Tim Allen Books

'The Five Secrets of fortune and fulfillment are as ancient as mankind itself - and each already lies concealed within your own minds" - "The Prosperous Peasant: Five Secrets of Fortune & Fulfillment from the Samurai's Temple School" is the story of a small insignificant peasant, who in the golden age of the Japanese Samurai, was not much more that. He breaks the social caste, and trains under one of the masters to learn his skills and the five secrets that he has only heard legends about. "The Prosperous Peasant: Five Secrets of Fortune & Fulfillment from the Samurai's Temple School" is deftly composed and highly recommended for fans of samurai-era Japan and community library fiction collections with a focus on historical fiction history.

This book is very simple and easy to read. The stories are highly engaging. I found myself wondering who would speak next at the Temple School, and what outlandish life adventure they would share. The stories also caused me to reflect on my own life and adventures.

One story in the book was especially meaningful to me. I have often felt frustrated that one of my children has no particular gift or strength. Nothing comes easily to him, although he is eventually successful in everything he puts his mind to. Through this book I came to recognize that his unending effort and perserverence is in itself a gift.

I hope that others who read this book will find it as engaging, entertaining and thought-provoking as I did. And maybe something will resonate with your life as well!

Somewhere between The One Minute Manager and Siddhartha, The Prosperous Peasant delivers both life enriching concepts and a beautiful tapestry of storytelling. A must read for anyone looking to find, or affirm their own, building blocks for a fulfilling life.

The Prosperous Peasant stands beautifully on its own, but is also an excellent follow up read to Tim Clark's previous book, The Swordless Samurai: Leadership Wisdom of Japan's Sixteenth-Century Legend---Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It was that much more enjoyable when characters in The Prosperous Peasant mentioned people or events from that excellent book.

Both books are very engaging and read quickly. Plan to set some time aside as they're difficult to put down! I continue to be amazed at how much the stories stick in my head, coming to mind and offering inspiration during my day to day routine.

Very inspiring messages throughout and a joy to read!

This book is indeed engaging. I enormously enjoyed the first three chapters, which introduced the protagonists and created the framework for the stories and lessons to come. And the lessons themselves are, on the whole, very useful and apropos.

That being said, a self-help book set in early modern Japan struck me as very odd. After all, the modern concept of self-help is drawn from Western individualism (in America its origins are probably most strongly associated with Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography). Yet, for most of Japan's history, the elevation of the individual over the family or community has been the exception rather than the rule. To be sure, as the authors are well aware, Hideyoshi provides perhaps the greatest example in Japanese history of a common man elevating himself to great power, something of a Japanese Lincoln. Yet Hideyoshi was hardly an advocate for classlessness or the right to rise. Quite the opposite was true. After he gained power, he stripped peasants of swords, which had enabled them to become warriors, and thus precluded men like himself from rising as he had done. The fixed social classes of the Tokugawa period, which lasted about 250 years, owed much to him.

The authors' curious reading of Japanese history and culture is also emblematized by their unqualified admiration of Bushido, or the "Way of the Warrior." The last chapter, abridged by them from another author, describes the virtues of Bushido, including rectitude, courage, benevolence, politeness, honesty and sincerity, honor, loyalty, and character and self-control. These virtues indeed have much to recommend them, but the authors do not acknowledge the very violent ends to which they were frequently put in Japanese history. To take just one example, the fanaticism of World War II Japanese soldiers, most notable among the kamikaze pilots, reflected Bushido values.

I recommend this book unreservedly if you are looking for very engaging parables that highlight values and practices likely to promote success. Doubtless those lessons are far more accessible and enjoyable in The Prosperous Peasant than in many other self-help books. But keep in mind that early modern Japan is being put to the service of the 21st century. Could he read it, Hideyoshi would be no less fascinated and amused by the book than you.

Like all of Tim's book this is a keeper. What a great reference to have on hand. I had no prior background in casting and this covers it all from the very basic to the more advanced. A great buy.

Very good information put in easy to understand language and tips to cast on a budget.

Don't let the sub title Studio Reference throw a scare in you. With its lay flat binding and clear and concise steps, you will be using it in the studio as a ready reference book. As somebody who owns and have read over 25 books on casting and foundry work. This book was a light read compared to some it doesn't get bogged down in to much tech for tech sake. If you just want to find out about what it takes to do a little casting or jump in and go all the way this is the one book for you. I own it.

