Average customer rating:
- Better than Marquand
- A Classic Early 20th Century Novel
- The Magnificent Stuck in Amber Family
- Riffraff!
- Riffraff
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The Magnificent Ambersons (Modern Library Classics)
Booth Tarkington
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0375752501
Release Date: 1998-09-14 |
Book Description
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize when it was first published in 1918,
The Magnificent Ambersons chronicles the changing fortunes of three generations of an American dynasty. The protagonist of Booth Tarkington's great historical drama is George Amberson Minafer, the spoiled and arrogant grandson of the founder of the family's magnificence. Eclipsed by a new breed of developers, financiers, and manufacturers, this pampered scion begins his gradual descent from the midwestern aristocracy to the working class.
Today
The Magnificent Ambersons is best known through the 1942 Orson Welles movie, but as the critic Stanley Kauffmann noted, "It is high time that [the novel] appear again, to stand outside the force of Welles's genius, confident in its own right."
"
The Magnificent Ambersons is perhaps Tarkington's best novel," judged Van Wyck Brooks. "[It is] a typical story of an American family and town--the great family that locally ruled the roost and vanished virtually in a day as the town spread and darkened into a city. This novel no doubt was a permanent page in the social history of the United States, so admirably conceived and written was the tale of the Ambersons, their house, their fate and the growth of the community in which they were submerged in the end."
Download Description
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize when it was first published in 1918, The Magnificent Ambersons chronicles the changing fortunes of three generations of an American dynasty. The protagonist of Booth Tarkington's great historical drama is George Amberson Minafer, the spoiled and arrogant grandson of the founder of the family's magnificence. Eclipsed by a new breed of developers, financiers, and manufacturers, this pampered scion begins his gradual descent from the midwestern aristocracy to the working class. Today The Magnificent Ambersons is best known through the 1942 Orson Welles movie, but as the critic Stanley Kauffmann noted, "It is high time that [the novel] appear again, to stand outside the force of Welles's genius, confident in its own right."
Customer Reviews:
Better than Marquand.......2007-07-17
Assuming you have read the synopsis and a few other reviews, I thought a comparative review might serve as a change of pace. I purchased this book some time ago after The Atlantic ran a few reviews for early 20th century `transformation' novels slowly reclaiming their place in American Literature. Included in that list were The Late George Apley, H.M. Pullham Esquire (both by John P. Marquand), Alice Adams, and The Magnificent Ambersons (both by Booth Tarkington). Booth Tarkington had the added honor of an article in the New Yorker discussing his merits (structure and theme) and his demerits (awkward prose) during his `rediscovery.'
Each of these books takes as its theme the cultural transformation of America in the early 20th century (less so Alice Adams), which I found appealing given what I consider to be a cultural transformation currently taking place. I can only hope I am not becoming as out-of-touch as the characters in these novels when I question society's direction. And if I am, I hope I am more George Apley than Georgie Minafer.
I enjoyed both Marquand novels for their directness and humor. While The Magnificent Ambersons lacks these qualities (and their clean prose), its net effect is much more profound in my mind. The Marquand novels function as well-crafted time capsules rather than emotional appeals to the necessity of change. In today's world, it is easy to dismiss the codgerly annoyance and trifling social involvements of George Apley as the consequence of an East Coast aristocracy in decline. It is similarly easy to dismiss the honor-bound desperation and cognitive dissonance of Harry Pulham as the follow-on effects of Apley's generation, passed on to children faced with the Great War and the Great Depression. However, it is not easy to dismiss Georgie Minifer's behavior and ultimate `comeuppance.' The reason is simple - his character is so completely worthless and needlessly arrogant that it is impossible not to HATE this character. It is impossible not to beg for his `comeuppance.' Most frustratingly, by story's end it is difficult not to feel sorry for his character and hope that a better tomorrow waits him...the reader becines guilty of the very same motherly coddling which created Georgie's faults in the first place.
