Customer Reviews (2)

What we have here is a failure to understand

Early in this book, Richards comments on one of Beaverbrook's business deals by observing "His method was no more unscrupulous than a McDonald's setting up beside a Burger King, or an Irving by an Esso."

Perhaps Richards doesn't realize that it's not unscrupulous;restaurant rivals often set upclose to each other because it boosts sales for everyone.Further, McDonald's is not a direct competitor to Burger King;like all burger shops, each has distinct demographics.McDonald's customers are loyal, like Burger King and others;occasionally they like a little variety which is why such shops tend to locate in clusters.

The same is true for gas stations and many other businesses.The best newspapers are those involved in tough competition;Toronto has three excellent papers, Phoenix has only one second-rate declining newspaper.Time and again throughout this book, Richards doesn't seem to have a clue about the co-operative/competitive nature of business.

Business, unless it is a coddled monopoly, is not based on what customers do for business owners;success is based on what the owner does for customers.Beaverbrook seems to have been a master at this "service to others" concept;while, of course, helping himself to a share of the proceeds as a reward for his own thoughtfulness.

Likewise, as minister of Britain's aircraft production in the early days of World War II, Beaverbrook knew enough about government to realize that if he took the blame for diverting "vital" war materials to the aircraft factories, the bureaucrats would comply as long as they could blame him if anything went wrong.Bureaucrats can achieve miracles if they have someone else to blame.

Once again, it's not "Here's what you can do for me."It's, "Here's how I can help you."It's the fastest and surest way through any numbskull bureaucracy, whether in business, politics or any government bureaucracy.Didn't Richards ever have a paper route?

Richards seems to blithely stumble over this simple fact again and again in trying to explain Beaverbrook's life and accomplishments;but, every time he picks himself up and blunders on, completely oblivious to the roots of Beaverbrook's success.

It's a pity.This could have been a great book.

The Little Giant
He wasn't physically large, but his physical presence was never in question.His horizons were endless, but he had the drive and ambition to strive to reach them all.Max Aitken's story reads like a modern fairy tale, but the people and circumstances are real.From a Newcastle, New Brunswick childhood, during which his ability to maneuver people for his own ends was manifested early on, Max rose to become a Peer of the Realm, much to the distress of several of the other peers.At the same time he had become the most influential newspaperman in the world.All this before the age of forty!

David Adams Richards was the ideal choice to portray Max.As a novelist, his approach to Aitken's life bears an intimacy few historians possess.A native of Beaverbrook's home town, he has a fine writer's touch for bringing Max Aitken to life.The author's style is well-tuned to the personality of his subject.Aitken's career seems to have left him little time for reflection, there was always something else to accomplish.

Aitken's drive for success emerged early - he started a newspaper at 13.After a short term as an office boy in a law office, he moved to Halifax, where he came under the tutelage of John Stairs, who taught him financial matters.A somewhat shady business affair led him to leave Canada for Britain.There, he moved upward with amazing speed to earn a Knighthood in 1911.The outbreak of WWI prompted the Canadian government to put him in charge of an archive of Canadian activities in the conflict.Not a record-keeper, Max used the role to promote Canada's role in the war.Before the Armistice was signed, Max Aitken had become Lord Beaverbrook - title taken from the region near his home.

In the interwar years Aitken had his foot in two, related realms.Intelligence and propaganda were closely related in those days.But his other interest lay with the newspaper business, and his takeover of the 'Express" papers rejuvenated the chain.Among other causes it promoted was Free Trade among the members of the British Empire.As a Canadian, Max had suffered a good many snubs and sneers for being a "Colonial", but his wish for equal status really was based on economic issues.The culmination of all these activities, of course, was the appointment of newspaper baron Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, to being in charge of aircraft production shortly after the breakout of WWII.How incongruous - a publisher doing manufacturing?On reflection, the answer is dead easy.Aircraft production requires organisation and management skills.Max Aitken had demonstrated such abilities from an early age.This is a little giant of a book about a little giant of a man.[stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada] ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Bliss Carman, David Adams Richards, Kenneth G. Mills, Alden Nowlan, Charles G.d. Roberts, Raymond Fraser, Antoine Joseph Léger, Antonine Maillet, K. V. Johansen, Douglas Lochhead, Eric Allaby, Herb Curtis, Nancy Bauer, Paul Marlowe, Don Hannah, Sarah Mcevoy, Deborah Joy Corey, Michael Whelan, Peter D. Clark, France Daigle. Excerpt:Alden Albert Nowlan (January 25, 1933 - June 27, 1983) was a critically acclaimed Canadian poet , novelist , and playwright History Cairn for Alden Nowlan in Stanley, Nova Scotia Alden Nowlan was born into rural poverty in a home near Stanley , Nova Scotia , along a stretch of dirt road that he would later refer to as Desolation Creek. His father, Gordon Freeman Nowlan, worked sporadically as a manual labourer. His mother, Grace Reese, was only 14 years of age when Nowlan was born, and she soon left the family, leaving Alden and her younger daughter Harriet, to the care of their paternal grandmother. The family discouraged education as a waste of time, and Nowlan left school after only four grades. At the age of 14, he went to work in the village sawmill. At the age of 16, Nowlan discovered the regional library. Each weekend he would walk or hitchhike eighteen miles to the library to get books, and secretly began to educate himself. "I wrote (as I read) in secret." Nowlan remembered. "My father would as soon have seen me wear lipstick." Career ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: David Adams Richards, Bernard Lord, Frank Mckenna, Roméo Leblanc, Willie O'ree, K. C. Irving, Order of New Brunswick, Richard Hatfield, Gordon Fairweather, Molly Lamb Bobak, Louis Robichaud, Brenda Robertson, Claudette Bradshaw, Herménégilde Chiasson, Antonine Maillet, Margaret Mccain, Fred Cogswell, Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, Graydon Nicholas, Harrison Mccain, Wallace Mccain, Viola Léger, James Irving. Excerpt:The Hon. Antonine Maillet in 1984 Antonine Maillet , PC , CC , OQ , ONB , FRSC (born May 10, 1929) is a Canadian Acadian novelist , playwright , and scholar . She was born in Bouctouche , New Brunswick and lives in Montreal , Quebec . Following high school, she received her BA from the Université de Moncton , followed by an MA from the same institution. She then received her PhD in literature in 1970 from the Université Laval . She taught literature and folklore at Laval, then in Montreal between 1971 to 1976. She later worked for Radio-Canada in Moncton as a script writer and host. In 1976 she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1981. Maillet was awarded the Royal Society of Canada 's Lorne Pierce Medal in 1980. In 1985 she was made an Officier des Arts et des Lettres de France and in 2005 she was inducted into the Order of New Brunswick . She is a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada . In 1979 her work Pélagie-la-Charrette won the Prix Goncourt , giving her the distinction of being the only non-European to be awarded the prize until that date. Works List of French Canadian writers from outside Quebec , List of Quebec authors Websites (URLs online) A hyperlinked version of this chapter is at Bernard Lord Bernard Lord , ONB (born September 27, 1965 in Roberval, Quebec ) is a Canadian politician and lobbyist. Lord served... ... Read more

