Sports Books

Even though I haven't broken 100, this book has given me the areas to focus on to break both barriers (100 & 90). Wish this was on Audible, so that I could hear it over and over. Great Job.

I can't believe that I am writing a good review for Mr. Tomasi. I loved this book. It is better than a lot of his other books. I recommend this book even if you want to break 100. It tells you what you have to do to get there. I liked how Mike Adams writes. it is simple and makes you want to go on the course to try out what you read. Get this book. I can't believe this is the same TJ Tomasi. If you want to break 100 or 90 then get this book. it will help you.

The first golf book that I have really understood when reading it. It breaks down many of the mysteries of golf in easily read, easily understood English. The touch of humor, here and there, also adds to the enjoyment of reading this book. In the space of 90 days from first read, I was able to reduce my handicap by 6 shots, win 3 competitions at my club and begin to really enjoy the game. It does work and I have recommended it to many of my golfing friends.

I started golfing regularly (about 3 times a month) last summer, practice at least once a week at the range, took a few lessons and finally broke 100. At that point I purchased "How to Break 90".

This book does an excellent job at teaching course management to avoid the dreaded blow up holes which ruin our scores. You will learn how to break down each hole to avoid hazards and to play within your ability. Instead of blasting a long iron or fairway wood on your second shot to the green of a typical par 4 hole, the author advises you to layup with a shot within your means to achieve your "personal par". There will be situations in which you can take chances and "go for the green", but in most cases, the risk doesn't pay off for golfers of our ability.

This book, together with practice will help you lower your scores. In fact I broke 90 (84) for the first time last month. I still hit plenty of bad shots but instead of trying to pull off a heroic shot to save par, the book has taught me to take my medicine and I usually do no worse than a double bogie.

Besides the outstanding course management help, "How to Break 90" also teaches you a variety golf shots in easy to understand language with a sense of humor. Highly recommended to all weekend golfers who want to improve.

I bought this book, even though at the time I was trying to break 100 rather than 90. I really liked the way the authors focused on course management and the short game rather than swing changes. I also liked the little bits of humor scattered throughout.

The authors make the point that if you average a 5 on every hole (something they call "Level 5's"), then you will shoot 90. I took this a step further and told myself that if I could shoot Level 6's, that's a 108. So if I could shave a few strokes from there, shoot 5 on a few holes (which isn't that tough, even for me), then I could break 100.

Sure enough, using thier course management advice and focusing on shooting 6's, not thinking about par, I broke 100 several times in the my next few rounds.

I'm now re-reading the book, and practicing some of the advice I thought was too advanced back then, and refining some more to hopefully break 90 soon.

This book truly helped my game....one of the few books I can say that about!

It's a memior of a man who skies and wrecks. Lots of wrecks. Both on and off the slopes. The skiing is how he deals with the mess of life and it is both his balm and his bane. His mother's multiple attempts at happiness, his own struggles of identity often find him wrestling it out going downhill at 70 mph, often out of bounds, never wearing a helmet.

Wayne Sheldrake's philosophy of dealing with the junk of life? "No goggles. No helmet...All I needed was a pair of skis. I didn't stop for food. I didn't stop for water. I didn't use sunscreen. (Only [expletive] wore sunscreen.) I never worried about getting hurt."

Then something changes and you realize that the book isn't really about skiing. Okay, it is about the skiing but it's MORE than just skiing. It's about healing and hope and living in the moment with people who are just jacked up as you are.

It's about the messy, funny, painful redeeming process of healing.

Simply put: what can I say about a person who took the oppurtunities that life gave him and milked them for MORE than they were worth. It was a nostalga trip to the Rockies of MY youth as well as some of the same places/experiences!
Just because YOU were born too late to see/experience those days - read this book and see how it was done BEFORE all that great gear you have today!

