for Microsoft Project as my reference for making the most out of this software for managing projects, until The Missing Manual came out. This title in now-popular Missing Manual series takes you through the basics and not-so-basics for Project Standard and Project Professional, allowing you to understand the when and the why behind its features and helping you better build and refine your project plans, track progress of your projects and succeed as a project manager.

Any who own Microsoft's Project 2007 needs Bonnie Bafore's MICROSOFT OFFICE PROJECT 2007: THE MISSING MANUAL guide, which should really be in the box alongside the program. It offers easy step-by-step instructions that cover both Project Standard and Project Professional, explaining how and why to use some features - an approach which goes far beyond the usual `how to' guide. From using Project in a variety of business applications and incorporating other programs such as Word and Outlook to practically guaranteeing project success, MICROSOFT PROJECT 2007: THE MISSING MANUAL should be on the shelves not only of any serious computer reference library, but any business library and any individual who owns Project 2007 and wants to get the most out of it.

Microsoft Project is an unmatched tool for managing all aspects of a project, and the power of its integration with other MS tools is awesome. But its potential is very complex and not for the faint of heart. Before you start blithely loading your milestones and allocating your resources, you really need to understand the concepts of defining your project and conceptualizing the plan. The software won't teach you that and it's the easiest thing in the world to wind up with a Gantt chart that looks like the head of Medusa in no time flat.

That's where this manual makes its mark. Yes, it's a good primer on the software; yes, it's a good reference manual as long as you can guess the term for what you want to do. "Unhide columns," for example: that's what I wanted to do this week, and two minutes with the index and a page reference got the job done for me. (Hint: it doesn't behave exactly like Excel.)

Since I tend to shun manuals, I had not picked up this book until now. I took a moment to flip, and was impressed, and wound up starting at the beginning and going all the way through, reading here and there, checking the book's organization and the points it made about project management. What a great resource! It's an introductory project management course that will get the user started on the right foot.

Despite its name, Microsoft Project 2007: The Missing Manual is much more than a manual. I recommend it for anyone who wants to brush up on the key points of project management, and especially for anyone using the software for the first time (or the first time in a while, which is my situation). It can't guarantee that your project will be a success, but it will greatly increase your understanding of what's going right and wrong. This book is going to make you look good!

Linda Bulger, 2008

I've always hated "How to" manuals written by people who know the application, but not the work. This book shows how to use MS Project from the perspective of a Project Manager.

It's alway been ironic when I've used other resources that the person who wrote the book explains all the buttons, but not when/why they are really used. "The Missing Manual" is the perfect marriage of function and purpose.

A light, fast, and thoroughly enjoyable read. As a thirty year Navy Veteran I look for books about the Naval Service and Russell Quigley is one of the funniest and best books that I've found. I would certainly recommend this "misadventure" to anyone who would like to enjoy a true Navy experience. Not since Admiral Dan Gallery has anyone caught the highs and lows; ins and outs of everyday Navy life. As we say in the Navy: Well done, David Griffths, Well done.

Great Book! As a Navy Photographer myself it brought back so many memories I thought were lost. Chief Griffiths was one of my instructors at PH "A" School in Pensacola during the 1970's.

Thanks for the memories Chief Griffiths

This brought back so many memories of similar incidents. Especially since I remember at least one of the events that an incident in the book is based on. Also, knowing the author, I can imagine him in some of the events adapted for the book. It is an excellent representation of the sometimes hilarious situations encountered by Photo Mates. Great job, Dave, and a great read. Highly recommended for anyone who served in the military, especially former Photo Mates, and anyone wondering what it was like.
Dave Zentz, retired Photo Mate

This was one of the most entertaining books I've ever read. While I didn't make the Navy my career, I did spend 5 years in as a Photographer's Mate reaching the rank of Petty Officer Second Class. Some of the stories in this book seem completely unbelievable, but let me tell you, from the limited experience I had in the Navy, they are all possible. One, in particular, the episode where he has to operate on his big toe because the navy didn't let him see a doctor, happened to me on the Enterprise, verbatim! This is a really fast read and well worth the time. It gives the unititiated civilian a glimpse of life as a Navy Photographer. Well done. Carry on.

If you were ever in the military you will get a chuckle, if you were in the Navy you will find a little of all your shipmates in Russell Quigley. I could completely identify with most of the situations in the book, I was a Navy photographer for 30 years.

Great book if you're a fan of Mr. Food or a collector of his books!

I just got this cookbook in my mail yesterday. I just can't wait to try some of the recipes. They all sound very simple and delicious! I would recommend this to cooks that like great food and easy recipes!

I was kind of a food snob until I saw Mr. Food hawking this book on a shopping network. I phoned in my order and upon receiving this collection, I decided to try some of the recipes. My parents came for a visit one weekend and I treated them to Death By Chocolate. Well, by the time they returned home, they had purchased both this book and a trifle dish for that dessert! At work, the Applesauce 'n Spice Bread and Blueberry Crisp were particular favorites. A colleague and I are catering a luncheon on the first day of school for our staff and Death By Chocolate is on the menu. The real beauty of the book is its simplicity. The recipes have few ingredients, all readily available and take little time to prepare. And the book is not just about dessert. Sections on appetizers, soups, poultry, meat, fish, veggies and bread are also included. I particularly loved the Chicken Breast Scampi. If you love simplicity and flavor, not to mention the many compliments that will follow each recipe, give this book a try.

I have several cookbooks but when it's time for something new, I open up Mr. Food. There are two recipes in this book that are worth the price alone, "Fancy Fast Chicken" and "Macaroni Holiday". Macaroni Holiday is made with fresh mushrooms, celery, onions, macaroni, and cheese. I add a little Gorgonzola and halve the cheddar to give a more piquant taste to the dish. FF chicken is made with boneless skinless chicken breasts, mushrooms, cream of chicken soup, white wine, Swiss cheese, and stuffing mix. Sounds wacky doesn't it, but...put those ingredients together in the right combination and watch your guests beg you for more and the recipe. Those are just two of several great recipes in this book. What I love about Mr. Food's book is that you can easily substitute ingredients for lowfat cooking. Also, the recipes are easy and fast! Alot of these dishes can be made ahead and frozen for a quick reheat during the week. My husband and I eat out too often. We are staying home and cooking to save cash and calories. Honestly, I prefer anything in this cookbook to the cuisine at any chain restaurant.

I received this cookbook as a wedding gift 5 years ago and it is the one cookbook that I use most often. The recipies are practical, easy, and I have gotten compliments on everything I have made from this book. It also often gives variations of the recipies for those who like to be a little more creative. I like this book so much that I have actually bought several to give to other people as gifts.