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Outliers: The Story of Success
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Malcolm Gladwell;
2008-11-18;
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Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £9.34
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 Customer Reviews
There is a tide in the affairs of men, 06 Jan 2009
"There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures."
Brutus (from Julius Caesar)captures the essence of this book. It's an entertaining read with good stories and examples. Its basic message is easy to summarise.
Success is not a linear journey. And there are always particular local factors that enable it. No one is really self made. Success is about preparation and opportunity coming together. All successful people have had some "lucky breaks" although I think it was a great golfer who said, "The more I practice the luckier I seem to become."
The administrative and technical quirks (such as where you are in your school year) that have such a huge effects on your academic and sporting achievements, and future prospects are well described. The small starting differences that lead to massive differential reinforcement effects are well described.
And the combination of a skill and a brand new field opening up is unbeatable for major success as Bill Gates and Bill Joy demonstrate.
This book is not the last word on success but it gives many useful pointers, and may help you realise where some of your opportunities are, and also where they won't be found no matter how good you are at something.
It's a great quick read and you will learn some useful ideas from it.
How to "unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't", 06 Jan 2009
In reviews of Malcolm Gladwell's previous books, The Tipping Point and Blink, I express an opinion that Gladwell offers an insight that others have previously expressed and then requires 300+ pages to discuss it. His key points in both books could have been made in an article. Gladwell's "tipping point"(2002), for example, is essentially the same as Michael Kami's "trigger point" (1988) and Andrew Gove "inflection point" (1996). (Gladwell does acknowledge the importance of an article, "Broken Windows," co-authored by James Wilson and George Kelling for The Atlantic Monthly in 1982). When I began to read Outliers, therefore, I feared that Gladwell would once again offer a thoughtful but verbose examination of a by-now familiar insight: success requires more than extraordinary talent.
That said, Outliers is (in my opinion) his most significant and most valuable book thus far. As the Epilogue clearly indicates, this is also his most personal book. In it, Gladwell demonstrates superior storyteller skills as he discusses several quite different situations that demonstrate that "the values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are...[Those who succeed] owe something to parentage and patronage. [They] may look like they did all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot...It's not enough to ask what successful people are like, in other words. It is only by asking where they are [begin italics] from [end italics] that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't."
Gladwell provides many different versions of "the story of success" involving those who demonstrate what sociologists call "accumulative advantage." For example, in any youth sports competition (especially hockey) that groups players according to the calendar year of birth, those who are born in January, February, or March are more likely to be bigger, better coordinated, and more talented because of "the phenomenon of relative age." They will play more often, receive more individual attention, and be selected to play on better teams because they were born closest to the cut-off date. Their success follows a predictable course. "Outliers are those who have been given opportunities - and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them." Clearly, Gladwell agrees with Geoff Colvin that "talent is overrated." As does Colvin, he cites The 10,000-Hour Rule and suggests that "once a musician has enough ability to get into a top music school, the thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works. That's it. And what's more, the people at the top don't work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, [begin italics] much [end italics] harder."
John Maxwell makes the same point in Talent Is Never Enough. If it were, "then the most effective and influential people would always be the most talented ones but that is often not the case...Clearly talent isn't everything." That said, he hastens to add, talent is worthy of our admiration and must be perceived in the proper perspective. Maxwell's key point is that all of us have a choice, actually several choices, and can determine to what extent (if any) we take full advantage of the talents we have, such as they are. "If you do, you will add value to yourself, add value to others, and accomplish much more than you dreamed was possible." Gladwell agrees but would presumably stress, also, the importance of others (family members, teachers, coaches, clergy, patrons, and mentors) to being able to commit 10,000 hours, "the magic number of greatness," to (Colvin's term) "deliberate practice." The success of the various outliers whom Gladwell discusses is not exceptional or mysterious. "It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky - but all critical to making them who they are. The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all."
Is personal success really personal?, 29 Dec 2008
I always argued with friends that we never quite know how a successful individual or a company as made it big.
Of course we all know about the endless working hours, the "talented" individual and the help of a focused team.
But if this was the rule we will have had far more successful people and companies.
Gladwell analyse in a very entertaining and insightful way, how the individual itself is just a minor part of a far bigger mechanism that takes place to make his life a success. Social environment, culture, ethnicity, family background, timing and even generation size play an amazing part on the reason why people outperform their peers.
Thousands of self-help books and videos that focus on just your ability to "make it big" (and the slightly guilt feeling of not doing enough) can finally be put aside and considered what they are, self-help books for the writer's fortune...
slightly underwhealming, 29 Dec 2008
I wanted to love this, really I did, but it's one very simple idea (albeit a fairly good one) spun out to fill an entire book. Not up to the standard of "The Tipping Point".
Entertaining Read, 28 Dec 2008
I'm a fan of Malcolm Gladwell having read his previous Blink and The Tipping Point. All his books are about interesting topics and are told in a way that keeps the reader engaged. Similarly to the other books the criticism can always be made that he makes about 4-5 valid points and stretches them out to a full book but when the writing is engaging and takes you on a journey it doesn't really matter.
The book itself takes you through what drives success. Arguing that it's a combination of intelligence (both IQ and emotional intelligence), luck (opportunties and timing), cultural context and hard work (the much-reported 10,000 hours). All this could be argued to be fairly obvious but through the examples and anecdotes Gladwell dispelled many myths at the same time as entertaining.
All-in-all a good read.
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Wall and Piece
Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £7.29
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Customer Reviews
There is a tide in the affairs of men, 06 Jan 2009
"There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures."
Brutus (from Julius Caesar)captures the essence of this book. It's an entertaining read with good stories and examples. Its basic message is easy to summarise.
Success is not a linear journey. And there are always particular local factors that enable it. No one is really self made. Success is about preparation and opportunity coming together. All successful people have had some "lucky breaks" although I think it was a great golfer who said, "The more I practice the luckier I seem to become."
The administrative and technical quirks (such as where you are in your school year) that have such a huge effects on your academic and sporting achievements, and future prospects are well described. The small starting differences that lead to massive differential reinforcement effects are well described.
And the combination of a skill and a brand new field opening up is unbeatable for major success as Bill Gates and Bill Joy demonstrate.
This book is not the last word on success but it gives many useful pointers, and may help you realise where some of your opportunities are, and also where they won't be found no matter how good you are at something.
It's a great quick read and you will learn some useful ideas from it.
How to "unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't", 06 Jan 2009
In reviews of Malcolm Gladwell's previous books, The Tipping Point and Blink, I express an opinion that Gladwell offers an insight that others have previously expressed and then requires 300+ pages to discuss it. His key points in both books could have been made in an article. Gladwell's "tipping point"(2002), for example, is essentially the same as Michael Kami's "trigger point" (1988) and Andrew Gove "inflection point" (1996). (Gladwell does acknowledge the importance of an article, "Broken Windows," co-authored by James Wilson and George Kelling for The Atlantic Monthly in 1982). When I began to read Outliers, therefore, I feared that Gladwell would once again offer a thoughtful but verbose examination of a by-now familiar insight: success requires more than extraordinary talent.
That said, Outliers is (in my opinion) his most significant and most valuable book thus far. As the Epilogue clearly indicates, this is also his most personal book. In it, Gladwell demonstrates superior storyteller skills as he discusses several quite different situations that demonstrate that "the values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are...[Those who succeed] owe something to parentage and patronage. [They] may look like they did all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot...It's not enough to ask what successful people are like, in other words. It is only by asking where they are [begin italics] from [end italics] that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't."
Gladwell provides many different versions of "the story of success" involving those who demonstrate what sociologists call "accumulative advantage." For example, in any youth sports competition (especially hockey) that groups players according to the calendar year of birth, those who are born in January, February, or March are more likely to be bigger, better coordinated, and more talented because of "the phenomenon of relative age." They will play more often, receive more individual attention, and be selected to play on better teams because they were born closest to the cut-off date. Their success follows a predictable course. "Outliers are those who have been given opportunities - and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them." Clearly, Gladwell agrees with Geoff Colvin that "talent is overrated." As does Colvin, he cites The 10,000-Hour Rule and suggests that "once a musician has enough ability to get into a top music school, the thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works. That's it. And what's more, the people at the top don't work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, [begin italics] much [end italics] harder."