Wayne transported me back to the ski area of my youth. Through his eyes I was right there powder skiing Alberta's Face with all of my friends. It is apparent through Wayne's book that the ski bum life is not all hot tubs and bikinis as depicted in the movies; rather it is a deeper experience for him with Vreni at his side.

The snow stopped swirling around me when I looked up from Instant Karma and out the window from my home in central Texas where I now reside. There was no snow outside of the window, so I plunged back into the words where I rejoin Wayne standing at the top of the continental divide just before he jumped off the cornice into the powder.

Wayne has really captured the thoughts of most die hard skiers in this writing. But as I read the book, which I picked up - after meeting Wayne, where else; but on a ski Lift at Wolf Creek Pass ski resort, I realized that its meaing was deeper. I could see paralells into other aspects of daily lives.
Wayne is a great writer, who connects with the reader.
I am glad to have met him, and to have read Karma.

P.S. I am heading back out to Wolf Creek Pass this Holiday season, as they now have over 14 feet of snow.

Wayne's history as a poet and wordsmith serves him well as he weaves this amazing adventure tale of his personal journey of the heart and soul. Chock full of descriptive passages: dirtbag chic, near death experiences and winter storms in the Southern San Juans that had me shivering in my slippers! And then....between the lines and pages there is Vreni and the heartwarming love story that exposes our Mr. Sheldrake for the hopeless romantic that he is, binds first his wounds and then the yarn itself into a fascinating whole.

Years and years ago a "James Bond Encyclopedia" by Steven Jay Rubin came out and considering it wasn't an "EON officially" sanctioned book (stock photos and mediocre writing) it wasn't all THAT bad. I've been collecting 007 books for a long time, many of them from the internet, and came out dissappointed many times but was able to recover from my initial skepticism to buying this new Bond Encyclopedia when I noticed John Cork was one of the authors. He's responsible for the excelent BOND GIRLS ARE FOREVER and the JAMES BOND LEGACY, perhaps the two best Bond books I've every bought.
Well, the JAMES BOND ENCYCLOPEDIA certainly doesn't dissappoint, hundreds of terrific pictures organized by category (movie, vehicles, girls, villains, etc.) include even the most oscure of entries. While a dream come true for aficionados, it's definetly bound to please casual Bond fans also (and who isn't ?)

This book is better than I expected. I thought it would just cover the movie Bond. I was pleasantly surprised to find that is compares things in the movies to the books. Plus it goes into the charecters and devices showing the real to imagined. A great book for any Bond fan.

I enjoyed the book and feel it to be a good companion to another volume by a different author entitled "The Complete James Bond Movie Encyclopedia."

It is full of information with plenty of accompanying pictures, and is divided up by subjects (i.e. Bond Villians, Bond Women, Weapons, Equipment etc.). For myself, since that is also part of the Bond world, I wish it had had a section on Bond bloopers (deliberate or otherwise) which occur in the films.

I did notice that occasionally the pictures did not match the captions listed for them (in "The Movies" chapter especially) in that a photograph would be shown, but the caption did not relate to the designated picture.

Also, in the sidebar section of that chapter where different persons connected with the production side of the movies would be listed along with their professional biographies, sometimes the print was hard to read bacause of the background color it was placed on.

Overall, I would recommend this book.

I consider myself well versed in the world of 007. However, reading this book made me realize how much there is out there that I was was unaware of, The authors have shown a greta eye for detail and completeness. And with a nice sense of humor they have added some new facts that I never knew existed.

A pleasure to read.

If I may wax nostalgic for a moment, I can still recall the very first James Bond movie that I sever saw...actually the first three Bond movies...it was sometime in the late 60's or early 70's and my mom took me and my brothers to the drive-in theater to see a triple feature of Goldfinger, Dr. No, and From Russia with Love...in that order. I know I never made it past the credits of From Russia with Love but man...I loved those first two films! I had never seen anything like Bond before with his cool gadgets and those nasty villains like Odd Job and that began a lifelong passion for James Bond. With Christmas approaching, I cannot think of a better gift for the Bond fan on your list than the James Bond Encyclopedia from DK Books.

