Richard Ford Books

This beautiful fantasy has endured in my heart and imagination. I've read it several times since discovering it 10 years ago. Now I'm buying it so my children can enjoy it as well. It's an easy, enjoyable read. Artful storytelling, classic themes. One of those adventures that makes you long to be in the story.

A newborn is abandoned in the woods to be raised by a community of cuddly forest animals. Animalkind has a prophecy telling of such a child, who will one day grow to be a savior. Though the writing was not bad, the story was pathetic, as was the character development. The young hero Nab lives in the woods and talks to animals, which is neat for kids, but trite for everyone else. Except for a tiny percentage, humans are portrayed as black-hearted murderers. After their forest home is destroyed by Men, Nab and his furry pals embarks on a quest to fulful an empty objective. This book pretends to be a happy fairy tale about friendship and goodness, etc. But really it's about how horrible people are, and how we deserve to die for our mistreatment of animals. Look elsewhere for touching fairy-tales. Anyone looking for profound fiction about the treatment of animals might want to read DOCTOR RAT, by William Kotzwinckle instead.

My mother was given this book as a gift shortly after she gave birth to her first child (me). And she gave it to me to read as my first adult-chapter book when I was around 9. And it was the book that made me love fantasy. Its a fabulous story about a boy raised by forest creatures who is entrusted to save their lives. Contrary to several reviews I have seen that portray this as a book that only show how horrible humans are, in fact I think it just serves as a wake-up call. The humans have only one sort of representative, and that is the hunter, which is naturally evil to a forest of deer and pheasant; because the story is mainly about the animals themselves.

My favorite part, still, is the "Author's Note" at the end. When I was a child with a child's active imagination, it only fueled my fantasies. And even now, tho' I view it differently, I cannot help but be captured by the awe of such a possibility.

I've lent out our (now battered) copy of the book to many friends, and they have loved it as well. Each character is delightfully written, with personalities that everyone can understand and relate to. It is one of my favorite books of all time, even at 20, when, as an avid reader, I have read thousands of books in between.

I read this book at age eighteen, and then read it to my younger brothers. It is an animal story, and a quest, complete with elves, but it is more, too. It shows how animals may view us, the supposed Protectors and Keepers of the earth, but the message is not hard to swallow. Filled with humor and sorrow, this book made a lasting impression on me, and will be a permanent part of my library. One drawback, I felt the ending was an odd change of pace. If you like this one, check out The Book of the Dun Cow.

'Quest for the Faradawn' has always had a special place in my heart, because around twenty years ago, I was lucky enough to be asked to illustrate Richard Ford's wonderful fantasy novel. At the time, I had just started out as a freelance illustrator and 'Faradawn' was the first book I illustrated. I even called my house 'Faradawn!'Back then, I was using the Welsh spelling of Owen ( Owain ), but have now reverted to 'Owen', since returning home to Australia in 1994. It's nice to know that the book still has a wide and faithful following, after all this time.
Sadly, I've lost touch with Richard, but will keep searching for him on the 'Net. I feel sure that one day our paths will cross again, as magically as they did all those years ago.

Considered by many as baseball's poet laureate, Roger Angell displays his moving style in this compilation of top writing. Many of these previously-published essays date back to the 1970's and 1980's, yet each is worthy of a reading replay. Angell is at his best as he speaks with 91-year old Smokey Joe Wood (star of the 1912 World Series) in the Yale University grandstand watching young collegians Ron Darling and Frank Viola duel on the mound. The author was just as good interviewing Bob Gibson in his native Omaha, where the ex-hurler discussed his "I'm not your friend" attitude on the mound. There's also a moving look at several World Series (the last being 2002), an examination of scouting, and a look at such personalities as Tim McCarver, David Cone, (the late) Dan Quisenberry, and Ted Williams. We even get a look at the author's boyhood introduction to the game.

This edition is probably best savored like a fine wine rather than read straight through. A vintage 86 year-old at this writing, may Angell's wit and wonderful pen keep busy for years to come.

