Business Adventures by Brooks John, First Edition (17 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Fair. 1st Edition. Book is "good, ex-library" with several small green "New Zealand National Library Service" page-stampings and a red "Cancelled" stamping to FFE. No edge-stampings. Looks like a couple of standard library attachments have been removed from the rear endpapers, without causing too much damage. Book remains square and tight but smells slightly musty to us. Dewey decimal number painted to spine of both book and jacket. Jacket might still grade good or better, save that the rear flap has been cut off, trimmed down, and glued to the blank FFE. (Librarians do strange things.) Jacket is therefore pretty much complete, but in two pieces; call it "fair." Not price clipped; original "21/-" price still showing. A compromised copy, but we have placed the bulk of the jacket in a mylar protector (after freeing it from the book, to which it was partially glued down) -- volume is easily read and now looks quite presentable on the shelf. Author Brooks acknowledges the Edsel probably seemed like a pretty good idea when it was OK'd in 1955, but it took two years and a quarter of a billion dollars to get it to market; it was a big rattling boat of a car whose designers were more interested in loading it up with push-button gadgets than with its (tank-like) gas mileage or its (crummy) handling characteristics; there was nothing breathtaking about its boxy appearance; quality control was so bad that literally half the early-delivered models leaked oil or had gadgets that wouldn't work, and at that point it turned out it didn't matter how many tens of millions were spent on promotion (including an hour-long, prime-time TV show!) Book also contains shorter, irreverent business-related essays on price-fixing, bid-rigging, and the stock exchange, most of which originally appeared in The New Yorker magazine. 182 pp., here reduced from $385.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. First Edition. First edition. Shelf and handling wear to cover and binding, with general signs of previous use. Wrinkling and closed tears to rear jacket flap. Discoloration to boards; tight binding; bend to several pages and a small closed tear to fore-edge of one leaf; previous owner stamp on paste-down endpapers; unmarked text; unclipped dust jacket in protective mylar cover. Secure packaging for safe delivery. 4.55.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. First Edition. Ex-Library copy with typical library marks and stamps. Dust jacket in good condition. First edition. Shelf and handling wear to cover and binding, with general signs of previous use. Dust jacket is protected in mylar. Binding is secure. Secure packaging for safe delivery. 4.55.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. First Edition. Dust jacket missing. First edition. Minor shelf and handling wear, overall a clean solid copy with minimal signs of use. Boards betray fading and nicks and other signs of wear and imperfection commensurate with age. Binding remains tight and structurally sound. Pages absent any extraneous marks. Sealed in plastic for shipping. Secure packaging for safe delivery. 4.55.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Included. 1st Edition. In addition to the essay mentioned in the book's title on the famously failed Ford Edsel brand, the author's forensic and eloquent expressed insights are also directed towards five other areas of investigation; including those of Wall Street, Threadneedle Street and Piggly-Wiggly. The striking dust jacket (main image) is intact but quite damaged in places; especially at the head and tail of the spine and rear flap/spine joint at the top (see image). It is also internally tanned and price clipped. The boards are amber coloured with a contrasting jet black spine along which are gilt titles (image). There is a little spotting along the edges; the fore edge is uncut. Some tanning on pages. Ffep has both an ink signature and previous seller's notes etc in pencil (image). pp. 182/8vo. Please note that depending on destination we may request an additional payment to cover any extra shipping/postage charges. Abe2232.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. 1st Edition. A hardcover book in good condition, top page ends have been dusty which has left them marked. First British edition.

Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Boards resist opening past 80 degrees -- as-new unread."First Edition" stated above Harper's date code L-M (for November, 1962.) Bookplate of international business executive and former Deloitte & Touche managing director James Roger Ladd to blank FFE. Jacket front flap, which has been price-clipped, is coded 0163 -- probably a January, 1963 jacket, then, as are those on the other Harper firsts we've seen. We thus list this First Edition copy as released 1963, which is also the latest copyright date. Author Brooks acknowledges the Edsel probably seemed like a pretty good idea when it was OK'd in 1955, but it took two years and a quarter of a billion dollars to get it to market; it was a big rattling boat of a car whose designers were more interested in loading it up with push-button gadgets than with its (tank-like) gas mileage or its (crummy) handling characteristics; there was nothing breathtaking about its boxy appearance; quality control was so bad that literally half the early-delivered models leaked oil or had gadgets that wouldn't work, and at that point it turned out it didn't matter how many tens of millions were spent on promotion (including an hour-long, prime-time TV show starring Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra!) Book also contains shorter, irreverent business-related essays on price-fixing, bid-rigging, and the stock exchange, most of which originally appeared in The New Yorker magazine. Automotive business history, finance. 183 pp. Reduced from $790.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. "First Edition" stated above Harper's date code L-M (for November, 1962.) PON stamped to top of FFE. Not price clipped; original $4.50 price showing to jacket front flap, which, is coded 0163 -- probably a January, 1963 jacket, then, as are those on the other Harper firsts we've seen. We thus list this First Edition copy as released 1963, which is also the latest copyright date. Author Brooks acknowledges the Edsel probably seemed like a pretty good idea when it was OK'd in 1955, but it took two years and a quarter billion dollars to get it to market; it was a big rattling boat of a car whose designers were more interested in loading it up with push-button gadgets than with its (tank-like) gas mileage or its (crummy) handling characteristics; there was nothing breathtaking about its boxy appearance; quality control was so bad that literally half the early-delivered models leaked oil or had gadgets that wouldn't work, and at that point it turned out it didn't matter how many tens of millions were spent on promotion (including an hour-long, prime-time TV show starring Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra!) Book also contains shorter, irreverent business-related essays on price-fixing, bid-rigging, and the stock exchange, most of which originally appeared in The New Yorker magazine. Automotive business history, finance. 183 pp., reduced from $370.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. "First Edition" stated above Harper's date code L-M (for November, 1962.) PON stamped to top of FFE. Not price clipped; original $4.50 price showing to jacket front flap, which, is coded 0163 -- probably a January, 1963 jacket, then, as are those on the other Harper firsts we've seen. We thus list this First Edition copy as released 1963, which is also the latest copyright date. Author Brooks acknowledges the Edsel probably seemed like a pretty good idea when it was OK'd in 1955, but it took two years and a quarter billion dollars to get it to market; it was a big rattling boat of a car whose designers were more interested in loading it up with push-button gadgets than with its (tank-like) gas mileage or its (crummy) handling characteristics; there was nothing breathtaking about its boxy appearance; quality control was so bad that literally half the early-delivered models leaked oil or had gadgets that wouldn't work, and at that point it turned out it didn't matter how many tens of millions were spent on promotion (including an hour-long, prime-time TV show starring Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra!) Book also contains shorter, irreverent business-related essays on price-fixing, bid-rigging, and the stock exchange, most of which originally appeared in The New Yorker magazine. Automotive business history, finance. 183 pp.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First U.k. Edition. Hardback. Dust Jacket. 8vo. pp 183. Original publisher's red cloth, lettered gilt on spine. The publisher's own retained copy with their stamp reading, 'file copy' on the front pastedown and on the front and back of the yellow d/w. Fine in very good dust jacket, slightly dusty and with very faint edgewear and no loss. No inscriptions, not price-clipped.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Poor. First Edition. Publication of 400 pages. The dust jacket is edge worn, marks, tears and chipped pieces. The boards are in good condition. Internally the pages are clean and complete. Tightly bound and presented in cellophane. The binding is excellent. GK. Our orders are shipped using tracked courier delivery services.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good+. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good-. First Edition; First Printing. Half black cloth cover with yellow boards is rubbed at corners with bumped spine caps and a white scuff along back hinge but clean, bright, and in very good+ condition. Boards and spine are straight. Binding is tight. Publisher's note laid-in "To the Literary Editor". Pages are clean and pristine. Book has never been cracked open. Dust jacket has wear to the extremities, a tear to back panel, and heavy scuffing but clean, bright, and in very good- condition. Publisher's price of $4.50 on DJ flap. DJ protected by a brand new, clear, acid-free mylar cover. We add mylar covers to all books with DJs to preserve the DJs and add luster to magnify their beauty. (If pictured, shown without the mylar cover for an accurate representation of dust jacket. ); 8.4 X 5.7 X 0.9 inches; 182 pages.

Hardcover. Condition: Good Plus. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Previous owner name inside front board. Some discoloration to top and side page edges. DJ shows chipping and wear to both spine ends and spine folds. Couple of small scratches to front of dj. The book is square and tight. Page interiors are clean. One of our classic business books.