I've read a lot of books from DK on popular films and while they are always very well done, they sometimes can be a bit light on material. No so with this book. This book contains over 300 pages filled with information that will test even the most knowledgeable of Bond fans. It is bountifully illustrated with over 2000 photographs and images and traces the Bond history right up to the most recent film, Casino Royale.

As the title suggests it is an encyclopedia but rather than just list its hundreds of entries in alphabetical order it lists them alphabetically by subject. The subjects include: The Bond Style, The Role of Bond, Bond Villains, Bond Women, Supporting Cast, Vehicles, Weapons & Equipment, and the Movies. A comprehensive index finishes things off.

The role of Bond covers the six actors who have portrayed Bond with two pages of biographical information on each actor and a list of the Bond films they starred in. Next up is the section on Bond Villains. This section covers Bond villains from the criminal masterminds Blofeld, Hugo Drax, and Goldfinger; crime lords like Frank Sanchez; muscled thugs Jaws, Odd Job, Mr. Kil, and Tee Hee; and dangerous females May Day, Elekta King, and Bambi & Thumper. The encyclopedia gives the film(s) they appeared in, their current status, characteristics, the actor who portrayed them, and a synopsis of their roles in the films.

No book on Bond would be complete without looking at the dozens of Bond Women played by some of the most beautiful actresses in the world: Terri Hatcher, Ursula Andress, Lana Wood, Eva Green, and Halle Berry. The section on supporting cast members covers all the other major and minor characters in the Bond films from Q to Miss Moneypenny. Each Aston Martin that Bond drove is featured in the section on vehicles along with some of the more extraordinary vehicles like the Bath-O-Sub from Diamonds are Forever and the Dragon Tank from Dr. No. And of course all of Bonds secret weapons and gadgets are detailed in the Weapons section.

The last fifty pages or so of the book covers each bond film in chronological order with a listing of cast and crew credits but rather than provide a synopsis of films you've probably seen numerous times the book instead provides anecdotes on the making of the films with all manner of interesting production notes.

This is a book that is perfect for the die-hard or casual James Bond fan.

I'm a librarian and an auto racing fan, and I've read a lot of motor racing books. This is the best racing biography I've EVER read, and she wrote it all by herself. Whether your interest is the Indianapolis 500, NASCAR, sports in general, or women's studies, you'll find something to enjoy in this book, and you will be impressed by the quality of the writing.

BTW, her opinion of Pat Patrick is hilarious; or at least, it's a lot like mine.

Enjoy

I was in third grade when Janet Guthrie made the headlines. I remember reading a kid's book on her life and learning that she had a job as a physicist before going into racing. I had always admired Ms. Guthrie for what she did. A couple of years ago while reading an article on Danica Patrick, I came across the Janet Guthrie website and found the book Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle. I went ahead and purchased it. It has taken me almost two years to finish the book, but I have found it very enlightening and reading. It gives a great overview of her life and how hard she had to work to get into racing and the obstacles she had to overcome. It is a must read for anyone who wants to learn about an amazing female athlete from the mid 1970's. Thank you, Ms. Guthrie for sharing your life with us.

Janet Guthrie was more qualified than many drivers who had quality rides in open-wheel and stock-car racing. She was a graduate of the University of Michigan (B. Sc. in physics), an aerospace engineer and flight instructor while race-car driving as early as 1963 in a Jaguar XK 140 that she prepared.

But being a female in a male-dominated business made for a career that had a very rough road. Guthrie persevered under very trying times to reach the pinnacle in the sport in 1977, qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 - becoming the first woman to qualify and compete in the event - and Daytona 500 - finishing the race as the top rookie driver.

And after nearly 20 years in search of a publisher and several hundred pages cut from her manuscript, Guthrie delivers an excellent read that covers her life on and off the track.

