The Wisdom of Ginsu: Carve Yourself a Piece of the American Dream [Paperback]

Barry Becher (Author), Edward Valenti (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2005

This is not a book about marketing, but a roadmap to realizing your dreams.

Barry Becher and Ed Valenti set the stage for today’s infomercials with their now-famous television techniques. Their zany commercials-advertising such products as the Miracle Painter, Armourcote cookware, and, most famously, the Ginsu® knife-captured both the imagination and pocketbook of the American public.

And they became millionaires in the process.

But Wait, There’s More!

You’ll learn how to get a better price on anything you buy, how to get better service anywhere, even how to get easily get bumped from coach to first class on an airline.

How much would you pay for all the secrets of the universe? Don’t wait! Order The Wisdom of Ginsu® before midnight tonight. Operators are standing by. Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Product Details

• Paperback: 217 pages
• Publisher: Career Press; illustrated edition edition (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564148033
• ISBN-13: 978-1564148032
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,188,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delight from cover to cover, April 6, 2005

By 

Erin Moors (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wisdom of Ginsu: Carve Yourself a Piece of the American Dream (Paperback)

As elusive a question as "Who invented Post-Its?" is "Who was behind the Ginsu Knife?" The unexpected answer to that question is two guys from Rhode Island. (Random, huh?)

I hate reading and usually avoid it at all costs, but read every word of this book and was entertained the entire time. You can pick it up, open it to any page, and understand what Ed & Barry are trying to tell you.

Their Ginsuisms are insightful, and their stories are fantastic and often funny. Why learn the hard way? They've made the mistakes for you, and they openly talk about these mistakes. They've also had successes, and the guidelines that result are great tools for any endeavor - business or not.

Screw Ron Popeil! The Ginsu Guys are the real thing!!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still Laughing, April 15, 2005

By 

Jason Gabler (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wisdom of Ginsu: Carve Yourself a Piece of the American Dream (Paperback)

"You can gas up the dinghy and go fishing with Fredo, because you are dead to me!" That line, which I laughed about on the Green Line all the way from Brookline Village to Park Street, is the attitude Ed and Barry suggest you jokingly suggest that people who don't return your calls have towards you. It's typical of the humor and good fun that suffuse this book, which would be a great read even if the advice was worthless--but it's not! More added value from the guys who brought it to consumers for decades. This is a great look at a unique period in TV, marketing, and culture, and it comes complete with lessons you can apply every day. (You think I paid full price for that secondhand newspaper at Starbucks? Not after reading The Wisdom of Ginsu!) Would you expect a boring book from a couple of guys who sold millions of dollars in cookware by dropping a raw chicken onto a diamond ring? Wait before you answer, because they also painted a ceiling in a tuxedo AND kicked a watermelon to pieces AND survived betrayal by the Guardian of the Ginsu! This book is a riot, and pretty handy at that. Don't miss it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, Valuable and Very Entertaining read, April 5, 2005

By 

Ghostreader "Jim C." (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wisdom of Ginsu: Carve Yourself a Piece of the American Dream (Paperback)

The "Voice" in this book is a very knowledgable yet engaging one. The Ginsu Guys really are the "guys nextdoor" only they happened to hit it big and learn a lot along the way...nuggets of acquired knowledge they are now passing along to readers nationwide ( You had to see Diane Gibson and Charlie Gibson "slicing and dicing" alongside them on Good Morning America, to believe it!)!

Some of the anecdotes told by these 1970's and 80's pioneers and acknowledged "Godfather's of Direct Response T.V." are timeless, the level of the mistakes and obstacles they overcame to become successful are peerless, and the "Ginsuisms" (lessons learned)that they share are simply priceless!

The "back and forth" bantering narrative style mimics the partnership itself, giving the book a "you are there" feel that makes it a real page turner that's impossible to put down once you get started.

There's LITERALLY "something for everyone" in this great little book: from Ed and Barry's classic All-American "Started in a small town garage" business success story, and their "How to Win Friends and Influence People" advice for a new generation,to their "laugh out loud" true tales of tremendous challenges, strategies, triumphs... and failures, The Wisdom of Ginsu" is not only a fun and funny way to pass a few hours but also a fabulous handbook for professional success, and a pocket manual for personal growth!

3 books for the price of one? What else would you expect from the guys who coined the now legendary phrase..."But wait, there's more!"