He was at heart a man of the 19th century. In the name of scientific exploration, other Victorian-minded British gentlemen exempted Sir Ernest Shackleton from serving in the Great War so that in 1914 he might lead a 27-man expedition to the South Pole. But he never got close. His ship was trapped in ice in the Weddell Sea, some 1,200 miles from civilization, then crushed like a walnut. After being stranded on ice floes and a deserted island for two years, everyone made it home safely--but only after the most unlikely of return journeys.

Does Shackleton's story hold lessons for today's executives? Possibly. And Shackleton's Way, No. 15 among this month's hardbacks, is a nicely written, if hagiographic and anecdotal, introduction to the man and his long-gone world. Its set of maxims, though, will be familiar to devotees of coaching books: Turn setbacks into opportunities, hire an outstanding crew, etc. Just skip over them and read the fascinating story.By Hardy GreenHARDCOVER BUSINESS BOOKS1 WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? by Spencer Johnson, M.D. (Putnam $19.95) Learning to accept change. LAST MONTH: 1, MONTHS ON LIST: 252 YOU'RE FIFTY--NOW WHAT? by Charles R. Schwab (Crown $24) Get ready for retirement. LAST MONTH: --, MONTHS ON LIST: 13 FIRST, BREAK ALL THE RULES by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman (Simon & Schuster $26) A Gallup probe into managerial success. LAST MONTH: 5, MONTHS ON LIST: 214 NOW, DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, PhD (Free Press $26) How to bolster your true talents. LAST MONTH: --, MONTHS ON LIST: 15 FISH! by Stephen C. Lundin, PhD, Harry Paul, and John Christensen (Hyperion $19.95) Motivating employees the Pike Place Fish Market way. LAST MONTH: 4, MONTHS ON LIST: 56 GETTING THINGS DONE by David Allen (Viking $24.95) Start by getting an in-box. LAST MONTH: --, MONTHS ON LIST: 17 WORLD WAR 3.0 by Ken Auletta (Random House $27.95) Microsoft v. Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson. LAST MONTH: --, MONTHS ON LIST: 18 THE FUTURE OF SUCCESS by Robert B. Reich (Knopf $26) Why we work so hard, by the former Labor Secretary. LAST MONTH: --, MONTHS ON LIST: 19 GUNG HO! by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles (Morrow $20) How Walton Works No. 2 fired up its employees. LAST MONTH: 15, MONTHS ON LIST: 2310 THE TIPPING POINT by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown $24.95) Discovering what turns an idea into a hot trend. LAST MONTH: 6, MONTHS ON LIST: 1111 THE ART OF POSSIBILITY by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander (Harvard Business School $22.50) Realizing opportunity. LAST MONTH: 7, MONTHS ON LIST: 412 WHEN GENIUS FAILED by Roger Lowenstein (Random House $26.95) Inside hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management. LAST MONTH: 2, MONTHS ON LIST: 513 RAVING FANS by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles (Morrow $20) Turning customers into your biggest boosters. LAST MONTH: --, MONTHS ON LIST: 3114 MAESTRO by Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster $25) An inside look at Fed chief Greenspan's reign since 1987. LAST MONTH: 3, MONTHS ON LIST: 315 SHACKLETON'S WAY by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell (Viking $24.95) He could show the amateurs on Survivor a thing or two. LAST MONTH: --, MONTHS ON LIST: 1PAPERBACK BUSINESS BOOKS

1 RICH DAD, POOR DAD by Robert T. Kiyosaki, with Sharon L. Lechter, CPA (Warner $15.95) Teach your kids the rules of money that the rich play by. LAST MONTH: 1, MONTHS ON LIST: 212 THE 9 STEPS TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM by Suze Orman (Three Rivers $13.95) Learn to save. LAST MONTH: 3, MONTHS ON LIST: 23 THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE by Stephen R. Covey (Fireside $14) Habitually popular. LAST MONTH: 4, MONTHS ON LIST: 724 RICH DAD'S RICH KID, SMART KID by Robert T. Kiyosaki, with Sharon L. Lechter, CPA (Warner $15.95) Start 'em early. LAST MONTH: --, MONTHS ON LIST: 15 WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? by Richard Nelson Bolles (Ten Speed Press $16.95) The enduring job-search bible. LAST MONTH: 6, MONTHS ON LIST: 36 THE ERNST & YOUNG TAX GUIDE 2001 by the Tax Partners and Professionals of Ernst & Young LLP (Wiley $16.95) Dig out those receipts. LAST MONTH: --, MONTHS ON LIST: 17 THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR by Thomas J. Stanley, PhD, and William D. Danko, PhD (Pocket Books $7.99) The ways of the wealthy. LAST MONTH: 2, MONTHS ON LIST: 298 RICH DAD'S CASHFLOW QUADRANT by Robert T. Kiyosaki, with Sharon L. Lechter, CPA (Warner $17.95) Move from job security to independence. LAST MONTH: 8, MONTHS ON LIST: 109 RICH DAD'S GUIDE TO INVESTING by Robert T. Kiyosaki, with Sharon L. Lechter, CPA (Warner $19.95) Becoming rich, not merely comfortable. LAST MONTH: 7, MONTHS ON LIST: 810 J.K. LASSER'S YOUR INCOME TAX 2001 by the J.K. Lasser Institute (Wiley $15.95) W-2s, etc. LAST MONTH: 12, MONTHS ON LIST: 311 THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER by Kenneth Blanchard, PhD, and Spencer Johnson, M.D. (Berkley $12.95) Management techniques in story form. LAST MONTH: 5, MONTHS ON LIST: 5312 BUILT TO LAST by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras (HarperBusiness $16) How 3M, Wal-Mart, and others became standouts. LAST MONTH: --, MONTHS ON LIST: 4013 THE NEW NEW THING by Michael Lewis (Penguin $13) Silicon Valley and its representative man, Jim Clark. LAST MONTH: --, MONTHS ON LIST: 114 GETTING TO YES by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton (Penguin $14) A Harvard team's step-by-step guide to conflict resolution. LAST MONTH: 14, MONTHS ON LIST: 6715 THE MOTLEY FOOL INVESTMENT GUIDE by David and Tom Gardner (Fireside $14) The online duo puts it on paper. LAST MONTH: 11, MONTHS ON LIST: 40

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