Opening

The book only gives you a flavor of the context of e-commerce, without going into details (which you won't find strange comparing the table of contents and the number of pages :-). The logic is sometimes strange and some conclusions are questionable. Ok, that might be your first book on e-commerce, but it's far from being your last one, if you really want to understand it. Think !

Opening Digital Market: Battle Plans and Business Strategies for Internet Commerce is a must read book for every business professional interested in the world of Internet Commerce. It is very clear, concise, and presents its core arguments in logical and coherent fashion. While the entire book is organized along the lines of e-commerce formulation (technological/organizational challenges) to e-commerce implementation (examples of good business models), it is written such that the reader can easily skip chapters and go to their topic of interest without missing a beat. In the past, I have been thoroughly disappointed with the supply side (firm/technological) emphasis of emerging trends. This is one of the few books that makes a seamless transition between the supply side and demand side (market orientation)and thus manages to offer a holistic perspective of all facets--its challenges, its pitfalls, its multifaceted opportunites--of Internet Commerce.

If you have read "Reengineering the Corporation" by Hammer and Champy, you will see parallels with this book. It seems that the author has adopted a similar style but focused on the Internet, so it is a very practical management handbook that presents a comprehensive framework which is not affected by the day to day Internet developments. Thinking of electronic markets (the author calls them "digital markets") as a primary goal for the Internet is a great way to keep a business focused on the main objective. The book shows many ways to participate in these markets, which Mougayar believes are the markets where future competition really counts. We used the book here for our own purposes, and it did have an impact on our thinking. I concur that I wouldn't want too many of my competition reading this book either.

This book is overflowing with errors in analysis. I'm not talking about out-dated analysis, which goes without saying for such an old opening book, but outright blunders. I used this book in the 1970's until I became aware of its shortcomings. Also, I've never heard a strong player recommend this book.

I'd recommend the latest Modern Chess Openings (MCO 14 by de Firmian) for a one-volume reference that includes explanatory text. If you want an excellent opening book from that era, you'd be much better advised to buy "How To Open a Chess Game" by Gligoric et al, which really explains what to do in the opening.

This book is one of my most prized chess books. (I have owned hundreds over the years).

It is simply the best one volume openings book ever published.

This book is broken down by opening variation, and sub-variation. What is unique is that the book illustrates many of the elementary traps that many of the other books omit. It also very clearly explains the ideas behind each of the openings (much more verbage in this respect than MCO or NCO, for example).

It also provides what are called "idea variations". Roughly put, these are variations that may not actually occur in actual practice, but are what you would play if given the chance. (Normally they are either prevented or avoided due to strategic or tactical problems. Nevertheless, knowing them gives you a much fuller understanding of the aims of the opening.)

Finally, at the conclusion of each sub-section, there is typically a small number of complete master level games illustrating the variation being discussed. Many of these are all-time classics. In this way, you get to see immediate application of the ideas without having to dig through other sources to find games featuring the opening you are studying.

If you can find a copy of this book anywhere, grab it immediately! It will be a long time before you run accross another one.

As to the downsides of this book, there are three significant ones;
1. It is out of print - very difficult to find. Even if you do find one, you may end up paying a lot, or ending up with a book that is in not too good condition.

2. It is current up to around 1963. In terms of the Double King Pawn openings this is probably less of a problem than some of the Queen Pawn openings such as King's Indian, Leningrad Dutch, Benoni, etc. or the Sicilian Defense, etc.

Some of these openings have undergone some radical new developments since that time period. (For example, don't try out the Sicilian Dragon Defense armed with only the variations covered in this book - you will get hosed quickly!)

3. The book is written in the older descriptive notation. For those of us who are over 40, this is probably no big deal. For those younger players, this may put them off as everything written today is in algebraic notation.

I heartily recommend this book - I guarantee that you will not be sorry for choosing to add it to your library. I ONLY WISH THAT SOMEONE WOULD UNDERTAKE THE TASK OF UPDATING THIS BOOK INTO ALGEBRAIC NOTATION WITH MORE CURRENT VARIATIONS. NOTHING OUT THERE RIGHT NOW IS EVEN CLOSE!!

The "highest" complement to this 1969 chess book is that between 1970 or so when I bought it to now, I have bought over 5 copies of it. Either I have given the book away as a present to a new chess player or others have decided to borrow it indefinitely (usually at a tournament). I agree with the first reviewer that the presentation is an art of teaching; one that we lose in the modern day ECO's etc... I have many of the newest chess opening books; however, I often return to see the roots of the variations and to see the classic games and "ideal variations - traps" which one must be concerned about. I feel that every new chess player should own and read this text - the ideas behind the opening are carefully reviewed and these ideas become conceptual instead of just memorized lines.

