Design and Construction of Wood Framed Buildings

Book Description

AT LAST! Design, construction and UBC requirements combined in one building system. Tired of books that treat wood design and construction methods as separate theoretical subjects, failing to weave them together like they are in the real world? Design and Construction of Wood Framed Buildings, by Morton Newman, not only bridges this gap, it also cites UBC requirements and constraints every step of the way. Each phase of design and construction is illustrated by one of 350 AutoCAD-generated details or explained with an example calculation. Detail drawings also interpret the intent of the Uniform Building Code. And you'll find all the information organized in the same progression in which you work - general requirements, building design loads, design examples and assembly techniques.

Customer Reviews:

This book is a must for anyone involved in light frame construction.......2005-09-26

This is a great book. I highly recommend it to anyone involved with light frame construction. It is clear, concise, the examples are very easy to follow. You do not need to be an engineer to use this book. This is a great book for engineers, architects and contractors alike.

Average customer rating:

Baby Blues never end.
LOL

Framed!: a Baby Blues Treasury
Jerry Scott , and Rick Kirkman
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Parenting & Families | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0740761943

Book Description

Tadpoles in the toilet, backseat border wars, emergency homemade diapers . . . welcome to another year in the life of the never-a-dull-moment McPherson family. While sister Zoe and brother Hammie's budding sibling rivalry reaches new heights (and volumes), baby Wren is making great strides of her own. With the advent of "the climbing phase" no coffee table, countertop, or bookshelf is too high.

Bound into this beautiful treasury is a bonus feature: A special magnet for framing your favorite Baby Blues strips on your refrigerator!

For the past 16 years, the team of Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott have given readers a too-funny-to-be-true, too-real-not-to-be insider's view of the American dream. They get the details and dilemmas so right, in fact, that it's a wonder they haven't been indicted for domestic surveillance.

Baby Blues is syndicated in over 1,000 newspapers worldwide with a readership of 40 million-most of them operating on very little sleep.

Customer Reviews:

Baby Blues never end........2007-05-09

Eventhough our children are in their teen years, the Baby Blues comic strips still make me laugh until my belly hurts which is ironically healing! Laughter is good medicine!

LOL.......2007-04-18

Laughing Out Loud is not something I am known for, but I got Lots Of Laughs form this book and am having to resist buying more of the series - and will probably end up caving to the temptation to L O L more.Framed!: a Baby Blues TreasurySomething Chocolate This Way Comes: A Baby Blues Collection (Baby Blues Scrapbook #21)

The Framed Houses of Massachusetts Bay, 1625-1725 (Belknap Press)

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The Framed Houses of Massachusetts Bay, 1625-1725 (Belknap Press)
Abbott Lowell Cummings
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Early American Architecture: From the First Colonial Settlements to the National Period

ASIN: 0674316800

Fire Safe Design: a New Approach to Multi-storey Steel-framed Buildings

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Fire Safe Design: a New Approach to Multi-storey Steel-framed Buildings
G.M. Newman , J.T. Robinson , and C.G. Bayley
Manufacturer: Steel Construction Institute,The
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Average customer rating:

Loved this book, left me wanting more!
Interesting
A Very Very Funny Caper Story
5 stars are not enough. Heck, 85 stars--still not enough!
Art and Crime

Framed
Frank Cottrell Boyce
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0060734027
Release Date: 2006-08-22

Book Description

A few things to know about Dylan

He is the only boy in his entire town—so forget about playing soccer.

His best friends are two pet chickens.

His family owns the world's only gas station/coffee house—their pies are to die for, but profits are in the hole.

Criminal instincts run in his family—his sister is a mastermind-in-training, and the tax men are after his father for questioning.

And one more small thing about nine-year-old Dylan—the crime of the century has just fallen into his lap.

With the same easy mix of wit, warmth, and wonder that made his debut novel, Millions, an award-winning international bestseller, Frank Cottrell Boyce tells the story of a boy who reminds an entire town of the power of art.

Customer Reviews:

Loved this book, left me wanting more!.......2007-10-07

The middle school librarian at the school where I work recommended Boyce's first book MILLIONS to me. I was enchanted by that book and wanted more by Boyce - and FRAMED is just as good. I listened to both on CD in the car during my half-hour commute, and it was usually hard to tear myself away. The reader is perfect - does different voices for different characters - makes the book like a British comedy on TV, just without the video. The author takes it for granted that the reader/listener knows a lot of British expressions, etc., such as knowing that Asda is a store similar to Walmart though it sells mainly groceries (or at least the ones I've visited sell mainly groceries).

