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The majority of adjectives commonly used in reviews fall short in adequately describing the captivating Spector text. Discourse on Leadership reveals the depth of the author's preparation in the discipline of history and deals with the depth of the facts, ideas, and arguments that is the literature of leadership. Profoundly demonstrative of an intellectual history of ideas, the text has order and a strong sense of chronology and provides readers a glimpse into the mind of the historian and his art form. In addition to the sense of history, readers' attention must be drawn to gender and race as a lens to leadership discourse in chapter 5. The second among many hallmarks is evident in the author's presentation in the epilogue. With a sense of humility and of the important work of others, readers cannot but be impressed with the time line presentation. This reviewer's sense of this presentation is that it is refreshing and fits well with the author's discourse objective. The Spector text will certainly be an essential addition to any academic library and may well be a great addition for serious students of leadership. A job well done!Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.

Lu's work is a must-have for anyone teaching or studying finance. Even if you have a shelf full of books about Warren Buffett and his investing style, this is an excellent edition. As noted in the book's subtitle, Lu provides a chronology of Buffett's successes in case studies of 20 investments in the period from 1958 to 2011. Moreover, each of the studies provides a detailed discussion of the firm acquired, and the author maintains a consistent pattern of analysis: why the firm was attractive, what changes were made, etc. Lu provides analysis from his expertise as both a portfolio manager and an economist, and the case studies are concise, insightful, and provide lots of useful data as illustration. The writing is excellent and engaging, and Lu delivers on what he promises in the introduction: he tells Buffett's story through successful investments. It is therefore a fascinating bridge between the biographies and the "how to invest" books. One would assign this book to students just to have them learn from Lu's use of primary source materials, his approach of seeking to understand the qualitative factors and context in each case, and his upfront description of his methodology of valuation.Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals.