- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Texere Publishing; 2nd Revised edition edition (7 Dec 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1587990148
- ISBN-13: 978-1587990144
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
227,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #59 in Books > History > Britain & Ireland > British Heads of State > James I
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Daily Telegraph
This is a book against the traditional way of doing business.
M2 Communications, November 14, 2001
An excellent read about a rather excellent product, its history, development and inventor.
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First Sentence
Rural idyll. Death of my father. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Rural idyll. Death of my father. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book is the story of James Dyson. It covers his upbringing and describes why he believes he has the mindset that he does. It covers his education and training and the lucky breaks he received along the way. It details his first forays into design and marketing on other people's behalf. It explains his moment of realisation when he made the quantum mental leap from a machine in his workshop to a vacuum cleaner design. It then covers the more than 10 years he struggled to make it a mainstream product and delves into the nasty things big multinationals will do to slow you down.
It describes the huge lengths he went to during this period to get to the point where he was making vacuum cleaners. How much personal debt he accumulated. How much he spent on legal battles with multinational companies trying to cheat him. How it affected his personal life. It is easy to sympathise with him while reading the book and in similar situations it is hard to imagine many people would have continued.
The book is written in a friendly style and broken up into chapters covering chronological sections of the story. It would be good reading for anyone entering the design or manufacturing business.
I don't agree with all of the opinions he includes in the book, but they are certainly food for thought.
I really enjoyed reading this book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a glorious story and like all great stories it is both true and unlikely. It chronicles deeds of deering do that overcame seemingly overwhelming vested interests in the UK, America and Japan to create a world beating British product. When was the last time a Brit did that! How can there be anything heroic about a vacuum cleaner? Imagine all the world using a machine that is fundamentally flawed, and all the world saying it can not be improved. Imagine building a better machine with your own hands, having manufacturers snigger, while filching ideas. Imagine debt rising, the seemingly endless days of struggle...Imagine winning, because your machine is better, imagine seeing the mockers mouths fall silent. The story begins, as all stories should, at the beginning with Dyson's early years. He zigzags through the educational process avoiding the stereotype labels of artist, or engineer yet encompassing both and much more as his life unfolds. In business he has success with a flat boat, is dumped with nothing from the company that he founded to build his ball-barrow and then begins the great double cyclone odyssey. A trek that sees him many times in huge debt, fighting simultaneous battles through the courts and somehow emerging to glorious triumph for not only are his Dyson's best sellers but he makes them in his own factory to his own controlled standards. He has many revolutionary ideas not least being that any machines that eventually fail will be collected free of charge and completely re-cycled. His experience has bred a philosophy of business that looks back to one his great heroes, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and to times when Britain made things. It is book with attitude, the attitude of a winner.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This intrieging, fascinating and compelling story should be an inspiration to all would-be inventors and entrepenuers. With humility and candour, James Dyson injects his own unique brand of passion, tenacity and enthusiasm, offering a wealth of interesting technical facts and even a little home-spun Dyson philosophy into this beguiling autobiography.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
inspiring....
truly inspiring. the book is an autobiography about james dysons life - from child, to student at RCA and then onto life as an indiustrial designer. why does it deserve 5 stars? Read more
Published 8 months ago by Gcrikey
Simply incredible
This is essential reading for any entrepreneur. The story of James Dyson's struggles against narrow-minded prejudices of this world are simply incredible. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Nuno Bento
Brilliant
Excellent book, with some great nuggets of advice. Really drives home how important hard work & determination are to bring a product to market.
Published 22 months ago by Dave
Inspirational page turner!
A fantastic and inspiring book. I would recommend this to anyone interested in being creative, entrepreneurial or looking to take on a big challenge. Read more
Published on 7 April 2010 by R. Wilkins
Excellent book
This book will be a great benifit to any one who as any intrest in creating or sell new products or ideas.
Published on 17 Mar 2010 by Mr. Andrew Marchant
Should be on the reading list of every business course
This is a highly informative, educational, entertaining and inspiring book, and has to be one of the best business books ever written. Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2010 by Jill
If you have a dream of making this world better, read it
How do you prepare a delicious crab feast? First, you walk down the beach (provided you are near one.) You take with you a bucket and start picking them up and throwing them in. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2009 by J. Casinos Molina
Highly entertaining
I thoroughly enjoyed this highly entertaining account of James Dyson's long journey in bringing a number of products to market from the ball-barrow to the very successful Dyson... Read more
Published on 23 July 2007 by Munster for ever
Slow and steady wins the race
Well I picked up this book when it was referred to in a management magazine(!). Despite this the book started off at a very slow pace, but gently building up momentum. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2006 by Whodunit
Stories of an Innovator: Building the Better Vacuum Cleaner
This book is subtitled "an autobiography," but it isn't really about James Dyson, the man. Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2005 by Rolf Dobelli
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