With first-chapter allusions to martial arts, "flow," "mind like water," and other concepts borrowed from the East (and usually mangled), you'd almost think this self-helper from David Allen should have been called Zen and the Art of Schedule Maintenance.

Not quite. Yes, Getting Things Done offers a complete system for downloading all those free-floating gotta-do's clogging your brain into a sophisticated framework of files and action lists—all purportedly to free your mind to focus on whatever you're working on. However, it still operates from the decidedly Western notion that if we could just get really, really organized, we could turn ourselves into 24/7 productivity machines. (To wit, Allen, whom the New Economy bible Fast Company has dubbed "the personal productivity guru," suggests that instead of meditating on crouching tigers and hidden dragons while you wait for a plane, you should unsheathe that high-tech saber known as the cell phone and attack that list of calls you need to return.)

As whole-life-organizing systems go, Allen's is pretty good, even fun and therapeutic. It starts with the exhortation to take every unaccounted-for scrap of paper in your workstation that you can't junk, The next step is to write down every unaccounted-for gotta-do cramming your head onto its own scrap of paper. Finally, throw the whole stew into a giant "in-basket"

That's where the processing and prioritizing begin; in Allen's system, it get a little convoluted at times, rife as it is with fancy terms, subterms, and sub-subterms for even the simplest concepts. Thank goodness the spine of his system is captured on a straightforward, one-page flowchart that you can pin over your desk and repeatedly consult without having to refer back to the book. That alone is worth the purchase price. Also of value is Allen's ingenious Two-Minute Rule: if there's anything you absolutely must do that you can do right now in two minutes or less, then do it now, thus freeing up your time and mind tenfold over the long term. It's commonsense advice so obvious that most of us completely overlook it, much to our detriment; Allen excels at dispensing such wisdom in this useful, if somewhat belabored, self-improver aimed at everyone from CEOs to soccer moms (who we all know are more organized than most CEOs to start with). —Timothy Murphy

Nothing expresses the vitality, history, and character of a language quite like its idioms. Ask any non-native English speaker to make sense of a phrase such as "beg the question" or "keep your eyes peeled"; they can't do it. Idioms don't translate, which is what makes them such intriguing mirrors of how a culture evolves along with its speech. The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms includes almost 10,000 of these figures of speech, slang phrases, clichés, colloquialisms, and proverbs, from "ace in the hole" to "zoom in on." Each entry defines an idiom, uses it in a sentence, then pinpoints its historical origins when possible. Some idioms, it turns out, preserve words or word uses that have otherwise fallen out of use ("one fell swoop"); others allude to long-forgotten catch phrases from movies or advertising ("more bounce for the ounce"). Consider, for instance the phrase "funny bone"—actually a pun on "humerus," the Latin name for the bone of the upper arm. Or the expression "moment of truth," a translation from the Spanish phrase originally referring to bullfighting—and first popularized, not surprisingly, by Ernest Hemingway. The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms is like an archeological dig through the vernacular, and it unearths treasures such as these on every one of its pages. All those interested in language or its history should keep a copy on their library shelves.

T.C. Boyle’s riotous first novel—now in a new edition for its 25th anniversary

Twenty five years ago, T.C. Boyle published his first novel, Water Music—a funny, bawdy, extremely entertaining novel of imaginative and stylistic fancy that announced to the world Boyle’s tremendous gifts as a storyteller. Set in the late eighteenth century, Water Music follows the wild adventures of Ned Rise, thief and whoremaster, and Mungo Park, a Scottish explorer, through London’s seamy gutters and Scotland’s scenic highlands—to their grand meeting in the heart of darkest Africa. There they join forces and wend their hilarious way to the source of the Niger.

"So what are these few words? A jacket blurb? An insightful observation? A pithy quote, mayhap? A bon mot? It's advertising. Isn't everything?"
—Martin Mull, actor/painter

For close to eighty years, The Art Directors Club has been publishing its internationally renowned Art Director's Annual. Now with Mad Ave: Award-Winning Advertising of the 20th Century, The Art Director's Club presents a curated compendium of the most inspired work in advertising, from the traditional format of print ads to television commercial storyboards.

Leading us decade by decade, the book presents a whirlwind tour of advertising as it has evolved throughout the years: from the graphics of Chesterfield cigarettes in the 1920s, Coca-Cola in the 1940s, and the Volkswagen bug in the 1960s, to contemporary campaigns with slogans that have taken hold of modern popular culture: "Just Do It," "Got Milk?," "Think Different," and more.