I don't know which is more irritating...the color of the cover or the attitude of the reader who judges the book by the author's behavior in one tournament game. Will we trash "My Great Predecessors" because Garry Kasparov whined and acted like a crybaby on more than one occasion?

Get over it, dude.

This is a GREAT book. I do have a couple of minor criticisms, mainly because this is a "repertoire" book and I play a couple of lines that Watson doesn't (and therefore are not in the book), like the Main Line Classical (without the Burn/Rubinstein stuff) and 4...Nc6 in the 4.Nf3 Exchange line. But Watson's coverage is good and you can find lots of stuff to arm yourself with in your tournament encounters.

The book is worth its weight in gold. Or purple...

This is a truly outstanding book. I have played the French defence as long as I have played chess, so I was excited when I heard John Watson was writing a new edition of "Play the French."
If you love the French Defence as I do, or if you want an opening book that will give you a complete answer to e4, you cannot find a book as good as this. I am a bit of a chess book junkie, and I buy and read all kinds of opening books. The best books are those that are well researched, objective, and most importantly have plenty of original explanations and analysis. This book gets an 'A' on all counts.
"Play the French" is a repetoire book, designed to give the playerof the black pieces a complete response to e4. Watson is extremely generous though in providing at least two different repetoires for every line! As an example, after 3.Nc3 there is a repetoire for playing the Classical (3 ..Nf6) and the Winnawer (3 ..Bb4) and each system in the Classical and Winnawer is given two lines to choose from. There are four different systems given against the King's Indian Attack, each well researched and with original analysis and ideas! Often Watson uses different lines than he did in previous versions (but he does point out any significant change in the assessment in the previously used line, along with supporting variations).

I'm USCF 2281, but I think this book will appeal to just about all players. Lower (and higher) rated players will appreciate all the written explanations, and higher rated players will appreciate the in depth analysis. If this book is like Watson's previus volumes of "Play the French" then some of the obscure lines he recommends will end up as main lines. Watson freqently starts the discussion of a variation by describing trends and any significant novelties that have changed assessments. Occasionally, he quotes performance rating statistics from Chessbase on a position to demonstrate tournament results. The book is loaded with practical help describing how to play certain types of resulting endgames, how to decide where a bishop should be in a certain line, why a certain move order is critical, and typical methods. The book is a gold mine of opening preparation and French middlegame knowledge. There are many French Defence books on the market right now and I buy them as soon as they are off the press. Not taking away anything from the others (I like Pederson's books) This is the best.

I have been an e4 player as White since I began playing chess, and I have searched high and low for a good weapon against the French. This latest edition of Watson's classic opening repertoire book convinced me to just give up and start playing the French myself! I have always been an attacking player and always thought the supposedly stodgy opening just wasn't for me. But Watson's repertoire turns it into a great attacking line. Even in the Exchange Variation, which often discourages people who hate draws from considering this opening, he has many ideas to make the game interesting for the second player. I have since looked at some of his games (which you can find in the ChessBase Database online, for example) and I see that he practices what he preaches, often devoloping wonderfully speculative attacks along the f-file after the f6 break, for example.

Granted, this book has some of the standard problems of coverage that you find with any repertoire book. It is focused mostly on the Winawer system. But it does a lot more than most, offering at least two lines of play (such as both the popular 3...c5 and the new 3...Be7!? against the Tarrasch Variation) where most books stop at one and at least covering other lines even when they don't seem to fit the system he proposes. You get an excellent chapter on the currently popular Burn variation, for example, that offers more coverage than any other works I've seen, yet Watson clearly prefers the Winawer. I'm also impressed by how much he has done to improve his work to keep it up to date and even ahead of theory to some extent. I own the second edition and have looked at the first, and I must say that this is one of the most impressive revisions I've ever seen. Watson is not only up-to-date but ahead of theory in many places and so this is a must for anyone playing the French from either side of the board.

