The Inner Game of Work: Focus, Learning, Pleasure, and Mobility in the Workplace

The Inner Game of Work: Focus, Learning, Pleasure, and Mobility in the Workplace
Average customer rating:

Businesses "Best kept Secret"

New Inner Game

Great ideas for a better working life!

Not in the same league as the Inner Game of Tennis

The "Inner Game" applied to the workplace
The Inner Game of Work: Focus, Learning, Pleasure, and Mobility in the Workplace
W. Timothy Gallwey
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Workplace | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance

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ASIN: 0375758178
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Book Description

Do you think it's possible to truly enjoy your job? No matter what it is or where you are? Timothy Gallwey does, and in this groundbreaking book he tells you how to overcome the inner obstacles that sabotage your efforts to be your best on the job.

Timothy Gallwey burst upon the scene twenty years ago with his revolutionary approach to excellence in sports. His bestselling books The Inner Game of Tennis and The Inner Game of Golf, with over one million copies in print, changed the way we think about learning and coaching. But the Inner Game that Gallwey discovered on the tennis court is about more than learning a better backhand; it is about learning how to learn, a critical skill that, in this case, separates the productive, satisfied employee from the rest of the pack. For the past twenty years Gallwey has taken his Inner Game expertise to many of America's top companies, including AT&T, Coca-Cola, Apple, and IBM, to teach their managers and employees how to gain better access to their own internal resources.

What inner obstacles is Gallwey talking about? Fear of failure, resistance to change, procrastination, stagnation, doubt, and boredom, to name a few. Gallwey shows you how to tap into your natural potential for learning, performance, and enjoyment so that any job, no matter how long you've been doing it or how little you think there is to learn about it, can become an opportunity to sharpen skills, increase pleasure, and heighten awareness. And if your work environment has been turned on its ear by Internet technology, reorganization, and rapidly accelerating change, this book offers a way to steer a confident course while navigating your way toward personal and professional goals.

The Inner Game of Work teaches you the difference between a rote performance and a rewarding one. It teaches you how to stop working in the conformity mode and start working in the mobility mode. It shows how having a great coach can make as much difference in the boardroom as on the basketball court-- and Gallwey teaches you how to find that coach and, equally important, how to become one. The Inner Game of Work challenges you to reexamine your fundamental motivations for going to work in the morning and your definitions of work once you're there. It will ask you to reassess the way you make changes and teach you to look at work in a radically new way.

"Ever since The Inner Game of Tennis, I've been fascinated and have personally benefitted by the incredibly empowering insights flowing out of Gallwey's self-one/self-two analysis. This latest book applies this liberating analogy to work inspiring all of us to relax and trust our true self."
--Stephen R. Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Customer Reviews:

Businesses "Best kept Secret".......2007-09-22

W. Timothy Gallwey (Tim)has hit served another Ace! This book is a reference to be kept close! I am on my third read, although my first purchase was the day it hit the book stores. I buy it in quantity and send it as gifts to new friends.

John Kirk

New Inner Game.......2007-01-21

I enjoyed Tim Gallwey's Inner Game of Work. It was great to see him apply his principles in general rather than the specific modalities of tennis and music which I had found valuable in his previous works. For those who have read his previous work he has continued to create new subtle distinctions and expand his models to make it a worthwhile read.For the new reader you are in for a great surprise to be exposed to his understanding and insight.

Great ideas for a better working life!.......2007-01-19

I think this book can be extremely helpful for many people. It should be an aid to a less stressful working life with greater satisfaction and better work results at least in the long run. The ideas are very clearly presented with examples so chances are good that the readers will understand the potential benefits of so called self 2 thinking (as opposed the self 1 judgemental thinking). Self 2 is the natural, intuitive, and non-judgmental part of ourselves that contribute to a genuine interest in our work and not only interest in performance objectives. Another concept discussed is mobility, i.e. the ability to change and improve working life through deliberate choices.

A problem is that working life is not as well-defined as e.g. tennis or golf (topics previously addressed by the same author). There is presumably an extremly wide spectrum of work-related problems and the book focus only on limited aspects of those. Nevertheless, it would be inconceivable to write a book tha could help everyone and I think this one will be of great help in particular for readers that are too easily intimidated and are in general overly concerned with what others think about them.

