• Condition: New

This first novel in Alexander McCall Smith’s widely acclaimed The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by witchdoctors.

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency received two Booker Judges’ Special Recommendations and was voted one of the International Books of the Year and the Millennium by the Times Literary Supplement.

Penzler Pick, July 2001: Working in a mystery tradition that will cause genre aficionados to think of such classic sleuths as Melville Davisson Post's Uncle Abner or Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee, Alexander McCall Smith creates an African detective, Precious Ramotswe, who's their full-fledged heir.

It's the detective as folk hero, solving crimes through an innate, self-possessed wisdom that, combined with an understanding of human nature, invariably penetrates into the heart of a puzzle. If Miss Marple were fat and jolly and lived in Botswana--and decided to go against any conventional notion of what an unmarried woman should do, spending the money she got from selling her late father's cattle to set up a Ladies' Detective Agency--then you have an idea of how Precious sets herself up as her country's first female detective. Once the clients start showing up on her doorstep, Precious enjoys a pleasingly successful series of cases.

But the edge of the Kalahari is not St. Mary Mead, and the sign Precious orders, painted in brilliant colors, is anything but discreet. Pointing in the direction of the small building she had purchased to house her new business, it reads "THE NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY. FOR ALL CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS AND ENQUIRIES. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED FOR ALL PARTIES. UNDER PERSONAL MANAGEMENT."

The solutions she comes up with, whether in the case of the clinic doctor with two quite different personalities (depending on the day of the week), or the man who had joined a Christian sect and seemingly vanished, or the kidnapped boy whose bones may or may not be those in a witch doctor's magic kit, are all sensible, logical, and satisfying. Smith's gently ironic tone is full of good humor towards his lively, intelligent heroine and towards her fellow Africans, who live their lives with dignity and with cautious acceptance of the confusions to which the world submits them. Precious Ramotswe is a remarkable creation, and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency well deserves the praise it received from London's Times Literary Supplement. I look forward with great eagerness to the upcoming books featuring the memorable Miss Ramotswe, Tears of the Giraffe and Morality for Beautiful Girls, soon to be available in the U.S. --Otto Penzler

"When everybody zigs, zag," says Marty Neumeier in this fresh view of brand strategy. ZAG follows the ultra-clear "whiteboard overview" style of the author’s first book, THE BRAND GAP, but drills deeper into the question of how brands can harness the power of differentiation. The author argues that in an extremely cluttered marketplace, traditional differentiation is no longer enough—today companies need “radical differentiation” to create lasting value for their shareholders and customers. In an entertaining 3-hour read you’ll learn:

- why me-too brands are doomed to fail
- how to "read" customer feedback on new products and messages
- the 17 steps for designing “difference” into your brand
- how to turn your brand’s “onliness” into a “trueline” to drive synergy
- the secrets of naming products, services, and companies
- the four deadly dangers faced by brand portfolios
- how to “stretch” your brand without breaking it
- how to succeed at all three stages of the competition cycle

From the back cover:
In an age of me-too products and instant communications, keeping up with the competition is no longer a winning strategy. Today you have to out-position, out-maneuver, and out-design the competition. The new rule? When everybody zigs, zag. In his first book, THE BRAND GAP, Neumeier showed companies how to bridge the distance between business strategy and design. In ZAG, he illustrates the number-one strategy of high-performance brands—radical differentiation.

ZAG is an AIGA Design Press book, published under Peachpit's New Riders imprint in partnership with AIGA. For a quick peek inside ZAG, go to www.zagbook.com.

With millions of websites on the Internet, search engine optimization - or SEO - is the difference between ranking one in Google and remaining invisible. This book breaks the latest SEO techniques into 50 tips that can help any website - from a small company to the largest corporation - rank number one in the search engines and boost your visitor traffic and sales.

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

The school is appropriately named Webster Elementary and they have a "really cool" WSH, or Word Super Hero. His name is Vocabu-Larry! The Purple Diamond Ducks is an educational detective series which helps youth acquire a deeper understanding for the English language in a fun way. In Case Number One Vocabu-Larry finds that words have multiple meanings. His sidekick is just a fuzzy wristband named Marvelous who also happens to be bi-lingual. He is a six inch albino monkey who carries a book bag everywhere he goes and has read the entire dictionary! What will Vocabu-Larry, his friends, and those neon-green boots solve this time?

The school is appropriately named Webster Elementary and they have a "really cool" WSH, or Word Super Hero. His name is Vocabu-Larry! The Purple Diamond Ducks is an educational detective series which helps youth acquire a deeper understanding for the English language in a fun way. In Case Number One Vocabu-Larry finds that words have multiple meanings. His sidekick is just a fuzzy wristband named Marvelous who also happens to be bi-lingual. He is a six inch albino monkey who carries a book bag everywhere he goes and has read the entire dictionary! What will Vocabu-Larry, his friends, and those neon-green boots solve this time?