After finishing a couple of dramatic more difficult novels, this book was just what I needed; a fun story filled with colorful entertaining people. Billie Letts created a wonderful story involving a melting pot of lovable, somewhat odd characters starting with Caney Paxton; a Vietnam vet who is also a paraplegic, then there is Vena Takes Horse; a Crow women with such a big heart, and then there is Bui Khanh; a vietnamese immigrant in search of the American dream, and also Galilee Jackson; a church going African American and many more...their intertwining lives bond together in strange and sometimes funny circumstances, yet their love for each other is so genuine, it is as strong if not stronger than a real blood related family.
This is a fast reading feel-good story. After all that is said and done ''Life is Good''. As Billie Letts said of her characters ''they live with love and sadness, yet find comfort in opening themselves to others. Ah humanity!''
I enjoyed The Honk and Holler opening soon (even the title is comical), I do recommend it and await her next book.

I really enjoyed this book and although I did not think it lived up to "Where the Heart Is", one of my all time favorites, it was still a wonderful story about some off the wall characters who find something in one another and a happy ending in the small town of Sequoya, Oklahoma. I will be looking forward to more from Ms. Letts.

The Honk and Holler Opening Soon by Billie Letts What a terrific book! I loved the characters from the moment I set eyes on the first page. In all honestly, I waited to start it until I had completely finished another book.(an 800 page thing that really got tedious in parts-but I did finish, a mistake not to be repeated) The story opens in a small cafe in OK where we find Caney a Vietnam Vet,with a lot of baggage and unresolved issues. Also, we find his friend Molly O,a woman with her own set of problems. Everything is as normal as can be expected, until one-day in walks an Indian woman with a three legged dog looking for a job. The main characters in this book are great, but it is the minor characters and how they respond to the unfolding events that kept me turning pages to see what happens next. The town gossip, the three elderly guys that meet every morning for breakfast, the town villain, all add contrast to the picture beautifully painted with words by Billie Letts. I'll tell you right off I love to read, however, I am not a fast reader and for me to go through a book in a few days is a feet in itself. I very rarely do that unless I am really enjoying the story....I finished this book in 3 days. I found myself reading late into the night and crawling into bed(where I read) earlier than normal.

Seems like you need a qualified master to show you how to do almost everything mentioned in this book. As for the core exercises, they are simple and nothing better than what would be found in other chi gung books. I am not a practicing martial artist or anything like that. If you don't have or plan on having a master to supervise your performance and progress, then you'll be interested in other chi gung books that don't constantly taunt you with this.

Kumar Frantzis is a very good writer, but this is not my favorite book by him. Readers are better off buying the first volume of his water meditation series. This book covers basic dissolving ideas, some interesting stretches/exercises, and a zillion points throughout our qi body to direct our dissolving efforts. It's a nice, simple introduction. But only experts are going to memorize every point, and Mantak Chia does a better job at going through the points and explaining WHY. The stretches and exercises are interesting, good for the beginner, but more directed at physical relaxation in a way than energy development. That's not exactly accurate, but it's the best way I can think of to describe what I feel when trying them. Perhaps I'm just not advanced enough to understand. But for pure energy/biomechanics, which is what I'm into, this book didn't really strike me as useful.

In this book, Frantzis Kumar describes techniques which are essential for all energy work as well as a precondition for practicing internal martial arts; that is, he gives detailed instructions on opening the channels that control the flow of chi ("the energy gates"). By following the instructions step-by-step the practitioner learns to generate an uninterrupted flow of chi through the major meridians and dan-tiens. Any dedicated practitioner of aikido, tai-chi, chi-kung, capoeira and other martial arts knows that this is not an easy thing to do - learning to manipulate chi takes years of practice and one has to be lucky to have instructors who are willing to impart this knowledge. Internal energy techniques used to be (and still are) rather secret in China and it is rare to encounter a Chinese master who is willing to teach these to non-Chinese disciples. That's why we're lucky to have this book written by a Westerner for a Western audience.

Kumar starts from the beginning, with techniques designed to dissolve energy "knots". He then describes all the major points on the meridians where stale energy is wont to accumulate and introduces a simple Cloud Hands practice, which is an optimal way to open the shoulder blades and the pelvic girdle (stretch them darn psoas muscles!). He ends with teaching a simple spinal stretch method (which reminds me of Feldenkreis).

The book is filled with helpful hints and admonitions. It is also well written, unlike many other similar manuals which tend to suffer from mistranslations and bad grammer. Written text of course is no substitute for a live teacher, whose help is crucial so that we learn to correct the warped micro-postures and subconscious mis-alignements that tend to plague our steps into the wonderful world of energy work. As a supplement, however, i think Kumar's book is very useful and i recommend it highly.

