Peterman Rides Again

"J. Peterman" is a name known to over 40 million consumers and business people, thanks to a unique mail-order catalog hailed as "witty, entertaining....the stuff of literature" (New York Times Magazine) and regular appearances of a "J. Peterman" character on the popular Seinfeld TV show.

Now the real John Peterman steps from behind his persona in a candid memoir that interweaves the rise and fall of the J. Peterman Company with a recounting of the unusual life experiences that shaped the man himself.

Starting with a $500 investment and one product-an ankle-length, cowboy-style duster coat bought on impulse in Jackson Hole, Wyoming-Peterman built a $75 million company. His unconventional "Owner's Manual" catalog used long, literate copy and artful watercolors instead of photos to surround his wares-whether a Navy watch cap or a deck bench from the Titanic-with an aura of adventure and romance. Then came a cash-flow crisis, Chapter 11...and a harrowing personal and professional reassessment.

Through autobiographical anecdotes (including his early years with the Pittsburgh Pirates), Peterman explains how to turn dreams into action, find courage to go beyond the conventional, and be part of a team without sacrificing individuality. He shows how true passion and drive are not defeated by failure, but used as a stepping stone for the next venture.

For anyone starting, growing, or running a business, Peterman Rides Again offers hard-won lessons in entrepreneurship and the painful (but essential) art of learning from mistakes. For consumers, it's a chance to finally meet up close the bon vivant and raconteur they knew from the pages of the catalog.

John Peterman, a former second baseman in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, was chairman and CEO of The J. Peterman Company from 1987 to 1999. He is currently developing a "second generation" e-commerce business (johnpeterman.com) in Lexington, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Audrey. He still wears his famous duster.