Best Selling Books by Robert Levine

"An engaging, highly readable survey of the sophisticated methods of persuasion we encounter in various situations. From television to telemarketing and from self-deception to suicide cults, Levine takes a hard look at all the ways we attempt to persuade each other--and how and why they work (or don''t). . . . The next time you wonder what possessed you to pay $50 for a medallion commemorating the series finale of Friends, you''ll know where to turn." --Slashdot.org "If you''re like most people, you think advertising and marketing work--just not on you. Robert Levine''s The Power of Persuasion demonstrates how even the best-educated cynics among us can be victimized by sales pitches." --The Globe and Mail "Levine puts [his] analysis in the service of his real mission--to arm the reader against manipulation." --The Wall Street Journal "This wonderful book will change the way you think and act in many realms of your life." --Philip Zimbardo former president, American Psychological Association

A biography of the extraordinary life and art of Greek soprano Maria Callas (1923-1977). Includes a track-by-track commentary on her major performances, all included on two full-length CDs, as well as a glossary, chronology, performance history, and discography. Nice b&w photographs throughout. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

How did the newspaper, music, and film industries go from raking in big bucks to scooping up digital dimes? Their customers were lured away by the free ride of technology. Now, business journalist Robert Levine shows how they can get back on track. On the Internet, “information wants to be free.” This memorable phrase shaped the online business model, but it is now driving the media companies on whom the digital industry feeds out of business. Today, newspaper stocks have fallen to all-time lows as papers are pressured to give away content, music sales have fallen by more than half since file sharing became common, TV ratings are plumu00admeting as viewership migrates online, and publishers face off against Amazon over the price of digital books. In Free Ride, Robert Levine narrates an epic tale of value destruction that moves from the corridors of Congress, where the law was passed that legalized YouTube, to the dorm room of Shawn Fanning, the founder of Napster; from the bargain-pricing dramas involving iTunes and Kindle to Google’s fateful decision to digitize first and ask questions later. Levine charts how the media industry lost control of its destiny and suggests innovative ways it can resist the pull of zero. Fearless in its reporting and analysis, Free Ride is the busiu00adness history of the decade and a much-needed call to action.

"Icouldn''t imagine a finer or livelier guide through the world of opera. . . . [Levine] distills a lifetime of passion and insight into this immenselyenjoyable survey, and with the right comic touch to make you wonder how operaever seemed intimidating." —Thomas May, author of Decoding Wagner Despitethe popular success of the Metropolitan Opera’s “Live in HD” series, opera’s grandworld of soaring sopranos and breathtaking baritones—of tragic Rigoletto, triumphal Sigmund, and desperate Orfeo, of faithful Figaro, heartbroken Pagliacci,and lusty Don Giovanni—remains wrapped in an aura of impenetrable esotericism.Piercing this veil of opera’s perceived inaccessibility, acclaimed classicalmusic critic Robert Levine extends a witty and insightfulinvitation to enjoy opera in Weep, Shudder, Die, offering a newgeneration of aficionados a priceless way to access to music’s greatest achievement.

It is easy to believe God has abandoned us. In atrocities from Hitler''s Germany to today''s Darfur, the meek and the poor are left to fend for themselves. In the United States, we are menaced by violent terrorists who claim to act in God''s name. Our own neighbors threaten us with an absolute choice between faith and a fiery path to hell. Robert Levine steps into the fray with What God Can Do For You Now. A leading American clergyman, he asks us to commit to a relationship with a loving God. We can create a trusting partnership with the Almighty, give time to prayer, and strive to repair the world. In a time when genocide and terrorism wreak their terrible toll, he convinces us that the potential for tragedy exists alongside the potential for miracles, every day and every where. When we rekindle our faith in God, we rekindle our belief in ourown goodness, and start the change we need to repair ourselves and the world. Praise for What God Can Do For You Now "Rabbi Robert Levine understands that there are lots of reasons ''to harbor supreme doubts'' about God - he''s honest enough to admit to the struggles he''s had. Jews and Christians will encounter the joy of this scholarly and down-to-earth Rabbi. As we act godly and find God, miracles happen again." - The Very Reverend Dr. James A. Kowalski, Dean, The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine "Perhaps there is no more painful question than, ''How could God let this happen to me?'' Rabbi Robert Levine presents us with critical tools in facing this mystery of life. He brings meaning to a life that oft en appears meaningless." - Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, New York Board of Rabbis "This book helps one reconnect if hope and faithis ever lost in our God, spiritually and naturally. Rabbi Levine shares his connection and faith in our God. All things are possible if you only believe." - Rev. Dr. Renee F. Washington Gardner, Senior Pastor of Memorial Pastor Church in Harlem "Rabbi Robert Levine allows the longings for a connection to God of those whom he has served to be heard and he does not hesitate to reveal his own struggles. This book is a precious and ultimately comfortingcontribution to all who engage in the eternal and perplexing quest for nearness to God." - Rabbi David Ellenson, President, Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion "An important book for people of all faiths who look for the reality of God in their lives. It comes at a critical time in interfaith dialogue. Rabbi Robert Levine is a major religious leader in New York City who has been an advocate for the poor, social justice, and civil rights. His faith and compassion shows." - The Ven. Michael S. Kendall, Archdeacon for Mission, The Episcopal Diocese of New York, Former President of the Council of Churches of the City of New York