Not in the same league as the Inner Game of Tennis.......2006-09-11

I read the Inner Game of Tennis in the 70s, found it revolutionary and find myself dipping into it every few years. I picked up the Inner Game of Work with great expectations, particularly after seeing Peter Senge's endorsement as The Fifth Discipline is a great book. However, I am disappointed. The writing style is turgid, the arguments not as tight as the Inner Game of Tennis and overall, the effort to transpose Inner Game concepts to the world of work don't quite come off. Perhaps tighter editing would have made for a more cohesive work?

The "Inner Game" applied to the workplace.......2003-06-01

This is a descent book including a lot of good advice on how to improve your performance and success within a business and corporate environment. The advice flows naturally from the author's foundation established with his first book `The Inner Game of Tennis.' However, the themes and methods are not too repetitive. The book reads very well and easily.

Pleasures of Small Motions: Mastering the Mental Game of Pocket Billiards

Average customer rating:

Must Read for anything "Competitive" .. especially pool.
Brain Buster
As reading Pleasures of Small Motions
Fantastic
Great Book

Pleasures of Small Motions: Mastering the Mental Game of Pocket Billiards
Ph.D., Bob Fancher , and Robert T Fancher
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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Play Your Best Pool

ASIN: 1585745391

Book Description

A psychotherapist and pool columnist breaks new ground by applying good science to the mental game of billiards and gives invaluable insight on competitive play.

Customer Reviews:

Must Read for anything "Competitive" .. especially pool........2007-10-09

I enjoy pool ... but found the insights in this book apply to anything at all I do where "winning" is important. So much of what we do, if we want to bring our "A Game" to the table, is controlled by our state of mind. This is the book to read to give yourself an edge you simply can't find anywhere else to keep yourself in the game, enjoy the game at all levels, and take yourself to the next (and next and next) level. Jim Stevens http://savingfuelnow.com

Brain Buster.......2007-04-10

For those who consider themselves to be analytical, this book will teach you why your pool shot missed. These tips can also be applied to other areas of life.

As reading Pleasures of Small Motions.......2007-01-12

I think of all the times why I missed, this book tells the tail.
For any of you whom thinks themselves as analytical, you must read -- there is so much other than aim and shoot, it's not even funny.

Fantastic.......2007-01-09

Not only is this book great for pool, but the knowledge you can aquire is easily applicable to other activities and aspects of life. It can take a while to read since it is pretty mind bending to absorb it all, but well worth it.

Great Book.......2006-07-10

Each chapter offered great advice on the mental game of pool. Immediately after reading the book, I could tell that my game had picked up a notch. (And exactly one month after reading the book, my 8-ball skill level in my pool league was also raised a notch.)

I learned to stop putting pressure on myself to play my "best game" in high-pressure situations (think about it: if your "best" game happened all the time, it would be your "normal" game) and instead concentrate on playing MY game, the one that I am accustomed to playing most of the time.

I also learned to stop concentrating on making the ball - something that I already know how to do - and to start concentrating on the mechanics of my stroke, something that frequently causes me to MISS the ball!

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve his or her game, regardless of skill level. This book will teach you to think realistically about your game and to put your existing talents to better use.

$Mackenzies' Honor: Mackenzie's Pleasure\A Game Of Chance (Mira Romance)$
Average customer rating:

Chane and Zane
A wonderful story very well told by Howard
One of the Best Romance Series
Linda Howard Fan
Worth buying for Mackenzie's Pleasure

Mackenzies' Honor: Mackenzie's Pleasure\A Game Of Chance (Mira Romance)
Linda Howard
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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$Mackenzie's Legacy: Mackenzie's Mountain\Mackenzie's Mission$ Mackenzie's Legacy: Mackenzie's Mountain\Mackenzie's Mission
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Dream Man

ASIN: 077832267X

Customer Reviews:

Chane and Zane.......2007-04-04

I stumbled across this series some time ago. It is a wonderful story about a blended family not just in ethnicity but by adoption as well. Linda Howard can tell a story as well as anyone but she keeps you interested where you simply can't put the book down.

A wonderful story very well told by Howard.......2007-03-11

I was into this book right from the start of it. It begins with Zane Mackenzie on a mission to locate Barrie Lovejoy, the rich ambassador's daughter. It isn't long before he finds Barrie Lovejoy tied up, and having been abused by very cruel men. He rescues Barrie and pulls her into safety until they can escape. It was love at first sight, but later in this part of the story tragedy happens in transport on a rescue boat. Zane is hurt pretty badly and taken via helicopter to the closest hospital. Barry fights to go with him, but they won't let her. Instead she is taken back to her father who is very overprotective. Barrie discovers that she is pregnant and is very depressed when her father won't let go of her. Barrie finds a way to escape her father's mansion, but as she is getting ready to, Zane finds her and much to Barrie's father's protestations, she leaves with Zane to start a new life with the baby.

