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Editorial Reviews

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Editorial reviews

To produce optimum results, formulating plans and making decisions (essential for organizations as well as individuals) must reflect insights into the future. But what is the future? Cornish (president, World Future Society: offers an organized and realistic approach to evaluating the future. The author does not suggest that the future can be known with certainty, but he notes that even partial insights into the future can be useful in determining the course of forthcoming developments. Cornish provides strong arguments for futuring as a means of making the most of what is to come. He contends that organizations and individuals can exercise control over future events. A basis for evaluating risk, inevitable in any analysis of what is to come, is also considered. This clearly written book is free of technicalities; therefore, it can expand the outlook, as well as encourage a proactive interest in the future, for a broad spectrum of readers. A good complement of this excellent book would be a forecasting text such as Spyros Makridakis, Steven Wheelwright, and Rob Hyndman, Forecasting: Methods and Applications (3^rd ed., 1998), to implement such areas covered broadly in the Cornish work, e.g., trend analysis and extrapolation. Extensive source notes; comprehensive bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections. —Review by W.C. Struning, emeritus, Seton Hall University CHOICE

"My Picks of the Month. The importance of getting a handle on the future, particularly each of our own personal futures is the subject of Futuring: The Exploration of the future by Edward Cornish ... Those who enjoy personal success in life are just as often those who have peered into the future and made good decisions for themselves. This book offers a guide to how anyone can do this, while exploring many of the trends that are shaping the future... Each of its chapters provides useful information about how to understand and take advantage of change and how to understand how the past affects it. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is serious about their life and how it will play out in the future."
—Book Views (U.S.) Review by Alan Caruba

... A new book by Edward Cornish, Futuring: The Exploration of the Future, has a section on the "Follies of forecasters" in which he lists various bad calls that ...
—Toronto Globe and Mail

"An engrossing and important book...Read it. It could change your future."
—The Futurist

"Cornish...makes a forceful case for future-oriented thinking or 'futuring' in this interesting book."
—Huntsville Times

"An ideal text for students and any friend you want to interest in futuring."
—Future Times (New Zealand)

"An exciting book, that most agreeably combines readability and practicality with the best American scientific tradition."
—Pro Zukunft (Austria) 

Reader Comments
Readers have been have been extremely enthusiastic about Futuring, and teachers are adopting it as required reading for their students.

"I really enjoyed reading the book and find it a constant source of interest and information."
—Thomas S. Foley, former Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives

"Futuring is magnificent. Congratulations on its completion and publication."
—Wendell Bell, professor of sociology, Yale; author, Foundations of Futures Studies.

"I was delighted to receive a copy of Futuring...My forecast for it, with 99% probability, is that it will be a great success for many years to come."
—Olaf Helmer, co-discoverer of the Delphi technique; founder of the Institute for the Future.

"I am VERY pleased. The book is a major contribution to the field, and it will be turned to and learned from for many years to come.....(It's a) strong contribution to the art of shaping a finer future."
—Arthur B. Shostak, professor of sociology, Drexel University; chairman of the World Future Society's 2002 conference in Philadelphia.

"The book is outstanding...I will share your book with my students and colleagues....I especially liked chapter three ("Six Supertrends Shaping the Future") and the last chapter ("Future Generations").
—David Pimentel, professor, Cornell University

"Futuring arrived a couple of hours after I'd received news that a friend had died the day before, unexpectedly and, in fact, violently...Having your book on my desk helped me begin to assimilate the news of this tragedy. The book was a reminder that there is a future as good as we make it, and that reminder helped me see how to begin to put together a positive future that this colleague and friend would not be part of."
—Ben Davis, Walpole, New Hampshire

 "A milestone in the field."
—Eleonora Barbieri Masini, former president, International Future Studies Federation.

 "Futuring is both illuminating as history and valuable as a comprehensive and thoughtful text for the study of the future."
—Leon C. Martel, co-author (with Herman Kahn) of The Next 200 Years.