As opposed to the Marquand Man who has simply been passed by a newer generation, here we have someone actually IN the new generation who scornfully rejects every opportunity to change. In the end, he is literally run over by his town's agent of change while pining for his symbol of the way things used to be. Most like the Marquand Man, he is actually returned to the bosom of the old world by simple virtue of being unable to function in the new. Does he deserve forgiveness simply for asking? Maybe. Does he deserve a second chance because he forces himself to adopt the bedrock principles which initially provided his family's fortune (hard work and respect for family)? Possibly. Is it fair to Apley and Pulham to reward a spoiled brat for refusing to give in? I don't think so.
However, this is the point of comparison - it is the emotional impact of this novel that sets it above other transitional works in the same vein. Tarkington has captured one of the few truths of the human experience - some people never change. Tarkington has also created a much more effective message - change or fall into oblivion in spite of your most violent protests. This is the transition both Tarkington and Marquand were witnessing, yet Tarkington seems to have better anticipated impact. America does not bypass the elites because their time has passed, it bears down with the entire weight of its populace on those unwilling to innovate, work hard, and cast off conceits falsely placed in the achievements of their forebears.
A Classic Early 20th Century Novel.......2007-05-19
I think Tarkington's "Ambersons" is the first great Post-WWI American novel. Written in 1918, the novel chronicles the transition of the midwestern American postwar society from the contol of the robber baron gentry to industrialized, modern consumerism-- all personified in the precipitous decline of the Ambersons and their world of priveledge and social status.
With a surprisingly dry and sophisticated sense of cynicism, Tarkington's prose shows the beginnings of the style of Sinclair Lewis, Hemmingway, and Steinbeck that became ascendant in the period after the war.
The Magnificent Stuck in Amber Family.......2007-04-06
Set somewhere in heartland (actually, "Midland") America around the turn of the 20th century, "The Magnificent Ambersons" is a sharp and ultimately melancholy look at change. Founded on old money, the family's generations glide easily along in extravagance, until the cash runs out. Their unwillingness to adapt to new times and new industry dooms their lives of comfort and inertia, as their mansions decay and their neighborhood becomes one of common housing and polluted air.
The protagonist is George Amberson Minafer, the sole inhabitant of the third generation and an insufferable snob. He gets his come-uppance in the end, but the Ambersons have fallen so far so quickly that hardly anyone notices or cares anymore. He's chagrined to find after the fall of the house of Amberson that his once-prominent family is not even mentioned in the city history of great family names. His mother is irrationally, almost beyond belief, defensive and protective of her little scion. It's no wonder he was the terror of the town for so many years.
Booth Tarkington gradually clues the reader in that something's going wrong with the Amberson empire. He points out, mostly through Minafer's agonized thoughts, that nothing is permanent. The great fortunes and mansions that displace the Ambersons will themselves fade one day, and the customs and people one knows from infancy on will likewise shift. Midland undergoes a jarring shift from the wealthy and their poorer but settled neighbors to a bustling, dirty city of what Minafer sees as money-grubbing ethnic immigrants and incessant change. The old rich who didn't adapt fall victim to what one modern political commentator has called "creative destruction."
As if to underscore the transitory nature of things, Tarkington kills off most of the Amberson family as if it were itself somehow defective and weak. Minafer redeems himself somewhat at the end but only because of necessity. The few Ambersons who are left find themselves in a nearly alien culture that took only several decades to establish itself. Like Ozymandias, the Ambersons thought themselves and their way of life to be endless. Tarkington's rather bleak message seems to be that nothing is forever, no future is guaranteed, and that those who follow have no more claim on permanence than the mighty who have fallen before them.
Riffraff!.......2007-02-02
Possibly what keeps Barth Tarkington from going the way of the Magnificent Ambersons, completely rolled over and forgotten by history, is that this novel is on the Modern Library's top 100 list of books to read. A quick look at the imdb movie database shows that a number of his works were made into films and starred such pantheons of the golden age of movies as Orsen Welles and Rudolf Valentino. An amazon check shows that he won the Pulitzer Prize--twice! As I was sick in bed without a book of interest at hand Tarkington was perfect: his was a free ebook easily downloaded. It is a regrettable that this towering novelist of another time has become rather obscure today.