Chance, Zane's brother, is in law-enforcement and assigned to capture Hauer, a terrorist, and bring him into justice. He had to find Sonny, the daughter of this man, and use her as bait to reach the man. When Chance arrives at the airport, he spots Sonny, and offers her a ride on his small plane to deliver an important package on time as Sonny is a currier, and is entrusted by her company to deliver promptly. Chance knows immediately that he loves this woman, and as the story goes, the small plane crashes to the ground, and they are stuck in a canyon. Survival won't be easy, but they manage until Zane arrives in a chopper a few days later to rescue them. Sonny will be found by her father again as Chance has purposely arranged her as bait to capture this dangerous man. And when it is all over, their short romance will probably have to end.

A great story well told and highly recommended.

One of the Best Romance Series.......2006-11-13

Along with Linda Howard's "Mackenzie's Legacy" (which includes "Mackenzie's Mission" and "Mackenzie's Mountain),
this is one of the best romance series I've read.

Linda Howard Fan.......2006-06-13

Game of Chance was good, Mackenzie's Pleasure was the best of the series.It's a shame her current her recent stuff sucks.

Worth buying for Mackenzie's Pleasure.......2006-01-23

In December 2005, I stumbled across this book (MACKENZIE'S PLEASURE) in a Silhouette edition twofer combining books by two different authors. Mackenzie's Pleasure, my Buried Treasure find for 2005, is the story of Zane Mackenzie, the youngest son of Wolf Mackenzie and his wife Mary Elizabeth (hero and heroine of Mackenzie's Mountain); I would love to see a twofer combining Mackenzie's Mountain with Mackenzie's Pleasure. Unfortunately, I have to settle for this book, which combines an excellent book with a less successful one.

Zane Mackenzie is called upon to execute a mission to rescue an ambassador's kidnapped daughter Barrie Lovejoy out of Libya. The first third of the book is about how the rescue takes place and with what consequences. In the second third, Zane and Barrie are separated by circumstances until they manage to find each other. Since there is a mystery and a bit of romantic suspense to the plot, I will not go further with the plot summary. It is probably sufficient to say that Barrie's kidnapping and rescue is somewhat more complicated than either Zane or Barrie realized.

MACKENZIE'S PLEASURE is one of the few stories where I genuinely liked the hero and heroine from the outset, and where I also felt that they were right for each other. That this contributed to my liking the book is not in question. Linda Howard's writing style also helped, as did her characterizations. Zane is an alpha male but not an overbearing alpha, but a protector and leader. The other SEALS came alive as did the heroine and her Ambassador father. What didn't work so well for me was the villain and his motivation (especially as explained to Barrie at the end).

Unfortunately, A GAME OF CHANCE is a very different kind of story about Chance, the adoptive son. Putting Chance and Zane together in the same "twofer" makes some sense, given that they are about the same age and apparently fought together regularly. The problem is not that Chance is the adoptive son, but that he is a different person from Zane. Whereas Zane makes it a point to protect the woman he loves (whether he realizes it or not), Chance uses the woman he loves (the heroine) as a bait for a dangerous trap. Arguing that he is not in love with the heroine does not change this fact. Chance's story is thus a disappointment for those who love heroes in the mold of Wolf and Zane Mackenzie, men who would do almost anything (save betray their country) to protect their families and their mates. I keep wondering if Chance would again put his wife in the line of fire in the national interest; the trouble is that I cannot convince myself that he had changed by the end.

MIRA's reprints: Mackenzie's Mountain (Wolf) goes with Mackenzie's Mission (Joe) in one volume. While Mackenzie's Magic (a story in an anthology) is left out, Mackenzie's Pleasure (Zane) is combined with A Game of Chance (Chance) in another volume. Of course, we have no stories for Michael and Josh, but have to find out what happy ending was in store for them from the first and last chapter of Mackenzie's Pleasure. I wish MIRA would reprint just the strongest stories Mackenzie's Mountain and Mackenzie's Pleasure.

