by: Jim Collins

Good to Great is a book centered around the findings of an in depth research project into Fortune 500 companies that were able to make the transition from being companies with good performance to companies with great performance. Each section of the book focuses is on one of the commonalities between these companies. The pillars of success include great leadership, putting the right people in the right places, being honest about the company, finding a focused company mission, creating a culture of discipline and using technology to accelerate the transition from good to great. In each chapter the author uses the 11 good to great companies to illustrate these links.

The book is flat-out fantastic. It was published in 2001 but the conclusions and examples that it presents are still relevant, and will be for decades and perhaps centuries to come. If you’re at all interested in building or being a part of a great company, this book should be on your bookshelf.

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The Elements of Typographic Style

Robert Bringhurst

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The Typographic Desk Reference

Theodore Rosendorf

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Fontbook

Mai-Linh T. Troung, Jürgen Siebert and Erik Spiekermann

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While passing through Barnes & Noble, on the way to the register to pay for a magazine, I stumbled upon a hidden gem. The book is called The Works: Anatomy of a City and it’s by Kate Ascher. It’s a well-designed and organized book that details every aspect of New York City that you’ve probably never thought of.

From how flowers show up at the corner deli every morning to what happens to all that trash, the book has it all. In addition to all of the information the book is filled with fantastic info graphics that make the whole thing easier to understand, follow and enjoy.

The book is a must have for every coffee table in New York City. And if you’ve got kids in the city it’s guaranteed to answer some questions you wouldn’t otherwise have the answers to.

The book was featured on WIRED, CNN, Reuters, The Register and other news outlets and websites. And drew some heat.

In general, the book was a letdown. Despite the criticism it’s received, I was hoping to pick up some profound thoughts or methods and was left with profound disappointment. I could pick apart the poor grammar, spelling or use of the English language, but that doesn’t accomplish anything and is beside the point. The new, and relevant, information that it provided could have been condensed to 10 pages instead of the 133 the book takes up. The redundancy is appalling the the misinformation is beyond painful.

The Internet is an enormous library or collection of libraries through which one can access information.
page 35

That’s not what the Internet is at all, not even abstractly.

Another live saving use of the Net is the use in emergency. If a person is not able to go to a doctor or the doctor is not available in person, there are so many sites on the Net that provide you with urgent help. You type the problem and they will give you the first-aid help. What else can a person think beyond that!
page 38

What else can a person think? How about No, No, No. I love WebMD just as much as everyone else, but don’t forget the “WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.” line at the bottom of every page.

I could go on and on but it’s just more of the same. So all said, the book was a big let-down. I can’t criticize the accuracy of the belief systems that were described or their translation into the digital age. But given the author’s less than admirable grasp of web development and design, I have a hard time believing that I’ve overlooked some immense value.

Dr. Smita Jain Narang, if you need a co-author for the second edition of the book, let me know. I’m here to help.