Free Neil Young eBook at Wowio

Neil Young is known around the world as one of Canada’s greatest musical artists. His vast, diverse songbook and long, influential career have made him a unique figure in the history of rock.

In a deeply honest and revealing book, his half-sister, Astrid Young, gives us an intimate portrait of the private man behind the public performer. WOWIO’s Book of the Month version includes an exclusive video interview with the author and is free for the month of September.

Download the book for free here.

Beach Reads Finished, It’s Time for the Big Books

WIth the summer reading season now officially over, it’s time to look ahead to the publishing industry’s fall schedule which includes new books by Bob Woodward, Keith Richards, George W. Bush, Jon Stewart and more according to the New York Times’ Julie Bosman. Take a look here.

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Beach Reads Finished, It’s Time for the Big Books

Bush Returns to Arena, Memoir in Hand (WSJ Video)

After remaining mostly out of view and silent on policy debates since leaving office, George W. Bush is about to promote his memoir, “Decision Points,” to be published a week after the Nov. 2 elections. Peter Wallsten of the Wall Street Journal has all the details.

Blair Heckled At Book Promotion

Protesters heckle former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, as he continues promoting his new book, The Journey, including a Friday TV appearance where he praised the Middle East peace talks. Blair has been the subject of much anti-war protest in the UK since the book arrived in stores earlier this week.

Three New Books on Climate Change

Despite some recent setbacks, the notion of climate change seems to have become a reasonably well accepted standard as we prepare ourselves for a future that may look decidedly different from our recent past. Interestingly, three new books have just been released which, when taken as a group, paint an interesting and multi-faceted perspective on how things got this way and what it means for future life on the planet.

While not strictly a global warming book, “Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming” (Bloomsbury Press) examines the growth of ‘junk science’ from its creation to its implementation in a thoroughly detailed and fact-filled expose of the continuing pattern of industry to (often secretly) fund high-level, scientific studies to ‘disprove’ established research on the negative effects of harmful products. Their powerful re-assembly of the history of such programs over the last fifty years covers issues ranging from tobacco safety to DDT to Acid Rain and of course, global warming. The details of their reporting are far too vast to elucidate here, but suffice to say that many of the same players – some of the top ranked hawkish scientists of the 20th century – have been involved in many, if not all, of these campaigns. “Merchants of Doubt” explores everything from the motivation of such projects, the key players and funders, the methods of dissemination and media manipulation (“equal time”) and the ultimate refutation of such programs (SDI: Star Wars) over time. The vast detail and scope of Oreskes’ and Conway’s well written work makes “Merchants” one of the most important books of the year and a volume well worth reading.

Next up and new from MIT Press, comes “Economic Thought and U.S. Climate Change Policy,” edited by environmental policy writer and Syracuse University law professor, David Driesen. The book acts as a survey of articles chronicling events over recent decades that have sought to improve the climate situation or more often, restrict advances in climate control, mostly through patterns of corporate abuse and/or undue influence on governmental environmental guidelines and agencies. In a series of articles on overlapping subjects (i.e. Kyoto, cap and trade, the effect of the neo-liberals, Republican obstructionism), “Economic Thought” portrays a heavy-duty, multi-faceted attempt to limit restrictions on pollution controls and fossil fuel policies to achieve results that are often less than surface appearances would suggest. A prevailing theme throughout the book reveals how the public is constantly led to believe that laws representing one thing are in effect (cap and trade being a large culprit) when reality dictates a substantially different result (the examples of companies receiving trade credits when polluting factories are taken off line vs. employing actual restrictions on existing plants are but one example of this deception.) Filled with information that close observers may already know, the book nonetheless brings together a variety of sources to assemble an effective overview of the issue from the industrial revolution to the Obama administration (though much of its concern centers around the EPA, the Clean Air Act and the administrations of both Reagan and Bush, 43.)

Finally, for a look at what the world may look like in the event that we do little or nothing to combat carbon emissions and greenhouse gases, comes “The Weather of the Future” (Harper) by meteorologist/climatologist, Heidi Cullen. Cullen, a research scientist at the non-profit outfit, Climate Central, (and former host of the Weather Channel’s ‘Forecast Earth’) describes in detail what is likely to occur at seven different hot-spot locations around the planet in the wake of elevated temperatures and rising waters. Using predictive modeling from a variety of accredited sources, Cullen describes what effects can be expected in areas from New York City (major hurricanes, rampant flooding) to Bangladesh (becoming a massive refugee state) to the farm regions of Central California (massive drought) as well as the implications for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Greenland’s arctic ice cap and others. Using data models from NASA, the IPCC, MIT, the California Climate Change Center and others, Cullen predicts a seismic shift in global weather patterns, sea life, agriculture and terrain that, while may be off in some meaningful ways (as expected in a 50 year prediction) certainly cover the range of detailed possibilities awaiting our future. Her personal, yet readable account, is of course, speculative in nature, but with all the research and modeling referenced here and elsewhere, it’s hard not to believe that somewhere in these patterns lies our own inconvenient truth.

Just Released: Tony Blair’s ‘Journey’ (Video)

Tony Blair’s autobiography, “The Journey,” goes on sale today amid protests over his participation in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. See a preview of the former Prime Minister’s latest work here. (courtesy webcastr.com)

Thierry Mugler “Galaxy Glamour” – Daniele Bott (Thames & Hudson)

To view Thierry Mugler as a mere fashion designer is missing the point. Not since Jean-Paul Gauthier, has anyone approached the world of design with the grand theatrical spectacle of France’s outrageous Mugler. This is one designer who knows that the show does not end at the wardrobe, but that the clothing is just one piece of the potential presentation.