John Maxwell makes the same point in Talent Is Never Enough. If it were, "then the most effective and influential people would always be the most talented ones but that is often not the case...Clearly talent isn't everything." That said, he hastens to add, talent is worthy of our admiration and must be perceived in the proper perspective. Maxwell's key point is that all of us have a choice, actually several choices, and can determine to what extent (if any) we take full advantage of the talents we have, such as they are. "If you do, you will add value to yourself, add value to others, and accomplish much more than you dreamed was possible." Gladwell agrees but would presumably stress, also, the importance of others (family members, teachers, coaches, clergy, patrons, and mentors) to being able to commit 10,000 hours, "the magic number of greatness," to (Colvin's term) "deliberate practice." The success of the various outliers whom Gladwell discusses is not exceptional or mysterious. "It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky - but all critical to making them who they are. The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all."
Is personal success really personal?, 29 Dec 2008
I always argued with friends that we never quite know how a successful individual or a company as made it big.
Of course we all know about the endless working hours, the "talented" individual and the help of a focused team.
But if this was the rule we will have had far more successful people and companies.
Gladwell analyse in a very entertaining and insightful way, how the individual itself is just a minor part of a far bigger mechanism that takes place to make his life a success. Social environment, culture, ethnicity, family background, timing and even generation size play an amazing part on the reason why people outperform their peers.
Thousands of self-help books and videos that focus on just your ability to "make it big" (and the slightly guilt feeling of not doing enough) can finally be put aside and considered what they are, self-help books for the writer's fortune...
slightly underwhealming, 29 Dec 2008
I wanted to love this, really I did, but it's one very simple idea (albeit a fairly good one) spun out to fill an entire book. Not up to the standard of "The Tipping Point".
Entertaining Read, 28 Dec 2008
I'm a fan of Malcolm Gladwell having read his previous Blink and The Tipping Point. All his books are about interesting topics and are told in a way that keeps the reader engaged. Similarly to the other books the criticism can always be made that he makes about 4-5 valid points and stretches them out to a full book but when the writing is engaging and takes you on a journey it doesn't really matter.
The book itself takes you through what drives success. Arguing that it's a combination of intelligence (both IQ and emotional intelligence), luck (opportunties and timing), cultural context and hard work (the much-reported 10,000 hours). All this could be argued to be fairly obvious but through the examples and anecdotes Gladwell dispelled many myths at the same time as entertaining.
All-in-all a good read.
Outstanding...., 21 Dec 2008
If you are at all interested in street art, this book is a definite must. I'm not that much into street art, but after having a thumb through this at the school library, I was actually tempted to graffiti my local neighbourhood (this is coming from a very strictly law-abiding citizen...)!
Never have I looked in an art book, and actually laughed so much! Strange you may think, to be laughing (it's a compliment) but his work is just so genius, so right, makes you question society, even yourself time to time!
Simply Outstanding!, 11 Aug 2008
Banksy's Wall and Piece is simply an amazing collection of his graffiti art all across the UK and the world. His unique style has won him international acclaim to fame. His artwork is not just vandalism but sends out a political statement which is bold and isn't afraid to mention things we would otherwise keep quiet. I first heard Banksy on a news website when he created another piece of work and then visited his website banksy.com, and since then fallen in love with his work. The other day I came across the book in a store and really enjoyed his collection of work. This is a must have book for any of those interested not just in art, but also those who have been shaped by the news in recent years.
To be honest, I am not a massive fan of art, or graffiti either but this is totally different! 5 STARS well deserved!
Colourful, vibrant, real, hopeful!, 24 May 2008
Persecuted in our fast and modern ways we thought the happiness will emerge eventually out of the individualistic work and the enhanced personal security. But instead of happiness we became fearful of the person next to us in such a way we caused depression.
We thought of a million ways to overcome the walls of our communication. Then Banksy, simply and quietly, used the language the humans always knew: "art". Using the freedom we always envy: "our walls". Exposing the obvious where political correctness or personal gain make us go silent: "graffiti".
Enjoy the book.
Banksy - a great summary of his work, 12 May 2008
The book summarizes his work pretty good. The new book (Banksy's Bristol - Home sweet home) does contain a lot of background stories - but this book just contains much more images and niece pieces of art.
Definitely a must-have, if you are interested in (stencil) graffiti.
There's Another Banksy, 25 Apr 2008
I have this book and absoluetly love it, it exaplains why he did it, how he did it and some of his experieces and anecdotes. The book is excellent to be able to see decent street art, but then I came across the person Bansky is inspired by. He is fairly unknown here in the UK but HE is BANKSY'S idol, he is called Blek Le Rat and he too has a book out, he is a 56 year old frenchman who has been doing the things Banksy has been doing for years longer, you can buy his book off amazon. I would say buy Banksy's book to see the British side of street art, but buy Blek Le Rat if you want to see the true inspiration behind Banksy's work.
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Customer Reviews
There is a tide in the affairs of men, 06 Jan 2009
"There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures."
Brutus (from Julius Caesar)captures the essence of this book. It's an entertaining read with good stories and examples. Its basic message is easy to summarise.
Success is not a linear journey. And there are always particular local factors that enable it. No one is really self made. Success is about preparation and opportunity coming together. All successful people have had some "lucky breaks" although I think it was a great golfer who said, "The more I practice the luckier I seem to become."
The administrative and technical quirks (such as where you are in your school year) that have such a huge effects on your academic and sporting achievements, and future prospects are well described. The small starting differences that lead to massive differential reinforcement effects are well described.
And the combination of a skill and a brand new field opening up is unbeatable for major success as Bill Gates and Bill Joy demonstrate.
This book is not the last word on success but it gives many useful pointers, and may help you realise where some of your opportunities are, and also where they won't be found no matter how good you are at something.
It's a great quick read and you will learn some useful ideas from it.
How to "unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't", 06 Jan 2009
In reviews of Malcolm Gladwell's previous books, The Tipping Point and Blink, I express an opinion that Gladwell offers an insight that others have previously expressed and then requires 300+ pages to discuss it. His key points in both books could have been made in an article. Gladwell's "tipping point"(2002), for example, is essentially the same as Michael Kami's "trigger point" (1988) and Andrew Gove "inflection point" (1996). (Gladwell does acknowledge the importance of an article, "Broken Windows," co-authored by James Wilson and George Kelling for The Atlantic Monthly in 1982). When I began to read Outliers, therefore, I feared that Gladwell would once again offer a thoughtful but verbose examination of a by-now familiar insight: success requires more than extraordinary talent.
That said, Outliers is (in my opinion) his most significant and most valuable book thus far. As the Epilogue clearly indicates, this is also his most personal book. In it, Gladwell demonstrates superior storyteller skills as he discusses several quite different situations that demonstrate that "the values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are...[Those who succeed] owe something to parentage and patronage. [They] may look like they did all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot...It's not enough to ask what successful people are like, in other words. It is only by asking where they are [begin italics] from [end italics] that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't."
Gladwell provides many different versions of "the story of success" involving those who demonstrate what sociologists call "accumulative advantage." For example, in any youth sports competition (especially hockey) that groups players according to the calendar year of birth, those who are born in January, February, or March are more likely to be bigger, better coordinated, and more talented because of "the phenomenon of relative age." They will play more often, receive more individual attention, and be selected to play on better teams because they were born closest to the cut-off date. Their success follows a predictable course. "Outliers are those who have been given opportunities - and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them." Clearly, Gladwell agrees with Geoff Colvin that "talent is overrated." As does Colvin, he cites The 10,000-Hour Rule and suggests that "once a musician has enough ability to get into a top music school, the thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works. That's it. And what's more, the people at the top don't work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, [begin italics] much [end italics] harder."
John Maxwell makes the same point in Talent Is Never Enough. If it were, "then the most effective and influential people would always be the most talented ones but that is often not the case...Clearly talent isn't everything." That said, he hastens to add, talent is worthy of our admiration and must be perceived in the proper perspective. Maxwell's key point is that all of us have a choice, actually several choices, and can determine to what extent (if any) we take full advantage of the talents we have, such as they are. "If you do, you will add value to yourself, add value to others, and accomplish much more than you dreamed was possible." Gladwell agrees but would presumably stress, also, the importance of others (family members, teachers, coaches, clergy, patrons, and mentors) to being able to commit 10,000 hours, "the magic number of greatness," to (Colvin's term) "deliberate practice." The success of the various outliers whom Gladwell discusses is not exceptional or mysterious. "It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky - but all critical to making them who they are. The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all."
Is personal success really personal?, 29 Dec 2008
I always argued with friends that we never quite know how a successful individual or a company as made it big.
Of course we all know about the endless working hours, the "talented" individual and the help of a focused team.
But if this was the rule we will have had far more successful people and companies.
Gladwell analyse in a very entertaining and insightful way, how the individual itself is just a minor part of a far bigger mechanism that takes place to make his life a success. Social environment, culture, ethnicity, family background, timing and even generation size play an amazing part on the reason why people outperform their peers.