The Magnificent Ambersons excels in highlighting a rapidly changing time in American history: dress, language, style, breeding, importance, aristocracy and more all went through transformation as cities grew, fortunes were made and lost and life changed. These changes, seen and experienced by the author, an Indianapolis resident his entire life, are narrated from the living room (or parlor, or "reception" room) outwards. In the case of the Amberson family, the city they helped grow now thrives beyond them and their faltering fortune can't maintain the family as it swirls into obscurity and is surpassed by the modern motor car and sooty grime that defines the city. A touching scene occurs when the proud grandfather, stooped and aged, sits at his desk in his once impressive mansion going over ledger books to a gaslight while the boarding houses all around it have electric lights, and cars speed past the old stables where his rather now shabby carriage sits. Turmoil, Tarkington's previous novel that serves as a prequel to The Magnificent Ambersons, describes a midwestern city scene that could easily find a place here:
And then, as the car drove on, the chimneys and stacks of factories
came swimming up into view like miles of steamers advancing abreast,
every funnel with its vast plume, savage and black, sweeping to the
horizon, dripping wealth and dirt and suffocation over league on
league already rich and vile with grime.
The book's center is the grandson George Amberson Minafer, who grows up spoiled, proud, selfish and limited, and views those around him as riffraff. His goal to "be" rather than "do" prepares him for nothing, and his world view works to destroy him and undue his mother's last chance at happiness. The town in earlier years always wanted to see him have his "come uppance", (to get what was coming to him), and it comes casually, slowly, as his family is forgotten to poverty, and his own self importance is eventually shared by no one. That he is only 24 when this occurs, and has nothing to combat it but frayed pride, is pathetic. Amberson regrets that the new section of the town cemetery doesn't take into account that the older section holds the most important names, and views his uncle's entry into Congress for its ability to make family members ambassadors, allowing for easier family travel abroad. He takes all as his due, and offers little but arrogance in return. In the hands of a lesser writer George might be unbelievable or a caricature, but Tarkington makes him real, and George's failure to see beyond his own point of view is tragic.
The book's only weakness is its ending. Those who can help him do so only when his mother "speaks" to them during a seance, and its wraps up the novel too quickly. George has by this time shown some redemption, but his lifelong obstinence is still intact, and his faltering attempts at apologies should not hide that the kindness being shown him is not due so much to a light at long last glowing in his soul, but rather the pity being shown by others whose character is far surpasses his own.
Riffraff.......2006-09-27
Few books look at the decline of old ways of life the way "The Magnificent Ambersons" does. Booth Tarkington's Pulitzer-winning novel is a sharp, brilliant, sometimes mocking look at the way that old money crumbled away when the industrial revolution hit, and the way those Gilded Age millionaires ended up. It's undeniably Tarkington's best novel.
Georgie Minafer is the only heir and scion of the wealthy Amberson family, and unsurprisingly he's an insufferable brat. He doesn't improve as he grows up, believing that "there's a few people whose birth and position... puts them at the top" -- and his snottiness doesn't improve when he encounters and falls in love with an inventor's daughter, whose father was once smitten with his mother.
But soon the Amberson fortunes start to change -- family deaths, loss of money, and the encroaching city that is swallowing up their estate. George continues to believe that he is superior to others, but this belief is increasingly strained as "the magnificent Ambersons" lose the last of their property. And George's only salvation may be the man he once called "riffraff."
"The Magnificent Ambersons" seems at first to be a tombstone to the Gilded Age's beauty and glamour. Then you realize that George is a pain in the butt, not a noble figure, and that Tarkington had little affection for that bygone age -- the entire thing is an ironic look at how the "old money" refused to change their ways, and got swamped for it. Tarkington takes aim at rrogance, complacency, idleness and other flaws.
And Tarkington had a rare gift for irony. His writing seems a bit stuffy at first, with pages of details on clothes and parties; but as the Amberson fortunes fall, his prose becomes faster and more incisive. And the differences between idle "old money" and the poeple who "do" things becomes more pronounced, as well as the encroachment of machines and urban life into a once-elegant place. For example, the apartment buildings where the Amberson front lawn was.
