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"The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday life," writes Malcolm Gladwell, "is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do." Although anyone familiar with the theory of memetics will recognize this concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject.

For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanize the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what Gladwell calls a "Connector": he knew just about everybody, particularly the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through. But Revere "wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston," he was also a "Maven" who gathered extensive information about the British. He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you.

Gladwell develops these and other concepts (such as the "stickiness" of ideas or the effect of population size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and entertainingly illustrative anecdotes, such as comparing the pedagogical methods of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues, or explaining why it would be even easier to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with the actor Rod Steiger. Although some readers may find the transitional passages between chapters hold their hands a little too tightly, and Gladwell's closing invocation of the possibilities of social engineering sketchy, even chilling, The Tipping Point is one of the most effective books on science for a general audience in ages. It seems inevitable that "tipping point," like "future shock" or "chaos theory," will soon become one of those ideas that everybody knows--or at least knows by name. --Ron Hogan.
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Less than half the price of full-length anthologies and more economical than most value editions, The Seagull Readers are a portable and inexpensive alternative to bulky anthologies Each volume offers an inviting mix of classics and less familiar pieces, complemented by concise genre introductions, short headnotes and annotations, brief author biographies, and a glossary of terms..
Price: $19.56 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The heroine of Sarah Waters's audacious first novel knows her destiny, and seems content with it. Her place is in her father's seaside restaurant, shucking shellfish and stirring soup, singing all the while. "Although I didn't long believe the story told to me by Mother--that they had found me as a baby in an oyster-shell, and a greedy customer had almost eaten me for lunch--for eighteen years I never doubted my own oysterish sympathies, never looked far beyond my father's kitchen for occupation, or for love." At night Nancy Astley often ventures to the nearby music hall, not that she has illusions of being more than an audience member. But the moment she spies a new male impersonator--still something of a curiosity in England circa 1888--her years of innocence come to an end and a life of transformations begins.

Tipping the Velvet, all 472 pages of it, is as saucy, as tantalizing, and as touching as the narrator's first encounter with the seductive but shame-ridden Miss Kitty Butler. And at first even Nancy's family is thrilled with her gender-bending pal, all but her sister, best friend, and bedmate, Alice, "her eyes shining cold and dull, with starlight and suspicion." Not to worry. Soon Nancy and Kitty are off to London, their relationship close though (alas for our heroine) sisterly. We know that bliss will come, and it does, in an exceptionally charged moment. A lesser author would have been content to stop her story there, but Waters has much more in mind for her buttonholing heroine, and for us. In brief, her Everywoman with a sexual difference goes from success onstage to heartbreak to a stint as a male prostitute (necessity truly is the mother of invention) to keeping house for a brother and sister in the Labour movement. And did I mention her long stint as a plaything in the pleasure palace of a rich Sapphist extraordinaire? Diana Lethaby is as cruel as she is carnal, and even the well-concealed Cavendish Ladies' Club isn't outré enough for her. Kitting Nancy out in full, elegant drag, she dares the front desk to turn them away. "We are here," she mocks, "for the sake of the irregular."

Only after some seven years of hard twists and sensual turns does Nancy conclude that a life of sensation is not enough. Still, Tipping the Velvet is so entertaining that readers will wish her sentimental--and hedonistic--education had taken twice as long. --Kerry Fried.
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Fred Pearce has been writing about climate change for twenty years, and the more he learns, the worse things look. As Pearce began researching this book, numerous scientists sought him out to recount their findings and fears: where once they were concerned about gradual climate change, many now worry that we will soon be experiencing abrupt change resulting from triggering tipping points. With Speed and Violence is the most up-to-date and readable book yet about the constantly accumulating evidence for global warming and the dramatic effects it may unleash.