Thousands of self-help books and videos that focus on just your ability to "make it big" (and the slightly guilt feeling of not doing enough) can finally be put aside and considered what they are, self-help books for the writer's fortune...
slightly underwhealming, 29 Dec 2008
I wanted to love this, really I did, but it's one very simple idea (albeit a fairly good one) spun out to fill an entire book. Not up to the standard of "The Tipping Point".
Entertaining Read, 28 Dec 2008
I'm a fan of Malcolm Gladwell having read his previous Blink and The Tipping Point. All his books are about interesting topics and are told in a way that keeps the reader engaged. Similarly to the other books the criticism can always be made that he makes about 4-5 valid points and stretches them out to a full book but when the writing is engaging and takes you on a journey it doesn't really matter.
The book itself takes you through what drives success. Arguing that it's a combination of intelligence (both IQ and emotional intelligence), luck (opportunties and timing), cultural context and hard work (the much-reported 10,000 hours). All this could be argued to be fairly obvious but through the examples and anecdotes Gladwell dispelled many myths at the same time as entertaining.
All-in-all a good read.
Outstanding...., 21 Dec 2008
If you are at all interested in street art, this book is a definite must. I'm not that much into street art, but after having a thumb through this at the school library, I was actually tempted to graffiti my local neighbourhood (this is coming from a very strictly law-abiding citizen...)!
Never have I looked in an art book, and actually laughed so much! Strange you may think, to be laughing (it's a compliment) but his work is just so genius, so right, makes you question society, even yourself time to time!
Simply Outstanding!, 11 Aug 2008
Banksy's Wall and Piece is simply an amazing collection of his graffiti art all across the UK and the world. His unique style has won him international acclaim to fame. His artwork is not just vandalism but sends out a political statement which is bold and isn't afraid to mention things we would otherwise keep quiet. I first heard Banksy on a news website when he created another piece of work and then visited his website banksy.com, and since then fallen in love with his work. The other day I came across the book in a store and really enjoyed his collection of work. This is a must have book for any of those interested not just in art, but also those who have been shaped by the news in recent years.
To be honest, I am not a massive fan of art, or graffiti either but this is totally different! 5 STARS well deserved!
Colourful, vibrant, real, hopeful!, 24 May 2008
Persecuted in our fast and modern ways we thought the happiness will emerge eventually out of the individualistic work and the enhanced personal security. But instead of happiness we became fearful of the person next to us in such a way we caused depression.
We thought of a million ways to overcome the walls of our communication. Then Banksy, simply and quietly, used the language the humans always knew: "art". Using the freedom we always envy: "our walls". Exposing the obvious where political correctness or personal gain make us go silent: "graffiti".
Enjoy the book.
Banksy - a great summary of his work, 12 May 2008
The book summarizes his work pretty good. The new book (Banksy's Bristol - Home sweet home) does contain a lot of background stories - but this book just contains much more images and niece pieces of art.
Definitely a must-have, if you are interested in (stencil) graffiti.
There's Another Banksy, 25 Apr 2008
I have this book and absoluetly love it, it exaplains why he did it, how he did it and some of his experieces and anecdotes. The book is excellent to be able to see decent street art, but then I came across the person Bansky is inspired by. He is fairly unknown here in the UK but HE is BANKSY'S idol, he is called Blek Le Rat and he too has a book out, he is a 56 year old frenchman who has been doing the things Banksy has been doing for years longer, you can buy his book off amazon. I would say buy Banksy's book to see the British side of street art, but buy Blek Le Rat if you want to see the true inspiration behind Banksy's work.
Mostly out-of-date and inaccurate, 06 Jan 2009
A lot of 'research' went into this, but it must have been carried out in the 1930s. I found this book overly critical, perhaps some part of the post-empire self-flagellation that all English are duty bound to endure as part of their acceptance by the rest of the world as part of a country that is no longer very important?
Just rather negative and out-of-date. It would be disappointing if foreigners went away thinking that the English are really like this, because we're not.
Patronising, one dimensional, 05 Nov 2008
I was given this by a Canadian colleague to read. She thought it was hysterical. I am irked that those from abroad will take this as truth. The "class system" here is ever changing and we really are not so archaic as this book would have others believe. We are not the quaint, backward group of red bus riding, "Blimey Guvnor" people that this book would have them believe. I think that this book has put us back 50 years.
Accurate but poor presentation, 25 May 2008
I think this is the most accurate book on English culture that I have read for a while. The main draw-back is the small dense font and academic style of the book. For non-natives I think this book would be too daunting to tackle.
Fox gets 'Margaret Mead' award from goths, 14 Apr 2008
This can be a helpful book for foreigners living in the UK who struggle with simple things like getting served in pubs because the etiquette here is often subtly different. Kate Fox does a good job at explaining the how and why of all that.
In places Watching the English is brilliantly insightful, but most of the points are laboured. I feel the book ought to have been about 1/3 as long.
It is very funny in places, but by far the funniest is that the author was 'Margaret Mead'-ed by the goths she spoke to. They cleverly told her hilarious rubbish ("You have to grow your hair long when you're a goth - people know you haven't been a goth very long if you have short hair"!), she believed it was an accurate portrayal of the subculture, no editor questioned it and you can read it all in the book. Brilliant.
Understanding ourselves, 09 Apr 2008
I recommend this book to anyone coming to England who wants to understand the locals and their strange behaviour. This book is a treasure. before I went to live in Africa I studied some social anthropology and how to prepare for culture shock. Here is the social anthropology of the English. It is acutely observed, fascinating and funny. I shall not forget the ironic gnome, the social differences in front and back gardens, how we apologise when others are in the wrong or the place we never queue. Most of us are seen as social climbers but the real upper and lower classes know their places and are secure in them.
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Wall and Piece
Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £12.53
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Customer Reviews
There is a tide in the affairs of men, 06 Jan 2009
"There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures."
Brutus (from Julius Caesar)captures the essence of this book. It's an entertaining read with good stories and examples. Its basic message is easy to summarise.
Success is not a linear journey. And there are always particular local factors that enable it. No one is really self made. Success is about preparation and opportunity coming together. All successful people have had some "lucky breaks" although I think it was a great golfer who said, "The more I practice the luckier I seem to become."
The administrative and technical quirks (such as where you are in your school year) that have such a huge effects on your academic and sporting achievements, and future prospects are well described. The small starting differences that lead to massive differential reinforcement effects are well described.
And the combination of a skill and a brand new field opening up is unbeatable for major success as Bill Gates and Bill Joy demonstrate.
This book is not the last word on success but it gives many useful pointers, and may help you realise where some of your opportunities are, and also where they won't be found no matter how good you are at something.
It's a great quick read and you will learn some useful ideas from it.
How to "unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't", 06 Jan 2009
In reviews of Malcolm Gladwell's previous books, The Tipping Point and Blink, I express an opinion that Gladwell offers an insight that others have previously expressed and then requires 300+ pages to discuss it. His key points in both books could have been made in an article. Gladwell's "tipping point"(2002), for example, is essentially the same as Michael Kami's "trigger point" (1988) and Andrew Gove "inflection point" (1996). (Gladwell does acknowledge the importance of an article, "Broken Windows," co-authored by James Wilson and George Kelling for The Atlantic Monthly in 1982). When I began to read Outliers, therefore, I feared that Gladwell would once again offer a thoughtful but verbose examination of a by-now familiar insight: success requires more than extraordinary talent.
That said, Outliers is (in my opinion) his most significant and most valuable book thus far. As the Epilogue clearly indicates, this is also his most personal book. In it, Gladwell demonstrates superior storyteller skills as he discusses several quite different situations that demonstrate that "the values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are...[Those who succeed] owe something to parentage and patronage. [They] may look like they did all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot...It's not enough to ask what successful people are like, in other words. It is only by asking where they are [begin italics] from [end italics] that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't."
Gladwell provides many different versions of "the story of success" involving those who demonstrate what sociologists call "accumulative advantage." For example, in any youth sports competition (especially hockey) that groups players according to the calendar year of birth, those who are born in January, February, or March are more likely to be bigger, better coordinated, and more talented because of "the phenomenon of relative age." They will play more often, receive more individual attention, and be selected to play on better teams because they were born closest to the cut-off date. Their success follows a predictable course. "Outliers are those who have been given opportunities - and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them." Clearly, Gladwell agrees with Geoff Colvin that "talent is overrated." As does Colvin, he cites The 10,000-Hour Rule and suggests that "once a musician has enough ability to get into a top music school, the thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works. That's it. And what's more, the people at the top don't work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, [begin italics] much [end italics] harder."