It's pretty obvious from the start that while this is George's story, he's not the hero. He's arrogant, pompous, and genuinely believes that he is next to royalty just because his grandfather is rich. Only in the last chapters does he finally realize that he's no better than anyone else -- when even the people who once loathed him no longer even remember him.
The other Ambersons are humbler but no more useful. Aunt Fanny and Uncle George seem almost bewildered by their gradual downslide. And as a contrast to the formerly moneyed family, Tarkington provides readers with the car manufacturer Eugene Morgan -- George's opposite in every way -- and his sprightly, intelligent daughter.
Even the title of "The Magnificent Ambersons" is ironic, and it suits this quietly biting novel about how the world changed at the start of the twentieth century. The best book Tarkington ever wrote.
Average customer rating:
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The Magnificent Ambersons
Manufacturer: An Avon Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000EHJ8OS |
Product Description
Complete and Unabridged
Average customer rating:
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THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS
Manufacturer: Avon books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQ2ZC4 |
Book Description
At the age of twenty-five, with Citizen Kane (1941), Orson Welles was the author and star of the Greatest Movie Ever Made. Then he persuaded RKO to let him adapt a favorite book, The Magnificent Ambersons. Booth Tarkington's novel had won the Pulitzer Prize in 1917, and had kept its popularity as a slice of mid-Western Americana. Its tale of dynastic ruin and social change wrought by the rise of the automobile inspired Welles' fond reconstruction of a lost world of leisure and elegance, brought to atmospheric life by a company of his favorite actors, including Joseph Cotten and Agnes Moorehead in their most famous roles.
"It was a much better picture than Kane," said Welles "if they'd just left it as it was." It was butchered by the studio, but many still prize Ambersons as the finest of all Welles' achievements.
V. F. Perkins explores Welles' genius in directing actors, his intricate weaving of his own narration in and around the drama, and his unsurpassed use of the long take to capture the finest nuance of expression and unspoken feeling. For Perkins the film has as many marvellous shots, scenes, ideas, performances as most filmmakers could hope to achieve in an entire career.
Customer Reviews:
Insightful and Intelligent, but very Academic.......2001-10-29
This is an excellent book if you're up to the challenge of reading it.
A one sentence example:
"In long-take technique, as used here, the characters' experience of change, of simultaneity and sucession, convergence and seperation, anticipation, process and consequence is made more dependent on the being and doing of the actors."
And there are plenty more where that came from!
Orson Welles considered "The Magnificent Ambersons" (the film) to be better than "Citizen Kane". Unfortunately it was butchered by the studio (with some assistance by Robert Wise), losing between forty-four and fifty minutes of Welle's original cut. Even more tragic is the fact that this missing footage has never been recovered.
In this slim (74 page) volume Perkins has attempted to analyse not just the film that exists, but to put it in the context of the film that was supposed to be -- not an easy task. He makes most of these comparisons via the reconstructed "editing script", interviews (from other sources) with Welles, and then formulates some assertions of his own. As a result, we get an insight not only into the film that exists, but to the vision that it might have been.
For those who like the more theoretical aspects of film and film history, I think you'll find some interesting ideas. Perkins has studied the material extensively, and makes some telling observations (albeit, many of them worded like the quote above).
But be warned, this book is NOT a catalog of anecdotes about the making of "Ambersons". If youy looking for the gossip, inuendoes, and tales of carnage, look elsewhere.
Bottom line: this is an excellent text-book. But as with all text-books the reader has to make an effort.
Interesting range of ideas.......2000-01-23
This book offers an insightful study of Welle's most accomplished work. It also stands as a testimony to what could have been had the studio RKO not interfered during the editing stage of the film.
Perkins apparent love of the filmic medium helps to wrap this book into tightly wrought 74 pages which though brief, covers alot of ground.
An excellent companion to the film.
Product Description
1918 first hardcover edition of Tarkington's classic.