This book, like McCreight's other books on working metals, divides the subject into easily digestible portions and treats each topic separately (often on a separate page) with a short discussion. Line drawings help clarify important points. The focus is on the tools, materials, and techniques of lost wax casting, but also covers sand casting, the use of flexible molds, using the services of a foundry, and other topics of concern to the studio metalsmith. It's a great reference tool if you need to look up the proper sequence to use in a particular technique, or a formula for making your own crucibles. Learning to cast almost requires hands-on instruction, and this book alone cannot provide that. But if you're already familiar with casting, it's a wonderful reference.

Tim McCreight's books are always excellent, and PRACTICAL CASTING
is yet another gem. I especially appreciate it's easy to follow format and the author's generous "make-it-yourself" directions for tools and gadgets that can be easily put together by the jewelry crafter. These tips really come in handy and save having to buy yet another expensive doodad to complete a process.

Tim Huxley book, Defending the Lion City is a well written and detailed analysis of the Singaporean Armed Forces. Huxley begins by proving the reader with the history of the SAF, following Singapore independence to its break from Malaysia. Huxley then examine all three branches in fairly great depth as well as Singapore's likely strategic environment. All in all, a excellent book and a must for anyone interested in the Singaporean Armed Forces.

I found this book to be very informative. It gave a great history of the Singapore military and is very relevant to today's situation. Good, solid introduction to the Singapore Armed Forces. I recommend it.

The book succintly compiles a plethora of information into a easily understood and accessible trove for the average readers who are keen on the military capabilities of the SAF.

While it seems that it has revealed much of the hitherto obscure information of the SAF, it must be noted that this is probably just the tip of the iceberg of the true might of the SAF.

I enjoyed the book thoroughly and have been constantly referring back to it for more information after the first read.

I spent 4 month on an Australian Station (Casey, No 1 station, best home brew (thanks to Pitty) and extensive skiing area) and I read the book with a smile in my face. All the little stories which really happen and the unbelievible light making this continent so unique are in this book. If you are intrested in live at the most isolated area of the world of a grimm cold environment, countless parties of men and women behaving like children, a breathtaking nature and the technical phaenomens which only occure deep down under, than grap this book. It's worth the 58 bucks they are asking for.

Tim Bowden has captured the history and anecdotes of Antarctica very well. I loved the book and it is a treasured edition on my bookshelf. The fact that I am an Australian whose name appears among the lists of those priveledged few to visit the great white land is another reason for purchasing this great book. If you have wintered in the sub-antarctic or on the Continent itself at an Australian base, then your name too will appear in the entries at the back. Its a great read for those who are interested in the history of Australians in antarctica.

Well done Tim - and thanks.

(P.s. Tim, I was the bloke who invited you to spend mid-winters day at Macca in 93!! ;-)

Although the the stories are short in Letters To Francesca, I was amazed at the depth at which they made me think. I noticed how often the first comments made at the start of the story are tied up neatly at the end with good purpose. Richards illustrates clear ideas and thought processes which almost everyone can relate to. The events are wacky and uncanny, yet totally believable. I've read this collection of short stories a number of times in the last few weeks. I am truly amazed at how simple yet intricate writing can be made. the postmodernism used is fresh and inticing. i would give it 10 out of 5 if i could.

For those interested in psychology, sociology, and our culture, this is a very important book that deals with issues that we as a society somehow overlook, much to our detriment.

There is no faulting this film, but the version offered here is the full-frame version. Significant percentage of the picture has been cropped to achieve an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. This is a shame, as The Thin Red Line has some of the most stunning cinematography of any film I have seen.

The Naked Gun Gift Set contains all three of the films and boy you will be laughing like crazy when you get this baby home. Of course the original is the best, but the sequels are enjoyable as well. Leslie Nielsen has great comic timing and Priscilla Presley is not too shabby either. I highly recommend this awesome collection. Enjoy!

This movie it's just one of my favorites comedies. Leslie Nielsen just awesome. Tons of laughs. If you want to spend some time on your couch laughings in a boring afternoon this is the one. Excellent comedy

i love these movies! they are hilarious! u cant tell me u cant laugh once at leslie nielson's crazy antics. he's great!

This is not what I expected it to be. Its true that many scenes not appearing in TV broadcasts are shown, but then the extra scenes that the TV media puts in to stretch the show time are missing. Too bad. I'll give this away and buy each movie seperately.