This is certainly a book for a player rated over 1200. The book tends to be a bit biased using a somewhat fixed system. The problem with following the system in the book is that it doesn't teach lower rated players to use some of the openings that cover important tactical ideas. Therefore, after reading this book I decided that this system isn't for me!
However, this doesn't mean that if you are fairly advanced that this system isn't for you! The book could use some more variations. Overall it is an ok book.

...

The name of this book is deceptive, this is really for d4 only as white... Maybe if you play 1 Nf3 you can transpose into some of these lines. They do least a few games that start out like that and its one reason I got the book. Mostly I bought the book just for 3 of the chapters... For the Barry attack in chapter 1, 150 attack in chapter 2 and The Anti-Dutch in chapter 7... Ill give a basic review of the entire book though... The introduction explains the basic goals of the book and is worth reading... Basically is for people 2000 and below in STR...

Chapter 1 deals with what is called the Barry Attack... The chapter runs from page 7 to page 35 so its decent sized... He gives a basic intro as to why to use the Barry attack and some other things about it... Then gives games and the coverage seems pretty complete to be honest... He does not just data dump so if you actually spend the time and read... You should have a pretty good understanding of the Barry Attack... He gives the basic move order as 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 0-0 6. Be2... So you can try that out and see what you think for yourself... Many times the h pawn is sent down the board and is not that easy to stop... The name Barry attack sorta means it looks naive but can have some bite... This is also one of the few books I know that has any coverage of it at all...

Chapter 2 deals with what is known as the 150 Attack... This is good to use vs. Pirc and Modern defense setups... It got its name cuz people in England about 150 rating were using it... That would be about 1800 under most rating systems if you were to convert it... It starts on page 36 and ends on page 51... He gives an introduction about it and some games and for the size of book coverage seems good... He does not data dumb and talks so you should be able to least understand it... This is another opening Ive not seen talked about really in any other book... So I was happy that this and Barry attack were in same book :)... Unlike the Barry Attack chapter he does not have any games that start with 1 Nf3 in this chapter...

Chapter 3 he gets into the Colle-Zuckertort System... Im really not a huge fan of this system... Still I do not really think its totally bad or anything... Just the style I play it does not seem like it will work well with me... He gives it as an alternative to Queen's Gambit games... I prefer the Levitsky attack in these cases personally... Still he starts on page 52 and ends on page 69... I feel this system can be a bit on the drawing side and hard to get a real advantage... The basic setup he gives is 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3... He also has least 1 example using 1 Nf3 and going into it... So this can be good to know if you play 1 Nf3 at times... Figure more options of openings you have to transpose into the better...

Chapter 4 deals with Beating the Anti-Colle systems... The basic setup is 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 in this chapter... Black responds with moves mostly like ...Bg4, ...Bf5, ...c5, ...Nc6 and also has some 3rd moves by black... The coverage seems pretty decent and at worse you should have basic idea what your doing. It runs from page 70 and ends on page 89 so its got a fair amount of coverage for size of book...

Chapter 5 is the Classic Queen's Indian, this chapter tells what can be bad about using Colle-Zuckertort setup all time... Seems mostly for those having trouble with Queen Indian experts... Starts on page 90 and ends on page 102 so maybe not the most coverage on it... Still if you play Colle-Zuckertort probably will need to check this chapter out as well...

Chapter 6 is the Anti-Benoni which Im not sure how good a chapter it really is... He takes a shot at the Hawk and does not seem to worry much about Benoni... Still says it can get dangerous for either side in those openings... He does not cover any d4 c5 games of the Benoni... That is really what bothers me about this chapter... It starts on page 103 and ends on page 127... So with all those pages could of least touched on that a little bit... Since as white those are the Benoni style games I have the most trouble with...

Chapter 7 deals with what he calls the Anti-Dutch... This guy must of really had a positive childhood using all this Anti stuff in names ;)... I use this sometimes so I was kinda glad that it was in this book to say least... Since really not sure any other books that cover it... Basically the moves are 1 d4 f5 2 Bg5 and the games can get tricky... This can be annoying to black also if they want a certain setup... The chapter starts on page 128 and ends on page 137... I just wish they gave more pages to this chapter and less to one of the others... White wins all 4 games they use as examples... So I guess this must really crush the Dutch :)...

Chapter 8 is a great number but sorta weak Odds and Ends... This chapter is kinda cheesy and has only 1 d4 h6 as the only real game it talks about... He gives some other small examples of other second moves... The coverage he gives to them really is not worth a mention... Just to give an idea he thinks that 1 d4 c5 will end up 2. d5 f5 the Clarendon Court variation which he brags about being 100% with... Also is kind enough to mention beating Hebden with it :)... The chapter starts on page 138 and ends on page 141... So not really sure I consider that much if at all a chapter ;)... The Index in the back is actually done rather well for the 3 pages it gets :)...