John Maxwell makes the same point in Talent Is Never Enough. If it were, "then the most effective and influential people would always be the most talented ones but that is often not the case...Clearly talent isn't everything." That said, he hastens to add, talent is worthy of our admiration and must be perceived in the proper perspective. Maxwell's key point is that all of us have a choice, actually several choices, and can determine to what extent (if any) we take full advantage of the talents we have, such as they are. "If you do, you will add value to yourself, add value to others, and accomplish much more than you dreamed was possible." Gladwell agrees but would presumably stress, also, the importance of others (family members, teachers, coaches, clergy, patrons, and mentors) to being able to commit 10,000 hours, "the magic number of greatness," to (Colvin's term) "deliberate practice." The success of the various outliers whom Gladwell discusses is not exceptional or mysterious. "It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky - but all critical to making them who they are. The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all."
Is personal success really personal?, 29 Dec 2008
I always argued with friends that we never quite know how a successful individual or a company as made it big.
Of course we all know about the endless working hours, the "talented" individual and the help of a focused team.
But if this was the rule we will have had far more successful people and companies.
Gladwell analyse in a very entertaining and insightful way, how the individual itself is just a minor part of a far bigger mechanism that takes place to make his life a success. Social environment, culture, ethnicity, family background, timing and even generation size play an amazing part on the reason why people outperform their peers.
Thousands of self-help books and videos that focus on just your ability to "make it big" (and the slightly guilt feeling of not doing enough) can finally be put aside and considered what they are, self-help books for the writer's fortune...
slightly underwhealming, 29 Dec 2008
I wanted to love this, really I did, but it's one very simple idea (albeit a fairly good one) spun out to fill an entire book. Not up to the standard of "The Tipping Point".
Entertaining Read, 28 Dec 2008
I'm a fan of Malcolm Gladwell having read his previous Blink and The Tipping Point. All his books are about interesting topics and are told in a way that keeps the reader engaged. Similarly to the other books the criticism can always be made that he makes about 4-5 valid points and stretches them out to a full book but when the writing is engaging and takes you on a journey it doesn't really matter.
The book itself takes you through what drives success. Arguing that it's a combination of intelligence (both IQ and emotional intelligence), luck (opportunties and timing), cultural context and hard work (the much-reported 10,000 hours). All this could be argued to be fairly obvious but through the examples and anecdotes Gladwell dispelled many myths at the same time as entertaining.
All-in-all a good read.
Outstanding...., 21 Dec 2008
If you are at all interested in street art, this book is a definite must. I'm not that much into street art, but after having a thumb through this at the school library, I was actually tempted to graffiti my local neighbourhood (this is coming from a very strictly law-abiding citizen...)!
Never have I looked in an art book, and actually laughed so much! Strange you may think, to be laughing (it's a compliment) but his work is just so genius, so right, makes you question society, even yourself time to time!
Simply Outstanding!, 11 Aug 2008
Banksy's Wall and Piece is simply an amazing collection of his graffiti art all across the UK and the world. His unique style has won him international acclaim to fame. His artwork is not just vandalism but sends out a political statement which is bold and isn't afraid to mention things we would otherwise keep quiet. I first heard Banksy on a news website when he created another piece of work and then visited his website banksy.com, and since then fallen in love with his work. The other day I came across the book in a store and really enjoyed his collection of work. This is a must have book for any of those interested not just in art, but also those who have been shaped by the news in recent years.
To be honest, I am not a massive fan of art, or graffiti either but this is totally different! 5 STARS well deserved!
Colourful, vibrant, real, hopeful!, 24 May 2008
Persecuted in our fast and modern ways we thought the happiness will emerge eventually out of the individualistic work and the enhanced personal security. But instead of happiness we became fearful of the person next to us in such a way we caused depression.
We thought of a million ways to overcome the walls of our communication. Then Banksy, simply and quietly, used the language the humans always knew: "art". Using the freedom we always envy: "our walls". Exposing the obvious where political correctness or personal gain make us go silent: "graffiti".
Enjoy the book.
Banksy - a great summary of his work, 12 May 2008
The book summarizes his work pretty good. The new book (Banksy's Bristol - Home sweet home) does contain a lot of background stories - but this book just contains much more images and niece pieces of art.
Definitely a must-have, if you are interested in (stencil) graffiti.
There's Another Banksy, 25 Apr 2008
I have this book and absoluetly love it, it exaplains why he did it, how he did it and some of his experieces and anecdotes. The book is excellent to be able to see decent street art, but then I came across the person Bansky is inspired by. He is fairly unknown here in the UK but HE is BANKSY'S idol, he is called Blek Le Rat and he too has a book out, he is a 56 year old frenchman who has been doing the things Banksy has been doing for years longer, you can buy his book off amazon. I would say buy Banksy's book to see the British side of street art, but buy Blek Le Rat if you want to see the true inspiration behind Banksy's work.
Mostly out-of-date and inaccurate, 06 Jan 2009
A lot of 'research' went into this, but it must have been carried out in the 1930s. I found this book overly critical, perhaps some part of the post-empire self-flagellation that all English are duty bound to endure as part of their acceptance by the rest of the world as part of a country that is no longer very important?
Just rather negative and out-of-date. It would be disappointing if foreigners went away thinking that the English are really like this, because we're not.
Patronising, one dimensional, 05 Nov 2008
I was given this by a Canadian colleague to read. She thought it was hysterical. I am irked that those from abroad will take this as truth. The "class system" here is ever changing and we really are not so archaic as this book would have others believe. We are not the quaint, backward group of red bus riding, "Blimey Guvnor" people that this book would have them believe. I think that this book has put us back 50 years.
Accurate but poor presentation, 25 May 2008
I think this is the most accurate book on English culture that I have read for a while. The main draw-back is the small dense font and academic style of the book. For non-natives I think this book would be too daunting to tackle.
Fox gets 'Margaret Mead' award from goths, 14 Apr 2008
This can be a helpful book for foreigners living in the UK who struggle with simple things like getting served in pubs because the etiquette here is often subtly different. Kate Fox does a good job at explaining the how and why of all that.
In places Watching the English is brilliantly insightful, but most of the points are laboured. I feel the book ought to have been about 1/3 as long.
It is very funny in places, but by far the funniest is that the author was 'Margaret Mead'-ed by the goths she spoke to. They cleverly told her hilarious rubbish ("You have to grow your hair long when you're a goth - people know you haven't been a goth very long if you have short hair"!), she believed it was an accurate portrayal of the subculture, no editor questioned it and you can read it all in the book. Brilliant.
Understanding ourselves, 09 Apr 2008
I recommend this book to anyone coming to England who wants to understand the locals and their strange behaviour. This book is a treasure. before I went to live in Africa I studied some social anthropology and how to prepare for culture shock. Here is the social anthropology of the English. It is acutely observed, fascinating and funny. I shall not forget the ironic gnome, the social differences in front and back gardens, how we apologise when others are in the wrong or the place we never queue. Most of us are seen as social climbers but the real upper and lower classes know their places and are secure in them.
Outstanding...., 21 Dec 2008
If you are at all interested in street art, this book is a definite must. I'm not that much into street art, but after having a thumb through this at the school library, I was actually tempted to graffiti my local neighbourhood (this is coming from a very strictly law-abiding citizen...)!
Never have I looked in an art book, and actually laughed so much! Strange you may think, to be laughing (it's a compliment) but his work is just so genius, so right, makes you question society, even yourself time to time!
Simply Outstanding!, 11 Aug 2008
Banksy's Wall and Piece is simply an amazing collection of his graffiti art all across the UK and the world. His unique style has won him international acclaim to fame. His artwork is not just vandalism but sends out a political statement which is bold and isn't afraid to mention things we would otherwise keep quiet. I first heard Banksy on a news website when he created another piece of work and then visited his website banksy.com, and since then fallen in love with his work. The other day I came across the book in a store and really enjoyed his collection of work. This is a must have book for any of those interested not just in art, but also those who have been shaped by the news in recent years.
To be honest, I am not a massive fan of art, or graffiti either but this is totally different! 5 STARS well deserved!
Colourful, vibrant, real, hopeful!, 24 May 2008
Persecuted in our fast and modern ways we thought the happiness will emerge eventually out of the individualistic work and the enhanced personal security. But instead of happiness we became fearful of the person next to us in such a way we caused depression.
We thought of a million ways to overcome the walls of our communication. Then Banksy, simply and quietly, used the language the humans always knew: "art". Using the freedom we always envy: "our walls". Exposing the obvious where political correctness or personal gain make us go silent: "graffiti".
Enjoy the book.
Banksy - a great summary of his work, 12 May 2008
The book summarizes his work pretty good. The new book (Banksy's Bristol - Home sweet home) does contain a lot of background stories - but this book just contains much more images and niece pieces of art.