Written by bookjunkiereviews 22 January 2006

Beyond Boredom and Anxiety: Experiencing Flow in Work and Play

Average customer rating:

A Good Read!
When good observations meet bad metaphors.

Beyond Boredom and Anxiety: Experiencing Flow in Work and Play
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Creativity & Genius | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0787951404

Book Description

Now in a special 25th anniversary edition and filled with brilliant wisdom and insights, Beyond Boredom and Anxiety offers a timeless introduction to the concept of flow and the scientific basis behind it-all through the work of one of the field's great scientists, Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi. Through real-life examples, discover how enjoyable activities provide a common experience-a satisfying, often exhilarating, feeling of creative accomplishment and heightened functioning-and under what conditions 'serious' work can also provide this intrinsic enjoyment.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Read!.......2001-09-06

Mihaly Csikszentmihaly presents a detailed examination of motivation based on a study of a half-dozen groups of people involved in recreational pursuits: rock climbers, composers, dancers, chess players and basketball players. He chose these groups in an effort to understand more fully what motivates people to engage in activities that are extremely challenging or offer few external rewards. Although some of his conclusions may be of interest to executives and managers seeking ways to motivate employees, most readers will find this academic study too detailed. Some of the interview comments are interesting, but much of the book describes survey results, a discussion that non-statisticians may be hard put to follow. Because of this complexity and because of the book's somewhat dense prose, we [...] recommend this 25-year-old reissued classic primarily to scholars or to those who are intensely curious about the nuts-and-bolts of motivation. But any human resources professional or leadership specialist should have at least a passing familiarity with its concepts and contents.

When good observations meet bad metaphors........2000-05-11

One of the major conceits in the history of psychology is that the act of paying attention can be a portal to amazing or magical things. Pay attention to a swinging watch and you become hypnotized, focus on your belly button or a mantra and you enter a blissful meditative state, and concentrate real hard while tapping your shoes together and you just may get to Kansas. The latest wonderful mind state that occurs thanks to paying attention is 'flow'. Upon interviewing a few thousand people as they went about their ordinary lives, Dr. C. discovered that many of them reported a state of pleasure or even ecstasy when they engaged in demanding tasks that challenged them to the limits of their capabilities. The fact that mountain climbers, artists, doctors, etc. reported some real good feelings while having to rapidly shift their attention to stay on a ledge, keep inspiration, or keep a patient alive seemed to indicate once again that attention, if focused just right, can be a portal to some mighty good things. In this his first book on the topic of flow, Dr. C. waxes poetic about how flow represents a heightened sense of self, undreamed level of consciousness and so on, without grounding any of it to actual neural processes. Dr. C.'s house of metaphorical cards however collapses if attention was not the antecedent for flow, but the stuff of flow itself. The critical question that Dr. C. studiously avoids is whether attention is in itself a pleasurable or hedonic thing. Modern research in neuropsychology answers the question in the affirmative, as it is well known that when attention rapidly shifts between a host of important precepts, the neuromodulator dopamine is released that keeps us rooted, alert, promotes efficiency in thinking, and feels good to boot. Dr. C. does not concern himself to explore any of these findings, preferring instead to view attention as a portal to all those good metaphysical feelings, and not a source of those good feelings themselves. But again, if Dr. C. actually was intent on finding out what flow actually is, instead of reveling in its poetry, his book would be shorter by two thirds, and lose its representation as a model for vacuous New Age thinking, which in toto represents the intellectual con of the 20th century.

The Art of the Infinite: The Pleasures of Mathematics

Average customer rating:

an infinity of infinities
Number theory set to poetry
An excellent tome... entertaining.
Good but really for math buffs
Interesting but could be written more clearly

The Art of the Infinite: The Pleasures of Mathematics
Robert Kaplan , and Ellen Kaplan
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Infinity | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0195176065