Accompanying the most memorable graphics of each era is commentary by several of the advertising world's most recognized writers and art directors. Featuring a wealth of extraordinary images culled from the unparalleled archives of The Art Directors Club, this volume is the first comprehensive survey of the subject.

Founded in 1920, The Art Directors Club publishes the Art Directors Annual, the best-known reference of its kind, and presents the Art Directors Annual Exhibition every spring in New York.

Contributors include: Arnie Arlow, formerly of TBWA and Margeotes, Fertitta and Partners Allan Beaver, Beaver Reitzfeld Jay Chiat, Chiat Day Lee Clow, TBWA/Chiat Day Jerry Della Femina, Della Femina/Jeary and Partners Lou Dorfsman, Museum of Television and Radio Steve Frankfurt, Nuforia, Inc. and The Wolf Group Bob Giraldi, Giraldi Suarez Productions Roy Grace, Grace and Rothschild Steven Heller, New York Times Book Review and the AIGA Journal of Graphic Design Caroline R. Jones, Caroline Jones Incorporated Richard Kirshenbaum, Kirshenbaum, Bond & Partners Shelly Lazarus, Ogilvy & Mather George Lois, Lois/USA Jean Marcellino, formerly of Lord Geller Federico Einstein, J. Walter Thompson, Wells Rich Greene, and Young & Rubicam Ed McCabe, Scali, McCabe, Sloves, Inc. Bill Oberlander, Kirshenbaum, Bond & Partners Jay Schulberg, Bozell Worldwide Karl Steinbrenner, Steinbrenner & Co.

Great advertising and design can make the world stop and think. It can make people listen. And, sometimes it can even change a personÆs life. The One Show celebrates all of the qualities that go into making a successful ad campaign or design. Considered by many to be the benchmark in advertising annuals, this yearÆs edition features the very best work from around the world from the 2007 One Show and One Show Design contests. In these pages are more than 1,600 four-color images from the finalists and winning entries, insider perspectives from the Gold Pencil winners, a spotlight on the Client of the Year, the college competition winners, and a look into the judging process with a JudgeÆs Choice section. Lavishly produced with full-color throughout, this book is the must-have annual for creatives, clients, students, and anyone interested in advertising and design. Categories covered include print, design, integrated branding, television, and radio.

Known among creatives and designers in the advertising industry as THE book to have, with 29 years of legacy

Great advertising and design can make the world stop and think. It can make people listen. And, sometimes it can even change a person’s life. The One Show celebrates all of the qualities that go into making a successful ad campaign or design. Considered by many to be the benchmark in advertising annuals, this year’s edition features the very best work from around the world from the 2008 One Show and One Show Design contests. In these pages are more than 1,600 four-color images from the finalists and winning entries, insider perspectives from the Gold Pencil winners, a spotlight on the Client of the Year, the college competition winners, and a look into the judging process with a Judge’s Choice section. Lavishly produced with full-color throughout, this book is the must-have annual for creatives, clients, students, and anyone interested in advertising and design. Categories covered include print, design, integrated branding, television, and radio.

"Another"
"What It Means When a Crowd in a Faraway Nation Takes a Soldier Representing Your Own Nation, Shoots Him, Drags Him from His Vehicle and Then Mutilates Him in the Dust"
"The Only Meaning of the Oil-Wet Water"
"On Wanting to Have Three Walls Up Before She Gets Home"
"Climbing to the Window, Pretending to Dance"
"She Waits, Seething, Blooming"
"Quiet"
"Your Mother and I"
"Naveed"
"Notes for a Story of a Man Who Will Not Die Alone"
"About the Man Who Began Flying After Meeting Her"
"Up the Mountain Coming Down Slowly"
"After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned"

Here's the fun and easy way to learn how to create your own iPhone applications

Whether you're a professional developer or an iPhone user with a knack for technology, this plain English guide shows you how easy it can be to create your own cool iPhone and iPod touch apps. The open iPhone SDK offers a world of opportunities, and with the information in iPhone Application Development For Dummies, you can get in on the fun and profit.

You don't need high-level programming skills to create iPhone apps. iPhone Application Development For Dummies walks you through the fundamentals for building a variety of applications using Objective-C and covers the critical steps for creating applications that get accepted into the AppStore. Apple's open SDK for the iPhone allows any developer to create iPhone applicationsThis guide helps you develop new applications for use on your own iPhone or for release to other iPhone and iPod Touch usersCovers small and large-scale application developmentShows how to develop usingObjective-CEnables both novice and experienced programmers to leverage the marketing power of the open iPhone SDK

The iPhone is the hottest smart phone around, and with iPhone Application Development For Dummies, you can create cool new apps to make it even more exciting.