I bought this book because Angell has an account of going to a college baseball game with 1912 Red Sox pitcher, Smoky Joe Wood. Angell and Wood sit in the stands, talk baseball (and life) and watch future star Ron Darling pitch a nailbiter.

The rest of the book is a little drawn out but Angell remains one of the most gifted baseball writers of his generation.

After I bought "Game Time" I was immensely disappointed to realize that the greatest baseball writer of our times has done it again! He has issued a second consecutive collection of his writings composed of a majority of material previously published. Those of us who have read all of his earlier baseball books and wait in anticipation of his next article can't help but feel taken by this. He did it in "Once More Around the Park" and now, again, in "Game Time". Once was enough to irritate a loyal following but we were, perhaps, too loyal and purchased enough copies of "Once More Around the Park" for his publisher to try it again. What agrivates matters for me is that I have been a subscriber to "The New Yorker" magazine for a number of years and, therefore, had already read most of the "new" material.

Oh well, I guess I have to admit that Angell's writing is so good that I rather enjoyed re-reading some of his essay and articles. I especially enjoyed re-reading "Distance" which was about Bob Gibson. Actually, that essay (about mid-way through the book) got me refocussed enough to read the remainder of "Game Time" in short order. The recap of recent seasons was almost like deja vu. The steam I started off this review with is supplanted by the real pleasure that I felt in reading the last 200 or so pages. All is forgiven Roger but please store up a bit more new material before you issue another book.

Roger Angell is a marvellous writer on baseball. Warm, human and involving he never fogets that it is just a sport that he is writing on and no matter how much he (or we) might love it there are plenty of more important issues going on in life. At his best his writing can be gripping ( A's v Mets 1973), thrilling ( Reds v Red Sox 1975) insightful (essays on Bob Gibson and David Cone) and life affirming ( the essay on the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates is a particular favourite of mine). His enjoyment of life is clear and his preference for the Reggie Jackson Yankees over the Steve Garvey Dodgers is telling in this regard. Sadly this book is a mix of old and new - I would have loved a whole book of new material. Some of the new stuff is excellent - it was good to be reminded of the 1996 series again and theauthor's frustration with Pete Rose is palpable - but I think it loses a little in comparison with some of the older material. Also, the format is disconcerting: Angell's work benefits from the slow burn of the chronological build up from pre season hope to World Series excitement. The book is an enjoyable read but "5 seasons" is the best place to start with this masterful writer.

When it comes to baseball, the mind is unreliable and selective in what it remembers. Games and seasons blend into to one another and most second basemen or relief pitchers fade from view forever soon after they leave the diamond for good. Old teams and players live on only as lines of statistics in massive baseball encyclopedias or deep historical databases. Lost, too, are the millions of moments that make up every game. But Roger Angell has been quite good, over the years, at capturing those moments and preserving them as though in amber. And so, in reading his collection of baseball pieces that span more than forty years, one feels a bit like the lucky archeologist who has stumbled upon magnificent specimens so exquisitely preserved as to seem positively lifelike. Angell writes with almost scientific precision: "With the strange insect gaze of his shining eyeglasses, with his ominous Boche-like helmet pulled low... Reggie Jackson makes a frightening figure at bat." Angell is not just an observer; he is also the ultimate fan, rooting for childhood favorites or for a team whose story has caught his fancy that particular year. Game Time is laid out like the baseball year, with pieces about the languor and anticipation of spring training in the beginning and closing with multi-faceted recollections of several past World Series. The many pieces taken together are like one long summer spanning forty years, a summer when you went to the ballpark frequently but listened to most of the games on the radio on the back porch at dusk.

I consider this book a very well written because in simple words the author goes straight to the point:giving the audience a deep sense of what honesty and integrity are for this great man who did not want to be Vice President, much less President of the United States of America. I do not know much about politics, but since I read this book I have more respect for most of the elected officials. But, for late President Gerald
Ford this book has given me a great respect and admiration. We should have many more elected officials like him.