Guthrie wanted to be known as a race-car driver, but there were too many people who couldn't get past her gender. That was from the boardrooms of potential sponsors to initial tough comments from competitors like Richard Petty and Bobby Unser and workers at venues like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway who were determined to make Guthrie know in so many ways that she wasn't welcome & could never compete financially with the top teams.

Though Petty and Unser eventually gave Guthrie props - Petty saying in 1978 that she may win a NASCAR event with a better ride & Unser stating she has done a good job - there were drivers like Tom Sneva and Buddy Baker and others in the industry who assisted her in reaching for the stars. Even though Guthrie blazed a trail, it ultimately smacked into a brick wall when a lack of sponsorship dollars prevented her from competing in the top events.

In 2006, Guthrie was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. A Life at Full Throttle is a story about struggling against institutionalized gender discrimination and how the road to true equity remains under construction.

I started sports car racing about the same time as Janet, also had no money, and enjoyed all the years of scratching and clawing for a ride. I could not have written this book, though, because not only did she do something special, she tells the stories so well. I learned more about her in the book than I did at the time, and as a result of the book, feel the shared history and experiences deeply.

As a mutual friend said, "...it's exposed more about her and what she did and how she did it than most (of her comtemporary racing friends) either knew or understood...it's established more of a camaraderie with other racers ..." than was thought to exist at the time.

I wish she would publish the other several hundred pages she had to cut out of this beek, as I am sure I would enjoy it also.

I was in junior high school when Ms. Guthrie ran in the Indy 500, and was wowed by the fact that a woman could make it auto racing. Those who of us who remember the era before Title 9 know how tough it was for female athletes in any sport, but especially auto racing which remains a male-dominated field to this day.

Cheers to you, Ms. Guthrie, for your excellent career, for opening the doors, for your marvelous record on the track, and for an exciting memoir that's as fast-paced as your race car! Five stars!

This is truly a great book to have if you are a true John Force fan.

this was a gift for my brother-in-law...he enjoyed it tremedously...would recommend it to anyone who loves drag racing

John Force has been my favorite professional driver for years. I was happy to see this book being packaged with Season I of Driving Force. Both the book and dvd were great. I'm hoping to see John win a couple more years before he decides to hand the reins over to Ashley and the rest of the Force Team. Ashley is going to live up to her family name and be another "Force" to be dealt with.

A great read, very informative with some awesome photos included.
A great addition to my NHRA collection!

Excellent book. A true "everyman story", someone who started out as a nobody and became one of the most famous auto racers in history, and never forgot his roots. His is probably the most down to earth famous person on the planet. A true inspiration to anyone who has ever had a
dream. A true class act.

This book is pretty cool. It's like reading an encyclopedia of golf. I highly recommend it. The thing is, it only brings you up to intermediate level. If you want more help in deeper mentality of golf or simply play golf with more precision, read "How I Play Golf" by Tiger Woods.

Here is my suggestion: If you're new to golf but are excited to learn, skip Part 1 and jump to Part 2. Why do I say that? Simple. Part 1 talks about history, rules, golf courses and the "anatomy" of golf. They're good to know, but it can bore you from time to time and plus, it has nothing to do with the basics of golf yet. It's like reading soccer rules and how soccer is played. Knowing that can't improve your techniques. Duno also recommends hiring a professional & practice by going to the driving range. Personal preference: Everyone have their own way of playing golf and no one technique is perfect for everyone. If you read the simple techniques explained in this book, it'll get you a long way. Bottomline here is, save time and money by buying yourself a golfnet and turf and practice in your backyard or anywhere you have room to practice.

Part 2 is the perfect place to start if you want to swing that club! It's all about which clubs to buy, how to get good grips, aim better and understand basic swing fundamentals. It's my favorite part that is also worth reading it over and over again.

