Miscellaneous Book Reviews
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Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration With Nature (Order from Amazon.com) This stunning hardcover coffee-table book is filled with 120 color photographs of Andy Goldsworthy's artwork. Andy is a British artist who works in nature, playfully and intelligently arranging sticks, rocks, snow, ice, feathers, and other objects into wonderful patterns and shapes that make you think about the relationship between the materials used, nature, and man's interaction with both. It's difficult to convey in words the magic tranquility of the photos, but one look and you'll be hooked. |
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aol.com by Kara Swisher (Order from Amazon.com) This 333-page paperback written by a Wall Street Journal reporter explains how America Online defied the skeptics to become the number one Internet provider in the world. Thanks to extraordinary access to AOL insiders, Swisher gets the facts right, but the book tends to plod along without serving up many juicy revelations or particularly new insights. If you're really curious about how Steve Case & Co. bested Bill Gates and turned AOL into a stock market darling, the stories are in here, they just aren't terribly intriguing. |
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Eyewitness Travel Guides by DK Publishing Without question, Eyewitness guides are the absolute best travel books money can buy. Each is crammed with useful information, detailed maps, and tons of diagrams and photos that clearly show you what the other guides only tell you. After reading the insightful text and perusing the gorgeous illustrations you feel you've already visited the sites described. Due to the coated stock and full-color printing, the books are heavy and expensive, but well worth it. I personally own and recommend all of the following: Florence & Tuscany, Italy, London, Paris, Rome, San Francisco & Northern California, and Venice & The Veneto. |
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Faster by James Gleick (Order from Amazon.com) Anyone who wants to know why everyday life feels like it is swirling by at a dizzying pace should take the time to read this 330-page paperback which examines "the acceleration of just about everything." The book is broken into short, accessible essays on various interrelated aspects of time, efficiency, and productivity. You'll see what life was like before days were shredded into hours/minutes/seconds, learn how atomic clocks dictate the world's one "true" time, understand why sporting achievements are affected by advances in timing, appreciate the pervasive influence MTV has had on all forms of entertainment, and laugh at the ridiculous things people do--and the stunning prices they'll pay--just to save a few seconds. |
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Gambling Scams by Darwin Ortiz (Order from Amazon.com) If you've ever wondered how suckers are separated from their cash, this 262-page paperback is for you. It details exactly how gamblers get swindled in casinos by unscrupulous dealers, in private card games by ringers and mechanics, at carnivals by game operators, on the streets by three card monte teams, and in bars by con men. Not only does Ortiz reveal the fascinating techniques employed by grifters and cheats, he tells you how to detect scams and protect yourself and your bankroll. A must-read for anyone who loves to wager or is interested in how human nature is exploited for financial gain. |
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Idiot Letters by Paul C. Rosa (Order from Amazon.com) To Colorado-based comedian Paul C. Rosa, junk mail isn't annoying, it's inspirational. When Pizza Hut sent him a promotional mailing stating "you're the kind of customer we'd like to see more often," Rosa responded with a letter asking "what kind of customer wouldn't you like to see?" If corporate America was going to treat Rosa like an idiot, he reasoned that the best revenge was to act like one. Idiot Letters is a 160-page paperback containing the hilarious paper trail of correspondence between Rosa and 65 companies and public figures conducted over a six-month period in 1993. I laughed out loud on every page, and I bet you will too. This is one hell of a funny book. |
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Nature Got There First by Phil Gates (Order from Amazon.com) This lavishly-illustrated "children's" book reveals fascinating parallels between natural phenomenon and technological advances, from roses and razor wire to chloroplast and solar cells. While Velcro was directly inspired by the burrs of a thistle, other links are more tenuous. Nonetheless, the book gives readers of all ages a renewed appreciation for the incredible variety, amazing utility, and ingenious solutions of even the simplest plants and animals in the natural world. |
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The Pinball Effect by James Burke (Order from Amazon.com) Burke may be best known as the host of the TV show Connections, and this 310-page paperback follows much the same format, tracing improbable paths of discovery from distant scientific experiments to high-tech inventions of the present, many owing their existence to sheer accident. While some of the paths seem specious and convenient, the engaging presentation of such a tremendous breadth of knowledge is impressive, from astronomy to zoology, and everything in between, including religion, economics, psychology, chemistry, and dozens of other subjects you haven't thought of since high school. |
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Savages by Joe Kane (Order from Amazon.com) Savages is a 274-page non-fiction paperback that tracks the adventures of Joe Kane, who spent three months in Ecuador helping the Huarani take a census to fight petrochemicals' industrial colonization. A well on Huarani land would produce enough oil to meet the energy needs of the U.S. for just 13 days, but would destroy the way of life of the 1,300 Huarani who live in a rain forest the size of the state of Massachusetts. This is no bleeding heart liberal tome, but rather an insightful look at Ecuador's disappearing indigenous people who are at times both frightening and quaint. When you finish reading Savages, you'll have no doubt that the title refers not to the Huarani, but rather the heartless companies and corrupt politicians conspiring to destroy the rain forest for profit. |
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Ship of Gold by Gary Kinder (Order from Amazon.com) This 536-page paperback weaves a mesmerizing tale about the tragic 1857 sinking and "impossible" 1980s recovery of the SS Central America, lost in a hurricane while carrying 600 passengers and 21 tons of gold from California. Author Kinder deftly puts you aboard the ill-fated sidewheel steamer during its final voyage, then takes you along for a swashbuckling ride with Tommy Thompson, a brilliant engineer who sets out to locate and recover the ship and its cargo at depths and distances never before attempted. "Ship of Gold" is full of deep sea adventure, courtroom battles, scientific mystery, and old-fashioned suspense, culminating in Thompson's triumphant recovery of the largest treasure trove ever. Anyone who enjoys Ship of Gold will also want to get Thompson's own 191-page hardcover coffee-table book, America's Lost Treasure, which includes full-page historical illustrations of the ship, and color photographs of the wreck site with gold coins and bars as far at the eye can see! |
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The Total Package by Thomas Hine (Order from Amazon.com) A fascinating in-depth look at the secret history and hidden meanings of consumer packaging. By examining familiar household products, Hine explores the major cultural, economic, and social implications of packaging. After reading this enlightening book, a walk through supermarket aisles becomes akin to perusing an art museum as you become aware of all the various subtle tricks producers employ to compel you to purchase their wares. |
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Watch It Made In The U.S.A. by Karen Axelrod and Bruce Brumberg (Order from Amazon.com) If you have an inquisitive mind and have ever wondered how some of your favorite products are manufactured, this 366-page paperback is for you. It contains complete visitors' information (hours, directions, freebies) on 300 American factories and company museums open to the public, where you can see the wheels of industry cranking out beer, CDs, cars, jeans, jellybeans, Teddy bears, money, movies…you name it! I'd like to see more photos and additional tours, nonetheless this book is the best of its kind. I consult it before every trip to learn about fascinating alternatives to typical roadside attractions. |
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What Were They Thinking by Robert M. McMath (Order from Amazon.com) This 240-page hardcover provides marketing lessons learned from examining over 80,000 new-product innovations and idiocies of the past 30 years. The author is a knowledgeable consultant, but the writing is breezy and very accessible. As a result, this book appeals to both marketing professionals as lay people alike. The book skewers many real-world examples of stupid products and ill-conceived marketing campaigns. These make for hilarious reading, unless you are the bone-headed executive responsible for these costly corporate blunders. If you have anything to do with product development, advertising, or marketing, you'd do well to pick up a copy of this book today so you don't repeat the mistakes of yesterday. |