Book Description

Robert Kaplan's The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero was an international best-seller, translated into ten languages. The Times called it "elegant, discursive, and littered with quotes and allusions from Aquinas via Gershwin to Woolf" and The Philadelphia Inquirer praised it as "absolutely scintillating." In this delightful new book, Robert Kaplan, writing together with his wife Ellen Kaplan, once again takes us on a witty, literate, and accessible tour of the world of mathematics. Where The Nothing That Is looked at math through the lens of zero, The Art of the Infinite takes infinity, in its countless guises, as a touchstone for understanding mathematical thinking. Tracing a path from Pythagoras, whose great Theorem led inexorably to a discovery that his followers tried in vain to keep secret (the existence of irrational numbers); through Descartes and Leibniz; to the brilliant, haunted Georg Cantor, who proved that infinity can come in different sizes, the Kaplans show how the attempt to grasp the ungraspable embodies the essence of mathematics. The Kaplans guide us through the "Republic of Numbers," where we meet both its upstanding citizens and more shadowy dwellers; and we travel across the plane of geometry into the unlikely realm where parallel lines meet. Along the way, deft character studies of great mathematicians (and equally colorful lesser ones) illustrate the opposed yet intertwined modes of mathematical thinking: the intutionist notion that we discover mathematical truth as it exists, and the formalist belief that math is true because we invent consistent rules for it. "Less than All," wrote William Blake, "cannot satisfy Man." The Art of the Infinite shows us some of the ways that Man has grappled with All, and reveals mathematics as one of the most exhilarating expressions of the human imagination.

Customer Reviews:

an infinity of infinities.......2007-06-21

It is said that the invention of zero was a fundamental advance for the art of mathematics. And so it is. But at least there is only one zero! The other end of the scale to nothing, is everything - infinity. I guess that we should have expected there to be more than one infinity - even up to an infinity of them. It's just that 'everything' is so hard to define. The set of everything that is male is very large - infinite probably across time as it marches into the future. So too is the set of everything that is female. It can hardly surprise us that these two infinite sets put together produces a greater infinity.

But what sort of a mind does it take to pare this down to the austere elements of logical and mathematical reasoning - to show that it is in fact so - to prove it? And not just once - but over and over again. It is a fascinating story culminating with Georg Cantor - the possessor of the mind and the will.

Still, it nags away at my mind. What practical use can this insight bring?

Number theory set to poetry.......2005-12-28

Fifty years ago, if you were to randomly select a book from the mathematics section in the library, it most likely would have been uniformly colored grey, or some other neutral/dark hue, with a drab but utilitarian title in the language of professional mathematicians. Well, things certainly have changed. The standard grey hardbacks have given way to covers filled with color, while the utilitarian titles - boring in their simplicity - have given way to poetry and hyperbole that would make a thespian blush.

In days past the Kaplan's book would have been called "introduction to number theory. Now, it's called "The art of the infinite." I'd have called it "number theory set to poetry, with story problems."

I selected this book because I thought it might have something to do with infinity. After leafing through it, though, it was immediately apparent that it covers lots more than just the "infinite." I can imagine conversations between the Kaplans and their publisher. Publishers are fond of telling science/mathematics authors that most people won't buy a book with lots of equations, and that they needed to make the cover snazzier by including a catch word like "infinite," or something like that.

Robert and Ellen Kaplan have written what turns out to be a first-rate book, showing that it's possible to make number theory understandable and very interesting. It's particularly fun the way they make frequent use of mental or mathematical "experiments," to tune "intuition" as a means for solving mathematical problems. While this style may offend or at least annoy pure mathematicians, others will see in their examples key insights into how the human mind works through mathematical problems, and how learn. The Kaplans are both accomplished mathematicians, but they are also excellent teachers.

The authors used geometry and pictures to show how to construct the counting numbers, the set of integers (positive and negative), the rational numbers, the real numbers, and finally complex numbers. The interesting thing about this book is that the reader learns all this stuff while having fun with some of the most interesting mathematical asides you can imagine.

Yes, infinity does enter into the book. Again, the Kaplans do a masterful job of describing the mathematics of sets. It's a common misconception that infinity is a number - many (most?) people don't understand that it's a quality of sets. You will, though, after reading this book.

The book is chuck full of diagrams, and plenty of equations, too. It's an easy book to understand (for the most part) but it's not for intellectual slouches, either. Mostly, I found the explanations to be clear and understandable, with the exception of the chapter that deals with perspective. I was able to glean new concepts from the chapter, but I think I would have been lost, had I not already understood the subject fairly well before I read the book.

When you get to the end, don't stop reading. The Appendix has some of the most interesting and worthwhile reading in the book.

I've criticized other authors for being too poetic with their math books. The Kaplans do it a lot, but they manage to do it in a way that doesn't interfere with understanding the key mathematical concepts.

Needless to say, I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys mathematics, and wants to brush up on what numbers mean, how we invented them, and how to have fund with counting - and a whole lot of other stuff.