Definitely a must-have, if you are interested in (stencil) graffiti.
There's Another Banksy, 25 Apr 2008
I have this book and absoluetly love it, it exaplains why he did it, how he did it and some of his experieces and anecdotes. The book is excellent to be able to see decent street art, but then I came across the person Bansky is inspired by. He is fairly unknown here in the UK but HE is BANKSY'S idol, he is called Blek Le Rat and he too has a book out, he is a 56 year old frenchman who has been doing the things Banksy has been doing for years longer, you can buy his book off amazon. I would say buy Banksy's book to see the British side of street art, but buy Blek Le Rat if you want to see the true inspiration behind Banksy's work.
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Customer Reviews
There is a tide in the affairs of men, 06 Jan 2009
"There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures."
Brutus (from Julius Caesar)captures the essence of this book. It's an entertaining read with good stories and examples. Its basic message is easy to summarise.
Success is not a linear journey. And there are always particular local factors that enable it. No one is really self made. Success is about preparation and opportunity coming together. All successful people have had some "lucky breaks" although I think it was a great golfer who said, "The more I practice the luckier I seem to become."
The administrative and technical quirks (such as where you are in your school year) that have such a huge effects on your academic and sporting achievements, and future prospects are well described. The small starting differences that lead to massive differential reinforcement effects are well described.
And the combination of a skill and a brand new field opening up is unbeatable for major success as Bill Gates and Bill Joy demonstrate.
This book is not the last word on success but it gives many useful pointers, and may help you realise where some of your opportunities are, and also where they won't be found no matter how good you are at something.
It's a great quick read and you will learn some useful ideas from it.
How to "unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't", 06 Jan 2009
In reviews of Malcolm Gladwell's previous books, The Tipping Point and Blink, I express an opinion that Gladwell offers an insight that others have previously expressed and then requires 300+ pages to discuss it. His key points in both books could have been made in an article. Gladwell's "tipping point"(2002), for example, is essentially the same as Michael Kami's "trigger point" (1988) and Andrew Gove "inflection point" (1996). (Gladwell does acknowledge the importance of an article, "Broken Windows," co-authored by James Wilson and George Kelling for The Atlantic Monthly in 1982). When I began to read Outliers, therefore, I feared that Gladwell would once again offer a thoughtful but verbose examination of a by-now familiar insight: success requires more than extraordinary talent.
That said, Outliers is (in my opinion) his most significant and most valuable book thus far. As the Epilogue clearly indicates, this is also his most personal book. In it, Gladwell demonstrates superior storyteller skills as he discusses several quite different situations that demonstrate that "the values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are...[Those who succeed] owe something to parentage and patronage. [They] may look like they did all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot...It's not enough to ask what successful people are like, in other words. It is only by asking where they are [begin italics] from [end italics] that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't."
Gladwell provides many different versions of "the story of success" involving those who demonstrate what sociologists call "accumulative advantage." For example, in any youth sports competition (especially hockey) that groups players according to the calendar year of birth, those who are born in January, February, or March are more likely to be bigger, better coordinated, and more talented because of "the phenomenon of relative age." They will play more often, receive more individual attention, and be selected to play on better teams because they were born closest to the cut-off date. Their success follows a predictable course. "Outliers are those who have been given opportunities - and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them." Clearly, Gladwell agrees with Geoff Colvin that "talent is overrated." As does Colvin, he cites The 10,000-Hour Rule and suggests that "once a musician has enough ability to get into a top music school, the thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works. That's it. And what's more, the people at the top don't work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, [begin italics] much [end italics] harder."
John Maxwell makes the same point in Talent Is Never Enough. If it were, "then the most effective and influential people would always be the most talented ones but that is often not the case...Clearly talent isn't everything." That said, he hastens to add, talent is worthy of our admiration and must be perceived in the proper perspective. Maxwell's key point is that all of us have a choice, actually several choices, and can determine to what extent (if any) we take full advantage of the talents we have, such as they are. "If you do, you will add value to yourself, add value to others, and accomplish much more than you dreamed was possible." Gladwell agrees but would presumably stress, also, the importance of others (family members, teachers, coaches, clergy, patrons, and mentors) to being able to commit 10,000 hours, "the magic number of greatness," to (Colvin's term) "deliberate practice." The success of the various outliers whom Gladwell discusses is not exceptional or mysterious. "It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky - but all critical to making them who they are. The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all."
Is personal success really personal?, 29 Dec 2008
I always argued with friends that we never quite know how a successful individual or a company as made it big.
Of course we all know about the endless working hours, the "talented" individual and the help of a focused team.
But if this was the rule we will have had far more successful people and companies.
Gladwell analyse in a very entertaining and insightful way, how the individual itself is just a minor part of a far bigger mechanism that takes place to make his life a success. Social environment, culture, ethnicity, family background, timing and even generation size play an amazing part on the reason why people outperform their peers.
Thousands of self-help books and videos that focus on just your ability to "make it big" (and the slightly guilt feeling of not doing enough) can finally be put aside and considered what they are, self-help books for the writer's fortune...
slightly underwhealming, 29 Dec 2008
I wanted to love this, really I did, but it's one very simple idea (albeit a fairly good one) spun out to fill an entire book. Not up to the standard of "The Tipping Point".
Entertaining Read, 28 Dec 2008
I'm a fan of Malcolm Gladwell having read his previous Blink and The Tipping Point. All his books are about interesting topics and are told in a way that keeps the reader engaged. Similarly to the other books the criticism can always be made that he makes about 4-5 valid points and stretches them out to a full book but when the writing is engaging and takes you on a journey it doesn't really matter.
The book itself takes you through what drives success. Arguing that it's a combination of intelligence (both IQ and emotional intelligence), luck (opportunties and timing), cultural context and hard work (the much-reported 10,000 hours). All this could be argued to be fairly obvious but through the examples and anecdotes Gladwell dispelled many myths at the same time as entertaining.
All-in-all a good read.
Outstanding...., 21 Dec 2008
If you are at all interested in street art, this book is a definite must. I'm not that much into street art, but after having a thumb through this at the school library, I was actually tempted to graffiti my local neighbourhood (this is coming from a very strictly law-abiding citizen...)!
Never have I looked in an art book, and actually laughed so much! Strange you may think, to be laughing (it's a compliment) but his work is just so genius, so right, makes you question society, even yourself time to time!
Simply Outstanding!, 11 Aug 2008
Banksy's Wall and Piece is simply an amazing collection of his graffiti art all across the UK and the world. His unique style has won him international acclaim to fame. His artwork is not just vandalism but sends out a political statement which is bold and isn't afraid to mention things we would otherwise keep quiet. I first heard Banksy on a news website when he created another piece of work and then visited his website banksy.com, and since then fallen in love with his work. The other day I came across the book in a store and really enjoyed his collection of work. This is a must have book for any of those interested not just in art, but also those who have been shaped by the news in recent years.
To be honest, I am not a massive fan of art, or graffiti either but this is totally different! 5 STARS well deserved!
Colourful, vibrant, real, hopeful!, 24 May 2008
Persecuted in our fast and modern ways we thought the happiness will emerge eventually out of the individualistic work and the enhanced personal security. But instead of happiness we became fearful of the person next to us in such a way we caused depression.
We thought of a million ways to overcome the walls of our communication. Then Banksy, simply and quietly, used the language the humans always knew: "art". Using the freedom we always envy: "our walls". Exposing the obvious where political correctness or personal gain make us go silent: "graffiti".
Enjoy the book.
Banksy - a great summary of his work, 12 May 2008
The book summarizes his work pretty good. The new book (Banksy's Bristol - Home sweet home) does contain a lot of background stories - but this book just contains much more images and niece pieces of art.
Definitely a must-have, if you are interested in (stencil) graffiti.
There's Another Banksy, 25 Apr 2008
I have this book and absoluetly love it, it exaplains why he did it, how he did it and some of his experieces and anecdotes. The book is excellent to be able to see decent street art, but then I came across the person Bansky is inspired by. He is fairly unknown here in the UK but HE is BANKSY'S idol, he is called Blek Le Rat and he too has a book out, he is a 56 year old frenchman who has been doing the things Banksy has been doing for years longer, you can buy his book off amazon. I would say buy Banksy's book to see the British side of street art, but buy Blek Le Rat if you want to see the true inspiration behind Banksy's work.
Mostly out-of-date and inaccurate, 06 Jan 2009
A lot of 'research' went into this, but it must have been carried out in the 1930s. I found this book overly critical, perhaps some part of the post-empire self-flagellation that all English are duty bound to endure as part of their acceptance by the rest of the world as part of a country that is no longer very important?
