Within forty-eight hours in the fall of 2014, buyers in the Sotheby’s and Christie’s New York auction houses spent $1.7 billion on contemporary art. Non-taxed freeport warehouses around the globe are stacked with art held for speculation. One of Jeff Koons’ five chromium-plated stainless steel balloon dogs sold for 50 percent more at auction than the previous record for any living artist. A painting by Christopher Wool, featuring four lines from a Francis Ford Coppola movie stencilled in b...

This is the third edition, updated to 2022. In The Curious Economics of Luxury Fashion, economist and bestselling author Don Thompson offers insights and fascinating examples in discussing the intriguing and fast-evolving world of luxury fashion. Why does one handbag sells for five times the price of another that looks and feels pretty much the same? How does a luxury label justify a runway show costing many millions of dollars, when most of the outfits paraded will never appear for sale? ...

Why would a New York investment banker pay $12 million for the decaying carcass of a shark? By what alchemy does a Jackson Pollock “drip painting” sell for $140 million?In the first book to explore and explain the economics of the modern art world, Don Thompson talks to auction houses, dealers, and collectors to uncover the strategies that power the market to make or break an artist’s reputation and produce such astronomical prices.“If you read no other book about art in yo...

Worlds of If' was a three-time winner of the Hugo Award for best science fiction magazine. 'Worlds of If' discovered many talented writers who would go on to dominate genre fiction. This is the second in our 'Worlds of If' series, with even more memorable stories from its tremendous run. '2BR02B' by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 'Do Unto Others' by Mark Clifton 'Robots of the World! Arise!' by Mari Wolf 'Disqualified' by Charles L. Fontenay 'Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?' by Kenneth O'Hara 'Vital Ingr...

The Telenizer is a science fiction short story written by Don Thompson. It was first published in 1953. The story is set in a future where television technology has advanced to the point where it can manipulate and control human minds. The protagonist, a young man named Jack, becomes addicted to a new television program called "The Telenizer." As he watches the show more and more, Jack begins to lose touch with reality and becomes increasingly isolated from the outside world. Eventually, h...

Although Time may be that Heraclitean river no one can step into twice, it's not really linear. Rapids churn in some places and it scarcely flows at others, almost stagnant. And the current often sideslips into eddies that circle indefinitely. At least Time seems to function like that as it flows through the memories of a long life. The Eightieth Year, although in the form of a journal comprising numbered entries for fifty-two weeks, follows the river through all of those variations, allow...

Welcome to "The Art of Shredding Weight: Intermittent Fasting and Meditation"! In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the synergy between two powerful practices that can revolutionize your approach to weight loss and enhance your overall well-being. By merging the principles of intermittent fasting with the transformative effects of meditation, you're embarking on a holistic journey toward a healthier, more vibrant you.Weight loss is often perceived as a challenging and elusive...

In the 1950s and ’60s, co‐operative jazz clubs such as Vancouver’s Cellar, Edmonton’s Yardbird Suite, and Halifax’s 777 Barrington Street opened their doors in response to new forms of jazz expression emerging after the war and a lack of available performance spaces outside major urban centres. Operated on a not‐for-profit basis by the musicians themselves, these hip new clubs created spaces where young jazz musicians could practise their art close to home.Live at the Cellar

Places Not Here is the concluding book of the Stellar Woods trilogy. In this final adventure, young adults Tom and Katie Morrison are called back to Seattle for the reading of the will of their departed mentor, Dr. Spencer Blankenship.When the facts of Dr. Blankenship's demise don't add up, Tom and Katie must decide whether to ignore the disturbing details and return to their safe and successful academic careers, or to risk further investigation. Their decisions le...

Don’s John JokesBy: Don ThompsonDon Thompson has always loved telling jokes. He used to have an uncle who owned a barber shop and would visit him there a couple times a month. They would sit and tell jokes. When his uncle passed away, Thompson’s sister asked him to tell one of their jokes as he was being laid to rest. Don’s John Jokes is a collection of the jokes he has been telling for many years.About the AuthorDon Thompson is a World War II veteran. Althou...

Langston had technicolor delusions; inanimate objects came alive in his hands; THEY were persecuting him, out to get him ... what a relief it was to know he wasn't going insane!

That was the way the aliens spoke: confused nonsense. If it took reduction or torch hair, the Cirissins wanted a bump. Hokum, thistle, gluck.