Amazon.com
The story of The Magnificent Ambersons is one of the saddest in movie history. Directed by Orson Welles the year after Citizen Kane, this magnificent movie was butchered by RKO studios, which had wrested the final cut away from the director. RKO had become increasingly disenchanted with Welles after the box-office failure of Kane and the dismal reaction of Ambersons's preview audiences. In a futile attempt to make the second film more commercial, the studio tossed many of Welles's scenes onto the cutting-room floor and shot new sequences that led to a happy ending, ultimately transforming a dark 131-minute epic into a far more benign 88-minute work that manifested confusing changes of tone and sometimes degenerated into complete incomprehensibility.
Robert Carringer has done a splendid job of reconstructing this lost movie. His book contains a chronology of the Amberson family and a documentary history of the "ordeal of editing and reediting" the film. It provides a complete transcription of the film's original shooting script, illustrated with storyboards and photographic stills and accompanied by voluminous explanatory notes. It's a revelation to see the surviving cut of The Magnificent Ambersons and then refer to the book to find what the movie might have been, but Welles's screenplay is so literate that it makes fine reading on its own. --Raphael Shargel
Book Description
Orson Welles considered The Magnificent Ambersons the crucial turning point in his career. He said, "They destroyed Ambersons and it destroyed me." In 1942, while Welles was away, RKO Studios drastically recut the completed film. None of that deleted footage is known to survive.
Now film scholar Robert Carringer has reconstructed Welles's own version of Ambersons, using all available surviving evidence including rare studio documents and the recollections of Welles himself and other original participants in the film.
Carringer reaches startling conclusions about where the responsibility for the film's undoing ultimately lies. His spellbinding--and no doubt controversial--book will be eagerly welcomed by film historians and enthusiasts.
Customer Reviews:
required reading minus the Oedipus at Kenosha introduction.......1999-08-24
This is about as close as we're ever going to get to know how Ambersons was constructed and as such is required reading for any cineaste. However, one should read Carringer's introduction with a bucket of salt. The idea that Welles couldn't complete this rendition of Hamlet because of unresolved conflict with his own family I find a bit hard to swallow. I'd say circumstances (RKO's management shuffle, the war effort, Nelson Rockefeller being a tool, Orson's big mouth/ego) had more effect on the collapse of Ambersons than Welles' mom. Still, well worth the price for the cutting continuity.
Amazon.com
We have witnessed a reemergence of cigar culture--everyone is doing it, in popular movies, TV, and in the many cigar-friendly clubs which have sprung up. The International Connoisseur's Guide to Cigars is an authoritative guide to fine cigars from around the world. If you don't know a Cuban from a Swisher Sweet, this book will end that confusion! Over 100 full color photographs, fascinating cigar facts, and amusing anecdotes make this a "smoking" book! --Naomi Gesinger
Book Description
Here is the most convenient, expert and well-priced guide you'll find to tell you what cigars are available, how and where you can get them, and what the qualities are of each brand and variety. Like fine wines, exquisite cheeses, or the best caviars, a good cigar is something to be savored and appreciated with unabashed self-indulgence. Learn everything you have to know about the size, texture, age, and taste of cigars produced in America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. 200 cigar brands are itemized, described, analyzed, and assayed; 80 of them are photographed. The history of cigars is included, and a special section of profiles of famous cigar smokers--from Winston Churchill to Fidel Castro, from Groucho Marx to Lauren Hutton, from Jack Kennedy to Arnold Schwartzenegger--reveals their likes and dislikes.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-09-11
An excellent guide to choosing fine cigars. I would advise anyone interested in choosing the best cigars to buy this book.
It's Fidel-icious! It's Fidel-ectable!.......2002-12-03
A detailed and richly illustrated tome discussing the finer points of cigar selection and enjoyment. As the title suggests, this is a guide for the connoisseur, not the novice. The perfect gift for anyone urbane enough to let a trash fire burn three inches from the tip of his nose.
A great little book........2001-12-07
This book is packed full of useful information.
Written in an easy-to-read formatt, Jane Resnick creates a lively atmosphere that honors the role of cigars throughout the world.
Buy "The International Connoisseur's Guide to Cigars" and enjoy the smeet smell of information.
A Good Work, but is getting dated.......2000-06-27
This is a good reference work for cigar lovers, but it is becoming dated. An update would be appreciated.
