Overview
"It is [a] belief in diversity and pluralism and the uniqueness ofeach person that underlies all my writings . . . " -from thePreface.
Regarded as the most influential and widely read thinker on modernorganizations and their management, Peter Drucker has alsoestablished himself as an unorthodox and independent analyst ofpolitics, the economy, and society. A man of impressive scope andexpertise, he has paved significant inroads in a number of keyareas, sharing his knowledge and keen insight on everything fromthe plight of the employee and the effects of technology to thevicissitudes of the markets and the future of the new world order.Adventures of a Bystander is Drucker's rich collection ofautobiographical stories and vignettes, in which this legendaryfigure paints a portrait of his remarkable life, and of the largerhistorical realities of his time.
In a style that is both unique and engaging, Drucker conveys hislife story -from his early teen years in Vienna through theinterwar years in Europe, the New Deal era, World War II, and thepostwar period in America-through intimate profiles of a host offascinating people he's known through the years. Their personalhistories are, as Drucker tells us, the beads for which his ownlife serves as the string. A colorful group, these diverse, oftenunpredictable, always multidimensional individuals were chosen"because each of them, in his or her own highly personal way,reflects and refracts the thirty crucial years from the end ofWorld War I to the first post-World War II decade-the thirty yearsthat largely formed the world in which we now live."
An amazing pageant of characters, both famous and otherwise,springs from these pages, illuminating and defining one of the mosttumultuous periods in world history. Along with bankers andcourtesans, artists, aristocrats, prophets, and empire-builders, wemeet members of Drucker's own family and close circle of friends,among them such prominent figures as Sigmund Freud, Henry Luce,Alfred Sloan, John Lewis, and Buckminster Fuller. Playing toperfection their roles as those who "reflect and refract" thecustoms, beliefs, and attitudes of the times, these singularpersonalities lend Adventures of a Bystander a striking"you-are-there" feel.
A brief encounter with Freud becomes the catalyst for an absorbing,multidimensional description of the economics, politics, and socialpsychology of pre-World War II Europe. Drucker introduces us toFritz Kraemer, a brilliant, monocle-wearing eccentric who became aninfluential mentor to the young Henry Kissinger. His personalmemoir of Henry Luce documents the development of modernjournalism, while in "The Indian Summer of Innocence," he rescuesand preserves the very heart of the American experience during thelast New Deal years before World War II.
Shedding light on a turbulent and important era, Adventures of aBystander also reflects Peter Drucker himself as a man ofimaginative sympathy and enormous interest in people, ideas, andhistory. These enthralling stories complement and complete thegroundbreaking analytical writing for which he is so revered.
Luminous autobiographical stories by one of the greatest thinkersof our time
"The cast of characters among whom Drucker moves is superbly rich,and the informed glimpse he provides of a vanished social andpolitical universe is an education in itself. Adventures of aBystander is better than a novel, more lively than an essay, and asthoughtful as both at their best." -The Harvard BusinessReview.
"Adventures of a Bystander is a virtuoso performance in whichDrucker displays a dazzling diversity of personal interests andknowledge, an awesome power of recall, and a crisp, highly readablewriting style." -BusinessWeek.
"Adventures of a Bystander appears in a stroke to have restored theart of the memoir and of the essay. It will doubtless be a whilebefore its like comes round again." -The Washington Post.
Regarded as the most influential and widely read thinker on modernorganizations and their management, Peter Drucker has alsoestablished himself as an unorthodox and independent analyst ofpolitics, the economy, and society. A man of impressive scope andexpertise, he has paved significant inroads in a number of keyareas, sharing his knowledge and keen insight on everything fromthe plight of the employee and the effects of technology to thevicissitudes of the markets and the future of the new world order.Adventures of a Bystander is Drucker's rich collection ofautobiographical stories and vignettes, in which this legendaryfigure paints a portrait of his remarkable life, and of the largerhistorical realities of his time.
In a style that is both unique and engaging, Drucker conveys hislife story -from his early teen years in Vienna through theinterwar years in Europe, the New Deal era, World War II, and thepostwar period in America-through intimate profiles of a host offascinating people he's known through the years. Their personalhistories are, as Drucker tells us, the beads for which his ownlife serves as the string. A colorful group, these diverse, oftenunpredictable, always multidimensional individuals were chosen"because each of them, in his or her own highly personal way,reflects and refracts the thirty crucial years from the end ofWorld War I to the first post-World War II decade-the thirty yearsthat largely formed the world in which we now live."
An amazing pageant of characters, both famous and otherwise,springs from these pages, illuminating and defining one of the mosttumultuous periods in world history. Along with bankers andcourtesans, artists, aristocrats, prophets, and empire-builders, wemeet members of Drucker's own family and close circle of friends,among them such prominent figures as Sigmund Freud, Henry Luce,Alfred Sloan, John Lewis, and Buckminster Fuller. Playing toperfection their roles as those who "reflect and refract" thecustoms, beliefs, and attitudes of the times, these singularpersonalities lend Adventures of a Bystander a striking"you-are-there" feel.
A brief encounter with Freud becomes the catalyst for an absorbing,multidimensional description of the economics, politics, and socialpsychology of pre-World War II Europe. Drucker introduces us toFritz Kraemer, a brilliant, monocle-wearing eccentric who became aninfluential mentor to the young Henry Kissinger. His personalmemoir of Henry Luce documents the development of modernjournalism, while in "The Indian Summer of Innocence," he rescuesand preserves the very heart of the American experience during thelast New Deal years before World War II.
Shedding light on a turbulent and important era, Adventures of aBystander also reflects Peter Drucker himself as a man ofimaginative sympathy and enormous interest in people, ideas, andhistory. These enthralling stories complement and complete thegroundbreaking analytical writing for which he is so revered.
Luminous autobiographical stories by one of the greatest thinkersof our time
"The cast of characters among whom Drucker moves is superbly rich,and the informed glimpse he provides of a vanished social andpolitical universe is an education in itself. Adventures of aBystander is better than a novel, more lively than an essay, and asthoughtful as both at their best." -The Harvard BusinessReview.
"Adventures of a Bystander is a virtuoso performance in whichDrucker displays a dazzling diversity of personal interests andknowledge, an awesome power of recall, and a crisp, highly readablewriting style." -BusinessWeek.
"Adventures of a Bystander appears in a stroke to have restored theart of the memoir and of the essay. It will doubtless be a whilebefore its like comes round again." -The Washington Post.
This book title, Adventures of a Bystander, ISBN: 9780471247395, by Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, published by Wiley (February 18, 1998) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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