Unearth a Gold Mine in the $1 TRILLION Junk Bond Market “Few experts in this area have been willing to share their inside knowledge with the outside world. None have done it as well and as simply and clearly as Bob Levine has done in his new book.” —Joel Greenblatt, bestselling author of The Little Book That Beats the Market “A great book by a great investor. . . . [I] recommend this book to everyone who wants to acquire some invaluable horse sense about investing in high yield bonds.” —Martin S. Fridson, author of How to Be a Billionaire “This is the best book ever written on high yield corporate bond investing. Destined to become an instant classic. . . .” —Jack Malvey, Chief Global Markets Strategist, Bank of New York Mellon Corp. "A first-rate introduction and navigation guide to the high-yield world." —Reading the Markets “This well-written and occasionally humorous tutorial on investing in speculative-grade corporate debt covers the essential aspects of high-yield debt. . . . As a basic introduction to the high-yield debt market, the book can’t be beat.” —The Financial Analysts Journal Do you think of the junk bond market as an arena of chaos, a financial Wild West, a place to avoid at all costs? In How to Make Money with Junk Bonds, a pioneer of the junk bond business gives you the insight and information you need to lay that fear to rest—so that you can generate unprecedented profits in this $1 trillion market. Robert Levine has the credentials to lead both individual investors and the professionals just getting started in the junk bond market. At Nomura Corporate Research and Asset Management, his junk bond funds substantially outperformed both high yield and S&P indices for more than 18 years—and in this book he explains the method he used to achieve such remarkable results. Helping you pick high yield bonds that have a low possibility of default. How to Make Money with Junk Bonds covers: The difference between stocks and bonds—and where junk bonds fit between them in the risk spectrum How to conduct a thorough credit analysis—the key to making money in junk bonds How to evaluate market conditions—and decide when to invest and when to sit on the sidelines Why you should hire a portfolio manager—and how to select the best one for your needs How to invest like a pro—using Levine’s personal, proven investing method The junk bond market isn’t the scary place it used to be. Critical information is easier (and cheaper) to obtain, and transparency is greater than it was in the market’s early days. How to Make Money with Junk Bonds gives you the tools to root out strong, forward-looking companies poised for growth and generate a level of profitability impossible to achieve in other markets.

An advanced-level introductory textbook taking a critical, practical approach to the analysis of syntactic structures.

Voters often lack knowledge of government structure, political issues and candidates’ positions and frequently elect incompetent or venal politicians to office. Partisanship, corruption and inefficiency follow. Ideas for strengthening democracy are discussed, along with recommendations by various political scientists and philosophers.

As the book''s title implies, the poems in Robert Levine''s Mystical Symphony explore sensing, losing, and recovering subtle, intangible connections in the world around us. Their speakers wrestle with their place in and relationship with love, family, nature, current events, faith--and, most of all, themselves. Sometimes Levine embodies this theme in the formal harmony of rhyme and meter, in other instances in the looser cadences of free verse. He can consider these ""mystical"" connections in fittingly hermetic style, but also adopts a more straightforward--yet nonetheless lyrical--voice elsewhere in the collection. Mystical Symphony offers no tricks or formulae for eliciting or sustaining these connections; they remain elusive, evanescent flashes of serendipitous grace. But it concludes with the comfort that, thanks to the memory of experiencing them, ""nothing can take their blessing from me/even after they fly away in my heart.""

We often feel compelled to adopt different personae for the different environments or obligations life and society place us in--to dissociate the various roles we play and sunder the integrity of the self. Robert Levine have given expression to this theme in Minutes From A One-Man Meeting. The speaker of the title poem at the book''s center witnesses the same event in the voices of his different selves: bystander, employee, consumer, citizen, neighbor, son, husband, father, and creature, attaining greater self-unification and connection to the world outside himself as the poem progresses. Reflecting the self-knowledge necessary for this process, the collection begins with a section of poems focusing on their speakers'' relationships with lovers, family, nature, God, and themselves; reflecting the duty of the unified self to act in the world at large, the title poem is followed by a section of poems addressing political and social issues like the Iraq war, the recession, and environmental degradation.