Westerns Books

This is one of the worst books I've ever read. The headings and subheadings are often very confusing; what should be
subheading is often listed in the same font/size/color as the its corresponding heading. It is very hard to dicipher how the authors are
classifying things at times. Some of the classifications are
very poor and not even parallel. For example, on page 88, the authors classify data processing into four "general approaches":
batch processing using sequential files, batch processing using direct access files, batch processing with real-time data collection, and real time processing. The headings on page 88 are ALTERNATIVE DATA PROCESSING APPROACHES and BATCH PROCESSING USING SEQUENTIAL FILES. (These headings have exact font/size/color. ) It would be much more helpful to students if the print the four approaches in one font/size/color which is different from the overall header of "ALTERNATIVE DATA PROCESSING APPROACHES."
After reading the following 6-7 pages of discussion, I could not help shaking my head about the poor classification. To me, data processing should simply be classified in 2 categories: batch and real-time. THe authors added more classifition using another criteria of file structure. However, they mix these categories together. What they called "batch processing with real-time data collection" is really just half batch and half real-time (which in the aggregate should probably be called batch processing).

So, in essense, the authors' classification of the four approaches is exactly the same as the following classification of cars:
(1) red cars with 2 doors
(2) red cars with 4 doors
(3) half-red, half-white cars
(4) white cars

The discussion about each approaches are also confusing.
For example, on page 95, under the heading "Batch processing using real time data collection", the author wrote "The systems examined thus far describe a process by which transactions are sent in batches to a central location for conversion to magnetic media. A popular alternative is to capture transaction data at its source in real time. Real-time processing is also called "on-line" because the system, in this case the data collection portion of it, is available to the user at all times. By distributing data input capability to users, certain transaction errors can be prevented or detected and corrected at their source. The result is a transaction file that is free from most of the errorss that plague data processing. Figure 2-39 illustrates this approach. Real-time data collection can be used with both the batch/sequential and the batch/direct access update techniques. In both cases, however, the transaction file produced in the data collection stage must be a direct access structure."

This is just one example. I am from a computer science and MIS background, and can kind of figure out what the authors are trying to say, but many students are confused
by this book, and are complaining about this book (which is why I am writing this review).

The book is okay as far as textbooks go, but there is no real companion site. Most textbooks have decent companion sites with study guides, quizzes, glossary, etc. This one has none of that, only the slides that go with the chapter.

This book is perfect for self study, studying without colleges.
It reads easy, has a perfect index and interesting information.

It is a rare distinction to have written an Accounting textbook that works this well outside of the classroom. I have been reading this to update my knowledge in this area and with a possible eye to writing system documentation or perhaps designing a system of my own.

The only topic I missed seeing in the index regards solving the coding problem that would allow generating an accurate statement of cash flow. Why this doesn't pop to the top of the request list among Accounting professionals I don't understand, but so far the treatment is inadequate.

The other textbook of note in the AIS area is by Gelinas and Sutton and might fill whatever holes exist in Hall's textbook.

I thought this book gives you a tremendous amount of information. However I took a star off my rating because I think it gives a little to much to stomach per chapter. Overall it is a great Intro to Business text book.

This text, I found, to be easy to read and understand. Following along through the fundamentals of business was a snap and made the semester much more enjoyable (if college can be).

I got the book quick and it was in great condition, and for about 1/8 the price of a new one.

I needed this book for a summer course I'm taking. I saved $94 off the bookstore price.

If you have time and want to learn macro and micro economics fundamentals and how it can applied in a practical setting, then is the book for you. I used this book for my MBA program.

The author has used examples, charts, graphs , figures etc to drive home the concepts.

If you want to learn economics in 24 hrs, this is not the book for you.

Product was well packaged and delivered in time. Will do business again.

I concur with the other reviewers...this is one textbook that is worth every dollar. The authors use color and layout so well in their instruction...a wonderful feature since economics, even with all its fancy graphs, can be very boring. The text is even engaging. It's a bookshelf staple for anyone who is interested in economics, student or not.

The idea behind a book like this is to acquaint students with historical documents, by giving translated excerpts. The latter are chosen to be succinct and somehow, given the vagaries of time and translation, convey the essentials of viewpoints centuries vanished.

Indeed, this seems quite successful. All the authors and excerpted works will be familiar to historians. So we have Marcus Aurelius and his Mediations. And Maimonides on Jewish learning. The selections are diverse across time, religion and subject matter.