"When (Futuring) arrived in the mail, I instantly took a couple of hours to browse through it, and found it to be a superlative product...it will be in ultra-regular use by myself and my research associate,"
—Norman Myers, ecologist, author of Gaia Atlas of Planet Management, Oxford, England.

"This book could not come at a better time. Assisted by the promises and perils of a revolution in technology, globalization, and other historic upheavals, the world badly needs this trove of wisdom Edward Cornish has cultivated over a long career. Futuring will equip us all for the challenges ahead."
—William E. Halal, professor of management, George Washington University; author of 21st Century Economics.

"Futuring...is one of the most fascinating books I ever read, full of new concepts, thoughts, theories, ideas and ways to go about thinking in new directions. I find myself talking about it to friends and a number of them have asked to borrow my copy. (I will lend it only to the more indigent among them.) The others I refer to amazon.com."
—Priscilla L. Buckley, Sharon, Connecticut

"Futuring is a very good read, to say the least...and is well suited to college students, among others. I plan to use it in upcoming classes."
—J. H. Foegen, professor of business, Winona State University, Winona, Minnesota.

"In this new book, Edward Cornish provides a rich, panoramic overview of the development of futures enquiry and practice. It summarizes the achievements of the past and sketches in a number of more recent innovations. In so doing it helps prepare the ground for the further evolution and development of this ground-breaking discipline. This readable and welcome addition to the futures literature will appeal to a wide readership including students, specialists, and a broad general audience."
—Richard Slaughter, Foundation Professor of Foresight, Swinburne University, Melbourne; president, World Future Studies Federation.

"A major contribution."
—Ian Clarke, historian, Oxfordshire, England

"I plan for [Futuring] to become required reading for both [my] courses."
—Knut Erik Solem, professor of environment, technology and social change. Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

"Great book. Very readable and fascinating. I am a father of two young adult sons, and a member of our local board of education. The message is urgent for our young people. I am buying a copy for each of my sons and am bringing the book to the attention of our curriculum coordinator in the school district."
—Francis R. Perkins, Union, New Jersey

I think it is a timely and needed service to humanity, particularly to institutions of learning what Futures Research is doing. Preparing for the future now is imperative considering the rather dim future that present realities signal. I like the idea of forecasting through scenario building. It can be applied on the personal and institutional levels of life.
Sister Teresa P. Yasa, F.I.
Philippines   teryasa@yahoo.com

I must congratulate you warmly for a book that was physically put together very well. The glossy paper outer jacket was designed with such artfulness that it even has "sex-appeal": the kind of book you want to keep on your table after having read it as a trophy or award.

As for the contents a number of notions I had about things were clarified very well, by the book. I did not know for example the meaning of RAND which was explicitly explained with some background information.

What you described as "serious futuring" is probably better described as "morbid futuring" with its over concern about technology, rather than humans and the condition of humans. But then the struggle between technology—read capital—and humanity—read labor—is ancient. The struggle is far more ancient than we may realize if our understanding of meanings is not allowed to be guided too literally. Whose future, for example, has to be better in the future? Is it humanity’s or technology’s? If technology’s is better and humanity’s worse off, would that be a "better" future?

Once again, congratulations on your successful publication of a good book. It was read immediately. It even has an index as all good books would.
—Olu David Oguntolu
Nigeria

Congratulations on your new book, Futuring: The Exploration of the Future. You have helped many of us to pave a road.
—Don J. Siegle

It turned out very well. Your readers will finish the book much more knowledgeable about forecasting and capable of anticipating the future than they were when they began it. I'm proud to have been associated with your work.
—Owen Davies

Congratulations on how well FUTURING turned out. Excellent fresh content, crisp editing, attractive appearance. Definitely worth all the effort that goes into such a book.
—Allen Tough, PhD

Looks great and congratulations. I am adopting this book as one of the required books in my MBA class on strategy. Course will be held this summer in Chile.
—Samuel Dunn, Professor of Business and Mathematics, Northwest Nazarene University