Hardcover. Condition: good. First Edition. 182 pages slight soiling to rear board, board corners somewhat worn. John Brooks (1920-1993) was an award-winning writer best known for his contributions to the New Yorker as a financial journalist, and for his examination of Wall Street and the corporate world. Topics covered in this book include the Ford Motor Company's Edsel (now a popular symbol for a commercial failure); security analyst Walter Gutman; Clarence Saunders and the Piggly Wiggly Stores; price-fixing and bid-rigging conspiracies in the electrical-manufacturing industry; and the London Stock Exchange. Derived from a Kirkus Review: A refreshingly zestful approach to the matter of getting and spending and sometimes losing money. The major treat is the spectacle of the Edsel debacle, which started with delusionary dreams of glory, proceeded through the wildest reaches of motivational research, evolved in a veil of secrecy until the final numbing striptease, to the nostalgic recall of "the crew" of their most disastrous campaign. Other fun-and-games turn up Walter Gutman, who dubs himself "a Proust in Wall Street" and whose unique market letter takes off on unpredictable if predictably spectacular-flights of philosophy; the battle of Memphis country boy Clarence Saunders over a corner in Piggly Wiggly with Wall Street slickers, who won; the strange inability to communicate brought to light by the G.E. scandal probe; and a final holiday glimpse of Threadneedle Street, Wall Street's opposite number in the City, London, -- with the Exchange, Lloyd's, Hoare & Co. and the Bank of England for fanfare.

8.5 x 5.75, cloth backed boards, 182 pp, extremities a little worn, spine ends bumped, hinges a little loose, pp with some minor edge toning else a nice copy in a rubbed and extremity worn dust jacket. FIRST EDITION. Scarce title. With a printed punch card from "The Executive Program," filled in with this title as a free, bonus book.

Cloth Boards. Condition: Good Plus. Dust Jacket Condition: Fair. (first edition). First edition, UK. Front and rear boards in good condition with minimal signs of edgewear. Dust jacket chipped at corners and at head/foot of spine, discoloured along edges/spine, closed tear to foot of spine (1cm), pp clean and unmarked, final few pages uncut along head of text block, binding sprung but secure. Size: 8vo 0.0.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. First Edition [stated]. 182, [10] pages. Slight soiling to rear board, board corners somewhat worn. John Brooks (December 5, 1920 - July 27, 1993) was a writer and longtime contributor to The New Yorker magazine, where he worked for many years as a staff writer, specializing in financial topics. Brooks was also the author of several books, both fiction and nonfiction, the best known of which was an examination of the financial shenanigans of the 1960s Wall Street bull market. In a field known for bone-dry adjectives, writer Brooks lent his business writing a new panache. In describing Ford's Edsel, for instance, Brooks wrote in his best-known New Yorker essay that the newly engineered vehicle was "clumsy, powerful, dowdy, gauche, well-meaning - a deKooning woman." Topics covered in this book include the Ford Motor Company's Edsel (now a popular symbol for a commercial failure); security analyst Walter Gutman; Clarence Saunders and the Piggly Wiggly Stores; price-fixing and bid-rigging conspiracies in the electrical-manufacturing industry; and the London Stock Exchange. Derived from a Kirkus review: Further adventures in business on and off the Street offers a refreshingly zestful approach to the matter of getting and spending and sometimes losing money. The major treat is the spectacle of the Edsel debacle, "a modern American anti-success story" which started with delusionary dreams of glory, proceeded through the wildest reaches of motivational research, evolved in a veil of secrecy accorded only to the atomic bomb until the final numbing striptease, to the nostalgic recall of "the crew", only temporarily battle-scarred, of their greatest if most disastrous campaign. Other business-fun-and-games turn up Walter Gutman, who dubs himself "a Proust in Wall Street" and whose unique market letter takes off on unpredictable if predictably spectacular-flights of philosophy; the battle of Memphis country boy Clarence Saunders over a corner in Piggly Wiggly with Wall Street slickers, who won; the strange inability to communicate brought to light by the G.E. scandal probe, and a final holiday glimpse of Threadneedle Street, Wall Street's opposite number in the City, London, -- with the Exchange, Lloyd's, Hoare & Co. and the Bank of England for fanfare. An aperitif that is unexpectedly entertaining.