"[Pearce's] grasp of [scientists'] work is exceptional. What's more, he has a talent for explaining science in terms understandable to the nonscientist . . . This enjoyable read was difficult to put down."
—Library Journal, starred review

"If you want to quickly get up to date on climate change and its consequences, I recommend With Speed and Violence. If you can read only one book on climate change, this is it."
—Lester Brown, president, Earth Policy Institute.
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Why do millions of people end up wearing the same style of clothing?

What makes people change their tastes in food, music, and cars?

It's because of trends-the powerful process of change that affects every industry across the globe.

Drawing on his groundbreaking research, trend sociologist Henrik Vejlgaard unearths essential clues about how trends emerge and go mainstream and examines the influential individuals who make this happen.

Throughout are real-life stories of both famous and anonymous movers and shakers who have had worldwide influence in changing our styles of living, including business leaders, designers, and artists, while also conveying the fascinating development of little-known trends that perfectly illustrate the trend's life cycle. Anatomy of a Trend explores every level of this remarkable process-making it easy for you to benefit from the powerful social dynamic that causes trends to take off and spread.

Vejlgaard delivers the tools and knowledge you need to capitalize on every stage of the trend process. As you gain insight into this aspect of human behavior, you will better understand trends and how they affect society, and ultimately learn how you can predict future needs.

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As VP of marketing at online retailer Half.com, Mark Hughes didn’t have a huge budget for advertising Yet he helped drive the number of Half.com users from zero to eight million in just three years. His secret? Making the company a magnet for media attention and word-of-mouth, by any means necessary. Most notoriously, he persuaded the town of Halfway, Oregon, to rename itself Half.com—called “one of the greatest publicity coups” in history by Time.

In this breakthrough book, Hughes offers a practical guide to the art of successful buzz marketing—which many people talk about these days but few truly understand. He draws on real-world examples of companies that got people to talk about their stuff— from Miller Lite during the “Tastes Great—Less Filling” era, to American Idol’s stunning use of buzz to become a global phenomenon, to current companies that find creative ways to break through the ad-glutted marketplace.

Buzzmarketing explores the six secrets of great word-of-mouth campaigns and shows how any company can thrive by pursuing a buzz-driven strategy rather than just hoping for a lucky break. Readers who have enjoyed books like The Tipping Point and Purple Cow will find Buzzmarketing to be the ideal guide to applying buzz to their real-world business needs..
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Win Freedom From Guilt, Shame and Self-Recrimination In this remarkable program consisting of a DVD and CD, Colin Tipping shows you how to quickly get relief from the tyranny of your inner critic and internal judge. Wouldnt you agree that these two tyrants have been committed to making you wrong and pulling you down at every opportunity for far too long and that it has to stop? Of course you would! This program will help.On the DVD (running time - 1hour 35 mins), Colin Tipping distinguishes between guilt and shame and when it is appropriate to feel either, or both, and when it is definitely not appropriate. He also explores the nature of SELF and finds we all have a community of selves within, which leads to the question, Whos Forgiving Who? This program gives you a chance to become properly acquainted with those all the characters inside your head who criticize you all the time, then shows you how to have a healing dialogue with them to convince them that you are OK just the way you are, and that your very perfection lies in your imperfectionHe explains how the Radical Self-Forgiveness/Acceptance technology works so you have a thorough understanding of all that is involved in using the simple- to-use tools he provides for your transformation and empowerment through Radical Self-Forgiveness/Acceptance.USING THIS DVD/CD SET WILL RAISE YOUR SELF-ESTEEM AND SET YOU FREE.
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Sustainable Urban Planning introduces the principles and practices behind urban and regional planning in the context of environmental sustainability.

• This timely text introduces the principles and practice behind urban and regional planning in the context of environmental sustainability.
  
• Reflects a growing recognition that cities, where the majority of humans now live, need to be developed in a sustainable way.
  
• Weaves together the concerns of planning, capitalism, development, and cultural and environmental preservation.
  
• Helps students and planners to marry the needs of the environment with the need for financial gain.

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Price: $43.32 [Notify me when price goes down.]