The book takes the pragmatic view that most students, even of history, are unlikely to read the full works of these writers, even in translated form, let alone in the original languages. Thus the acquaintances brought about by this book may well be the only exposures many readers will ever get to these past luminaries.

A dissenting view about the book is based on the observation that it is the 7th edition. All the original authors have been dead for centuries. Their texts don't change. So why, in the space of a few recent years, have there been 7 editions of the book?

The first time I tried to take economics, I gave up. The teacher was no good, and the textbook we were using didn't help. So I put the course off for two years until I couldn't wait any longer.

But things have changed, thank God! The second time around I had a much better teacher, but more than that, we used this textbook instead, and I swear it helped me do well in the class. It is SO clearly written, with great examples and great stories. I admit I was intimidated by economics at first, but this book has a way of explaining the concepts that makes you think, "Hey, I actually get this." The authors give you credit for being an intelligent person, and they provide really clear analysis while walking you through the tougher parts step by step.

As for the review here that talks about the authors' political agenda, I have to come to the authors' defense. I consider myself very middle of the road politically, and believe me, there is nothing objectionable here. The authors are very careful to present both sides of various debates, and those debates are always framed as two sides of a story - and they don't take either side, they just report the controversy and let the reader decide for himself.

After reading this book and taking this course, I feel that I understand the newspaper and TV news much better. So, thanks Robert Hall and Marc Lieberman, I got an A in principles of econ when I thought the best I could hope for was a D.

Easy and fun to use. Excellent blend of academia and real-life examples. Charts, graphs, and illustrations were colorful and easy to understand. Also, authors Hall and Liberman provide readers access to their macroecon website for additional study. I used this text at the postgraduate level - great for undergrads, too.

I was required to use this book for a college macro course. I found this to be one of the worst business textbooks I've seen so far. I think it fails its job at giving the average college student a good understanding of the macro economy.

When explaining simple concepts that should be easy to grasp, the book loads the reader down with obscure mathematical equations and other gobblygook. On rather complicated topics where additional details would help, they try to condense the topics making it difficult to see the big picture. To figure out what I was supposed to learn, I had to use other sources to help me out (i.e. websites and other business books). I also think the authors are poor at making comprehensible analogies.

Perhaps the most annoying aspect was the author's injected liberal opinion. In a few chapters, they innuendo their griefs about how businesses are unfair to poor people and that successful individuals should have their winnings reallocated to the less privileged. They also gripe about how not everyone can find a job in a capitalist society. It seems that the authors have little understanding of concepts like competition and motivation to be successful.

If you are a course coordinator considering this book for a macroeconomics class, please do your students a favor and seek a different book. As a student, it is more helpful to have a book free of opinions. A book that uses clear explanations rather than confusing lines and charts. If the websites and other sources I used can clearly state the material, so can a textbook!

Landes provides an interesting and credible explanation of the differences in income/capita (now about 400:1, about 5:1 250 years ago) between the richest and poorest nations. En route, Landes also provides a useful perspective on today's globalization debate.

Most of the differential is attributable to cultural values. Some, however, is geographical. If one marks off a belt a couple thousand miles in width circling the earth at the equator, one finds within it no developed countries. Year-round heat encourages proliferation of disease and parasites. Poor soils and extreme dry areas are added problems, as well as the debilitating heat's effect on workers.

From about 750-1100, Islamic science and technology far surpassed those in Europe - then something went wrong and science became denounced as heresy by religious zealots. Similarly, state control allowed Chinese innovations to fall into disuse. China's flotillas far surpassed Europe's. The biggest ships were about 400' long and 160' wide (Columbus' Santa Maria was about 85' long), and the fleet totaled 317 vessels and 28,000 men. Then new leadership brought an emphasis on agriculture and all ocean-going ships were destroyed in 1525.

Europe enjoyed a monopoly on corrective lenses for 3-400 years, beginning in the 1300s, more than doubling the availability of skilled craftsmen and allowing the further development of microscopes and telescopes around 1600.

Cotton from India proved capable of multiple washings (vs. wool), thereby transforming standards of cleanliness and health.

"Easy money" (eg. gold from Spanish colonies, Holland's discovery of North Sea natural gas) makes for a lazy economy that fails to develop the talents of its people.

