On January 20, 2012, John James Audubon’s The Birds of America: from Original Drawings sold for $7,922,500 at Christie’s of New York.  This didn’t end up being the most expensive book because in 2010, another first edition of Audubon’s Birds of America sold for $11.5 million at Sotheby’s in London, setting the record for the most expensive book ever to be sold at an auction.

Audubon created his own technique for drawing birds in the 1820s.  He captured the birds in their natural movements and drew them life-sized, which dictated the books’ towering height: an imposing 3½ feet.  Can’t get that on your Kindle.

In a down economy, I wouldn’t think the purchase of expensive works of art would be in high demand.  Forbes has tracked extraordinarily expensive works of art, and identified them in an article entitled The Ten Most Expensive Books.

So, it’s January 31, soon to be February 1.  What did you read during the first month of the new year, and what’s on board for February?

Invest in yourself. Read more books during 2012.

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On Sunday, December 11th, the Washington Post published the Best of 2011: 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction.  Did you read any of the best?  I’ve highlighted  several of the business works and provided a brief book review.

Best of 2011

Age of Greed: The Triumph of Finance and the Decline of America, 1970 to the Present by Jeff Madrick – Looking for the roots of our financial decline, Madrick narrates a history that brims with powerful men, ugly fights, infamous scandals, twists and turns, and true to the book’s title, lots of shameless cupidity.

Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis – In his latest book on the planet’s seemingly endless financial implosion, Lewis drops in on Iceland, Greece, Ireland and Germany and chronicles the messes they’ve made of their markets and money.

In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy – A detailed intellectual history of Google’s major innovations that lays bare its outsize ambitions and prodigious talents.

Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon by Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner – The authors make a powerful argument that cozy connections between government and the financial industry were the primary cause of the financial crisis.

I’ve started my reading list for 2012.  Have you?  Here’s my list for Q1 along with some quick book reviews:

Get Rich Click!: The Ultimate Guide to Making Money on the Internet by Marc Ostrofsky - Get Rich Click! is a comprehensive source of information from one of the world’s most successful Internet entrepreneurs. The book outlines proven strategies and techniques for the Internet entrepreneur, and is full of real-life success stories about people of all ages who have made millions on line!

Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne - Written by the business world’s new gurus, Blue Ocean Strategy continues to challenge everything you thought you knew about competing in today’s crowded market place.  Based on a study of 150 strategic moves spanning more than a hundred years and thirty industries, authors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne argue that lasting success comes from creating ‘blue oceans’: untapped new market spaces ripe from growth.

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Expanded and Updated) by Timothy Ferriss - Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan–there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more and working less, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.

Knowledge is power, so invest in yourself by reading a new book.

Share your book reviews with me.

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Would you like to bid on the most expensive book in the world?  Then you need to be at Christie’s in New York next Friday, January 20, 2012.   John James Audubon’s The Birds of America, a four-volume set, fully adorned with 435 color illustrations is worth an estimated $7 to $10 million.

Another first edition of Audubon’s Birds of America sold for $11.5 million at Sotheby’s in London in 2010, setting the record for the most expensive book ever to be sold at an auction.   Before that, the Rockingham Chaucer, a 1478 edition of The Canterbury Tales, sold for $7.5 million at Christie’s in 1998.

If you’d like to get a glimpse of the collection, visit Christie’s Rockefeller Center Galleries from January 14-19.

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I usually teach graduate students in the MBA Program at Trinity Washington University, but recently I have been asked to teach the undergraduate Managerial Accounting class.  The text we use is Financial & Managerial Accounting.  It’s a great textbook.  Very informative and easy to understand.  The accompanying information in the website for the text makes my job so much easier, with PowerPoint slides for each chapter, additional problems for the students, and much more.

When you need advice on how to present information, including text, data, and graphics, for publication in any type of format–such as college and university papers, professional journals, presentations for colleagues, and online publication–you will find the advice you’re looking for in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition.

In the MBA program at Trinity, the courses I teach are Managerial Accounting and Financial Decision Making.  The Financial Decision Making text is written By Robert Higgins: Analysis for Financial Management with S&P bind-in card (Mcgraw-Hill/Irwin Series in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate) Ninth (9th) Edition.   Students, purchase your textbooks online from the comfort of your home.

