Paul Walker Books

A compendium of strips, biographical material, and smart analysis and commentary by smart analyzers and commmentators. Why can't more reprints be like this -- combine some historical and aesthetic perspectives with the original work?

You want post-modernism? I got your post modernism right here!

I consult the works of the great Bushmiller almost daily. This jumbo volume serves as an I CHING for me. WWND (What Would Nancy Do?) Random consultations of this tome's pages can solve all of life's vexing problems. Three rocks=universal symbol of balance and calm. Zen gags and images an industrial lathe could have fashioned make Bushmiller's NANCY ever-important, ever-comforting and ever-inscrutable. Turn to Nancy and Sluggo for your pressing questions!

This book shows Nancy and Sluggo in their cutest moments! Any aged reader will love the antics and mischief of Nancy.

My dad bought me this over 10 years ago, and I've read it countless times. Bushmiller's art personifies a Platonic space stretching through the mind's suburbia, and this thick tomb has lots of strips from Nancy's many eras, giving you a good picture of the strip's evolution. Also some great historical material and some of the weird spinoffs of Nancy (the MAD magazine parodies and some abstract art stuff). If you've never read this essential strip, this is the book to get. If someone would just bother to reprint it...

Forget the simple theory that Bobby Thomson benefitted from a stolen sign when he hit the historic homer off Ralph Branca in 1951. Dickson gives us the real story--a much more colorful and fascinating peek at baseball's most memorable moment. That's just one of many new and interesting facts and anecdotes in this first-of-its kind book. I've written baseball books myself and I tip my hat to this one.

Paul Dickson has done it again! Here's a book that all baseball fans will love, even those modest folk who know everything there is to know about the game. "The Hidden Language of Baseball" is the book to read -- after you make it a most valuable gift to your kids, who have often asked you (as if you knew) what those goofy and not-so goofy signs mean, who dreamed them up and how come the other team doesn't steal them, which, of course, they try their darndest to do. Paul Dickson takes the reader through baseball sign language from its very earliest recorded years to the wild and wooly "Golden Age" of flagrantly outrageous stealing and to today's signing in full view of the ever-improving intrusiveness of high-tech TV lenses. The book is full of wonderful anecdotes - a Dizzy Dean classic will have you roaring with delight. Like "The Dickson Baseball Dictionary", this book is a must for baseball fans of all ages.

During any given nine-inning baseball game over a thousand silent instructions are given between players and from umpires to coaches. You've seen the hand signals - now understand their meaning in the first examination of their history, evolution and methods. Baseball games are surveyed past and present to gain a fine chronology of player signals.

A short but thorough history of baseball as seen through the development of signs, sign stealing and tip-off reading. Includes some delightful photographs, numerous anotations, a lengthy bibliography and index. Paul Dickson's approach to baseball makes me wonder if the recent homerun records aren't more a case for renewed talent in sign stealing / tip-off reading than for new technology for bats or performance inhancing drugs.

If you are looking for a definitive study of the life of Paul, this would be a good place to start. Beth Moore begins by reconstructing what Paul's early life must have been like, based on studies of Jewish life in those times. She then proceeds to the Biblical accounts in Acts which describe his conversion, and subsequent ministry. She then proceeds to the letters Paul wrote to his disciples, such as Timothy. Moore teaches us what a truly inspiring figure Paul is and applies his example of faithfulness into what God would have us aspire to today.

I first became aware of the vibrancy of Beth Moore's teachings at my church's women's group. What an awesome teacher of God's word she is,and this book did not disappoint me. Beth takes a look at the life of Paul, from his birth, conversion from a zealous Jew to a humbled Christian, and the missionary journeys he undertook in Christ's name and brings them to life on these pages. She has a way of pondering aspects of the biblical narratives that really open one's eyes, and gives you a depth and breadth and taste of what life might have been like for the apostle Paul that one normally wouldn't realize, and then encourages and challenges us to live our lives for Christ in similar ways. I did not read this book in one sitting, but read a little every day, and came away delighted to have "tasted" each morsel she offered. I love Beth Moore's devotion to the Lord, and she has inspired me.