Other reviewers have told the story, so I won't repeat it - just to say that these are sweet, funny, thought-provoking books (both of them) which proved very appealing to me and my best friend (both in our 50s), as well as my mother (age 77). Five stars are hardly enough.
If you want to read or listen to another book that has the same appeal as these, try GIDEON THE CUTPURSE by Linda Buckley-Archer. This is the first in a trilogy and the second one is due to come out this December. Another enchanting tale about 2 kids who time travel back to 1763.

Interesting.......2007-05-13

I enjoyed the audiobook Framed, but not as much as the book Millions from Frank Cottrell Boyce. It definitely captured my attention and the world he created was intriguing, but there was a sprinkle of something missing. It may be that the town is an old shale mining town where the town's roofs and building are all built of shale. Shale is gray and depressing. That may be where he goes wrong, but if you can shake that element, you are in for quite an adventure!!

A Very Very Funny Caper Story.......2007-02-19

Framed is an action-packed story, populated with quirky characters and incidents, and it is simply hilarious. Although I tried to restrain myself, I still ended up with more than a dozen flagged passages, most of them flagged because they made me laugh.

Framed is set in the gray, quiet, Welsh town of Manod. As the story begins, Snowdonia is slowly sinking into obscurity, as more and more families move away. Our hero, Dylan, is the only boy left in town (except for his one year old brother, who is not much good at soccer). Dylan's family business, the Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel (a garage) is in precarious shape, despite the best efforts of the plucky family. Dylan's dad leaves town, too, to look for work elsewhere. The future looks grim.

Things change, however, when workers from the National Gallery in London establish a clandestine art storage facility at the top of a nearby mountain. To get in and out of the facility, the workers and guards have to drive by the Snowdonia Oasis, thus becoming a source of new business. Soon the intrepid family is supplying Titian Tarts and Picasso Pie to the art-loving men temporarily stationed in their neighborhood. And as they have the opportunity to see some of the artwork, they, and the town of Manod, are gradually transformed.

There are misunderstandings. There are daring capers, and stolen works of art. There are family and neighborhood traumas. But through it all runs the theme of the transformative power of art.

This is a very British book, with some Welsh phrasing and sensibilities. It carries, to me, a hint of Roald Dahl in the exaggeration, and more than a hint of Jasper Fforde in the absurdity. The characters are slightly larger than life. Dylan is a resourceful hero who is genuinely incapable of understanding why any of his neighbors would want to leave their town. He thinks that it's perfect. Lester, the head of the art storage facility, loves art, but wants to see it kept in boxes, and not shared with many other people. Lester is blind to the way that the pictures are changing the ordinary Welsh people, and their town. Dylan's family is an entrepreneurial team, with astonishing resourcefulness and determination.

I personally found the caper and theft portion of the book a bit rushed, and the conclusion anti-climactic. I never did understand what was going on with the dad, and why he left. But I liked the spirit of the family, and the way that the town, and the Snowdonia Oasis, were improved through the residents' efforts. And as I mentioned above, this book is laugh-out-loud funny. Here are a few examples:

"Mr. Arthur is the editor of the Manod Month, our local newspaper. It used to be called the Manod Week, but there isn't enough news in Manod to fill a newspaper every week. (pg. 53)"

"Of course this information is supposed to be top secret. Publishing it in the Manod Month shouldn't compromise that secrecy as no one reads it anyway. (pg. 85)"

""Looks like it's Mars bars again," I said. "That is so unhealthy," said Marie. "You can kill yourselves if you like. I'm going to sort out a proper breakfast for myself." She had a Bounty, because they've got real coconut in them, which is very good for you. (pg. 158)"

And so on. Throwaway line after throwaway line, most of them quite funny. I think that kids will like this book a lot, boys and girls. They'll laugh, they'll gasp, and most important of all, they'll keep reading until the end.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on February 16, 2007.

5 stars are not enough. Heck, 85 stars--still not enough!.......2006-12-19

If there's a novel I loved this year more than Frank Cottrell Boyce's "Framed," then I don't know what it is. "Framed" is a stunning, original work--a work infused with love, innocence, and deep wit.

