I have been cleaning up my book shelves and thought that I would review a few books that you might come across in used bookstores or online. This is the first installment.

The first is Feng Shui For Business by Evelyn Lip. Ms. Lip subtitles her book, Get the right start in business with good advice on the Feng Shui of…Office design and layout, Office building site, Office warming rituals and Business names and logo. The author is a trained architect and feng shui consultant with many books to her name.

This particular volume was written as a practical guide for members of the business community who are planning to build or are setting up shops, hotels, factories or office complexes. In the first two chapters Feng Shui and Business and Urban Design and Commercial Buildings some time is spent on a short history of feng shui and its historic applications in city planning. The discussion of ancient applications is quite interesting.

In chapter three Feng Shui and the Siting and Orientation of Commercial Buildings she writes about the orientation of the building in relation to the physical surroundings, the main door orientation in relation to the owners horoscope, the luck of the owners, and the owner and management staff. The importance of lot shapes, neighbors, waterways is discussed as well. There is a nice section on shas that affect a building, something I have spent considerable time writing about.

Chapter four Feng Shui and the Design of Buildings is especially interesting as it discusses form and proportion of a building. The shape, color, lighting, ventilation and landscaping are all important to consider. Although some of the information is based on cultural symbolism the basics are valid.

Chapter five Feng Shui Names and Signboards for Commercial Buildings covers a subject seldom covered in books. Numerology, the five elements, actual size of signs, colors to use and position of signs are discussed and again offer good basics for the business person.

Chapter five Office Warming Rituals This short section offers some suggestions for ceremonies when opening a business. The use of auspicious timing is suggested but you will have to consult a practitioner to find such a time for you.

This slender book totaling just 106 pages is an interesting read. It is filled with good illustrations, handy charts, photos-some in color, footnotes and a glossary. There are examples of both good and bad feng shui. It gives you the basics of what to consider when opening a new business and the author claims that it is suitable for use without a geomancer-feng shui consultant. But the success of a new business is too important to rely on this book solely.