The Protestant Reformation gave a big boost to literacy, and spawned dissents that are at the heart of scientific endeavor. Data show a much greater percentage of scientists from Protestant vs. Catholic backgrounds. Unfortunately, after Luther, cleanliness became a particular cause for suspicion of heresy, and smuggling non-approved books led to the death penalty. Thus, the fate of Catholic southern Europe was sealed for 300-some years. Sicily also suffered from intolerance and superstition of Jews, forced them out, and imposed a backwardness in trade on itself.

Landes then goes on to ask "Why did the Industrial Revolution occur in England?" Protestants were persecuted and expelled from France. Weavers from the southern Netherlands sought refuge in England and brought trade secrets with them, while Jews from Spanish persecutions brought networks of trade connections. England also had a much better system of roads, along with an emphasis on transport speed and time in general. Meanwhile, France was undergoing the upheaval of the French Revolution, India's craftsmen avoided using iron and steel (had made no progress in scientific knowledge for centuries), while Russia was hobbled by serfdom's tying peasants to the land to do forced labor. China and Japan had walled themselves off from the rest of the world - in fact, China lost many of its early innovations through disuse.

Another problem for Russia was that serfdom left so much wealth in the hands of the nobility that overall consumer demand was limited. Russia's poor industry was only able to produce inferior rifles, resulting in enormous losses in the Crimean War (1854-56), the war with Japan (1904-05), and WWI. Finally, the Baltic states remained poor because they were tangled in an endless struggle for freedom.

Regardless, once started, the Industrial Revolution proved difficult to copy because division of labor complicated industrial espionage. Across the Atlantic, scarcity of labor in the early U.S. led to high wages and a push for innovation. Thus, European devices were copied and imported, and skilled European craftsmen encouraged to move to high American wages. (Side Note: By the time of the Civil War, firearms production in the North vs. Confederacy was 32:1 due to the South's emphasis on agriculture.)

The Spanish in South America kept Protestants and Jews out; independence came not because of the settlers' strength, rather Spain's weakness. Spain also brought a macho society attitude that adulthood brought males complete independence and idleness; South American immigrants were also less educated than those in North America and the immense landownings lent themselves to simple ranching enterprises. (American immigrants created a squatters' rights culture, with small landownings and a high motivation for self-sufficiency.)

China and Japan both resisted foreigners; the latter persecuted Christians and their converts after being told these groups were part of Spain's control mechanism. Following a period of anti-foreigners, Japan committed to learning from and copying the U.S. and Europe. (The Chinese did also, but much, much later.)

Muslims (Ottoman Empire) cut themselves off from the mainstream of knowledge via banning the printing press - had a problem with a printed Koran. Another major limiter was their diminishment of women. (The Japanese did also, but to a much more limited extent - eg. girls were well educated, they worked until married, and continued to work afterwards if their income was needed.)

The Japanese realized they lost WWII because of greater U.S. industrial output. Landed attributes this to their support for a large, exporting auto industry - American occupiers saw no need for such an industry (comparative disadvantage). Japan's auto producing disadvantages (small market, lag in technology) were turned into advantages through the Toyota Production System.

Landes points out that today's comparative advantage rationality can easily become tomorrow's mistake. His example is Germany - the British economist John Bowring lamented that the foolish Germans wanted to make iron and steel instead of sticking to wheat and rye and buying their manufactures from Britain. Had they heeded him, they would have pleased the economists and ended up a lot poorer. Similarly, the Japanese.

Bottom Line: The most successful cures for poverty come from within. Educated, eyes-open optimism pays; pessimism only offers the empty consolation of being right. Gains from trade are unequal. Some activities are more lucrative and productive than others.

A good and informative read, more so, the second time around. Landes, raises many excellent points for debate between socio-economics and cultural influences of peoples and their leaders, more ofter imposed upon them, as opposed to chosen to lead.

The book chosen for an economics class just finished at Lund University, Lunds, Sweden. As, a retired American ex-patriot with a background in international finance, still interested in learning, this book is highly recommended for anyone seeking to gain a better understanding on the question "how did we get to where we are?" And divides the world's peoples into three catagories: those that spend billions yearly on losing weight; those that eat to live; and, those who don't know where their next meal is coming from! That our wealth (the West) is dependent on others less fortunate. What they can't make, they will take! That wealth is, in and of itself, a magnet for exporting of commodities or products, but when all else fails or is denied -- people (migration) will be the end product that swamps the west.