If you already know the basic fundamentals of golf such as golf rules and/or swinging a club but want to improve your short game, skip Part 1 & 2 and go on with Part 3. It teaches you how to master putting, chipping, pitching and hitting from the bunker. If that doesn't get your money's worth, go on to Part 4 (Become a Better Golfer) which talks about flaws to avoid, bad lies, hills, bad weather, etc.

Part 5 however is somewhat useless in my opinion. It talks about competing, differences between golf clubs, balls and what to do if you take a golf vacation. It's basically teaching you "what to do with your money once you're already a multi-millionaire." I mean, no-duh, everyone have their own preference how they want to take their golf game further. All in all, this book is worth reading and if you love golf like me, buy it just so you can read and reread it over and over again.

This book provided me with the basics of the game and the use of the tools, rules and other essentials and serves as a reference guide to this time. It is clear and simple and straightforward. It can help any new golfer to get into the game and help any duffer to refine his technique.
I recommend it highly.

I have only recently taken up the great game of golf. This book has been an indispensable aid. It explains all the basics of the game wonderfully, with outstanding illustrations and very clear step-by-step explanations.

Since I bought the book three months ago, I have probably read it at least five times - that many times I have gone back to it as a reference for the latest thing ailing my game. And I am sure that it will continue to assist me as my golf game progresses (hopefully) in the future.

I spent a lot of time at the bookstore comparing the different golf guides. This was by far the best book for the price.

This book is a gem. It is organized in a very practical fashion that allows you to focus on each aspect of the game. The range of topics is wide, going from the elements of the swing, the different shots, and all the way to strategy and conditioning for Golf. The book is written with practical summaries that allow you to keep key points in the foreground and get ready to play.

If you only buy one "how to" golf book, this should be the one.

When I wanted to get started with golf I picked up this book. Easy to understand, with simple instructions and explanations. It also has the clearest overview of the basic rules of the game that I've seen. Even the hardest part of any book on golf, the swing, is covered pretty well - I at least have the intellectual knowlege now to on swinging the club. Great book.

This must be one of the visually most pleasing books in my posession. Lovely photos and a great backcast to the history of the Catskills Fly Fishing.

This is a wonderful book and the photos are fantastic.

If you fish the catskills, this book is a must. I have never seen such a great mixture of photographs and text in a fly fishing book. The books takes you through all the rivers, then presents the region's historic people, their fly tying, and their rods and reels.

This is by far the most interesting book I have ever read about fishing in the Catskills. Fly Fishing in America pretty much started there and this book explains in great detail everything there is to know about the History of Fly Fishing. Beautiful pictures on every page only add to the value of this book. Coming from someone who never takes the time to read through a 240 page book, I could not put in down. This happened during fishing season.

As I opened the package that contained my copy of Land of Little Rivers I expected a great book. I had read Mac FrancisÕs earlier book, Catskill Rivers, twice. Within minutes I realized the word "great" was wholly insufficient to describe this exquisite volume. At first I was caught by the, near mystical beauty of Enrico FerorelliÕs photographs--by themselves, more than worth the price of the book! But it is Mac FrancisÕs words that captured my heart and imagination completely. They carried me along, hour after hour, through this absorbing, beautifully told story of the birthplace of American fly fishing.

The author ends his introduction, trying to define the almost supernatural power inherent in the Catskill fly-fishing tradition, with these words: "I believe it is this power -- call it passion, dedication, commitment, vision, love, or what you will -- that has inspired the myriad fly fishers who in small ways and large have created, fought for, and extended a great sporting tradition in a hallowed land, and I respect the honor of presenting them, their feats, and their little rivers in these pages."

With this book, Mac Francis does more than simply honor a great tradition; he and Land of Little Rivers become a part of it.

Without doubt the best baseball book I've read.
Every coach & parent should read this book.

I've read lots of books about coaching at all levels of baseball, but this is one book that I couldn't put down. It doesn't have any drills, but it does have great suggestions for selecting teams. More importantly, it tries to teach coaches and parents to be more mature and to think about the real lessons that we're teaching the kids on our teams (and that they can teach us).