Very well written. Great background of the key players involved in Watergate. Wished that it had discussed more about Ford's term as president and less about Nixon and the so called "coverup". It shows Ford as a very honest, hard working public servant.

Cannon provides a fascinating account of how Gerald Ford went from planning in 1972 to retire from politics at the end of Nixon's term to becoming president of the United States. He covers Ford's childhood and life in the Navy and as a US representative in about 100 pages and spends most of the rest of the book discussing in amazing detail how he became vice-president and then president. The final chapter is a brief summary of Ford's presidential administration but nothing of life after politics.

The book is well-written and well-researched and remarkably free of bias, given that Cannon was a senior advisor in the Ford administration. Ford's decent and humble character is one of the themes of the book, as well as the idea that these traits are what led him to become president. His naivete is also evident.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the glaring weakness of the book is its brief coverage of Ford's administration, except for the issue of pardoning Nixon, which is covered in great detail.

I recommend the book as a tool for understanding Ford the man, for its careful analyis of the Watergate mess, and for describing how such a decent man could prosper in the cutthroat world of American politics. However, if you want to understand the policies of the Ford administration, you should look elsewhere.

We as a country were extremely lucky and benefited greatly from the presidency of Gerald Ford. When he took over the presidency, this country was torn apart. Rather than appealing to the worst in American politics by pitting Americans against each other,(as has been done recently)he methodically and expertly began to bring us together.

The Republican Party that I belonged to during those times and under President Ford's leadership was largely free of radical fundamentalism and extreme right-wing positions. There were no Rush Limbaughs or Michael Savages. There were no nationally known ministers claiming natural disasters were the wrath of God visited on an apostate nation. The Ford presidency and the Republican Party of that time actually had concern for social issues and was quite progressive.

President Ford led by steady, common sense and a humble heart. I remember being so saddened by his loss to Jimmy Carter, knowing that we, as a nation, would lose such an able leader. After Carter's election, the Republican party decided to appeal to the fears, rather than the hopes and aspirations of America. Since that time there has never been an election where the American people were not thoroughly divided. Our political dialogue is absurdly partisan, and 'attack and spin' meisters are the order of the day on any news station. More than anything, I fondly wish we could return to civility and decency both in religion and politics.

Get this book and read about a very able, and thoroughly decent man who was there to serve his country when he was most needed. The details are fascinating.

Over the last several years, I've read more than 35 presidential biographies. I've used Amazon reviewers as very reliable guides to help me pick the best available biography. Time and Chance is highly recommended with one gigantic reservation. Reeves' book is tightly written in an almost breezy style. More than half of the book is a retelling of Watergate, and it is the most balanced and readable version of Watergate I've read.

Ford's difficult early childhood is covered as is his development into the all-American boy. His romance with a top model and his marriage to Betty are sympathetically explained. His service in World War II is well told, and we are given almost enough information about his years in the House of Representatives; however, I would have preferred more about Ford's responses to the many social issues that dominated the sixties.

Ford comes off as the ultimate straight-arrow, average kind of guy. Completely decent, unimaginative, pretty boring, and not altogether courageous in terms of dealing with people.

OK the failing. Except for Ford's decision to pardon Nixon which is described thoroughly, the rest of his presidency is given something like 25 pages. This is simply not enough. While Watergate and Ford's role in Nixon's resignation will be more remembered than Ford's actual presidency, I would have liked at least a more detailed synopsis of his challenges while he was president (in this respect Nagel`s excellent biography of John Quincy Adams has precisely the same problem). Up until now I've avoided the presidential books that only covered the presidential years, but for Gerald Ford probably a combination of Time and Chance and an overview of his presidency would be the best way to go.