The Naked Gun DVD Gift Set.

This collection features all three films in the Naked Gun series, which are The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad! (1988), The Naked Gun 2 and ½: The Smell Of Fear (1991), and The Naked Gun 33 and 1/3: The Final Insult. Three discs total. Each film has trailers and commentaries as bonuses. All films are the theatrical cuts.

This review is strictly for the box set itself, and its content. If you're looking for reviews of the films themselves, I've posted them on their respective item's pages.

-DISC ONE-

-The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad!

-Trailer

-Commentary track

-DISC TWO-

-The Naked Gun 2 and ½: The Smell Of Fear

-Trailers

-Commentary Track

-DISC THREE-

-The Naked Gun 3 and 1/3: The Final Insult

-Trailers

-Commentary Track

This set is handy because it combines all three of the Naked Gun films into a single, affordable collection. The commentary tracks are interesting to listen to if you're a fan, as well. This is a nice alternative to having to hunt down each film separately, not to mention on average it's cheaper than buying each one on its own.

Sadly, the set isn't perfect. My biggest complaint is with the lack of extras. These are the same movies that are sold separately, with commentaries and trailers as the only bonuses. When are we going to get the deleted scenes from the first film on a DVD? So far, these have only shown up in TV airings. And why is there no behind-the-scenes footage or interviews with cast and crew?

There are two different versions of this set, the DVD Gift Set version and the Triple Feature version. Both versions are exactly the same, apart from packaging. The Gift Set is larger, with each film in its own "as sold separately" case, while the Triple Feature condenses all three films to fit in a single-sized DVD case. You can't go wrong either way, but generally the Triple Feature is cheaper.

It's great to get all of these movies in one convenient spot, but I am extremely disappointed by the lack of bonus material. Hopefully a special edition release of the movies will come eventually. Paramount seems to be re-releasing a number of their older releases as special editions with bonus material, and I'm hoping this series will eventually get that treatment.

Thumbs up for the movies, thumbs down for the extras-lacking box set.

This book has wonderful color pictures, excellent recipes and it is a steal at this price. So far the recipes have been awesome. Five stars!

I bought this book when it first came out several years ago. At that time it sort of intimidated me and it sat unused on the shelf until recently. What prompted me to take another look was the acquisition of a new Weber Performer. The astute will recognize that the Performer is a charcoal grill and that this book is based on gas grilling. Frankly, this book is all about recipes; really, really good recipes. Anyone familiar with charcoal cooking will be able to build a low, medium, or hot fire and make the adjustment to use this book. Believe me it is no big deal and you will be rewarded with some of the best food you ever tasted. The author of this book, Jamie Purviance, really knows what he is doing. I would say that this book is tailored to the intermediate to advanced cook. The recipes are complete, but the instructions assume a certain level of competence. For someone just starting out, I think the Cook's Illustrated grilling book is an excellent addition as it takes the reader step by step through not just the recipe, but also the techniques necessary to cook the food. The CI book covers both gas and charcoal for each and every recipe, too, which can help the reader of the Art of the Grill adjust for charcoal. I find both books indispensable with the Art of the Grill offering superior recipes, and the CI book offering superior techniques.

This is a great book for any grill afficiendo...lot's of great ideas, including literally every course, from appetizers to desserts!

Worth the money.

Those readers who have discarded charcoal and lighter fluid for LPG or NG have often been ridiculed as not truly grilling. And, while I don't subscribe to that myth, cooking with gas can definitely be challenging, and is something of an art. Weber's ART OF THE GRILL has now given gas grillers a leg up into offering outstanding dishes. (If one would enjoy nothing else, the pictures in this cookbook are over-the-top.)

I am an avid outdoor cook (can't cook much else), so being able to grill, and do it well, is important to me. Besides, I love the taste of grilled meats and vegetables. I've been cooking with LPG for some time now, and enjoy the convenience and ease. I must admit to owning both gas and charcoal grills (plus a Bradley Smoker, which, if you don't have one and like smoked meats, look into this gem). And, while I think some foods still taste better on a charcoal grill, most of the food I'm able to cook with gas is just as good, and much easier on a busy schedule. The key is knowing how to marinade, spice, rub, and cook. ART OF THE GRILL takes care of these basics in spades.

