Bad Predictions - Softcover

Lee, Laura

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0965734595 ISBN 13: 9780965734592

Publisher: Elsewhere Pr, 2000

Synopsis

Organized into sections on society, transport, space, technology, movies, music, literature, sports, history and politics, and the end of the world, this book presents various quotes from famous and not-so-famous people that turned out to be wrong. Examples include Lord Kelvin's statement that "X-rays will prove to be a hoax." and James Bond movie producers view that "Sean Connery can't play the sophisticated James Bond. He looks like a bricklayer." CiP shows ISBN 1-58157-010-4. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

About this title

About the Author

Laura Lee is a former actress and radio announcer who now makes her living as a writer of executive speeches, magazine articles, and occasional newspaper reporting. Along with Bad Predictions, Lee is the author of four books- a collection of poetry, Invited to Sound; The Name's Familiar: Mr. Leotard, Barbie and Chef Boyardee a former Book of the Month Club alternate selection; and the forthcoming Arlo, Alice and Anglicans: The Lives of a New England Church which tells the story of the church featured in the song and movie Alice's Restaurant. A sequel to The Name's Familiar is due out in 2001.

Review

"..some real gems of bad predictions that have been made over the years." -- Steve Crilley, FM4 (radio) Austria, June 28, 2000

"Every leader's nightmare -- his and her worst predictions recorded for posterity. Still, if read with some charity for the predictors, this is an amusing and enlightening resource book." -- Edsel B. Ford II

"For anyone who dares to look ahead to see around the bend or around the globe. If youve ever been told you cannot achieve something, but went ahead and tried anyway, Bad Predictions is for you. Its a book that you will read and re-read and want to share with your friends and colleagues. Theres a wealth of good information inside as well as some good laughs. Man will never fly. Faulkner cant write. The world will end in 1900. Someone somewhere said these things and much more. Bad Predictions is a delightful collection of failed promises, wrong-headed thinking, thwarted ambition and tales of people who failed to heed the warnings and succeeded in spite of the experts. It's also a great deal of fun. Its a must read." -- John Baldoni, Leadership Consultant, President, LC21.com

"In a world in which organizations self-assess through comparisons of TGR (Things Gone Right) and TGW (Things Gone Wrong), here is a masterful celebration of TGGW (Things Gone Gloriously Wrong). An invaluable and humbling book for managers and communicators alike." -- Thomas Morrisey, Executive Speech Writer

"The book shows trying to predict the future is a dangerous game, as some victims have found to their cost." -- Glasgow Herald 6-21-00

A funny collection of serious statements that did not come true... I laughed at nearly every page... Small wonder bacteria steak or plankton-burgers didnt catch on! Or how about houses built on turntables to catch the morning/afternoon sun? Pills to cure phobias? Disposable clothes? Flying houses that migrate with the seasons? Man will never fly is a familiar phrase, but did you know that the Wright brothers father, an Episcopalian bishop, said so?... There is pathos in Bad Predictions as well, like the prospector that sold his claim in South Africa for $20, a claim that turned out to contain 70% of the worlds supply of gold... Struggling authors will be entertained by the muddle-headed editors who intoned: Your book will never sell who then saw that work make millions for another publisher. Even Stephen King was so crushed when his first novel, Carrie, was rejected, that he hid it in a drawer for 10 years. Sports fans will enjoy the chapter on what was said about great athletes. Inventors will be exposed to new (old) ideas. Trivia nuts will learn a wealth of new material. In short, theres something in this book for almost everyone. Highly recommended. -- BookBrowser

Edition details

• Publisher: Elsewhere Pr
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0965734595
• ISBN 13: 9780965734592
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 314