I have read Building 4.6/5.4L Ford Horsepower several times, have purchased the PI heads, Ford intake manifold and related equipment based on the confirmation and dyno tests this authority cites. HIGHLY recommend the book to Ford builders. DEK

If you want to know what parts work or don't work for your modular Ford, this book is a must read. Richard Holdener is a very detailed and thorough individual who tells you like it is. Every product test is completely described as to all the components used on the test motor and the procedures followed. His comments are excellent and informative and he provides complete dyno charts for each test, not just peak values. To see how the motors respond throughout the rev range is invaluable. Reading this book has already saved me hundreds of dollars that I would have spent on parts that would not have met my expectations. If you are going to modify your modular Ford, you need this book.

this product is perfect for anyone with an unlimited budget who want to know what what combination of superchargers; turbochargers; headers; intake; nitrous; cams; aftermarket heads and stroker kits make most horsepower on a vastly modified engine with aftermarket everything. very good for anyone with about $10,000 to sink into their engine. i found it as useful tool to tell me all about what parts will help a 4v cobra run low 9s in the quarter. not so good for anyone that wants to know what few parts to put in thier daily driven mustang/thunderbird with the most bang for the buck.

Very good book!!! This book will save you thousands of dollars in purchases that didn't need to be made because their HP contributions were inconsequential.

The author gives laboratory quality before and after dyno tests of virtually everything the magazines encourage you to buy because it provides "X Horsepower increase over ____". The difference is the dyno doesn't have any marketing hype attached to the numbers and when you see the numbers there is a great many supposedly "must have" products that in the end are really don't waste your money products.

Can't say enough good things about this one. For less than $20 you will save probably thousands of dollars and make hundreds of additional horsepower. This one is a must have!

This was a great book in so many ways, the caveat being it's geared towards muscle cars and not trucks. The 3-V 5.4L engines used in trucks are are barely mentioned and there isn't a single test of them in the book. Unfortunately, that was my focus of research. I learned a great deal about the Ford modular engines in general and even stuff that would apply to the 5.4L truck engine... but, overall, I found the book more of a "dessert" than a "main course." Had I been a car guy, the reverse would have been true. Viewed in context, there is a great deal of worthwhile information in Holdener's book... especially if you need information on the various supercharger and turbocharger kits out there. The book is laid out well and the material is presented in an easy-to-digest format.

Sorry, I have to differ from my fellow reviewers.

The translations here by Constance Garnett are tired and clunky and way too literal. The art of translation has evolved light years from the "word-by-word" school. To compare how much more "modern" Chekhov can sound (and Chekhov was, is, and will remain always MODERN), read Robert Payne's translations. Payne eliminates the clumsy clauses and unnecessary commas and lets the story shine through.

Ford's introduction is interesting, but note: he says NOTHING about the translations. He must know they are abominable. Personally, I have no respect for Richard Ford and Ecco Press for reprinting these. Screw the reader, right?

A quibble with the title of the volume. Why ' the essential Chekhov'? as if the great bulk of the Chekhov stories not contained in this volume were somehow 'less essential?'
One cannot help but agreeing with the overwhelming majority of readers and reviewers of Chekhov who find him one of the great masters and delights of Literature. His stories are celebrations of insight into the human soul and character, in all its great quirkiness. Here stories too are guides to understanding life's ironies and disappointments. Chekhov's work is filled with dreamers, and filled with obsessed characters whose ideas take them on lonely paths of their own . What makes Chekhov so special in my mind aside from this constant play and contradiction between reality and dream, is the love which he seems to have for his characters. The soul of the human being Chekhov is felt in these stories, almost as if he were a caring country physician seeking to understand and find a remedy for the strange illnesses of his beloved patients.Chekhov knows what romantic love is and of course one of his signature stories ( included here) "The Lady and the Dog" gives us a truly moving instance of it. Life and the heart lead us to where we do not necessarily want to go. The aging lecher despite himself finds himselfr impossibly in love with the Bovary-like heroine and upon their reunion in impossible love and life the story ends.
In Chekhov stories too as in life things end in the middle without resolution and with only the promise of disappointment and heartbreak to come.