Beth Moore has done it again! She is truly gifted by the Holy Spirit! She takes you through the life of Paul, and you will see Paul in a different light. She brings out the humility and passion of Paul that I have never picked up on before. You will learn to share Paul's passion for Christ with this book.

This is perhaps as good as any of everything Beth Moore has written, although given the very un-attractive cover design, this book did poorly in 'popular' sales. But by word from experience, this is extremely well written in keeping consistent with her context, and yet contains some very honest interpretations which is at times a hard pill to swallow, but insightfully proposed with clear challenges, as well as an in-depth view of truly what is associated and required "to Live is Christ" embodied through one willing to submit to Jesus Christ without compromise. This is a must for any person seriously wishing to follow Jesus un-swaveringly.

About a year ago a teacher/performer friend asked me who my first guitar teacher was. Larry McCabe, quite a few years ago. My friend looked surprised, and told me he uses Larry's books in his own teaching, and that Larry had written something like 80 books to date. I had no idea, as Larry was in the process of writing his first book when I had lessons with him. So when it came time to brush up on some basic blues licks for a band I'm in I ended up obtaining some of Larry's books.

This book of blues turnarounds is where I started. What a great book - full of excellent turnaround licks. At this point I've only played through about half of them note for note, but have used those as a basis for coming up with my own licks. And to me, that is the mark of a great book - lots of useful information if read note-for-note, but can also be used as a springboard for creating new ideas.

The licks I've learned from the book thus far are all in the key of C, but can be easily used in other keys if one has a basic knowledge of the notes on the fretboard. I'd highly recommend this book for a beginner wanting to learn stock blues licks, or intermediate players who need to expand their blues vocabulary.

An Excellent Choice for the Early Intermediate Blues Guitarist

A turnaround is a lick played at the end of a section of music. A blues turnaround would be played in measures 11-12 of a 12-bar blues, or measures 7-8 of an eight-bar blues.

Electric urban blues turnarounds are fairly easy to play, and the difference from one to another is subtle. Having the ability to play a variety of turnarounds is an important skill in blues guitar playing. This is the best book I know of that addresses exclusively the subject of electric blues guitar turnarounds.

This a book for a VERY ambitious beginner, or an early intermediate guitarist who has an interest in Chicago blues in the classic style of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, etc.

The licks are all arranged in the key of C. This is for ease of analysis and comparison. The user is encouraged to transpose the licks to other keys - a worthwhile project for exploring and learning the fingerboard. Very, very good practice for learning the art of blues phrasing.

Great book from one of our leading authors. My students (and myself) have consistently benefited from the interesting instruction contained here.

My students and I work from several of Larry McCabe's guitar books and find that the books produce consistently high results.

This book, like the others, is exceptionally well crafted, specific in intent, and the guitar lines are accurately written exactly as they are heard on the CD. Larry McCabe books are the work of a dedicated teacher who has achieved a high level of respect nationally in the field of music education.

Larry asked me to write a review for this book, and I am happy to do so. The object of this book is to teach the art of playing blues guitar turnarounds to a guitarist who has some prior experience but is just beginning to explore electric blues.

If a student knows how to bend the strings and perhaps play slurs, slides, and hammers, blues turnarounds are not difficult to play. What is important is to play them authentically and with conviction. This book does a very good job in advancing those objectives.

A component of this book that is quite effective is that every phrase is written in the Key of C. The student should then transpose each lick to other keys, a desirable skill that encourages individual incentive and ability to solve arranging problems.

The turnarounds sound exactly like the ones played on classic blues recordings by the great artists from Chicago and other urban areas.

I know other teachers who swear by Larry's books, and I am one of them. Great book- effective in its aims, ambitious content, fun to work through, and a great value.

This very fine book has been in print in one form or another since the early-to-mid 1980s. Not many music books remain in print that long, but this is an exceptional collection of model solos in the urban blues style.