Dylan is the last boy left in Manod, a small town in Snowdonia, Wales. Being the last boy has its problems, most notably Dylan has no one to play football with. Oh, and the nastiest girl in school, Terrible, now has a clear bearth to torment him. Otherwise, Dylan's life is pretty good. His parents own the town's garage, he has a genius little sister (Minnie), a cute baby brother (Max), and an even-tempered older sister (Marie). His dad doesn't even get mad at him when he mixes up oil and anti-freeze when working in the garage. Dad assigns him to the logs instead, which turn into a hilarious diary noting the weather (always damp and rainy) and which villager has been in the garage each day.

Then things start to go wrong. Or, at least differently. Dylan remains ever optimistic, so he doesn't register the gravity of events around him. First and foremost, the weather has changed. It rains every single day in Manod now, and people don't enjoy the beauty of the village any longer. There have been floods in London, and nearly every man in the village has left with family in tow to work on a new barrier. And the garage is in trouble. Dylan's parents can no longer afford to buy petrol ahead of time. Their Mini Cooper disappears and all sources of income dry up. New mysterious people arrive to town and take up residence in the quarries of Manod's mountain.

Dylan's father leaves the family and Dylan's mother, with her four children and a nearly defunct garage, is despondent. The kids dream up ways to earn extra cash. When they discover the mysterious men on the mountain are guarding the collection of the National Gallery in the quarry, saving the works of art from the ravages of the flood, they dream up a menu of cakes with names like "Titian Tart." They have a connection to the men too. Lester, the man in charge of the collection, overhears Dylan calling the family chickens by name--Donatello and Michelangelo. Understandably, Lester thinks Dylan is interested in art and is impressed. He doesn't know that Dylan named the chickens after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Lester takes an interest in Dylan, showing him masterpieces worth millions. Lester is supposed to protect his masterpieces, but he can't help looking at them and, most of all, lecturing about them. As Manod is a small town, others want to go up the mountain with Dylan and see what's up there. A secret is never a secret in Manod. The first up the hill is Daft Tom, a local lad who once tried to rob the garage. Dylan's Dad offered him a job instead and he's been there ever since. The first picture Tom sees is a still life and it inspires him to create still lifes of his own in the town's store windows. A viewing of Renoir's Umbrellas cures Dylan's mom of her depression. Over time, the National Gallery's collection improves Manod and its inhabitants for the better.

But, when Dylan's father does not return, and petrol can still not be purchased, Dylan's mom puts the garage on the market. That's when Minnie concocts her elaborate scheme to seal Van Gogh's Sunflowers, insured for 25 million. The children complete a paint-by-number piece and make a substitution. I won't tell you what happens next, but I will tell you that "Framed" is a must-read novel for children and adults ages eight and up.

There is so much beauty in "Framed"--from the transformative power of Art to the pure innocence and good intentions of Dylan. He's not a reliable narrator--the reader understands much more than he does--but he sees the best in his world. Spend a few hours viewing the world from his point of view, and you'll see everything differently.

Art and Crime.......2006-12-19

Framed is a great book about art and crime. It took me a long time to read it, but it was worth it. It's about a normal nine-year-old boy. This boy is the only boy in the small town of Manod in the United Kingdom.This boy (named Dillon) lives with his mam, dad, older sister Marie,younger sister Minnie, and the baby Max. But strange things happen when a man comes down Manod Mountain.

Snippet Sensations: Fast, Fusible Fabric Art for Quilted or Framed Projects

Average customer rating:

Flying Pidgeon
The Most Fun for those with Quilter's Block!
What a fun concept
Informative and Interesting!
Snip for fun

Snippet Sensations: Fast, Fusible Fabric Art for Quilted or Framed Projects
Cindy Walter
Manufacturer: Krause Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Applique | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Painting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Quilts & Quilting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Textile Arts | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0873418034

Customer Reviews:

Flying Pidgeon.......2004-02-04

I'd been dying to make the flying eagle that's on the back cover, but I had some difficulty with the instructions, which untilmately lead to a dud project. They weren't specific about which pieces NOT to add 1/4" to, as well as the sample progression photos were not all taken of the same project. I ended up with a flying torpedo/pidgeon/hot dog because I added 1/4" to the white head & tail. The rest of it was fine. Sigh.

The Most Fun for those with Quilter's Block!.......2001-12-18

I have had a heck of a time starting to quilt, as I am afraid of color selection, that is- until I bought this book! This is the most fun I've had in years! The designs are beautiful, fun, and belive it or not, EASY! I am just a beginner! You can complete a project in about a day! This book is fantastic! The other snippet book is wonderful too! If you don't buy these books, you are a crazy quilt!