Just rather negative and out-of-date. It would be disappointing if foreigners went away thinking that the English are really like this, because we're not.
Patronising, one dimensional, 05 Nov 2008
I was given this by a Canadian colleague to read. She thought it was hysterical. I am irked that those from abroad will take this as truth. The "class system" here is ever changing and we really are not so archaic as this book would have others believe. We are not the quaint, backward group of red bus riding, "Blimey Guvnor" people that this book would have them believe. I think that this book has put us back 50 years.
Accurate but poor presentation, 25 May 2008
I think this is the most accurate book on English culture that I have read for a while. The main draw-back is the small dense font and academic style of the book. For non-natives I think this book would be too daunting to tackle.
Fox gets 'Margaret Mead' award from goths, 14 Apr 2008
This can be a helpful book for foreigners living in the UK who struggle with simple things like getting served in pubs because the etiquette here is often subtly different. Kate Fox does a good job at explaining the how and why of all that.
In places Watching the English is brilliantly insightful, but most of the points are laboured. I feel the book ought to have been about 1/3 as long.
It is very funny in places, but by far the funniest is that the author was 'Margaret Mead'-ed by the goths she spoke to. They cleverly told her hilarious rubbish ("You have to grow your hair long when you're a goth - people know you haven't been a goth very long if you have short hair"!), she believed it was an accurate portrayal of the subculture, no editor questioned it and you can read it all in the book. Brilliant.
Understanding ourselves, 09 Apr 2008
I recommend this book to anyone coming to England who wants to understand the locals and their strange behaviour. This book is a treasure. before I went to live in Africa I studied some social anthropology and how to prepare for culture shock. Here is the social anthropology of the English. It is acutely observed, fascinating and funny. I shall not forget the ironic gnome, the social differences in front and back gardens, how we apologise when others are in the wrong or the place we never queue. Most of us are seen as social climbers but the real upper and lower classes know their places and are secure in them.
Outstanding...., 21 Dec 2008
If you are at all interested in street art, this book is a definite must. I'm not that much into street art, but after having a thumb through this at the school library, I was actually tempted to graffiti my local neighbourhood (this is coming from a very strictly law-abiding citizen...)!
Never have I looked in an art book, and actually laughed so much! Strange you may think, to be laughing (it's a compliment) but his work is just so genius, so right, makes you question society, even yourself time to time!
Simply Outstanding!, 11 Aug 2008
Banksy's Wall and Piece is simply an amazing collection of his graffiti art all across the UK and the world. His unique style has won him international acclaim to fame. His artwork is not just vandalism but sends out a political statement which is bold and isn't afraid to mention things we would otherwise keep quiet. I first heard Banksy on a news website when he created another piece of work and then visited his website banksy.com, and since then fallen in love with his work. The other day I came across the book in a store and really enjoyed his collection of work. This is a must have book for any of those interested not just in art, but also those who have been shaped by the news in recent years.
To be honest, I am not a massive fan of art, or graffiti either but this is totally different! 5 STARS well deserved!
Colourful, vibrant, real, hopeful!, 24 May 2008
Persecuted in our fast and modern ways we thought the happiness will emerge eventually out of the individualistic work and the enhanced personal security. But instead of happiness we became fearful of the person next to us in such a way we caused depression.
We thought of a million ways to overcome the walls of our communication. Then Banksy, simply and quietly, used the language the humans always knew: "art". Using the freedom we always envy: "our walls". Exposing the obvious where political correctness or personal gain make us go silent: "graffiti".
Enjoy the book.
Banksy - a great summary of his work, 12 May 2008
The book summarizes his work pretty good. The new book (Banksy's Bristol - Home sweet home) does contain a lot of background stories - but this book just contains much more images and niece pieces of art.
Definitely a must-have, if you are interested in (stencil) graffiti.
There's Another Banksy, 25 Apr 2008
I have this book and absoluetly love it, it exaplains why he did it, how he did it and some of his experieces and anecdotes. The book is excellent to be able to see decent street art, but then I came across the person Bansky is inspired by. He is fairly unknown here in the UK but HE is BANKSY'S idol, he is called Blek Le Rat and he too has a book out, he is a 56 year old frenchman who has been doing the things Banksy has been doing for years longer, you can buy his book off amazon. I would say buy Banksy's book to see the British side of street art, but buy Blek Le Rat if you want to see the true inspiration behind Banksy's work.
We need more men Like Mark Thomas, 16 Nov 2008
No one else seems to have the cohones of this man, I applaud him, for both his tenacity, but also for his humor in the face of so much global misery, having recently seen his live show as well I have even more admiration for him, buy this book and admire the man that dares to go up against big business and Governments.
An expose of globalisation, as much as a book about Coke, 04 Nov 2008
I've always liked Mark Thomas' brand of protest politics, investigative journalism and stand-up comedy, so I was interested to see he has taken on the mighty Coca Cola empire.
My first impressions of this particular book though, are two-fold: firstly, that's a terrible name. Secondly, it's a terrible cover. Still, it's the writing inside that counts, and all is well on that front.
`Belching out the devil' chronicles a series of journeys to various parts of the world to meet those who have experienced `the Coke side of life'. There are Indian farmers with empty wells, Colombian trade unionists with collections of death threats, hassled Mexican shopkeepers who committed the unforgivable sin of stocking rival brand `Big Cola' in their fridges. Thomas does a great job of portraying these characters, giving them faces and names and vividly describing their communities, interspersing their stories with his own amusing travel writing.
Coca Cola get the right to reply, and a pattern rapidly emerges: because Coca Cola operate a franchise system, their back is always covered. "The Coca Cola Company does not own or operate any bottling plants in Colombia" has always, famously, been their answer to accusations of union busting, even to the point where 7 union organisers were killed at one bottling plant. They are able to say the same of the bottlers in India who are lowering the water table, or the ones employing children in El Salvador.
As Thomas says, "no matter where the human rights abuses occurred, if it's your name on the label then you're responsible for sorting it out." Unfortunately this could be said of almost every major corporation, from oil companies to high street fashion houses. Brands should not be allowed to hide behind middle men.
In the end,`Belching out the devil' is really an expose of branding, of globalisation and its winners and losers, using Coca Cola as a case study. As such, despite the title and the cover, it's rather good.
Bad corporation, 02 Nov 2008
This is an educational and and enjoyable read even though the story is about the blighted lives of people on different continents at the hands of coke.
Mark exposes the staunch anti union attitudes of the company, the damage they cause to the environment and the lies they tell when fingers are pointed at them, not to mention the bully-boy tactics when their grasp on the market is threatened.
It's only sugary water after all.
Not all sweetness and sugar, 11 Oct 2008
Reading any of Mark Thomas's books, articles, or even watching an episode of the television series that preceeded them always leaves me feeling angry, depressed and with a real frustration that I am doing little to make the world a better place. So it was with some trepidation that I finally picked up Belching Out The Devil. I was also concerned that as a conscientious consumer who already avoids Coca-Cola that the book would merely be preaching to the converted (me).
Belching Out The Devil brings you on a journey around the world, tackling the many issues that blacken the Coca-Cola brand; the infringement on workers rights, the environmental impact and drought caused by the bottling plants and the pure disregard that The Coca-Cola Company has for the communities it inhabits. It is an easy read packed with hard hitting facts, humour and pop culture references which help you connect with the author, meaning that he becomes a character in his own book rather than assuming the role of preacher. It is well researched and leaves no hole for Coca-Cola to wiggle through. At all times Coca-Cola are asked to respond to Mark Thomas's allegations and at all times his questions are greeted with frustrating PR spiel, there is a hope that if Coca-Cola learn anything from this book it would be to stop making excuses and actually commit themselves fully to the corporate social responsibility they espouse.
There is no call to action in Belching Out The Devil but it does leave you with the sensation of needing to do something, weather it be a boycott or just awareness raising amongst those you know. Some of the stories contained within are reassuring proof that it is possible for one person to make a difference.
problems of sugary caramel water, 03 Oct 2008
Belching Out the Devil: Global Adventures with Coca-Cola
The author offers a honest and unbiased account of a journey across the globe to find the truth behind coca-cola. The writing style is warm and entertaining packed with interesting facts which bring you to really question what else you could have with your whisky. Belching out the devil offers a clear and concise account of the sociological, economical and political problems coca-cola brings to communities when it sets up business. I will never drink coca-cola ever again, and I hope you wont either.
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Customer Reviews
There is a tide in the affairs of men, 06 Jan 2009
"There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures."
Brutus (from Julius Caesar)captures the essence of this book. It's an entertaining read with good stories and examples. Its basic message is easy to summarise.