Want to build a killer Web site? Want to make it easy to keep your site up to date? You'll need to know how CSS, HTML, and XHTML work together. HTML, XHTML, and CSS All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies makes that easy too! These eight minibooks get you started, explain standards, and help you connect all the dots to create sites with pizzazz.

This handy, one-stop guide catches you up on XHTML basics and CSS fundamentals. You'll learn how to work with Positionable CSS to create floating elements, margins, and multi-column layouts, and you'll get up to speed on client-side programming with JavaScript. You'll also get the low-down on server side programming with PHP, creating a database with MySQL, and using Ajax on both client and server sides. You'll find out how to: Use templates and validatorsManage information with lists and tablesTurn lists of links into button barsAdd style color and bordersCreate variables for dataAdd motion with basic DOM animationWork with arraysAdd Flash functionality with AFLAXBuild and manage a multipage siteChoose and run your own server

You don't need expensive or complicated software or a super-powerful computer to build a Web site that does all sorts of amazing things. All you need is a text editor and the clear, step-by-step guidance you'll find in HTML, XHTML, and CSS All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies.

Stephen Hawking, science's first real rock star, may be the least-read bestselling author in history—it—it's no secret that many people who own A Brief History of Time have never finished it. Hawking's The Universe in a Nutshell aims to remedy the situation, with a plethora of friendly illustrations to help readers grok some of the most brain-bending ideas ever conceived.

Does it succeed? Yes and no. While Hawking offers genuinely accessible context for such complexities as string theory and the nature of time, it's when he must translate equations to sentences that the limits of language get in the way. But Hawking has simplified the origin of the universe, the nature of space and time, and what holds it all together to an unprecedented degree, inviting nonscientists to share his obvious awe and love of the unseen forces that shape it all.

Yes, it's difficult reading, but it's worth it. Hawking is one of the great geniuses of our time, a man whose life has been devoted to thinking in the abstract about the universe. With his help, and pictures—lots of pictures—we can seek to understand a bit more of the cosmos. —Therese Littleton

With his Daily Show appearances and his "I'm a PC" Apple ads, John Hodgman has only become more famous since the hardcover edition of his all-you-need compendium of facts, The Areas of My Expertise was released. He has also become smarter. To reflect this, the paperback edition of The Areas of My Expertise has been expanded to include 100 new hobo names and new, additional complete world knowledge. John Hodgman and his fur-hatted associate, Jonathan, have prepared an exclusive video for Amazon customers explaining the above.

Click here or on the image above to watch John Hodgman describe the only book you'll ever need.

Amazon Best of the Month, October 2008: While writer and former literary agent John Hodgman had a considerable cult following before the publication of his first book, The Areas of My Expertise, the exact moment when Hodgmania hit fever pitch can be traced to his November 16, 2005, appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, when a "Famous Minor Television Personality" was born. Since then he has welcomed a new level of visibility as the Resident Expert on The Daily Show, appearing as the PC in the ubiquitous "Get a Mac" ads, and in bit roles in movies and on TV, so the world should be primed to embrace More Information Than You Require, Book Two in his Compendium of Complete World Knowledge (or, as it says on the cover, "New Ferret, Same Old Con"). Fun facts, bizarre trivia, and oddball photos ("Figure 51: Jane Addams, Pre-Antlers") are crammed into every corner of the page with extended riffs on How to Tell the Future Using a Pig’s Spleen, What to Expect While Serving as a Juror, Gambling ("Sure Thing Number Three: Star Wars Slots"), How to Deal With Some Common Infestations, and of course, How to Be Famous. And what he did for hobos in The Areas of My Expertise, celebrating their free spirit and conniving ways (and a list of 700 hobo names), Hodgman does for mole-men, the "race of humanoids who live in the complex warren of tunnels and vast caverns beneath the earth." Did you know, for instance, that Thomas Jefferson uncovered on his "mole-manic palace known as Monticello" a "small group (or 'Parlor') of mole-men dining on weevil pie and discussing world affairs... 'They touched my face,' wrote Jefferson, 'and hissed, as is their custom.'" Naturally there are 700 Mole-Man Names and Occupations included ("No. 281: Mr. Wallow Dripstone, a worm rider"). Hodgman may be up to the same old con, but this brand new ferret of a book is a wise (and wise-ass) little predator who will swindle away your reading time with endless hours of rabies-free laughs. —Brad Thomas Parsons