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Chapters: Members of the Order of New Brunswick, Pre-Confederation New Brunswick People, David Adams Richards, Bernard Lord, Frank Mckenna, Roméo Leblanc, Willie O'ree, K. C. Irving, Sir Archibald Campbell, 1st Baronet, Richard Hatfield, Gordon Fairweather, Molly Lamb Bobak, Louis Robichaud, Sarah Emma Edmonds, Brenda Robertson, Thomas Storrow Brown, Claudette Bradshaw, Edward Winslow, Thomas Carleton, Herménégilde Chiasson, Antonine Maillet, List of People From New Brunswick, Ward Chipman, Margaret Mccain, Fred Cogswell, Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, Graydon Nicholas, Harrison Mccain, Acalus Lockwood Palmer, Wallace Mccain, Viola Léger, Judson Burpee Black, James Irving, Jeremiah Smith Boies de Veber, George Burchill, John Baird, Alexander Gibson, William Abrams, Mather Byles, Thomas Barlow. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 138. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Roméo-Adrien LeBlanc (18 December 1927 24 June 2009) was a Canadian journalist, politician, and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 25th since that country's confederation. LeBlanc was born and educated on Canada's east coast and also studied in France prior to becoming a teacher and then a reporter for Radio-Canada. He was subsequently elected to the House of Commons in 1972, whereafter he served as a minister of the Crown until 1984, when he was moved to the Senate and became that chamber's Speaker. He was in 1994 appointed as governor general by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on the recommendation of Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien, to replace Ramon John Hnatyshyn as viceroy, and he occupied the post until succeeded by Adrienne Clarkson in 1999, citing his health as the reason for his stepping down. His appointment as the Queen's representative caused some controversy, due to perceptions of polit...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=226074 ... Read more

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Searing, brilliant, and tension-filled, this is a foreboding tale about truth, lies and justice — quintessential David Adams Richards.

When a terrible accident unsettles the peace in a small, tight-knit community, who will pay the price?

Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul tells an intricate story about the miscarriage of justice in the case of one man's death in a shipping yard in New Brunswick in 1985. The novel is a meticulous study of the various half truths, political machinations and outright lies that lead to the unfair incrimination of one man, Roger Savage, in the death of Hector Penniac, a promising young Micmac man from a local First Nations reserve. ... Read more

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Answering the need that exists for a single reference to address the practical issues of implementing Image-guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) into prostate cancer treatment, Image-guided Radiation Therapy of Prostate Cancer provides clinicians with a solid understanding of this technology and, through in-depth illustrations and step-by-step guidelines, offers practical guidance on successfully employing IGRT to improve patient outcomes.

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Many investors are attracted to the venture capital market by the possibility of outstanding returns, but these returns are associated with high levels of risk. This proceedings examines the attractiveness of venture capital as an asset class and explores cycles that affect venture capital investments and whether venture capital makes sense for institutional investors. ... Read more

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Human Development and Criminal Behavior proposes an extensive agenda for crime research. The book is part of a pioneering effort to understand the causes of crime, particularly its developmental course. It defines and sets the conditions necessary to conduct an accelerated longitudinal study of individuals at risk to become engaged in criminal careers. This work offers a blueprint for research to elucidate and possibly prevent crime in our society. ... Read more

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By studying primary source material, the authors have compiled the most authentic and readable record of the prolific Adams ceramic wares from England, including earthenware, bone china, jasper, stoneware, basalt, and Parian made over a 200 year period. Over 1250 color photographs illustrate the comprehensive text. Ceramics historians and collectors, archaeologists, antiques dealers, museum curators, and auctioneers everywhere will find this unique and complete study of the Adams potteries to be the essential reference. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

great Adams Ceranics resource!
This is a comprehensive, beautiful coffee table style book.It is well laid out and has excellent photos of just about everything Adams China made from the early days! ... Read more