An excellent tome... entertaining........2005-07-31

This is an excellent tome... entertaining. Written with whit and charm, it gives one pause for thought and contains a lovely subtle humor... which is too bad for the authors as this dooms the book to wide rejection from those who are still in need of redrafting their sixth grade expositions on 'Where The Red Fern Grows'... too bad, too bad. Now, will those of you who are playing in the match this afternoon move your clothes down onto the lower peg immediately after lunch, before you write your letter home, if you're not getting your hair cut, unless you've got a younger brother who is going out this weekend as the guest of another boy, in which case, collect his note before lunch, put it in your letter after you've had your hair cut, and make sure he moves your clothes down onto the lower peg for you... ok?

Good but really for math buffs.......2005-04-29

This book trys to present math to the millions and does a pretty good job. It is simple and sometimes witty but often the literary allusions intrude and the text bogs down in pages of relentless math--lovely if you like it and horrid if you don't. If you already know alot of math you will still probably find the discussions of general math, geometry, projective geometry, and infinite series to be a nice refresher. If you don't know any and don't have a natural talent for it, you will find it very dense or impossible. Being somewhere in the middle I skimmed thru most of it and slowed down when it got interesting. If you have only a little time I would suggest the last chapter 'The Abyss` about Georg Cantor and transfinite arithmetic.

At points they wax philosophical and ask the perennial question: is math is out there in the world or in here in our heads. Why not ask this about art or music or literature or computer programs or philosophy itself? In a very general way math must come from the same place that words and ideas and images come from---our brain evolved to make them and they must in many ways(every way?) reflect the structure of our brains, which reside in our dna which was shaped by natural selection which was shaped by the geology of the earth and the structure of our universe which comes from particle physics which comes from the laws of nature which are just there.

Interesting but could be written more clearly.......2004-12-19

This book covers some very fine topics in math. It attempts to balance mathematical rigor with analogies and interesting historical points. The attempt however is not totally sucessful because the language used is too obscure. The mathematical topics discussed are complex enough by themselves and the additional obscure language makes them that much harder to understand. I would have vastly preferred the use of stright forward English for the discussion. The analogies and historical facts could have been presented separately alongside the main discussion. Nevertheless I enjoyed reading it and will recommend it to others as long as they have a good command of English and are willing to go along with the less than ideal presentation.

Little Women Book: Games, Recipes, Crafts, and Other Homemade Pleasures

Average customer rating:

Delightful book, bursting with ideas

Little Women Book: Games, Recipes, Crafts, and Other Homemade Pleasures
Lucille Rech Penner
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679874054
Release Date: 1995-10-10

Customer Reviews:

Delightful book, bursting with ideas.......2000-06-24

As a tremendous fan of Louisa May Alcott's works, especially Little Women, I enjoy reading anything related to the novel. Ms. Penner's book contains ideas on crafts, hairstyles, edible treats, games, celebrations, and more, all corresponding to the March sisters' experiences. Although aimed at girls in the 8-12 age range, the book will appeal to anyone young at heart. It is charmingly accented throughout with watercolor illustrations. This book would make a wonderful gift for any girl who loves Little Women and desires to live as the March sisters did.

In Nomine Superiors 2: Pleasures of the Flesh

Average customer rating:

In Nomine Superiors 2: Pleasures of the Flesh
Mark Allen
Manufacturer: Steve Jackson Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Rogues to Riches (In Nomine: Superiors 4)
In Nomine Superiors 1: War & Honor
In Nomine Superiors 3: Hope and Prophecy
Liber Castellorum: The Book of Tethers (In Nomine)
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ASIN: 1556344228

Average customer rating:

An Imaginative Work
A book for strong intellects!
Puzzles for Pleasure

Puzzles for Pleasure
Barry R. Clarke
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521466342

Book Description

Millions of people throughout the world are fascinated by puzzles, conundrums, and brain teasers. These amusing twisters from Barry Clarke are based on his extensive experience writing for the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times and New Scientist. The author has gathered together a variety of posers including several examples of a brand new type of puzzle, The Word Bandit. Hints and full solutions are included for all puzzles. Wittily written and illustrated with delightful cartoons by the author, there is something for everyone here: puzzles for children, for the family, for members of Mensa, but above all puzzles for pleasure.