If you play 1 d4 or 1 Nf3 I would think about getting this book... I would say its a solid 4 star book and would of been 5 if not for a few things... The final chapter is kinda weak and maybe some of the systems he talks about are not the best... I would of rather Levitsky attack over Colle-Zuckertort... Still to each their own on that part... Really he left some gaps that I run into and that annoyed me... Many games I play I do 1 d4 and they reply ...c5 or ...e5 and wish he covered that... I really got this book for 3 chapters so I can't complain... I know someone that used this book to get over 1700 on ICC... He swears by the Colle-Zuckertort and other systems in book... This is not for those who like to play early c4 as white... Or who are against blocking their c pawn before pushing it... This is good for those that play 1 d4 and hate pushing c pawn and don't mind blocking it... Also for those that play 1 Nf3 and want more systems to transpose into... Not to mention the Anti-Dutch is worth a try... I have won a few games with it and it can really annoy black... I would say of the newer books this one is better written than most I see... Also he does not just data dump he talks about stuff and gives general ideas...

This repertoire, based on 1 d4 utilizes the Colle-Zukertort, 150 Attack and the Barry Attack and covers every Black response. The book has just the right amount of information, enough but not an overwhelming amount of variations. Best of all, the lines chosen eliminate so many Black mainstays such as the King's Indian, Grunfeld, Queens Gambit, etc. etc. It's one of those few repertoire books which is manageable in a short time.

z

Z

Parents, If you're looking for a good history book for your children to read, please beware.

While Ambrose credibly presents the exploits of the Corps of Discovery, he also fails to resist the modern urge to talk about their sex lives. Descriptions of the men's sexual practices with the Mandan indian women and their varied venereal diseases are offered for our enlightenment. The author also regales us with the curious sexual rituals of the Mandans, themselves. In addition, for no particularly beneficial reason, Ambrose relates to us how cold the winter was by offering us the natural consequences to one who would chooose to relieve himself out-of-doors.

Parental caution is advised.

I took the advice of that author, Norman Thomas Remick, who wrote that sterling review of this book and, generally, complimented Stephen Ambrose as being the best. He is right. This book was great, and Ambrose probably **was** the best. I also went on to read Remick's book, "West Point..Thomas Jefferson" which is factually drawn from Jefferson's own readings and writings. It's important enough that everyone should read it. A real sleeper. What a shame it doesn't get more of a push.

I agree with author Norman Thomas Remick ("West Point:..Thomas Jefferson") who said that Stephen Ambrose was the best, ever, at informing the public by making history interesting. "Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson..." is a great example of what this wonderful author and historian gave to America. He passed away this year. I hope someone comes along to fill his shoes (perhaps Mr. Remick?), because Stephen Ambrose shall, indeed, be missed.

Seirawan's book has a great deal to recommend it. He not only covers most of the openings and defenses you're likely to see, but gives you the reasons behind all the important moves. This is important because in any number of openings it looks like the logical move would be something completely different than what the book recommends, but in all those circumstances (or all the ones I've encountered) Seirawan shows why and how this "logical" move is in fact not so logical at all. Another great plus is that in looking at Seirawan's commentary on the openings and defenses you'll learn something about positional play rather than just memorize rote openings. Probably the biggest plus this book has for intermediate players is that, by showing us his own blunders, Seirawan keeps one from getting discouraged. Finally, he mentions quite a few books on the openings he discusses, so the book points the reader in the right directions if she's interested in a certain opening.
So now to the glaring omission: As other reviewers have pointed out, he doesn't cover the English Opening (1.c4). What makes this more than a mere gripe, besides the fact the English is a rather common opening, is that at the beginning of the chapter 7 he groups the English with the Barcza Opening, KID, and Pirc Defense as an opening he recommends and implies that he will discuss it in detail. My theory is that at one time the manuscript did cover the English and editorial pressures forced Seirawan to shorten the book, which he did by cutting his long discussion of the English, and as he planned to discuss it at length there is naturally no short section on the opening and no one remembered to include one. It seems an odd coincidence that this book and the other title in the series I happen to own (Winning Chess Strategies) are exactly the same length. If this is the case they should definitely lengthen the book in future editions, and even if not coverage of the English would be nice. It is exactly the sort of quiet opening that deserves to be discussed with the Barcza. At any rate the recommendations I've gotten say to respond to the English with a Hedgehog Defense, which Seirawan does cover. All an all despite this wart it's still a good book to help one get a grip on openings.