If you coach a youth team in any sport you owe it to yourself and to your team to buy this book and read it.

Life Lessons From Little League Revisited: A Guide For Parents And Coaches is far more than a handbook for would-be Little League baseball coaches - it is also a parenting manual that draws directly from lessons learned in Little League to promote a balanced and nurturing parenting environment that helps a child live up to his or her potential. Chapters warn against harmful behaviors such as the "overachiever" parent, the "blame-it-all-know-it-all" parent, and the "unfulfilled" parent, discuss how to teach and promote harmony, and more. At the same time it embraces the dynamics of the responsibility of coaching a little league team, and prepares would-be coaches to avoid many possible pitfalls - as well as preparing parents to recognize a bad coach (bad defined as "a bad role model for the children") early on. Written in plain and simple terms, Life Lessons From Little League Revisited is enthusiastically recommended for anyone involved in the Little League scene, as it covers numerous common issues and pitfalls besetting anyone in charge of organizing and teaching young people to work as a team.

Baseball is a game. Too many parents and coaches forget this, but kids don't, unless someone - usually a grown-up - makes them think otherwise. I'm glad Mr. Fortanese shared his wisdom and his experience. There's not a single drill, no baseball playing tips, but this is easily the most important book I've read on coaching - and understanding - kids and baseball. I'm very disappointed it's not in print anymore, because I wanted to give it out as coaches' gifts. PLEASE reprint this, and thank you Mr. Fortanese!

I first purchased this book from the Al and Al Little League clinic. The author gives proceeds to help fund Little League clinics where money is in short supply. I figure, good cause, what the heck. It was like finding a a hidden treasure at a yard sale. Got half way through it and loaned it to our high school varsity football coach, who also coaches 7 and 8 year olds. He was equally impressed. He says it has even influenced how he relates to his high school football players. He gave a 5 minute commercial at our coaches meeting. Every coach left with a copy. I think it will turn out to be one of the best investments our league has ever made.

We usually cautiously enter a memoir/autobiography work such as this. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find a decent writing style, excitingly detailed stories, and a sharing of intimate knowledge.

The many epics in Jim Whittaker's life were outlined with sufficient detail to describe the epic, but not so much that it forced us to skip the remainder. I suspect that few secrets were not revealed about the Whittaker family.

There were numerous color and black and white photos in the hardcover edition to help support the memoir, with a focus on the epic adventures and less on early family life.

We give this work a rare five stars.

An incredible book. Not because of his achievments (which are very impressive), but because he shares his wisdom regarding life. This comes from a man who's seen it all, and has seen life's ups and downs. Highly recommended.

Jim Whittaker began his life with only one real difference from most of us and that is that he had an identical twin. However from almost the day of his birth onward, his life accelerated beyond what is normal for most of us.
Mr. Whittaker enjoyed some luck in his life, particularly his ability to meet and mingle with some very powerful, influential and skilled individuals. He also enjoyed the benefit of his own hard work - from his days at REI to his climb on Everest and his efforts to put Americans on top of K2. He also had his share of bad luck, a divorce and a bankruptcy. This makes this story so much more entertaining because it is real, it is personal, it is something that could have happened to almost anyone with the drive and love of the mountains that Mr. Whittaker possessed.
The accounts of his alpine adventures, whether on Mt. Rainier or Mt. Everest or K2, are gripping, well written and harsh reminders of why mountaineering is not a sport for the faint of heart. Jim lost many of his close friends through out his life and the mountains claimed many of them. Despite any set back however, he pushed onward. This drive doesn't appear to be the result of a lust for glory or wealth but simply an extension of the man himself. In my opinion, his greatest successes are not the mountains he climbed but the peace and love of nature, family, and the mountains that he has helped others find.
This book is well written and easy to read and the pictures included are breathtaking (I wish there were more!). Reading this text will almost assuredly add a name to your list of personal heroes.