Connoisseur's Guide?.......2000-04-18
This is an interesting book with lots of pictures of cigars and how they are made. In fact the information on the process of manufacturing cigars is excellent.
There is one glitch in this publication though. The section on the cigar brands is really not very good. It is a fact that Cuban cigars are notoriously difficult to research but when the brands are listed, with what cigars are made by that brand, this book loses its title of the Connoisseur's Guide. For example, in the listing for Hoyo de Monterrey (Cuban) the list is uncomprehensive and does not list the Epicure No 2 which is one of the brand's signature pieces.
This is an interesting book but it is not a reference (not that it professes to be). The section on Cubans is wholely inadequate but on the other hand, if you live in the US, who cares?
Average customer rating:
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The Essential Cigar: A Book for Connoisseurs
Anwer Bati
Manufacturer: Lorenz Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1859674615 |
Book Description
Classic Insight into Building a Fabulous Career in Real Estate
Welcome to the world of real estate sales! Now, you control your destiny. A career in real estate offers endless opportunities, the freedom of flexible hours, and the potential to earn fabulous amounts of money. But to reach your goals you need to be prepared. Before you dive in, you must learn everything you can and discover the edge that will take you to the top.
Inside, experienced and top-notch real estate professional Dirk Zeller presents the secrets to success that will allow you to excel from day one. Full of practical answers and step-by-step solutions to the field's most common obstacles and challenges, Your First Year in Real Estate will help you build a solid foundation for a lifetime of real estate success.
Be a real estate champion from day one by knowing how to:
·Select the right company and get off to the right start
·Develop valubable mentor and client relationships
·Master your sales skills
·Achieve the financial results you desire
·Set—and reach—important career goals
"Dirk Zeller's approach is brilliant! He gives the best basic marketing techniques to his students. I applaud this book."
—
Bonnie S. Mays, vice president, Reality World America, and executive director, Reality World Academy
"Follow the advice in this book and you will join the growing list of real estate professionals who call Dirk Zeller their mentor!"
—
Rick DeLuca, nationally recognized real estate speaker
Customer Reviews:
Great primer for anyone going into the business.......2007-09-13
Wanting to get started in Real Estate, hate the idea of cold calling!!!
This is a soup to nuts primer on how to get started and keep going. Well worth the $$ and time invested!!!
Best beginner real estate book written.......2007-05-20
As a broker, I'm always looking for new material for training my agents. This is the BEST book I've found for new real estate agents in the industry. Being a realtor is not easy, this book helps answer a lot of the questions that a new agent has. I would recommend reading this book BEFORE you decide to become an agent as it may help you with that decision. I would also recommend to read for anyone that is just startig or perhaps has been in a while but not quite making the amount of money or sales that they are happy with.
A waste of money.......2007-04-15
I thought this book was a waste of money. It was too simple, suggestions were not worth paying for. I sold it on ebay. It wasn't worth returning it to Amazon, and losing money because of the shipping.
A good beginning start.......2007-01-28
This is a good beginning start for a 'new' real estate agent. It provides a stepping stone of information and gives perspectives of what you could do in the beginning of your career. Be mindful that you are working for commission and customers is your number one goal. Having customers, being able to network and create leads are three primary necessities. Please note the strategies here are not at all canon. In other words, you need to re-adjust strategies based on your location and your situation. For instance, in one part of the book, it tells you to go with a large brokerage to get your feet wet, but that may not help if you're looking for a mentor, as many large brokerages, especially commercial ones, do not have the time nor are they interested in raising another competitor.
Overall the book is solid, in that it provides a stepping stone.
-Matt
Illustrator for the Ultimate Foreclosure Kit
(ISBN 0978834658)
After one year in the industry, I found the book was misleading........2006-12-17
After one year in the real estate industry, I needed to clean my book shelf. This book was thrown into the box marked "useless".
Let me tell you why.
The first time I bought and read it, I had no real working experience and thought I got great information about industry. Thus I thought I was ahead of other newbies. I read this book so many times, underlined, and dog eared.
Looking back, the only thing this book was right is "average income is very low".
For the rest, unfortunately, I found this book actually mislead me too much and lead me to costly mistakes.