What a fun concept.......2001-08-07

After receiving this book, I read it cover to cover twice! I couldn't wait to get started. This is so much fun. The author explains every step thoroughly. There are a lot of pictures to help guide one as well. Once you get started on the technique, you can't stop. I love 'painting' with fabric. This author perfected the technique. Definitely worth buying.

Informative and Interesting!.......2001-01-04

As an artist, but not a seamstress, I found this book to be very complete as far as instruction in this method of creating fabric pictures. I found the method to be very simple to create interesting, original pictures from scraps of material Having no previous experience with fusible web, I had no problem following the directions and creating enjoyable pictures to give as gifts and to sell. I was not interested in the quilting directions included, but think snippet sensations. is a marvelous new hobby anyone should be able to do with ease

Snip for fun.......2000-10-16

I discovered this book after watching the author on a sewing tv program. I really like the impressionist art style and thought what a great way to combine two art forms. However, in the tv show, she showed how to make flowers. They are NOT included this book. I did make the wreath that she discusses in the book and in one afternoon, I had a beautiful wallhanging. The step by step directions are great. Don't be intimitated by the samples she gives, just go for it!!

Build a Classic Timber-Framed House: Planning & Design/Traditional Materials/Affordable Methods

Average customer rating:

The perfect introduction to timber framing
This is great first book on timber frame construction.
The source for learning timber framing

Build a Classic Timber-Framed House: Planning & Design/Traditional Materials/Affordable Methods
Jack A. Sobon
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

House Plans | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0882668412

Book Description

The timber-framed home is attractive, affordable, and easily expanded to meet the needs of a growing family. With the step-by-step instructions in this book you can build your own classic timber-framed house -- one that's enduring, and features a level of craftsmanship rare in modern construction. Following the traditional "hall-and-parlor" home design, architect and builder Jack Sobon carefully and clearly explains finding the ideal building site; creating the master plan; selecting the best tree species; hewing and milling timbers; assembling the frame; installing wall sheathing, windows, and doors; designing and finishing the interior; expanding on the plan.

One of the best-known and most distinctive figures in the timber-framing revival, Jack Sobon knows how to make home building affordable with economical hand tools, by taking control of the processing of building materials, and through using local inexpensive supplies.

The basic house design of this book is easily adapted to meet different needs. Sobon's practical advice incorporates the latest knowledge on building a healthy house, integrating natural systems, and finding effective home heating solutions.

Customer Reviews:

The perfect introduction to timber framing.......2000-04-28

The plans, photos, patterns and details in this book can be used as a step-by-step guide to building a New England hall-and-parlor house. It's also a designer's guide, a history book and a great introduction to the craft and art of timber framing.

This is great first book on timber frame construction........1999-07-05

This was my first look at timber framing and this book was a great primer. It explains the history of timber framing, the terminology, the how to's of getting started. I wish it would have had more suggestions for finishing the house after the frame is up, but it definitely gave me a good foundation and the confidence to give it try.

The source for learning timber framing.......1999-06-05

Jack Sobon does a great job walking you step by step in building your own house. It is one of the best sources out there for learning traditional timber framing technique. A must read for anyone interested in learning how the early framers built the barns and houses we love today. Expect hands on information and thoery for the practical end of getting the house frame built. Expect a well focused instructiional manual that is light and entertaining to read.

Average customer rating:

1949 Pulp Reprint Delivers the Goods Today

Framed in Guilt / My Flesh is Sweet
Day Keene
Manufacturer: Stark House Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0974943886

Product Description

Two brisk-paced mysteries from 1949 and 1951. Framed in Guilt: A woman is found murdered and Bob Stanton can't account for his whereabouts last night--and all the evidence points to him! My Flesh is Sweet: A freelance writer takes on more than he bargains for when he helps a young lady escape the amorous advances of a Mexican general--next thing he knows, the two of them are wanted for murder!

Customer Reviews:

1949 Pulp Reprint Delivers the Goods Today.......2007-08-09

Day Keene (Gunard Hjertstedt), a pal and contemporary of such pulp
masters as Harry Whittington, published FRAMED IN GUILT (William Morrow, 1949) before his prolific string of remarkable crime fiction titles in the subsequent decade. FRAMED is set in post-war sultry and decadent Hollywood.