One of the truly great climbing books! The work describes this American Hero's life philosophy of learning and truly living. It describes how to take on an acceptable amount of risk and gain from the experience. I found valuable Jim's philosophy (who I met and idolized as a kid) translated into a world well beyond the mountain - into his political friendship with the Kennedy's, his professional life at REI and Magellan GPS; as well as his efforts to foster nothing short of world peace. I kept finding myself wondering if there was anything Jim had not taken on!

The writing is considerably less melodramatic than a great number of climbing/travel logs, which is refreshing. Straightforward and clear, even when discussing the inevitable loss of life involved in mountaineering.

A memorable quote follows: "It's about making the most of every moment, about stretching your own boundaries, about being willing to learn constantly, and putting your self in situations where learning is possible - sometimes even critical to your survival. Being out on the edge, with every-thing at risk, is where you learn-and grow-the most.

I'm a 20 year old guy about to graduate from college, and have thus been thinking a lot about the future and how I want to live my life.. I just finished reading the book and wrote in my journal about it, which will sum up how I feel about it pretty well:

Wow... I just finished reading a really good book, a book that has brought together and solidified a lot of the things I've been thinking about the past few weeks. The name of the book was "Life on the Edge" by Jim Whittaker, the first american to reach the summit of Everest. When Chris and I went to the bookstore for our weekly visit, I was looking for an true-life adventure book, but I also wanted something that had a sense of "living" to it as well. I read "Into Thin Air" and it was like a drama novel, seeming almost like fiction. "Life on the Edge" hits much closer to home, describing the realities of a life well lived.

I ordered this book for my Dad only to find he already owned it. When I received it I refused the order and Amazon still charged me shipping, even after I called within hours of my order to cancel and they could not help me. BUt I would recommend this book if you are looking for some good trail food?

Casey

This is such a good book, not only for vegetarian trail food, but for at-home cooking as well. Simple instructions, common ingredients, quick and easy preparation - not to mention great taste!

Highly recommended!

This book is full of quick and easy recipes that taste good. My family used recipes from this book on a 9-day road trip and saved a ton of cash by not eating out every day. The easy clean up and little need for cooking equip make this a great camping cook book.

My S/O and I took our first serious back-country trip in more than 15 years last week. We relied completely on this book for meal planning and food preparation. We were not disappointed. The recipes are all written in clear language, and are easy to follow. Packable trail instructions are available on-line, which helps with cooking in remote campsites. Of course, we could not try every single recipe -- but here are some of the best ones we tried. We had Olympus Oatmeal for breakfast every day. The Brunswick Stew was excellent, although it took a long time and lots of fuel to rehydrate the dried beans. The Vegan Super Hero Burritos were our favorite. The Whole-Food Granola Bars and Horse Thief GORP (we used unsweetened chocolate chips instead of carob chips) saw us through some long days of paddling and hiking. Our favorite snacks were the Energy Balls. We fought over the last one of those! I would warn others that many of the recipes call for prepackaged foods, such as Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice. People with specific health concerns should check the contents of these items before they use them. Fortunately, Zatarain's makes a low-sodium version of Red Beans and Rice, which we used. Otherwise, this is an excellent book. You can truly trust the recipes. I recommend it highly.

I stumbled upon this book while perusing other vegetarian titles and must say the Connors' title immediately grabbed me. "Lipsmackin' Vegetarian Backpackin'" -- makes you want to read the book and recommend it to someone, just so you can mouth those toothsome words! Obviously, a healthful lifestyle and thoughtful approach to diet have served the authors' intellectual capacities well, everything about the book is smart. The recipes are mostly contributed, apparently by friends the Connors' have made on and around trails, and the recipe titles are sometimes almost as clever as the book's title; more importantly, the recipes look simple and delicious (at this writing I haven't tried them), and their presentation is smartly organized. Nutritional information is included. For its niche audience, be they vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian, or ready-to-improve omnivore, this book has got to be as good as it gets.