Business Books Worth Reading on Summer Vacation.

EVEN if you are one of the lucky business owners taking a vacation this summer, you never really stop thinking about your business. So, you might as well take along a business-related book to hide behind when your kids ask you to play with them in the motel pool.

One of the most interesting books I've read, "Blood Sweat & Tears, The Evolution of Work," by Richard Donkin (Texere, $27.95), will make you appreciate how easy we have it compared to workers of the past. Donkin, who covers workplace issues for the Financial Times in London, spent nearly a year in the British Library researching and writing this fascinating book. His thought-provoking overview of the history of work begins with prehistoric men and their ax-making skills and ends with a description of the dabbawallabs of Bombay, the 2,300 unionized workers who deliver about 100,000 home-cooked lunches to office workers every day.

"It dawned on me that a lot of our time was spent at work," said Donkin in an interview. "Work is of interest to everybody out there, whether they have a job or not."

Chapters about New Lanark, an experimental community built around a textile mill in the Scottish lowlands, and Harmony, a failed Utopian community in Indiana, read like good fiction. The Harmonists, for example, were called to work by co-workers playing French horns. Every morning, a milk cart delivered fresh milk and work assignments to residents. Fresh flowers decorated the workbenches, and the Harmonists grew exotic fruits in heated greenhouses.

I was especially intrigued by the "Silent Monitor," a small block of wood painted with four colors representing various types of workplace attitude. Developed in the early 1800s by Frederick Taylor, supervisors selected a color to represent each worker's behavior and attitude every day. White indicated "super excellence," yellow meant "moderate goodness," blue represented a "neutral state of morals" and black stood for "excessive naughtiness."

How would your employees react if you set a colored block of wood on their desk or hung it outside their cubicle?

If you aren't sure, you might want to read "Would You Work for You?" by Sam Geist (Addington & Wentworth, $24.95). The book, which features a clever metallic mirror on the cover, offers several interactive tools and quizzes to assess your management skills. The main theme of the book is that if you provide a good place to work and make people feel appreciated, they'll be happy and productive.

Geist doesn't break any new ground, but if you are feeling shaky about your leadership skills, his book will help put you back on solid footing. There are plenty of tips and checklists. The tip box about praising employees states: "Praise to others when the employee isn't there - a most effective way to ensure that not only does the employee hear the accolade, but others are made aware of it and transmit it along."

Geist also reminds managers to praise without giving criticism and praise "precisely - let employees know specifically what they've done well."

He also has a great section on delegating, which is a problem for most entrepreneurs. "It's one of the most valuable tools of today's leaders - if used well," writes Geist. "If delegation is used poorly, it's executive suicide."

If you are feeling the summer blahs and want to perk things up, read "Get Weird! 101 Innovative Ways to Make Your Company a Great Place to Work," by John Putzier (Amacom, $17.95). One great idea is to ask employees to recruit potential new employees, especially right after you hire them.

"Not only do they want to please their new employer, but they just left another organization for some reason, and there are probably others in the new hire's circle of influence who may also be interested in improving their lot in life," writes Putzier.

He also suggests paying the bonus for recruiting a great new employee in installments, rather than all at once. Perhaps half when the person is hired and the balance six months later. This encourages both employees to stick around.

Another cool idea is to charter a bus and take your employees and their guests to a rock concert or music festival. Or, encourage the musicians on your staff to stage a jam session or talent show. If there are enough good musicians on your team, consider forming a company band and send them out to play at local events. Think of how much fun your employees will have and what great publicity the band could generate for your company.

F.J. Lennon, a Los Angeles-based producer, designer and entrepreneur, has written a lighthearted, provocative book, "Every Mistake in the Book: A Business How-NOT-To" (Regan Books, Harper Collins, $23). His breezy writing style is unpretentious. His list of 37 questions and requests for perspective employees is also great for people who hate to conduct job interviews. Two good ones: "Tell me about a time your work was criticized," and "Tell me something I may not know."

If you have been freed from your corporate job and are tempted to become a consultant, check out "How to Make It Big as a Consultant," by William A. Cohen (Amacom, $17.95). This revised third edition is filled with detailed advice on how to start a lucrative consulting career. The new edition includes online resources and a section on how to craft proposals that bring in clients. His advice about indirect marketing ranges from writing letters to the editor to teaching a course.

If you are going to be a successful consultant, you have to be comfortable speaking in public. Cohen's chapter on overcoming stage fright provides some practical tips for making powerful, confident presentations. He suggests visualizing yourself giving your presentation just before you go to sleep, which is what I do. It really works.

Jane Applegate is the author of "201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business," and is CEO of SBTV.com, a multimedia site providing small-business resources.