Success is not a linear journey. And there are always particular local factors that enable it. No one is really self made. Success is about preparation and opportunity coming together. All successful people have had some "lucky breaks" although I think it was a great golfer who said, "The more I practice the luckier I seem to become."
The administrative and technical quirks (such as where you are in your school year) that have such a huge effects on your academic and sporting achievements, and future prospects are well described. The small starting differences that lead to massive differential reinforcement effects are well described.
And the combination of a skill and a brand new field opening up is unbeatable for major success as Bill Gates and Bill Joy demonstrate.
This book is not the last word on success but it gives many useful pointers, and may help you realise where some of your opportunities are, and also where they won't be found no matter how good you are at something.
It's a great quick read and you will learn some useful ideas from it.
How to "unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't", 06 Jan 2009
In reviews of Malcolm Gladwell's previous books, The Tipping Point and Blink, I express an opinion that Gladwell offers an insight that others have previously expressed and then requires 300+ pages to discuss it. His key points in both books could have been made in an article. Gladwell's "tipping point"(2002), for example, is essentially the same as Michael Kami's "trigger point" (1988) and Andrew Gove "inflection point" (1996). (Gladwell does acknowledge the importance of an article, "Broken Windows," co-authored by James Wilson and George Kelling for The Atlantic Monthly in 1982). When I began to read Outliers, therefore, I feared that Gladwell would once again offer a thoughtful but verbose examination of a by-now familiar insight: success requires more than extraordinary talent.
That said, Outliers is (in my opinion) his most significant and most valuable book thus far. As the Epilogue clearly indicates, this is also his most personal book. In it, Gladwell demonstrates superior storyteller skills as he discusses several quite different situations that demonstrate that "the values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are...[Those who succeed] owe something to parentage and patronage. [They] may look like they did all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot...It's not enough to ask what successful people are like, in other words. It is only by asking where they are [begin italics] from [end italics] that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't."
Gladwell provides many different versions of "the story of success" involving those who demonstrate what sociologists call "accumulative advantage." For example, in any youth sports competition (especially hockey) that groups players according to the calendar year of birth, those who are born in January, February, or March are more likely to be bigger, better coordinated, and more talented because of "the phenomenon of relative age." They will play more often, receive more individual attention, and be selected to play on better teams because they were born closest to the cut-off date. Their success follows a predictable course. "Outliers are those who have been given opportunities - and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them." Clearly, Gladwell agrees with Geoff Colvin that "talent is overrated." As does Colvin, he cites The 10,000-Hour Rule and suggests that "once a musician has enough ability to get into a top music school, the thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works. That's it. And what's more, the people at the top don't work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, [begin italics] much [end italics] harder."
John Maxwell makes the same point in Talent Is Never Enough. If it were, "then the most effective and influential people would always be the most talented ones but that is often not the case...Clearly talent isn't everything." That said, he hastens to add, talent is worthy of our admiration and must be perceived in the proper perspective. Maxwell's key point is that all of us have a choice, actually several choices, and can determine to what extent (if any) we take full advantage of the talents we have, such as they are. "If you do, you will add value to yourself, add value to others, and accomplish much more than you dreamed was possible." Gladwell agrees but would presumably stress, also, the importance of others (family members, teachers, coaches, clergy, patrons, and mentors) to being able to commit 10,000 hours, "the magic number of greatness," to (Colvin's term) "deliberate practice." The success of the various outliers whom Gladwell discusses is not exceptional or mysterious. "It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky - but all critical to making them who they are. The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all."
Is personal success really personal?, 29 Dec 2008
I always argued with friends that we never quite know how a successful individual or a company as made it big.
Of course we all know about the endless working hours, the "talented" individual and the help of a focused team.
But if this was the rule we will have had far more successful people and companies.
Gladwell analyse in a very entertaining and insightful way, how the individual itself is just a minor part of a far bigger mechanism that takes place to make his life a success. Social environment, culture, ethnicity, family background, timing and even generation size play an amazing part on the reason why people outperform their peers.
Thousands of self-help books and videos that focus on just your ability to "make it big" (and the slightly guilt feeling of not doing enough) can finally be put aside and considered what they are, self-help books for the writer's fortune...
slightly underwhealming, 29 Dec 2008
I wanted to love this, really I did, but it's one very simple idea (albeit a fairly good one) spun out to fill an entire book. Not up to the standard of "The Tipping Point".
Entertaining Read, 28 Dec 2008
I'm a fan of Malcolm Gladwell having read his previous Blink and The Tipping Point. All his books are about interesting topics and are told in a way that keeps the reader engaged. Similarly to the other books the criticism can always be made that he makes about 4-5 valid points and stretches them out to a full book but when the writing is engaging and takes you on a journey it doesn't really matter.
The book itself takes you through what drives success. Arguing that it's a combination of intelligence (both IQ and emotional intelligence), luck (opportunties and timing), cultural context and hard work (the much-reported 10,000 hours). All this could be argued to be fairly obvious but through the examples and anecdotes Gladwell dispelled many myths at the same time as entertaining.
All-in-all a good read.
Outstanding...., 21 Dec 2008
If you are at all interested in street art, this book is a definite must. I'm not that much into street art, but after having a thumb through this at the school library, I was actually tempted to graffiti my local neighbourhood (this is coming from a very strictly law-abiding citizen...)!
Never have I looked in an art book, and actually laughed so much! Strange you may think, to be laughing (it's a compliment) but his work is just so genius, so right, makes you question society, even yourself time to time!
Simply Outstanding!, 11 Aug 2008
Banksy's Wall and Piece is simply an amazing collection of his graffiti art all across the UK and the world. His unique style has won him international acclaim to fame. His artwork is not just vandalism but sends out a political statement which is bold and isn't afraid to mention things we would otherwise keep quiet. I first heard Banksy on a news website when he created another piece of work and then visited his website banksy.com, and since then fallen in love with his work. The other day I came across the book in a store and really enjoyed his collection of work. This is a must have book for any of those interested not just in art, but also those who have been shaped by the news in recent years.
To be honest, I am not a massive fan of art, or graffiti either but this is totally different! 5 STARS well deserved!
Colourful, vibrant, real, hopeful!, 24 May 2008
Persecuted in our fast and modern ways we thought the happiness will emerge eventually out of the individualistic work and the enhanced personal security. But instead of happiness we became fearful of the person next to us in such a way we caused depression.
We thought of a million ways to overcome the walls of our communication. Then Banksy, simply and quietly, used the language the humans always knew: "art". Using the freedom we always envy: "our walls". Exposing the obvious where political correctness or personal gain make us go silent: "graffiti".
Enjoy the book.
Banksy - a great summary of his work, 12 May 2008
The book summarizes his work pretty good. The new book (Banksy's Bristol - Home sweet home) does contain a lot of background stories - but this book just contains much more images and niece pieces of art.
Definitely a must-have, if you are interested in (stencil) graffiti.
There's Another Banksy, 25 Apr 2008
I have this book and absoluetly love it, it exaplains why he did it, how he did it and some of his experieces and anecdotes. The book is excellent to be able to see decent street art, but then I came across the person Bansky is inspired by. He is fairly unknown here in the UK but HE is BANKSY'S idol, he is called Blek Le Rat and he too has a book out, he is a 56 year old frenchman who has been doing the things Banksy has been doing for years longer, you can buy his book off amazon. I would say buy Banksy's book to see the British side of street art, but buy Blek Le Rat if you want to see the true inspiration behind Banksy's work.
Mostly out-of-date and inaccurate, 06 Jan 2009
A lot of 'research' went into this, but it must have been carried out in the 1930s. I found this book overly critical, perhaps some part of the post-empire self-flagellation that all English are duty bound to endure as part of their acceptance by the rest of the world as part of a country that is no longer very important?
Just rather negative and out-of-date. It would be disappointing if foreigners went away thinking that the English are really like this, because we're not.
Patronising, one dimensional, 05 Nov 2008
I was given this by a Canadian colleague to read. She thought it was hysterical. I am irked that those from abroad will take this as truth. The "class system" here is ever changing and we really are not so archaic as this book would have others believe. We are not the quaint, backward group of red bus riding, "Blimey Guvnor" people that this book would have them believe. I think that this book has put us back 50 years.
Accurate but poor presentation, 25 May 2008
I think this is the most accurate book on English culture that I have read for a while. The main draw-back is the small dense font and academic style of the book. For non-natives I think this book would be too daunting to tackle.
Fox gets 'Margaret Mead' award from goths, 14 Apr 2008
This can be a helpful book for foreigners living in the UK who struggle with simple things like getting served in pubs because the etiquette here is often subtly different. Kate Fox does a good job at explaining the how and why of all that.