ART OF THE GRILL goes into such subjects as direct and indirect cooking, which is primary to cooking tasty, juicy meats on your grill. In addition, it describes various wines, and what might be best with certain dishes. ART OF THE GRILL isn't a guide on "how to cook a steak;" rather, this book is slanted more toward the gourmet side of grilling. And, while this may not suit all grill lovers, small changes to the recipes are easy to make and take very little away from the final offering.

ART OF THE GRILL is laid out in an easy to follow format. In addition to teaching grilling basics, it breaks the recipe and cooking chapters down by meat types: meats (beef), chicken/poultry, fish/seafood, vegetables, and so on. The index is well appointed, and makes finding an appropriate recipe quite easy.

Long story short, I've been grilling (gas and charcoal) for a long time, and do it several times each week. Each time I run across a cookbook that makes my repertoire better, I take a look at it. If the recipes are minutely involved, I'm not interested; I just don't have time to put together a 2 - 3 hour recipe. ART OF THE GRILL is the perfect companion. The recipes are well written, easy to follow, and, with very few exceptions, take very little time to put together. The results however, are quite good.

If you use a gas grill, give this book some thought. It will at the very least give you additional possibilities each time you open that grill lid.

Weber is known for great grills and who better to make a cookbook on getting the most out of them. Weber's Art of the Grill is filled with huge, full color photographs of just about every recipe offered, which is a must-have trait for me that many cookbooks lack. The recipies are definitely a little on the "high brow" side, so if you are really just looking for new ways to make burgers and dogs this is not the book for you. But if things like swordfish with mango salsa sound good to you, pick this up right away!

The Japanese rampage in the Pacific and the initial defeat of both the American and British forces in the region heralded the eventual death knell for all Empires involved in the Pacific war. The military political part of this story has been told many times. The cut and thrust of combat is not what this book is intended to do -- it rather covers those peoples and groups, whose absolute numbers were large, but whose history is often not factored into the momentous events in the region at this time.

The Overseas Chinese and their suppport for China made them an obvious target for the Japanese, their suffering (massacres) and response -- from quiet resistance to active and robust guerilla efforts in Malaya -- are something often left out of normal narratives on Malaya, which usually end after the fall of Singapore. How did the Malays, indigenous Indians, and Chinese react to the Japanese triumphs? How did events play them off against each other?

Ethnic Indians in Burma largely made up the civil service and trade industries before the war, they were mostly driven out by the Burmese who exacted a terrible toll for percieved injustice of this class foisted on them by the British. Their bones lined the escape routes out of Burma -- victims of Burmese pogroms. It is therefore ironic that Indian soldiers captured during the initial onslaught would forswear their alleigence to the King for one to the Emperor -- on the promise for eventual Indian independence. It is this devil's bargain that the authors detail very well: the training, demise, renewal, deployment and utter destruction of the Indian National Army. Ironically again, this Japanese-trained army was defeated by an overwhelmingly Indian denominated and increasing Indian-led army at the end of WWII. Indians gained their freedom not by fighting against the British, but precisely by fighting under and alongside the British. With the might of India unleashed by the British, Indian officers commanding white troops, it became apparent that even in allied triumph, the days of the Raj were limited.

Britain destroyed more Japanese landforces than the entire American island-hopping campaign. Indeed these battles were the largest in Asia and the political machinations underlying the movement and supply of great armies are of a degree that it is difficult to understand. Allied cooperation in Europe looks absolutely lovie-dovie compared with the acidic and vain personalities of this theatre: the bigotted but absolutely incorrigible Stillwell, the vain and effete Mountbatten, the absolutely-bonkers Wingate, not to mention the strange warlord like Chinese generals -- laws unto themselves.

The Japanese are another forgotten army. Their complete annihilation by military campaign and starvation, relegated them to the political sidelines in almost all countries. For the politicians the Japanese were defeated, what would follow -- every plan or strategem, even from early in the war seemed to be aimed at, as Churchill said "holding our own" -- ie, maintaining empire. All efforts that did not back that were to be discouraged, and the Americans were to be the either witting or unwitting supporters of such a strategy. This of course ran the British into trouble with both the Americans, who had other ideas, and the local independence movements. In all countries with the winds of war blowing against the Japanese, independence movements initially made alliances with the British based upon shifting needs. As the Japanese dissapeared as a threat full independence was really the only choice, Britain, huffing and puffing -- but it should be admitted, not largely shooting -- was preparing for the historical inevitable.