Smith St. John is a likable (until he opens his mouth) young man, searching for a decent self-identity in Kennedy Weible’s novel, Number One Loser. With a mother of dubious devotion and a love-hate relationship with a girl that’s leaning heavily towards hate, Smith struggles to establish a non-caustic relationship with some aspect of the world. Smith works in the marketing department of a publishing house and tries to sell short stories on the side, eking out a living until a slight cocaine overdose at work costs him his job and destroys his fledgling relationship with Ana, an older woman who was beginning to feel like home. As a love interest, Ana is replaced by Beatrice-Bruce, a young editor who is able to get Smith work writing trashy celebrity biographies. It’s not until a former co-worker commits suicide without leaving a note, and arranges for Smith to discover his body, that Smith finds his odd calling, writing suicide letters for people on a freelance basis. Callously profiting from the destruction of sad lives, or aiding in the catharsis of those left behind? That’s the quandary Smith’s new career puts to him and the world when he’s invited onto a morning talk show circuit to discuss his work.

Number One Loser is a pitch black comedy about American life, marketing, values, and the nature of maturity. While Smith struggles with how to lead an acceptable life, he becomes a 15 minute celebrity, develops a cocaine addiction, and finds himself trying to navigate middle-America. Smith’s observations and wit are merciless, especially when directed at himself. Number One Loser is social commentary, black comedy, and the chronicle of a lonely young man who wishes he knew what he was doing.

Smith St. John is a likable (until he opens his mouth) young man, searching for a decent self-identity in Kennedy Weible’s novel, Number One Loser. With a mother of dubious devotion and a love-hate relationship with a girl that’s leaning heavily towards hate, Smith struggles to establish a non-caustic relationship with some aspect of the world. Smith works in the marketing department of a publishing house and tries to sell short stories on the side, eking out a living until a slight cocaine overdose at work costs him his job and destroys his fledgling relationship with Ana, an older woman who was beginning to feel like home. As a love interest, Ana is replaced by Beatrice-Bruce, a young editor who is able to get Smith work writing trashy celebrity biographies. It’s not until a former co-worker commits suicide without leaving a note, and arranges for Smith to discover his body, that Smith finds his odd calling, writing suicide letters for people on a freelance basis. Callously profiting from the destruction of sad lives, or aiding in the catharsis of those left behind? That’s the quandary Smith’s new career puts to him and the world when he’s invited onto a morning talk show circuit to discuss his work.

Number One Loser is a pitch black comedy about American life, marketing, values, and the nature of maturity. While Smith struggles with how to lead an acceptable life, he becomes a 15 minute celebrity, develops a cocaine addiction, and finds himself trying to navigate middle-America. Smith’s observations and wit are merciless, especially when directed at himself. Number One Loser is social commentary, black comedy, and the chronicle of a lonely young man who wishes he knew what he was doing.

With more than 180 recipes, beautiful photographs, meal plans and an explanation of the diet and how to follow it effectively, this is the must-have book for all the fans of one of the world's most effective diets. Full of delicious low-carbohydrate recipes made with fresh and delicious ingredients to keep dieters on track. Forget counting calories and feast on steak, creamy mushroom soup, roast turkey, tandoori chicken, guacamole and enchilada, chocolate mousse, biscuits, raspberry sorbet, chunky chocolate ice cream and more. This food will provide every bit as much emotional satisfaction as any pre-Atkins way of eating. The Dr Atkins Diet will never let you go hungry; it will make the pounds melt away quickly and then keep you at your ideal weight for the rest of your life.

• Category: Personality BookFormat: BookInstrument: Piano/Vocal/ChordsVersion: Piano/Vocal/Chords

Arranged for Piano/Vocal/Guitar with Lyrics. Michael Jackson's album, Number Ones, features a new single "One More Chance." There are 17 more songs on the album and they are all among Michael Jackson's number one hits. Alfred Music Publishing proudly presents this greatest hits matching songbook that features stunning full-color photos of Michael and piano/vocal/guitar arrangements of all 18 songs. Titles are: Bad * Beat It * Ben * Billie Jean * Black or White * Break of Dawn * Dirty Diana * DonÂ’t Stop Â’Til You Get Enough * Earth Song * I Just CanÂ’t Stop Loving You * Man in the Mirror * One More Chance * Rock with You * Smooth Criminal * Thriller * The Way You Make Me Feel * You Are Not Alone * You Rock My World.

Jeffrey was a happy, content little boy, until the day he stumbled upon the greatest mystery of all...THE STORY OF HIS BIRTH!  Now, join him and his family as they travel through Jeffrey's imagination: battling giant robots, discovering slimy aliens and uncovering magical gingerbread men...all while trying to uncover where it is Jeffrey actually came from.  Board-certified pediatrician Dr. Greg Marconi and Michael Marconi have crafted a funny, exciting, and heartwarming story that will give children a satisfying answer to the question:  "Where did I come from?" years before they are ready to learn about the facts of life.

Parents who are not ready to get into the nitty gritty details of baby making will like "We Made You Out of Love", which offers a new and imaginative way of introducing the "birds and the bees" to a whole new generation of children.

The book gives children ages 3 & up age-appropriate, non-sexual explanations for the never ending stream of questions that tend to begin around pre-school.  For younger children the book answers many questions they may have, but not deal with topics they're not old enough to comprehend.  For older children, "We Made You Out of Love" is a great way to broach the subject of reproduction, and it allows individual parents to decide how much or how little of the technical details they feel their child is ready for.

"We Made You Out of Love" is filled with breathtaking artwork, comedic situations and it combines the perfect amount of information and entertainment woven into a truly heartwarming story.  "We Made You Out of Love" is the perfect story and learning tool for all families, one that children are going to want to read again and again...for years and years to come.