In places Watching the English is brilliantly insightful, but most of the points are laboured. I feel the book ought to have been about 1/3 as long.
It is very funny in places, but by far the funniest is that the author was 'Margaret Mead'-ed by the goths she spoke to. They cleverly told her hilarious rubbish ("You have to grow your hair long when you're a goth - people know you haven't been a goth very long if you have short hair"!), she believed it was an accurate portrayal of the subculture, no editor questioned it and you can read it all in the book. Brilliant.
Understanding ourselves, 09 Apr 2008
I recommend this book to anyone coming to England who wants to understand the locals and their strange behaviour. This book is a treasure. before I went to live in Africa I studied some social anthropology and how to prepare for culture shock. Here is the social anthropology of the English. It is acutely observed, fascinating and funny. I shall not forget the ironic gnome, the social differences in front and back gardens, how we apologise when others are in the wrong or the place we never queue. Most of us are seen as social climbers but the real upper and lower classes know their places and are secure in them.
Outstanding...., 21 Dec 2008
If you are at all interested in street art, this book is a definite must. I'm not that much into street art, but after having a thumb through this at the school library, I was actually tempted to graffiti my local neighbourhood (this is coming from a very strictly law-abiding citizen...)!
Never have I looked in an art book, and actually laughed so much! Strange you may think, to be laughing (it's a compliment) but his work is just so genius, so right, makes you question society, even yourself time to time!
Simply Outstanding!, 11 Aug 2008
Banksy's Wall and Piece is simply an amazing collection of his graffiti art all across the UK and the world. His unique style has won him international acclaim to fame. His artwork is not just vandalism but sends out a political statement which is bold and isn't afraid to mention things we would otherwise keep quiet. I first heard Banksy on a news website when he created another piece of work and then visited his website banksy.com, and since then fallen in love with his work. The other day I came across the book in a store and really enjoyed his collection of work. This is a must have book for any of those interested not just in art, but also those who have been shaped by the news in recent years.
To be honest, I am not a massive fan of art, or graffiti either but this is totally different! 5 STARS well deserved!
Colourful, vibrant, real, hopeful!, 24 May 2008
Persecuted in our fast and modern ways we thought the happiness will emerge eventually out of the individualistic work and the enhanced personal security. But instead of happiness we became fearful of the person next to us in such a way we caused depression.
We thought of a million ways to overcome the walls of our communication. Then Banksy, simply and quietly, used the language the humans always knew: "art". Using the freedom we always envy: "our walls". Exposing the obvious where political correctness or personal gain make us go silent: "graffiti".
Enjoy the book.
Banksy - a great summary of his work, 12 May 2008
The book summarizes his work pretty good. The new book (Banksy's Bristol - Home sweet home) does contain a lot of background stories - but this book just contains much more images and niece pieces of art.
Definitely a must-have, if you are interested in (stencil) graffiti.
There's Another Banksy, 25 Apr 2008
I have this book and absoluetly love it, it exaplains why he did it, how he did it and some of his experieces and anecdotes. The book is excellent to be able to see decent street art, but then I came across the person Bansky is inspired by. He is fairly unknown here in the UK but HE is BANKSY'S idol, he is called Blek Le Rat and he too has a book out, he is a 56 year old frenchman who has been doing the things Banksy has been doing for years longer, you can buy his book off amazon. I would say buy Banksy's book to see the British side of street art, but buy Blek Le Rat if you want to see the true inspiration behind Banksy's work.
We need more men Like Mark Thomas, 16 Nov 2008
No one else seems to have the cohones of this man, I applaud him, for both his tenacity, but also for his humor in the face of so much global misery, having recently seen his live show as well I have even more admiration for him, buy this book and admire the man that dares to go up against big business and Governments.
An expose of globalisation, as much as a book about Coke, 04 Nov 2008
I've always liked Mark Thomas' brand of protest politics, investigative journalism and stand-up comedy, so I was interested to see he has taken on the mighty Coca Cola empire.
My first impressions of this particular book though, are two-fold: firstly, that's a terrible name. Secondly, it's a terrible cover. Still, it's the writing inside that counts, and all is well on that front.
`Belching out the devil' chronicles a series of journeys to various parts of the world to meet those who have experienced `the Coke side of life'. There are Indian farmers with empty wells, Colombian trade unionists with collections of death threats, hassled Mexican shopkeepers who committed the unforgivable sin of stocking rival brand `Big Cola' in their fridges. Thomas does a great job of portraying these characters, giving them faces and names and vividly describing their communities, interspersing their stories with his own amusing travel writing.
Coca Cola get the right to reply, and a pattern rapidly emerges: because Coca Cola operate a franchise system, their back is always covered. "The Coca Cola Company does not own or operate any bottling plants in Colombia" has always, famously, been their answer to accusations of union busting, even to the point where 7 union organisers were killed at one bottling plant. They are able to say the same of the bottlers in India who are lowering the water table, or the ones employing children in El Salvador.
As Thomas says, "no matter where the human rights abuses occurred, if it's your name on the label then you're responsible for sorting it out." Unfortunately this could be said of almost every major corporation, from oil companies to high street fashion houses. Brands should not be allowed to hide behind middle men.
In the end,`Belching out the devil' is really an expose of branding, of globalisation and its winners and losers, using Coca Cola as a case study. As such, despite the title and the cover, it's rather good.
Bad corporation, 02 Nov 2008
This is an educational and and enjoyable read even though the story is about the blighted lives of people on different continents at the hands of coke.
Mark exposes the staunch anti union attitudes of the company, the damage they cause to the environment and the lies they tell when fingers are pointed at them, not to mention the bully-boy tactics when their grasp on the market is threatened.
It's only sugary water after all.
Not all sweetness and sugar, 11 Oct 2008
Reading any of Mark Thomas's books, articles, or even watching an episode of the television series that preceeded them always leaves me feeling angry, depressed and with a real frustration that I am doing little to make the world a better place. So it was with some trepidation that I finally picked up Belching Out The Devil. I was also concerned that as a conscientious consumer who already avoids Coca-Cola that the book would merely be preaching to the converted (me).
Belching Out The Devil brings you on a journey around the world, tackling the many issues that blacken the Coca-Cola brand; the infringement on workers rights, the environmental impact and drought caused by the bottling plants and the pure disregard that The Coca-Cola Company has for the communities it inhabits. It is an easy read packed with hard hitting facts, humour and pop culture references which help you connect with the author, meaning that he becomes a character in his own book rather than assuming the role of preacher. It is well researched and leaves no hole for Coca-Cola to wiggle through. At all times Coca-Cola are asked to respond to Mark Thomas's allegations and at all times his questions are greeted with frustrating PR spiel, there is a hope that if Coca-Cola learn anything from this book it would be to stop making excuses and actually commit themselves fully to the corporate social responsibility they espouse.
There is no call to action in Belching Out The Devil but it does leave you with the sensation of needing to do something, weather it be a boycott or just awareness raising amongst those you know. Some of the stories contained within are reassuring proof that it is possible for one person to make a difference.
problems of sugary caramel water, 03 Oct 2008
Belching Out the Devil: Global Adventures with Coca-Cola
The author offers a honest and unbiased account of a journey across the globe to find the truth behind coca-cola. The writing style is warm and entertaining packed with interesting facts which bring you to really question what else you could have with your whisky. Belching out the devil offers a clear and concise account of the sociological, economical and political problems coca-cola brings to communities when it sets up business. I will never drink coca-cola ever again, and I hope you wont either.
A great reference for Gil's work, 21 Mar 2008
This is a good size book, nicely bound and printed on good quality paper - glossy but not too glossy. The book is all about the art. There is surprisingly just about 30 pages of text, and even that is strewn with example of Elvgren's work (plus a few by those whose work he admired). At the back of the book, the text appears again in French and German.
While it is easy to describe Elvgren's work in light-weight terms such as "cheesecake", much of his work consisted of advertisements for major companies, calendars, magazine covers, illustrations and various other commissions. He was a master of his craft, a seriously capable portrait artist. His ability to capture the shape and character of male and female form with verve and fluidity is remarkable.
I have a personal interest in portraiture, and bought this book purely as a reference. It is certainly a useful way to get a closer look at his technique and use of colour.
superb!, 01 Nov 2007
a truley wonderful book, glorious images and an absolute must for anyone interedted in the period, pinups and art in general. to me elvgren is the absolute leader in this field, a fabulous artist and a real treat for the eyes!
Like Gil Elgren ? . . . then buy this book, 24 Mar 2000
I`m a fan of Gil Elvgren so I can`t say anything bad about this book . . it has almost every picture he produced . . to me he was a genius . . one of a kind . . no one done it better
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