For all the students gearing up for the Spring term, visit Amazon.com for your textbook, computer, and other school needs.  Are your textbooks available in electronic format?  If so, purchase the Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi.    Get everything you need in one-stop.

Wishing all students a great Spring term!!

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Spring Term 1 will be starting soon at Trinity Washington University (Trinity) and I know all my former students will be looking for the best deals for textbooks.  Buy your textbooks online at Amazon.com

Does it surprise you that Amazon.com sells textbooks.  They never cease to amaze me.  They sell everything under the sun.  For instance, any student that needs to write a paper should have a copy of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition.  I teach in the MBA program at Trinity, so business textbooks are of great interest to me.  I teach Managerial Accounting and Financial Decision Making.  The Financial Decision Making text is written By Robert Higgins: Analysis for Financial Management with S&P bind-in card (Mcgraw-Hill/Irwin Series in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate) Ninth (9th) Edition.  

So students, don’t wait till the last minute to get those textbooks.  Get a head start and visit Amazon.com for textbook specials.  Get the Amazon Student
App for iPhone and Android to check textbook prices, sell your stuff, and get Free 2-day shipping.

Happy Textbook Shopping!!

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We’re 4 days into 2012.  What’s on your reading list?  Today’s movers and shakers are Switched (Trylle Trilogy) by Amanda Hocking  ($8.99), Smart Thinking: Three Essential Keys to Solve Problems, Innovate, and Get Things Done by Art Markman ($15.99),  and New York Diaries: 1609 to 2009 (Modern Library) by Teresa Carpenter ($15.60).  All titles are available at Amazon.com.  Switched and Smart Thinking are also available for the Kindle.

Start the year off right.  Do your shopping from the comfort of your home.  Shop online.  Click on  the above titles are any of the Amazon banners and start your reading list for 2012.  Happy Online Shopping.

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So, Christmas day finally arrived and I gave Kelvin his stocking stuffer – A Charlie Brown Christmas.  Hallmark created a recordable book containing the text from A Charlie Brown Christmas, and I was able to record the story in my voice.

I handed the book to Kelvin on Christmas morning and he tore off the wrapping paper and expressed great appreciation.  He opened the book, but he was turning the pages too quickly to hear me reading.    He eventually turned to the first page of the story and heard the voice.  OMG, he went crazy.  I caught part of his excitement on video.  Checkout the video.  Kelvin and A Charlie Brown Christmas

I love to shop for gifts that receive the reaction Kelvin exhibits in the video.  It makes my shopping experience worthwhile, plus it proves that I take the time to shop for gifts that people will love.  Take the time to buy special gifts for the people you care about.

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It’s the day after the grand party, and all is well.  The guests did well, because gifts and cards were flowing into the Triplets’ gift baskets all night long.  Somebody was doing some serious shopping; some of those gift bags were pretty big, and full of goodies.

Ettie, Ellen and Elaine looked like they were having a great time.  They know how to work a room.  The music was pumping and thumping in the basement, and greetings, conversations, and laughter were everywhere on the first floor.  It was great seeing everyone as a precursor to the New Year.   So, here’s to a great party Ettie, Ellen, and Elaine.  Wishing you many more Happy Birthdays.

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Today is an extra special day because today is the day that the Collins Triplets were born.

Ettie, Ellen & Elaine

The Collins triplets are three very special ladies, and I wish them a very Happy Birthday.

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I’m heading back to DC today. The time with my family is never long enough, but we’re going to spend more time together in 2012.

I’m at O’Hare airport in Chicago, waiting for my connecting flight to Baltimore. You know I love to shop, so I had to check out the merchandise at several airport shops.  One store had great accessories for electronics such as iPhones, iPads, and computers. Another store, Barbara’s Books, had a very appealing display of business/entrepreneurial books. I didn’t make any purchases because Amazon has everything I need.

Invest in yourself for 2012 with one of the Best Selling items or one or more of the Movers and Shakers at Amazon.

Wishing Everyone A Happy New Year!!

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