Before i read this book i was speeding 1 to 2 hours a day on an opening repertoire. This was bad because i have only played chess 1 1/2 years and need to hit the old tactics gym. Its hard to get time when you work. Seirawan's opening solution took that problem away from me. As soon as i used it on my computer i won 3 games i a row. There is no need to talk about the rest of the book which explains the other openings that you can learn. The other reviews are probley from mutch stronger players then myself so there. anyway, all his books are great

I have found that his method of teaching the opening to be the Best, it helps show his students why it takes time to understand what is happening early in the game. Seirawan has done a grandmaster's job with his Winning Chess Series of Books.

The author of "Cold Calling For Women" used to be a ballet dancer and she helps you think about your sales routine in terms of a dancing "performance model". The book acknowledges that women often do things like worry about how others might perceive them in the assertive role of a salesperson. There are suggestions to overcome this if you experience it. The book is a combination of practical and philosophical approaches. It contains more "feature selling" tips than real in-depth information about qualifying for enterprise or large ticket sales. The author talks about using paper index cards to track your work and only lightly touches on using computer databases or sales tools for this purpose (although she seems to recommend them). There are some basic written exersizes and a list of good responses for frequent objections. The book recommends writing a funny letter to a prospect that you can't reach after several attempts. A final section helps you formulate a theory for the number of cold calls you need to make to start generating the income you want. Overall this is a good book for a beginner (male or female) needing to get over basic fears, someone who needs a refresher on cold calling, or someone selling a lower-ticket product or service.

I do not think any of these techniques work just for women, so men, go grab it and read on....
I think for anyone just starting out in sales, whether on the phone or in the field, these techniques will give you the basics to get started. It is also a good idea to go back and read any good sales book as a refresher or a motivator.
Wendy does focus on selling from step one (prospecting, how and where to find your client base) to closing the sale and everything in between. What do I say, how do I say it, what do I do if I fumble... She gives many great real life examples to which we can all relate. Highly recommended for those new in the sales field. But remember for those of us that have been around the block a few times, it's not new information, just a reminder that what we were trained to do years ago still applies.

Weiss is brilliant! Her ideas will get you past the cold call jitters and on your way to cold calling success. If your job requires making calls to people who have never met you, this book is for you! Wendy shows you how to make the calls, how to get past the screeners, and how to get down to the business of making money. If you hesitate before picking up the phone to make cold calls...if you have a habit of putting off cold calling until later...you may be experiencing cold call terror. Get over it and start making money! While it has a catchy title, Cold Calling for Women, is not just for women. It's for all sales people who want to improve their telephone skills.
~Kim Peek, Publisher Ad Genius Newsletter (www.adgenius.com)

Noah Lukeman writes as though he's 100 years old, so finding out he's actually quite young gave me a shock. The tone in this book reminds me of a finger-wagging, stern English teacher.

On the other hand, if you read each chapter carefully and do exactly as he says, your writing will definitely get better. No question.

The small flaws that clutter the first few pages can ruin a book over its length. Usually they point to someone who isn't good enough at their craft, hence the name of the book.

Removing them will do your writing a lot of good, however finicky they may seem at first.

Experienced writers will gain little from reading this, though. Instead, I'd recommend Noah Lukeman's second book, The Plot Thickens.

Noah Lukeman's book on staying out of the rejection pile is different from most in that it's written by an agent and not a teacher. That makes a huge difference. Lukeman is telling us what he sees on a daily basis and how to elevate your work from the bottom of the slush pile.

The book does a great job of explaining the problems most manuscripts contain, then tells you how to fix them, THEN offers exercises to help you overcome the problem. After working through just one exercise, I felt like my writing took a major leap forward. I think the book will do the same for all serious writers willing to devote a little time to this valuable book.

206 pages

With my first book recently in print, I realize I have so much more to learn. I bought Mr. Lukeman's book THE FIRST FIVE PAGES and feel I have been to school! I was ready to submit another book to my agent but after reading just a few chapters of this book didn't! I went through many of the exercises and was able to improve my book greatly. Little touches he suggests will make any serious writer work stand out. I have a small library on how to write a good novel but my books by Mr. Lukeman I keep going back to. Anyone serious writers library isnt complete without Lukeman's books. Robin Shope