Customer Reviews:

An Imaginative Work.......2001-11-22

I bought this a couple of months ago and one has to be impressed by the wealth of fresh ideas : the digital deletion problems, the Word Bandit idea, the imaginative way some problems combine lateral and logical thinking. Not only that, but one also gets succinct expression and humor, an ideal combination for drawing one into a puzzle. Not all the puzzles are meritorious, for example, "Elixir of Life" and "The Broken Pentomino" are plain unfair and unworthy of inclusion. I also felt that the recreational math section lacked diagrams and photographs for illustration. That said, one is left with the impression that Mr Clarke is an innovator in the world of puzzles and this is indeed a rare quality.

A book for strong intellects!.......2000-10-26

This is not a book for passing the time on the train! Some of these problems are real tough nuts to crack. This guy must have one hell of an IQ 'cos I got a first in maths and some beat me. It's not that the maths needed is difficult, it isn't (grammar school algebra at most). It's just that the way of looking at them requires a particularly visual mind. I'm thinking mainly about the Advanced Puzzles some of which were beyond me (until I looked at the solution!). One criticism : In The Same Boat (last puzzle) doesn't actually work.

Puzzles for Pleasure.......2000-09-06

A creative and challenging book of mind benders by that genius of puzzle creators Barry R. Clarke. If you enjoy thinking, this book is definitely for you; if you don't, what the hell, buy it anyway! In the Advanced section, you won't find a more brain stretching set of teasers. And the illustrations are something else!

Shanken's Cigar Handbook: A Connoisseur's Guide to Smoking Pleasure

Average customer rating:

Outstanding Cigar Guide
Don't even think about not having this book!

Shanken's Cigar Handbook: A Connoisseur's Guide to Smoking Pleasure
Marvin R. Shaken
Manufacturer: Running Press Book Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Special Occasions | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Cigars | Pop Culture | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Etiquette | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

International Connoisseur's Guide to Cigars: The Art of Selecting and Smoking (Essential Connoisseur)
The Good Cigar: A Celebration of the Art of Cigar Smoking
Cigar Companion (Connoisseur's Guides)
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cigars (The Complete Idiot's Guide)
The Cigar: An Illustrated History of Fine Smoking

ASIN: 0762400595

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Cigar Guide.......2000-06-27

This is an outstanding guide that will be useful for new cigar lovers as well as veteran smokers. It does need an update, and I would recommend a section devoted to small cigars and cigarillos, which are becoming more popular.

Don't even think about not having this book!.......1999-04-27

As a newcomer to the world of fine handmade cigars, I found in Shanken's Cigar Handbook a very comprehensive and cozy text. All the answers to the questions of fresh cigar aficionados are in there. Lots of great colorful pictures and cigar brand data too. Make this your reference book! Bill Cosby's merciless foreword is magnificent.

Animals For Show And Pleasure In Ancient Rome

Average customer rating:

Animals For Show And Pleasure In Ancient Rome
George Jennison
Manufacturer: University of Pennsylvania Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Rome | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Emperors and Gladiators
Lives of the Caesars (Oxford World's Classics)
Animals in Roman Life and Art
The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome (Hist Atlas)
Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: 0812219198

Book Description

Deadly combat between gladiators is perhaps the best-known example of public entertainment offered in the Roman world. Wild and domesticated animals were also a part of these extravagant shows, and the elaborate presentation--or sometimes butchery--of creatures to gild an official's magnificence was among the most common forms of public diversion. Pitting bulls against bears, lions against Christians and criminals, elephants against rhinoceroses or parading large numbers of giraffe or zebras, the games devised by the Romans ranged from astonishing to brutally cruel. It is now difficult to comprehend the pleasure that huge crowds took from the death or struggle of animals and people, but the history of the role of animals in ancient Rome is both fascinating and important in view of modern sports spectacles and the enjoyment we take in animals in our daily lives.

Based entirely on primary source material and infused with the author's direct experience with many of the animals discussed, Animals for Show and Pleasure in Ancient Rome is a comprehensive investigation of the rise, function, and pageantry of wild and domesticated animals as household pets and as fodder for entertainment in the Roman world. Extending from Egypt through the Greek city-states to the magnificent coliseums of the golden age of Roman civilization, Jennison provides an absorbing, evocative, and in-depth history that includes information about what animals were known to the Romans, which creatures they liked best, which animals were used as pets, from what places they obtained animals and how much they cost, how they were trapped, and the architectural development and dispersion of arenas throughout the Roman world. Originally published in 1937, Animals for Show and Pleasure in Ancient Rome remains the authoritative work on the subject.

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