The book is quite popular with music teachers (as evidenced by the other reviews) and it is enjoyable and productive for students as well. The book is aimed at the ambitious early intermediate student, and a few of the solos will challenge an intermediate guitarist.

There are 25 full-length solos in the book, each written in notation and tablature, and each recorded note-for-note on the accompanying CD. The band on the CD is excellent. There are five solos in C, five in G, five in D, five in A, and five in E. The solos are played to standard blues progressions, meaning that they may be "plugged in" to similar blues progressions that are found in many, many songs.

The solos sound exactly like the solos heard on real blues records. They are varied and performed with taste, authenticity, and feeling. You can hear why the author was a columnist for Living Blues Magazine and why his work has received consistently high reviews in a number of guitar magazines.

Great book, highly recommended.

I wish all music instruction books were written in this format. The song tabs just go from one page to the next without a bunch of talking/writing in between, and the song numbers in the book actually match the song numbers on the cd...what a rare and unique idea! Of course, none of that would matter if the material were bad, but that's not the case, the solos are great - quite diverse too. There is a lot of helpful information in this book: theory, writing your own solos, a guide to blues styles and artists,etc. - but it's all in it's own section of the book, not sprinkled throughout the book here and there making it impossible to find. As a full time guitar instructor I would just like to say "great job", "great blues solos" and "great, easy to use format". Thanks.

The author of this book, Larry McCabe, is re-releasing books that have gone out of print for one reason or another. This particular book is an old friend. After I received it, I went into my library and found a copy. It has been in print in one form or another for 25 years. Most instruction books don't last anywhere near that long. First, this book (as the author warns) is not for beginners. You need to be familiar with the movable blues scales we all use. If you are playing out, and feel comfortable with the whole neck, get this book. The style of lead is closer to Gatemouth Brown and Freddie King than anyone else. If you don't know who these men are, buy their CDs. You are in for a treat. Please read the author's introduction. There is a lot of good info there. The Tab system is the older style. It should take about 30 seconds to adjust. It's actually easier to read than the current form. If you consider yourself a Rock guitarist instead of Blues, you really could use this book. If you use these solos as a "how to", instead of just memorizing them, they will give you some new weapons. You know, for scaring the heck out of other guitarists.

This is a great book for anyone who is a fan, but also a real treat for people living in the metro-Detroit area, as a few of the celebrities asked are local TV and radio stars. She wrote to a lot of people over the years and has a great collection of stars' heroes, from Soupy Sales to Les Paul and of course Davy Jones! It's neat to find out who inspired the celebrities to be who they are today.

Mary Guerra is an authority on fandom as she is a member of a fanclub or two herself. I know this since she belongs to the fanclub I run for Davy Jones, Davy Devotees. Though the concept of fandom is normally perceived as being something the nonfamous possess, Mary spent years contacting various celebrities asking them just who they consider themselves a fan of and what fanclubs they would join if they could! She received personal responses from legends in the field of entertainment like RoseMarie and Phyllis Diller to Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar, Richard Petty, of racing fame, columnist, Liz Smith and "Mr. Hockey" Gordie Howe. Shirley Jones, Peter Noone and Mary's personal favorite, Davy Jones of The Monkees, are just a few of the many other highlighted celebrities. If you've been a fan of anyone at anytime, this book gives you an interesting look at who those we admire actually admire. At times the featured celebrities provide laughs and at other times intriguing revelations. Overall this is a fun read with a lot of heart!

This book is fabulous. My husband and I found it to be a quick, entertaining read. We particularly enjoyed the entry from Mike Clark, our favorite radio DJ. It's interesting to see what people celebrities find heroic, and it conveys more of an inside look into their personality as well.

This book is a children's collection of poetry. However, it appears that Michael Rosen has attempted to balance the chipper, happy poems of many children's anthologies with more intense, darker ones. The overall tone is fairly serious, though beautifully so. He combines such sweet verse as Skating by William Wordsworth, with more wistful or even death-filled ones, such as La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats.

The book is written chronologically, from Shakespeare and William Blake to Langston Hughes and Judith Wright. He includes from one to five poems from each of his 40 or so collected poets, with a short, thoughtful biography of each.