In this new work, author Bott describes Mugler as a superhero; one whose work is “untouched by economic upheavals and everyday banality, it is constantly explosive, a continuous fireworks display.” Mugler’s complete history is revealed; from his early education as a student of classical ballet, to the influence of comic books, to the eventual move to fashion design and the tableau of the runway. Through it all, we gain a new understanding of just how the designer became perhaps the most theatrical and over-the-top couturier of our era.

The book is the perfect showcase for the designer’s extreme fashion sense as well as a work that captures all the provocative and mind bending energy of his most famous runway shows. Mugler’s highly stylized, mostly futuristic designs – sometimes known as ‘fashion architecture’ – are shown from their sketchpad inceptions, to their actual assemblage on through their final appearances on a fitting set of models such as Jerry Hall, Eva Herzigova and Linda Evangelista. Beyond design, the seemingly indefatigable Mugler made a name for himself by using materials heretofore unheard of in the world of couture; from chrome to plexiglass, feathers to motorcycle parts(!) in various constructions and de-constructions creating the fashion equivalents of fiery jewelry settings, lush peacocks and even a few robotic, female C-3POs. All are aptly showcased here.

In this edition, Bott, a french fashion journalist (Vogue) who also profiled the House of Chanel, has done a magnificent job of capturing the truly other-worldly and proto-futuristic products that emanate from the mind of Thierry Mugler (including his parfum ‘Angel.’) The pictures (done by the man himself as well as Helmut Newton, Jean-Paul Goude and others) representing each phase of the designers oeuvre, are undeniably amazing (and if the cover doesn’t convince you, nothing will.) To see just what is possible at the outer edges of fashion, spectacle and design, this is a good place to begin – or end.

The Business of Happiness – Ted Leonsis (Regnery)

Ted Leonsis is one happy guy. Perhaps you would be too if you had sold your first company for a cool $60 million before you even turned thirty.

Leonsis, a former internet kingpin (AOL) and a sports team owner in Washington D.C. has good reason to be happy with his success in business, but to hear Leonsis tell it, happiness is no accident. According to his book, “The Business of Happiness,” you too can achieve an increased level of happiness just by applying several of the principals outlined in the book. To achieve improved happiness, Leonsis recommends things like keeping a list of life-long goals (a list he made after a life-changing near fatal airplane incident), give back to those more needy and activate the communities that you are a natural constituent for.

The book is divided into two halves; the first is a sort of mini-biography of Ted’s years as a tech entrepreneur leading into combining his fledgling company with Steve Case’s early AOL, the famed (and some say ill-fated) merger between AOL and TimeWarner, and finally life after the internet with the purchase of a series of sports teams that again emphasize the principals of teamwork, pride and community.

The second half of the book is where Leonsis outlines his six principles of happiness and how each one has pushed him further up the happiness chain. While Leonsis’ recantation is filled with an upbeat attitude, it’s hard not to imagine some obstacles along the way. But for all his optimism, Leonsis recommendations are concrete examples of just what can be achieved with a change in attitude as well as keeping a steady eye on the goal tiller. “The Business of Happiness” is filled with ideas for improving both one’s outlook and results. Leonsis’ own story is the prove of the pudding.

Read more about Ted Leonsis at Ted’s Blog here.

Coming Soon: Ads In Books?

This week, the blogosphere went crazy with the notion that advertising may be coming to the world of books. With the declining sales of physical titles combined with the growth of electronic publishing – often at reduced rates to publishers – the notion of placing ads in books may finally be gaining traction in the publishing world.

The Wall Street Journal (itself experimenting with paid subscription models) first broke the story yesterday, comparing ads in books to the concept of product placement in movies, videos and video games. The question is: will readers rebel from a concept like this or can ads be tastefully placed along side editorial content much like a traditional magazine model?

So what does everybody think? Tolerable or bad at any price?

Link to story.

Power Friending – Amber Mac (Portfolio)

The last three years have seen an explosion of books trying to cash in on the phenomenon of social media (and we have certainly covered many of the major ones). Most works approach the subject from a technical POV, describing feature sets of various services and how to take full advantage of their systems.

Now comes a fresh take on the subject from writer, consultant and TWiT.TV hostess, Amber Mac. Unlike most of the technical leaning volumes published to date, Mac examines the attitude and, dare we say, the psychology, of social networking.

In “Power Friending,” Mac emphasizes the human aspect of social networking. How to add to your circle of influence – as either a sole persona or as a business agenda – by, surprise, acting as a friend to the people you approach online. While this approach may seem painfully obvious to some, to others it is important to realize the difference between broadcasting messages to one’s audience verses engaging your audience as though they are actually fans or friends.

Like most social media books, “Power Friending” covers the bases of all the services available, including some you may not yet know about (Want to see your social media opportunity? Try Namechk to see where your name is being used.) Because of her background in web video, Mac spends an extra amount of time covering social video and podcasting by illustrating effective filming techniques to use online. Unlike many books, Mac covers not only success stories (Zappos, Threadless, Starbucks) in social marketing as well as shedding light on companies whose efforts may have fallen short of the goal. (Skittles backlash campaign being one of many well-known examples.)

In a cluttered field of social media books, “Power Friending” stands out by focusing on gaining followers with attitude over merely being conversant in the technology. Lean on it.

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