Bob Stanton, a German POW and film script writer, is accused of murdering Grace Turner, an English lady who knew Bob while he was still stationed in England. Her attempt to blackmail him goes awry. Having gone on a rare binger, Bob fails to recall what happened the fateful night Grace is shot.

Luckily, Bob's coterie helps him piece it all together. The most colorful is a hulking Native American simply named Hi Lo. During this chaos, Bob is desperate to finish his next movie script if just to pay the mounting bills his girl, a starlet named Joy Parnell, keeps running up. Interestingly, an early reference in FRAMED is made to the harrowing Black Dahlia murder.

This is an accessible, entertaining novel displaying Keene's puckish wit, knowledgeable setting, and quippy dialogue. FRAMED is recommended as an authentic introduction to reading the 1950s pulp fiction writing.

Average customer rating:

Framed (Portraits Series #6)
Tracie Peterson
Manufacturer: Bethany House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Romance | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1556619928

Book Description

Journalist Gabrielle Fleming reluctantly agrees to a tour of Great Britain when her sister suggests the trip as the basis for a series of travel articles. But Gabby's plans change dramatically when she finds herself saddled with photographer Jarod Walls, whose determined style initially clashes with her own.

Gabby's annoyance heightens when Janice continually forsakes her companionship to seek the tour director's attention and Gabby's suspicions continue to rise when she overhears discussions concerning enormous money exchanges. Confused by the alliance her sister is forming and by Jarod's obvious interest, Gabby is hesitant to trust anyone.

Unwittingly entwined in a maze of international intrigue, Gabby's simple assignment explodes into much more when her very life and the life of her sister hangs in the balance.

Tracie Peterson has authored over twenty-five novels, spanning both the contemporary and historical arenas. Her love of intrigue is woven within many of her books, including a precious Portraits novel, Entangled. Her latest historical venture is a bestselling series with Judith Pella, titled RIBBONS OF STEEL.

Average customer rating:

Applied Framing!
Vonnie Herrera
Fun and captivating way to learn!
The Joy of Choosing

Framed!
Hari Singh
Manufacturer: HRD Press, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Decision-Making & Problem Solving | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0874258731

Product Description

In this unique book, Dr. Hari Singha noted business professoruses an engrossing fictional setting to make the concepts of decision-making interesting and easy-to-absorb. The book consists of 20 chapters in which a murder mystery unfolds. Youll learn the importance of using both your mind and your heart or intuition in making decisions. The foundation of the novel consists of seven critical concepts that are introduced and applied in the mystery: Framing or conceptualizing the issue creatively
Anchoring or relying on reference points
Cause and effect
Taste for risk preference and the role of chance
Negotiation and the importance of trust
Evaluating decisions by a process
Tracking relevant feedback A fresh, new approach to decision-making Framed! presents key concepts of critical importance in a refreshing and meaningful wayincluding thinking outside a conventional frame, proactively seeking feedback about your decisions, avoiding post-decision regret and facing up to your mistakes and biases. The book draws extensively on the rich and diverse literature available on decision-making spanning psychology, economics and the management sciences. The thought-provoking quotations at the beginning of each chapter set the stage for the discussions to follow. Helpful resources include a glossary of terms, a conceptual overview and references. In addition, key questions at the end of the book challenge readers to reflect on their own decision-making process, such as: Do you normally gravitate to your own comfort level of risk?
How would you effectively employ anchors to improve your negotiations about a salary raise?
When would you decide to reframe an issue?
Consider a specific problem you are confronting todaywhat is the timetable for seeking a solution?
Do you aggressively and proactively seek feedback about your decisions?
Using the gift of hindsight, identify three major mistakes youve made and how you would have done things differently if you had to make a choice again. Core messages: Framing is the most important part of the decision-making process.
Actively look for disconfirming evidence, think outside your conventional boundaries and challenge your presumptions.
Our thinking process tries to simplify things by latching on to anchors. Ignore anchors that are not relevant to the issues.
Causation shouldnt be confused with correlation and association.
Be conscious of the amount of risk you are actually taking and the consequences of the additional risk.
Under some conditions it is difficult to balance self-interest and common interest.
Arriving at a decision involves discussion, investigation and evaluation within a framework.
Obtain feedback while making a decision and after the decision is made to assess its consequences.
There are many ways to make a decision. Generally, as the decisions get more important, the procedures will become more time-consuming and comprehensive. Consider the lessons of Framed! alone or, even better, in a group in which you can benefit from the contributions of others. Whether you are facing matters major or trivial, this enjoyable resource will help you find practical solutions to all your problems.