In his writing, he was able to capture the feel and atmosphere of the Russian village, country, and the Russian soul. Snip: (...)

Anton Chekhov was a student of Leo Tolstoy, and thank God he wasn't as long winded, otherwise we would not have all these wonderful short stories.

Short stories before Chekhov were plot oriented and sensationalized. Enter Chekhov, the ultimate master. Now the short story is liberated, it has become more of an art of the moment, an art which reflects deep insights into the social environment of his day - our day too!

Present day short story writers with their overly descriptive styles, their lack of real characterizations, and their general ignorance to the importance of brevity and directness would do much to ponder the intricacies of Chekhov's short masterpieces.

with Chekhov. Whatever volume (happily, there are lots in print), whatever translation you start with, you'll want to keep reading and keep discovering. But, Chekhov may require some getting used to. His stories are melancholy, funny, laconic, ironic. Not many of his characters could be called heroic. His plots do not end neatly. He asks many questions but doesn't answer them. My personal favorites in this volume: An Anonymous Story, Ward 6, The Grasshopper, The Lady with the Dog.

For a great critical essay on Chekhov, read Nabakov's in his Lectures on Russian Literature.

This book is a comprehensive look at the anatomy of a guitar. It does not give enough details to use as a guide to building your own guitar. The color pictures are limited to 12 pages inside center of the book. The rest of the pictures are black and white. There is plenty of discussion of the dreadnaught style, but after reading everything I still didn't have a good idea how it differed from the standard guitar. This book's strong point is the history discussion. If you are looking to build a guitar I recommend "Classical Guitar Making: A Modern Approach to Traditional Design" by John S. Bogdanovich.

There isn't much that the authors don't cover about what goes into a guitar, except for the actual methods of construction (for which you have to go to the Kinkead or Cumpiano books). In this book, you'll learn more than you'll ever need to know about woods, strings, and microphones, and the basics of how to optimize the adjustable bits for your style of playing. The authors know their stuff cold, and it shows.

To get the sort of knowldege this book offers, you have two choices. You could hang around guitar shops for years and years talking with salesmen, customers, repair people, and performers, and learning from them what they consider important in a guitar. Or, if you have a real job, you could read this book instead.

I already have many books on the acoustic guitar, describing technical information, history or concentrating on just one brand.
This book is the most detailed technical book as meant for acoustic guitar owners so far. Each and every part of the guitar is described. Things like fretboard radius or different lacquer types, maintenance, storage, wood with all their aspects. Too many things to mention.

Even a specialist will find some new interesting info.

There are a few color photo's to brighten up the book. I would have preferred a bigger size book (the pages are a little small), but the text is very well written and a pleasure to read. A bigger size plus hard cover and a few more pictures would make it a ***** book for me.

For me, this has been one of the best books i've read in a long time.. It is hard for me to put down.. I have been interested in music as long as I can remember and have played guitar and been interested in the dynamics of sound structure as long.. I know alot of laymen things about the guitar but this book has broken down this incredible instrument and went through each part, step by step in easy to read and understand writing. I am now getting into the art of being a Luthier and this book is full of helpful ideas and terminology.

I think this is a great book with lot of grreat information.

this book gives a lots of veterinary procedures and useful approac to symptom with many tables .

This book has been a big help for me in my practice

Thic book is adequate for emergency medical information, but is not a good quick reference in the midst of a true emergency. In most things, it is quite lacking, and other emergency "handbooks" seem to be more user and cost-friendly. Although this book is part of my library, I found little use for it when I worked as an emergency small animal veterinarian.

I think of Chekhov as my writing "mentor", and have read almost all his stories in translation--and I have always wanted to own this collection, although the material is all available online. I am very happy with my purchase, and here's why:

1. The volumes are almost exact replicas of the first editions released from 1916-1922: While some may consider this a drawback, with the old-style type and print-impression, I think it is a big plus. The print is thick, generous, and very readable. Chekhov is one of those writers who is meant to be read slowly; the pages here are not crammed with material, and seem to encourage one to savor the texture of the writing.