The book is strikingly illustrated by Paul Howard, who alters his style and technique for each poem, aptly evoking the feeling and time period of each poem.

I would consider this as a readaloud for children ages 8+; younger children are likely to be disturbed by some of the darker selections.

This book is more newly published in paperback as The Walker Book of Classic Poetry and Poets .

Michael Rosen's collection of poetry refuses to talk down to children. He has selected classic poems from the seventeenth century to modern day, poems (and poets) that children will hear references to for the rest of their lives. From Shakespeare to Shelley to T. S. Eliot and many more, Rosen has gathered a mixture of beautiful, fun, and significant poetry, complete with biographical information about each of the poets, as well as information on individual poems and poetic forms.

It is Paul Howard's lovely, intriging illustrations that will first grab your attention, however. His illustrations capture the mood of each poem and make them come alive for young readers.

A must for children who love poetry and for parents who want to share poetry with their children.

Wisely chosen and beautifully illustrated,this book shows how entertaining and exciting poetry can be. It instantly held the attention of my six year old. He wanted to write a thank you note to Lord Byron!

This book tells the hardships of living in a poor inner city apartment, hoping that one day you will make it to the NBA. It tells two true storys that actually happened.How that playground kids put in the effort to get a scholarship for basketball from Isah Thomas's former highschool.It tells what life after basketball is, and how living with not much can still mean living.This book captures what reading is all about, learning things about places that you may of never been before.This book is one of the beest biographies ever, anybody who knows and understands basketball should read, and love this book.The book is better than the movie.

The book was well organized and well written. I was able to understand how two young yeenagers experince life in thier low budget enviroment. And to them they see that basketball is their only way out of the inner city. Overall I feel that this book can help out many teenagers that think that playing in the NBA is the only way out of proverty

Hoop Dreams gives the world an opportunity to learn about Arthur Agee, William Gates and their families. More importantly, this book is an opportunity for the reader to improve the quality of their own life by taking an intorspective look at family values, choices, and career dreams.

I bought this as a gift for my friends 3 year old and she LOVES it! The pictures are cute, the story is cute, and it makes for a fun family read.

This is one of the cutest kids books that I've read. It is written extremely well with a sing-song, rhyming pattern. It will definitely be a book that I give as a gift!

What a wonderful book! A great bedtime story to share together. Beautiful illustrations. This book is a keeper even when the kids have grown.

This has been our baby's favorite book from the age of 6 months on, which is why we are buying another copy, as she has succeeded in ripping the others to shreds. While not Shakespeare, the text has a nice rhythm and offers a nice overview of the activities of babies (including a sequence in which a baby learns to walk, with each image showing the child slightly older) while the art is completely winning, really capturing the expressions and feelings of various children. Charming and fun, I would suggest it highly to small children that get excited when they see other babies.

Filled with the actions and activities that comprise the lives of babies, the text is verb filled, "Stand,wobble. Sway, wobble. Bump! Step, walk, toddle." It also frequently rhymes. The rhythmic prose is scattered across the pages with absolutely charming illustrations of babies and toddlers.


On pastel pages, babies of all sizes, shapes and colors are drawn in soft pencil. Some of the babies reappear in different guises as the pages are turned. Babies are difficult to draw. Just consider the babies
in famous painting across the years. This artist not only knows babies in all their guises, not always happy,he can flat out draw them. In one double-page spread, the naked baby is not only life-size, one wishes to
sweep the baby up.

Babies' bodies do amazing things. In this gorgeous picture book, young children can enjoy exploring a few of these things with their parents. Fingers, toes, hair and nose, there are many ways babies use their bodies. Don't forget the diapers, too!

The sweet illustrations and gentle prose in this book make it a winner. Babies and toddlers will enjoy seeing other babies and toddlers, while preschoolers will love to see what they were like not so long ago. Parents, friends, and relatives who read this book to their warm lap-bundles will smile at the tenderhearted pages as much as their children.

This book is cute, sweet, and sure to be a hit.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
02/02/2007