Customer Reviews:

Applied Framing!.......2006-08-11

Applying decision-making models to this great story was a very creative approach to writing an engaging book. It was great to read as the characters worked through the construction of a model, reviewed the outcomes and then learned from their mistakes and biases. The application of these concepts helped make them fun to learn and easier to use. Some of the exercises are good for independent study, but they were all fun in a group. Framed provides a great deal of material for book clubs from any discipline to read and discuss.

Vonnie Herrera.......2006-06-13

I was intrigued by Dr. Singh's ability to assemble a good-read mystery novel by intricately weaving in decision-making strategies to solve the mystery. This multi-faceted approach to discovery provides a good basis for learning not only from an academic perspective, but also in real life. His logical assignment of terms such as "Anchoring," and "Availability Bias" provide helpful roadmaps to living and making choices. I highly recommend this book to both academic and business professionals.

Fun and captivating way to learn!.......2006-06-12

I am familiar with the topics within decision making and the role of framing from prior academic work. Never did I have such a fascinating and enjoyable learning experience from a book. The approach of couching lessons and examples within the context of a murder mystery makes learning fun. For me, it was that joyful experience of not wanting to put the book down and I read it in two settings. For everyone, but corporate managers could have a great deal of fun reading this as a team. It would provide the common language and experience to repeat in practice for ongoing decisions of the firm. I would like to see much more with this approach to all forms of knowledge!

The Joy of Choosing.......2006-06-12

People make hundreds of decisions every day. Most decisions are either so trivial or so routine that we don't even think about the processes we follow to make them. In fact, we probably don't even realize we are applying any processes to our decision-making. Our dilemmas arise when we must make significant decisions: who to marry, what career to pursue, where to live . . .. Are there any useful models we can apply to decisions like these? Dr. Hari Singh would answer that question with a resounding, "yes!"

If you think a business professor's account of decision-making is likely to be dry as dust, think again. Dr. Singh uses a remarkably creative "frame" to present an abundance of scholarly material. Rather than explaining concepts deductively or formulaically, Dr. Singh enfolds those concepts in the frame of a novel. Moreover, Dr. Singh's uses the classic framing technique of enclosing a story-within-a-story. Thus, the story, the concepts and the models are literally "framed" in multiple layers.

The outer frame of the story is a conversation between two brothers. Chris, who must soon make some critical decisions, has come to his elder brother, Larry, for advice. Larry could dryly explicate Benjamin Franklin's Balance Sheet method, or the Weighing Attributes and Ranking Scores method, or the Scenario Strategies method of decision-making and then tell Chris to select a model from that menu. He doesn't do that. Instead, Larry tells Chris how he first learned, through two life-changing experiences, to apply all of those decision-making models at appropriate times.

The first life-changing experience, which provides the inner frame of the story, is Larry's account of a decision-making course he took in business school. This is the primary context in which academic concepts and models are introduced. Dr. Singh uses the dialogue between the students and their professor to explain and clarify the subject matter. The students' learning experiences, however, are not confined to the classroom. The students, by means of a case study, demonstrate how the ideas discussed in class can be applied to real-world situations. To this point, the concepts, models and case study have been set primarily in a business school context. But Dr. Singh does not stop there.

The second life-changing experience, which provides the fascinating (dare I say "fun?") core of Larry's story, is his application of the knowledge acquired in his business course to solve a murder mystery. Thus, Dr. Singh cleverly transfers concepts derived from a wide range of academic disciplines to an entirely new context and demonstrates that they can be used, literally, to resolve all manner of dilemmas. One could even say that it would be appropriate to view these ideas as life skills rather than mere business or decision-making tools.

Not only does Dr. Singh present his material in a novel (pun intended) context, he uses a variety of mnemonic tools and acronyms to assist the reader's retention of the material. I have not had the privilege of attending any of Dr. Singh's classes but I suspect that he is an outstanding teacher as well as a scholar. He has published numerous journal articles and served as a consultant for a variety of organizations and government agencies. This book is merely the latest addition to his substantial list of accomplishments.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in management, decision-making, group dynamics and the like. In addition to acquiring decision-making skills, readers of this book will gain a keen understanding of human nature and interaction. For that reason, in addition to being fruitfully used as a textbook in collegiate courses across a range of disciplines, this book should be required reading for executives and management professionals in all business (including non-profit organizations) and government agency contexts.

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