A Pulitzer-winning journalist's hard-hitting take on Frederick W. Smith, the offbeat entrepreneur who launched and still runs Federal Express. While Trimble (The Astonishing Mr. Scripps, p. 105, etc.) had no cooperation from his subject or FedEx, he still manages to offer a detailed portrait of a businessman whose drive might give pause to yesteryear's robber barons. The son of a founder of a bus line that became part of the Greyhound system, Smith enjoyed a privileged boyhood in Memphis. After graduating from Yale, he earned a commission as a USMC officer and served with distinction in Vietnam; after discharge, the veteran joined his stepfather in a deficit-ridden aviation-supply venture based in Little Rock. By 1970, Smith became convinced that air-ground fleets operating within hub-and-spoke networks could profitably provide corporate America with overnight, door-to-door delivery of small packages or documents. Although the concept now seems obvious, it was a tough sell initially. At one point during the early 1970's, in fact, Smith falsified papers that enabled him to dip into the family trust for collateral to keep cash-strapped FedEx flying. Tried on criminal charges, he was acquitted about the time his fledgling firm broke into the black. Although some miscalculations (notably, the acquisition of Flying Tiger and the since-aborted introduction of ZapMail), plus stepped-up competition (from, among others, UPS), have cut into margins, the transnational company continues to prosper. Meanwhile, its founder (who's 48) looks for new worlds to conquer. In addition to logging Smith's business accomplishments, Trimble dishes out a full measure of dirt about his subject's checkered personal record. Covered, for example, are the twice-wed Smith's involvement in two fatal auto accidents and his estrangement from family members who once feared for their inheritances. A thorough evaluation of a capitalist whose often stormy career commands respect and attention. (Sixteen pages of b&w photographs—not seen.)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-517-58510-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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