A generation or two ago, an over-50 worker was considered to be in the twilight years of his career, easing toward a forced retirement at 65.

Now the average age of the working adult rises each year, and in 20 years, more than one-third of all workers could be 50 or older.

Robert L. Dilenschneider’s book addresses some of the concerns of those workers, including age discrimination and the struggle to stay competitive in a marketplace where young adults are itching to take their jobs away.

A good part of the book is devoted to people who are looking for a second and even third chance in the work force.

“Turnaround,” by David Magee (HarperBusiness, $25.95)

The average person wouldn’t recognize Carlos Ghosn’s name, but people in the business world know him as more than a man with an unusual last name.

Ghosn is responsible for four corporate turnarounds on four continents – in the United States, France, South America and Japan. In a decade, he engineered stunning changes at Michelin South America, Michelin North America, Renault SA of France and, most recently, Nissan Motor Co. in Japan.

In “Turnaround,” author David Magee illustrates how Nissan was perhaps the most remarkable achievement.

“The E Myth Physician,” by Michael E. Gerber (HarperBusiness, $21.95)

Author Michael E. Gerber, a small-business adviser, noticed a pattern of dissatisfaction in the practices of even the most highly skilled physicians. He made it his mission to find out why.

“It’s not insurance companies. It’s not the patients. And it’s not the hard work,” Gerber writes.

Gerber writes that most doctors are not taught business skills and don’t know how to deal with the nonmedical aspects of building a practice.

“The E Myth Physician” is a small book, but it’s crammed full of advice for doctors who need to learn to diagnose their business ailments.

“Getting Things Done,” by David Allen (Penguin Books, $14)

The news release that came with this book trumpets David Allen as a management consultant, productivity coach and educator with more than 20 years of experience. He’s worked with New York Life Insurance Co., the World Bank, Microsoft Corp., the Ford Foundation and the Navy, so he seems to have the credentials to tackle the topic.

“Getting Things Done” is a slender paperback, not much more than 200 pages, but it holds lots of information.

There are many ways to boost productivity, but Allen stresses one above all: relaxation. He maintains that when people are in the “zone,” their minds are clear and constructive, and great things begin to happen.

“What Clients Love,” by Harry Beckwith (Warner Business Books, $21.95)

The book is subtitled “A Field Guide to Growing Your Business.” Harry Beckwith sets out to show readers how to expand their businesses, and by using revealing vignettes and anecdotes, he demonstrates how companies can score points with their clients.

For instance, in a chapter on a “Lesson from Jefferson’s Tomb,” Beckwith stresses the need to be succinct in written communications – a mere 22 words on Jefferson’s tomb convey the president’s greatest achievements, so why should companies need several thousand words to display their own achievements?

The author even invokes Eddie Haskell, the smarmy, insincere teen-ager from “Leave It To Beaver,” to demonstrate why employees should not be “bootlickers.”

“What Clients Love” is an entertaining little book that’s packed with excellent advice.

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“How to Help Your Husband Make More Money So You Can Be a Stay-At-Home Mom,” by Joanne Watson (Warner Books, $12.95)

The long-winded title pretty well sums it up. Joanne Watson was once like many moms – she wanted to be a stay-at-home mother, but she and her husband didn’t think they could afford it.

Watson went to the library and searched the Internet exhaustively. After much research, she found options that helped triple her husband’s salary.

It appears that would-be stay-at-home dads are not part of Watson’s target audience, although they can certainly apply some of the principles illustrated in the book. And it’s not clear why wives are doing all this work for their husbands – are the husbands helpless?

There’s nothing really new here, but Watson has compiled the information in an easy-to-read format, including tips on getting professional resume help and finding high-paying jobs.

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“Greenback,” by Jason Goodwin (Henry Holt & Co., $26)

All Americans are familiar with the dollar bill, but few are aware of its colorful history.

Jason Goodwin has written an engaging account of the dollar bill’s beginnings, the quirky and colorful characters associated with it and its historical significance.

He demonstrates an artful blend of historical research and storytelling in “Greenback.”

The dollar was carefully planned, then subjected to many challenges before it secured a foothold in American society sometime after the Civil War.

Along the way, readers learn about characters such as the Irishman who devised the dollar sign and Jacob Perkins, an inventor whose fate became entangled with the “almighty dollar.”

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“The Wisdom of Teams,” by Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith (HarperBusiness, $17.95)

First published in 1994, “The Wisdom of Teams” was a runaway success, selling a half-million copies. Authors Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith say they “cannot fully explain the book’s success” but point out that many readers have contacted them to say that the concept works.

Now the title, part of the HarperBusiness Essentials series, has been updated.

In a nutshell, the book establishes a link between performance results and team dynamics, and lays out the strategies and benefits of having teams in the marketplace.

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“Clash of the Titans,” by Richard Hack (New Millennium, $28.95)

The “titans” in the title are Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner. Both seem to thirst for power and thrive on controversy.

Richard Hack writes, “Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch were two storm fronts colliding. And like weather patterns, no amount of scientific analysis can accurately predict the outcome when these two interact, cross paths, play God.”

Turner, who lost control of much of his empire after the merger that created AOL Time Warner, once owned CNN, the Atlanta Braves and Turner Network Television.

Rupert Murdoch, Turner’s Australian counterpart, began with a small newspaper and parlayed it into a media conglomerate that included 125 magazines, newspapers and other media outlets, including Fox Inc.

After Hack sketches out each man’s biography, he gets to the meat of the book – the race between them for domination of worldwide media.

The author delights in the salacious details, and “Clash of the Titans” is aggressively written, which suits the topic.

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(c) 2003, The Dallas Morning News.

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AP-NY-05-01-03 0635EDT