Bayly also admirably describes Empire just before the war. The almost surreal sense of superiority the locals felt, how they sipped their Gin and Collins confident that everything would and should continue even when Europe was falling apart. Both colonial and indegenious race consciousness is described. One of the most tragic forgotten armies, the story of the Eurasians who also made up the civil service of Malaya and Singapore, being accepted by no one but relied upon by everyone. Eurasian women were seen as taboo and strictly off limits to any self-respecting white who wanted to go further and be accepted in polite society. Chinese knew they were superior to Malays and Burmese Indians got it in the neck because Burmese felt they had had it too good in a land that was not theirs.

It does seem very strange indeed that our grandfathers and fathers were sometimes raised in this cultural environment that transitioned so swiftly into the post-war world of modern understanding and cultural acceptance of today. It is this consciousness of the age that Bayly reflects so well in his writing.

This book is a facinating retelling of the fall of the British Raj. The authors do not spare the Allies because of the misbehavior of the Japanese. One can see the consequences of the colonial attitude to the native southeast Asians--the British really did reap what they sowed. Also the authors do an excellent job of describing the terrible position of the people of Malaysia, Burma, and India--who do you support a known and hated oppressor or the new conqueror?

"Forgotten Armies: The Fall of British Asia"

The War in Vietnam was intensified in part because of the protests, including self-immolation, of Buddhist monks. In l963, a 67-year-old Buddhist Monk, Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire at a busy interchange in Saigon, then the capital of South Vietnam. Duc was protesting the repressive measures of the US-backed Thieu regime. For the next twelve years, Vietnam occupied the attention of four American Presidencies and cost the nation billions and 60,000 lives.

Today, religious figures are protesting the repressive military regime in Burma. Burma, or "Myanmar" as its leaders prefer to call it (although the U.S refuses to recognize the name) has been under the control of military strongmen for years.

Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of Aung San, a nationalist hero who was assassinated by a rival in 1947, one year before Burma gained its independence. In 1988, during a visit from the UK, where she lived with her husband, she emerged as a political opposition leader. The following year she was placed under house arrest, where she has remained, on and off, for 12 of the last 18 years. In 1991, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She is currently incarcerated in one of Burma's notorious political prisons.
With international sanctions and the attention of the world's press focused on it, the former British colony and scene of one of the Second World War's most intense battles has once again come to the forefront of world politics.
In their excellent history "Forgotten Armies: The Fall of British Asia 1941-1945," Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper focus on the shameful British flight from Singapore and the political and human losses in Burma, Malaysia, India, and the rest of British Southeast Asia. Drawing on a wealth of sources including letters, diaries and records from the Japanese as well as British, they paint a discouraging picture of an empire on the brink of extinction.
They provide a detailed narrative of the flood of humanity...some say 600,000 strong...that was propelled through Asia by the advancing Japanese (or, in some cases, merely the rumor of the enemy) The Fall of Singapore was the nadir of the British Empire. Racism, elitism, ignorance, incompetence and plain stubbornness contributed to its demise.
`From the moment the first bomb fell on Rangoon on 13 December 1941 there began an exodus from Burma of the Indian, Anglo-Indian and Anglo-Burmese population which was at the time the largest mass migration in history. By the autumn of 1942 in the region of 600,000 people had fled from Burma into India by land and sea. As many as 80,000 may have perished of disease, exhaustion, or malnutrition." (Forgotten Armies: P. 167)

"Gin-swilling Sahibs" decided to destroy the Singapore compound's supply of booze before the enemy could get to it, and drank themselves silly in the process.

How often the mistakes of history are repeated when politicians ignore the past. The same scourges... war, pestilence, famine...that decimated Southeast Asia are threatening Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East today.

The Fall of British Asia is one of the better analyses of how the British Empire came under strain during the course of World War II. This accurately assesses the effect that the Japanese had on the Crescent of British power and a look at what happened to the British islands of the pacific. Although many colonial groups thought the Japanese would be their key to freedom they quickly realized how wrong they were and this book does a great job of not only showing the colonial side but the British and Japanese sides as well. These authors are two of the best within the field and they deliver another winner here. This is a great introduction to what happened to East Asia during world war II and is a great place to start.

A gripping account of British incompetency in the Malay peninsula and Singapore, which presages the end of their empire. Puts Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in context. Provides a good background for understanding the character of Southeast Asia.