These are the editions through which all great American writers, from Hemingway to Eudora Welty discovered Chekhov for the first time.

2. The covers are handsomely designed, and on the back, each volume has a blurb from a prominent writer--such stalwarts as Nadine Gordimer write about what Chekhov means to them, which I find invaluable.

3. The paper is old-style paper, thick and rough of texture--which I prefer, and I think is necessary for this edition: Putting vintage print on smooth, modern office-style paper would have been odd and off-putting.

There are certain writers whose work, I believe, one must have physically on the shelf--Shakespeare and Chekhov are two such writers. It is not enough to have just one or two of Shakespeare's plays, his "Complete Works" ought to be there. Same case with Chekhov--this is the most comprehensive set available in English, in the US, so far. (A more extensive "Collected Works" was issued in English translation by a Russian publisher in the 80s, but is unavailable in the US.)

But that's my side. About you: If you are new to Chekhov, you might want to get a "selection" such as the ones recommended by the other excellent reviewers; if however, you are familiar with and admire Chekhov--strongly recommend this.

X. Zhang makes valuable points, but let me file what may be a minority report. Granted, the paper on which this edition is printed appears to be disappointingly pulpy--we'll have to see how it ages. But its 1920s typeface and layout are very generous and easy on these ageing eyes of mine. It's unfortunate that the publisher has not yet made any pages from the books available through Amazon's 'search inside this book' feature.... Readers considering the Modern Library volumes, which I used to own and which can now be hard to find, should keep in mind that that edition is a reduced selection, whereas the Ecco set includes all of the stories translated by Garnett; an advantage of the ML edition, though, is that it's generally organised chronologically (following the order in which Chekhov composed the stories), whereas the Ecco reproduces the organisation of Garnett's original volumes of translation. For me, all things considered, the Ecco edition is probably the one purchase in 2006 that's given me the most pleasure. But it may not be right choice for others....

This author needs no introduction. He is the inventor of the modern short story. A forerunner of authors like Somerset Maugham, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf to name a few. Chekhov's strength lies in the manner in which he captures the subtlest of human feelings and his portrayal of reality however stark it may be. Chekhov's stories are unique in the sense that they are hardly ever judgemental. They are supposed to be objective and as real as it can be. But I doubt this claim because he makes you weep without him weeping even once in his stories. How does this happen ?
Well in all his stories , the central characters run a whole gamut of feelings that are highly judgemental. The author paints these characters and the readers identify themselves with them. You are swayed to make judgements , nurture prejudices and become biased , along with these central characters. To that extent , his stories are subjective and emotional. The simple reason being , he penned these characters and their feelings are his. But again it is nearly impossible to be absolutely objective and rational in story telling. Because we want to read stories and not police reports about a crime. The readers want the stories to be alive and kicking with emotions and feelings. Any attempt at telling stories otherwise, will only make for drab and lifeless reading.
One of few occasions where I regret not having known Russian. Oh how I would have loved it to hear his stories as it is ! But this is not to be taken as any criticism of Constance Garnett's translation. She has done a marvellous job. Iam not capable to judge the quality of her translation, as I dont know Russian. I thank her all the same as Iam able to read this master story teller's works because of her.
I have posted nearly the same review for another of this author's books by the same translator.

Noet that the translator is Constance Garnett (translated around 1920 or earlier). All the stories in this collection can be found in public domain.

Pros:
1. contains 201 stories and short novels. The most comprehensive collections so far.
2. beautiful book cover

Cons:
1. very poor paper quality, similar to newspaper
2. very poor printing. The edition is obvioulsy very old, and its font and printing are ugly.

If you do not really want such a complete collection, I suggest you to consider two modern library hardcover books:
1. Early Short Stories, 1883-1888. ISBN 0679603174.
2. Later Short Stories, 1888-1903. ISBN 0679603166.
The two books contain 112 stories and the third book from modern library "Longer Stories from the Last Decade" (ISBN 0679606637) contains 11 short novels. The translator of the three books are the same, Constance Garnett.