Having now had the chance to peruse FUTURING: The Exploration of the Future, I wish to offer congratulations on a useful and really necessary job well done, and also to thank you for the accurate and generous references to my own small and occasional efforts to advance the good cause.
—Frank P. Davidson

For nearly 40 years, the World Future Society magazine, THE FUTURIST, has been the best available source of information about the future—authoritative, wide-ranging, and readable. For this, editor Edward Cornish deserves most of the credit. So it is no surprise that this book lives up to the magazine’s tradition of excellence. Drawing on THE FUTURIST, on the work of leading forecasters around the world, and on his own unexcelled knowledge of the field, Cornish produced a volume that is part history, part textbook, and part user’s manual. This is easily the best book yet written about the theory, practice, and benefits of futurism. It is a must-read for students, business leaders, and anyone else interested in learning to anticipate where the world is headed.
—Dr. Marvin J. Cetron, president, Forecasting International

I think this is good work and important. Keep it up.
—Michelle Foss, Bozeman, MT, michellefoss2003@yahoo.com

  From the book cover

"Futuring is a masterpiece book that could only be written by Ed Cornish.... I think Futuring is going to be a classic."
—Lester R. Brown, president, Earth Policy Institute

"This is easily the best book yet written about the theory, practice, and benefits of futurism. It is a must-read for students, business leaders, and anyone else interested in learning to anticipate where the world is headed."
—Marvin J. Cetron, president, Forecasting International

"The overwhelming importance of the book is obvious, and I hope it will have the ample circulation it deserves."
—George Bugliarello, chancellor, Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, New York

"A splendid job."
—John Naisbitt, author, Megatrends and Megatrends 2000

"Essential reading for futurists and concerned citizens of all countries—by a pioneering futurist in this growing field."
—Hazel Henderson, author, Building a Win-Win World

"I can’t imagine how anyone could presume to teach a course in future studies, or engage in any professional activity that involves disciplined thinking about the future, without this book. It is an indispensable resource—one to be not only read but consulted many times over—by a respected pioneer in the field."
—Walter Truett Anderson, president, World Academy of Art and Science

"A very valuable addition to the literature."
—Theodore Gordon, retired president, The Futures Group

"Futuring is a comprehensive, skillfully assembled, eminently readable survey that should be useful to anyone seeking an overview of futures studies. Highly recommended.... I will definitely adopt this book for my class."
—Peter Bishop, professor, University of Houston at Clear Lake

"Futuring ... is a sensible, down-to-earth, and thoroughly updated survey of the futurist enterprise.... For anyone who wants to know what futures studies are all about in their larger context, here is a practical guide, free of hype and jargon, that tells the whole story.... Ed’s new book will be a significant milestone in the history of futures thinking."
—W. Warren Wagar, professor of history emeritus, State University of New York at Binghamton

"[Futuring] is important, highly useful, and makes for compelling reading."
—Perry Pascarella, Penton Publishing; former editor, Industry Week

"I regard your book as a modern classic."
—Ikram Azam, president, Pakistan Futuristics Institute

"Congratulations on a worthwhile job done excellently."
—Olaf Helmer, former president, Institute for the Future

"This book is a thoughtful, comprehensive overview of the futures field whose lucidity and readability may belie the skillful synthesis that it represents."
—Robert M. de Voursney, professor, University of Virginia

"A super job. The book is clear, straightforward and rational. Most important, it is reassuring."
—Arnold Brown, president, Weiner, Edrich, Brown, New York City

"This should be required reading for every professional manager and political candidate."
—Jim Burke, senior futures analyst, Northrop Grumman, Rosslyn, Virginia

"I am very enthusiastic about Ed’s book. It’s a great contribution to the futures literature. Futuring is filled with important cutting-edge ideas, yet it is pleasant and easy to read."
—Allen Tough, professor, author of Crucial Questions About the Future