One example. The author suggested that office located in busy street is better for newbies. I found this was not true. I worked with 3 offices.
The other example is that the author suggested that bigger office is better for newbies. I found this is absolutely not true. The reality is it's much better to start with small office where you can easily find mentor. In reality, in large offices, competition among salespersons are high to the level that no one cares about helping newbies. Get the fact. Everyone is working on commission. They don't even wast time to go lunch with you!!! And here's the facts. This business of real estate sales is not really intellectual, not even to the level of professional. It's all about how much people you know and how much people know you. This is rather a business of convenience. Every other salesperson even in the same office is a potential enemy for your business!!! Why they help and teach you to suceed. It only reduces their chance of making listings and sales!!!
Once I realized this, after actually working in industry, I knew this book was useless and never refered to this book for anything.
One and a half year after I actaully got into the industry, I found the very useful book. If you are about to be a real estate salesperson, read "How to suceed in commercial real estate" by John L. Bowman. I know this is for commercial real estate. But this book is WAY BETTER than "Your First Year in Real Estate".
Don't make costly maistakes by reading "Your First Year in Real Estate". 80-90% newbies fail in first 3 months. Reading wrong books can be fatal for your career.
Book Description
One of the best-selling real estate career books of all time is back and better than ever! Your Successful Real Estate Career has long been the bible for countless aspiring real estate professionals. The book takes readers through the many opportunities and challenges they're likely to face, so they know what to expect and how best to succeed. Now updated and expanded, the fifth edition of this indispensable resource offers all-new research and up-to-the-minute information and guidance on the constantly shifting marketplace.
Along with practical tools and enlightening real-world examples, readers will find detailed, down-to-earth advice on topics including:
* getting a real estate license
* choosing an office
* winning clients
* avoiding typical career mistakes
* dealing with difficult clients
* selling to culturally diverse markets
* using the latest technology to improve efficiency and make more sales
* making long-term career decisions
* and much more!
Easy to understand, comprehensive, and candid, Your Successful Real Estate Career is the most valuable guide on the market to this rewarding and profitable profession.
Customer Reviews:
Ok read, offers some helpful advice.......2007-07-04
It seems that everyone ever in real estate decides to quit real estate and write books about real estate. While there are some useful moments in this book, it is another in a very long line of books rehashing basic real estate concepts.
If you are purchasing this book for a novice, I would recommend it more highly than my rating.
Basic, no depth, and a waste of time...........2006-12-24
It's a very boring book trying to explain what real estate career is all about... One will get better understanding by interviewing brokers and reading other books by Tom Hopkins, Danielle Kennedy, Carla Cross, Mike Ferry etc.
I saw the ratings and bought the book. Don't make the same mistake and waste money with this book...
Overly broad, too generic for me!.......2006-08-21
Mr. Edwards' book needs some updating. Also, it's a very GENERAL look at the Real Estate field. It's a little too broad. Mr. Edwards does not go into great detail in any chapter and he basically just gives an overview of a career in real estate. I would tag this book as more a 'choosing a career resource book'...something someone might read if they are THINKING about real estate and know absolutely nothing about it. If you are DEFINATELY going into real estate, buy a different book. This isn't for you. Most of what is in the book is so basic, anyone who has ever bought a home, knows the material (ie: he explains what a 'closing' is, what a 'downpayment is', etc.) Sorry, but most people already know what those terms mean. The beginning of the book takes up so much time on choosing a broker, etc. Again, more of a 'choosing a career handbook'. I was expecting more of a 'how-to be a successful realtor' book. I wanted ideas and suggestions on what to do AFTER getting my license, to attract clients, get listings, etc. You won't find any of that in this book. Sorry!
Excellent - Highest Recommendation.......2006-06-29
This books is a must read for real estate agents who want to ramp up their sales and brand new licensees who wish to hit the ground running. This is book is the bible for no-nonsense strategies for selling more real estate. I highly recommend this book!