We'd better wake-up and understand our need to declare World War III, not nation on nation, region on region, or religion against another religion, but a unified "War on Poverty" led by the west.

Landes is the man, and this book pretty much sums it up. His primary thesis, that when humans are given the freedom to be innovative and pursue their own interest, is familiar from Adam Smith, but Landes does it better, it's a convincing argument. Culture is the determining factor in the success and failure of nations, not chance, not geography, not even resources, and Landes makes it obvious, it seems.

I had already read Guns, Germs and Steel so was braced for a lot of redundant concepts in "The Wealth and Poverty of Nations" by Professor Landes. 500+ pages later though, this is the clear winner on the subject. More reasonable and deeper in the theories, backed by many examples, interspersed with an easy reading of summarized histories that allow the reader to put it all together.

My recommendation to anyone out to read this book would be to take a "beginners' mindset," understand the hypotheses, and feel free to subsequently cross-reference on the historical data points if left unconvinced by some. All the nonsense propaganda that we are fed with in the early years of our lives makes this task that much more challenging, but that much more important as well.

I found this book very interesting but a little directionless. His basic premise that culture not geography (or evil Europeans) is a large factor in where a country stands today. Notice I said large factor not the only factor which his detractors claim he says. As to my complaint on the writing, I enjoyed all the information but I feel it could have been funnelled toward his basic point better it was a little scattershot. Most of the 10 or so detractors I read either used falsehoods or distortions for their complaints. The point about the chopsticks was a tiny point but true! Why do parents teach babies dexterity exercises with those toys. And to the guy who claimed that Landes said all Asians are frugal you must have read a different. He did say that throughout Asia Chinese are the middle class managers. Anyone who goes to that part of the world knows this to be true. One final point He did show the flaws in European (especially the Iberean Peninsula) thinking but horror of horrors when you are evaluating numerous cultures for 1 issue- economic- 1 is going to come out on top and say it loud and say it proud WESTERN CIV. provides the best overall life for human beings

My history teacher in high school gave us a choice between this book and another (can't remember the latter's title), and I was more than satisfied with this book. I personally prefer the narrative style and detail of this book. My only further comment is to recommend the concise "Modern European History" by S. Viault as you read/after reading this book. It's a wonderful way to recap the important events of each period, not to mention well-phrased and easy to "get the picture."

Western Civilization: Required text for a Central Texas College course. Book is small text and takes some time to read, but the author does an interesting job of presenting the information. I am now in the second week of class and have only read the first 3 chapters, but was worth the purchase.

Recommendation: Worth buying if you'd like a good introduction to Western Civilization.

It leaves of on chapter 15 or 16 whereas, the next volume picks up on Chapter 13. Why didn't they just combine the two volumes since this book is so short anyway instead of reprinting the last 2 or 3 chapters in the second volume? What a ripoff...
Anyway, it's about as good a Western History textbook as you're going to get.

I purchased my first copy of this text several years from a college bookstore, not for a class, but because I picked it up, began browsing, and couldn't bear to put it down. Although textbooks are not usually written for pleasure reading, I've found Spielvogel's book to be truly well-written and efficiently designed. Maps, chronologies (timelines), and numerous illustrations and sidebars make the text inviting and accessible.

One of my favorite features is the inclusion of excerpts from original source documents. It's fascinating to read the writings of a medieval merchant of Paris on the subject of marriage, or excerpts from the court record of the trial of Joan of Arc. It provides a vivid, memorable glimpse of life in a different place and time.

I used this textbook to prepare for the Western Civilization CLEP, and I passed with no difficulty at all, earning 6 credits toward my bachelor's degree. Western Civ is a huge topic, and Dr. Spielvogel has done a terrific job of making it not only accessible, but enjoyable. I recommend this book!

I READ THIS BOOK FOR WESTERN CIV I & II AND I LOVED IT! NOT TO MENTION THAT I RECEIVED AN A ON BOTH TESTS. EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ IT FOR COLLEGE, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. IT IS SUCH A TREAT TO READ AND I BELIEVE IT BELONGS IN EVERY HOME. EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW WHERE THE CRADLE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION BEGAN, AND HOW THE PEOPLE LIVED AND PROGRESSED THROUGHOUT THE AGES. I CAN'T WAIT TO SHARE THIS BOOK WITH MY CHILDREN SOMEDAY. HAPPY READING!