Must Read!!....Great Overview of Real Estate Expectations!!!!!!.......2006-03-07
If you are thinking of getting into real estate than this book should be on your must read list!! It starts off slow but gets moving once you're through the first three chapters. Packed with tons of information on real estate and the different areas you can venture into. It will give you a good broad picture of how the industry works and what you can expect. There is also a ton of resources in the back from websites to questionnaires. I also appreciated the author's unbiased viewpoint. The book will not steer you in any one direction but simply give you all the information you need to make your own informed decision!!
-Sam R.
Book Description
Mortgage banking is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. In the next few years, home purchases are expected to run into the trillions, creating more opportunity than ever for people seeking a career in this profitable industry. Real estate author, columnist, and veteran mortgage banker. David Reed offers practical advice on licensing and educational requirements, as well as valuable guidance on the different career options available as a mortgage broker, mortgage banker, correspondent mortgage banker, and more. Aspiring mortgage brokers will also discover how to:
* Quote interest rates
* Get approved by wholesale lenders
* Negotiate the steps of the loan process
* Market and prospect successfully
Detailed and informative, Your Successful Career as a Mortgage Broker is an invaluable tool for creating a brilliant career in an ever-changing, ever-growing field.
Customer Reviews:
Well written and very informative.......2007-08-28
I was really pleased with this book! I've just recently gotten started as a loan originator and I found this book to be really well written with tons of information without getting boring. Obviously loans aren't the most exciting topic out there, but the author throws some humor and real-life stories that keep you interested and entertained. He goes into a lot of depth on the process that you will go through with your clients. There are examples of all the forms (disclosures, 1003, etc) and at the end of the book there are a few mini chapters written by other mortgage brokers that give some interesting tips on how to create more business and run a more efficient operation. All in all, this was a really good book and I would recommend it to anyone getting started in the business!
So you want to be a mortgage loan officer...........2007-05-03
If you've ever thought about becoming a mortgage loan officer, then this is the book for you. It provides details on extactly what's involved, how you make money, and the all-important mortgage lingo. I wish I had this book when I was recruiting people to join my company. It gives them a head start on what the biz is all about.
Average customer rating:
- Pracitical Real World Advice
|
Your Successful Sales Career
Brian Azar , and
Len Foley
Manufacturer: Amacom
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Job Hunting & Careers
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Guides
| Job Hunting & Careers
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Sales
| Real Estate
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
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Techniques
| Sales & Selling
| Marketing & Sales
| Business & Investing
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Book Description
"Becoming truly successful in sales involves a journey. Along the way, sales professionals must confront challenges involving attitudes, perceptions, and mental barriers as they learn how to work with clients and manage their own careers. Your Successful Sales Career is a one-of-a-kind manual for rookies and seasoned sales pros alike. This powerful career-enhancer offers exercises, scenarios, and techniques that will help salespeople rise to the top of their profession. Readers will learn: * 25 strategies for sales success * Why it's important to concentrate more on ""why people buy,"" than ""how to sell"" * How to take the pressure off during a sales call, and why you should never begin a sales call with a presentation * And how to use the author's foolproof method for establishing trust and communicating with prospects Along the way, readers will uncover information about themselves that will help them fine-tune the techniques and incorporate them into their current sales practices. In the end, the reader will have everything necessary to become a master of the art of salesmanship."
Customer Reviews:
Pracitical Real World Advice.......2004-08-25
Brian Azar has done it again! His latest book, Your Successful Sales Career should be called Reality Selling 101! By applying his successful selling skills to your own career, Brian has created the definitive manual on becoming a true sales professional. This book is packed with proven strategies and practical real-world techniques guaranteed to put you on the fast track to success. No fluff, just useful information delivered in an easy-to-apply format, great for students, professionals and entrepreneurs alike.
Product Description
3 book real estate collection.
Product Description
This book will show you why and how real estate investing is the "ultimate career for a woman". This book is for any woman who just isn't feeling satisfied with her financial situation, with her job situation, or with both. Real estate investment is a natural field for you to enter: women are so involved in the details of buying or renting a house that they know what will make a house marketable. And you have the organizational and managerial skills to make real estate investing work - with a little help from the authors. This book will show you how to: Get started; Make an offer; Fix up property; Arrange financing; Be landlords; Keep records; Reap the rewards of successful real estate investing and much more.
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