If you do not want to collect the books, but only want to read Chekhov's stories, I recommend the following two books by award-winning translators Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky (translated in 199x and 200x):

Stories of Anton Chekhov by Anton Chekhov, Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky
ISBN-10: 0553381008

The Complete Short Novels (Everyman's Library) (Hardcover)
by Anton Chekhov, Larissa Volokhonsky (Translator), Richard Pevear (Translator)
ISBN-10: 1400040493.

Hope it helps.

If you've liked previous editions, you'll enjoy this one, too. Same formula, and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of human-interest stories from the sports world. Choosing a favorite or two is tough, but I love the bittersweet ones, such as about one of baseball's great "bonus baby" players who never panned out, or about the insane distance bicycle racer.

I'm delighted to see an article from a blog breaking through the "print barrier" in the series. I'm a little disappointed that so many stories came from the NY Times, as well as a couple of plain things from the Washington Post. A little more edge and a little less conventionality has been nice in other editions.

The 1999 edition of "The Best American Sports Writing" has plenty of moments that will enthrall avid sports fans and even those less avid who merely like a good story. The series is a national treasure, which collects the best sports related writing every year and puts it into a single easy-to-read volume. The sports included run the gamut from the traditional team sports of baseball and football to more extreme examples like mountaineering. The main requirement for inclusion is great writing, and that's wht this series delivers consistently.

The best articles in the 1999 edition include Thomas Boswell's account of Cal Ripken's voluntary stoppage of his historic games played streak, Steve Friedman's biographical article on tormented 2nd generation professional bowler Pete Weber, Allen Abel's hilarous tribute to the long-folded World Hockey Association, and Adam Gopnik's insightful explantion of why World Cup Soccer fails to excite American fans. As always, the quality of the reporting means that even if you have only a margainal interest in the sport described, you'll still find it entertaining.

Overall, another fine entry in an outstanding series.

Hard to believe Amazon.com can't keep their years straight when it comes to reviewing this series. Anyway, the latest collection of sports writing was all right but nothing special by the usual high standards. It's a smaller collection than normal, and there are a few hunting and fishing pieces that I couldn't get into. That didn't leave a whole lot, although what was left was pretty darn good. I particularly enjoyed the articles on the parents of a benched high school football player suing the school, and on the 1998 World Cup.

The book deals with the first months of the Ford Presidency and almost everybody should know that those were his hardest days : to complete the passage form former to the new administration, the Nixon pardon, the mid-term elections.
These were all tasks difficult to handle and happened in a very strict period of time so that to judge President Ford one should have had - ar least - a stretch of one year. Instead Reeves, who narrates the first 6 months more or less, does not spare his most harsh judgement towards a person that all of a sudden found himself Vice-President and then President.
Almost inhuman.

Few people have the time or interest to read a book about the Ford administration and I am not necessarily proud to be one of them. To be fair to myself I read the book more because of the author then the subject. I must say that I was very pleased. Again what I liked was really not much about President Ford, but the humor and insight of the author. Let's face it, most of us have a rather negative view of good old Jerry, and this book pushes that perception even further. Page after page the author details out one dim witted move after another. It just seamed as though Ford was moving in a world with about 60% of the required IQ points to succeed. All the detail about the blunders and misstep's is done with almost comedic like timing and surprise. If I did not know better you would think this was a Moore or Franklin book. The author used the subject to the fullest in the comedy writings.

The good humor aside, you really do get a negative view of the Ford administration. Not necessarily because of what he did, but more because of what remarkably little he did do. The author stretched to detail out much of anything that Ford did except campaign trips and blanket approvals of Nixon policies that still seemed to be generated within the administration. The one nice consistent with this book and about every other book I have read about the Nixon administration is that this author disliked Al Haig. How this guy has rubbed every single person he has met the wrong way I will never know, but he is the poster child for "does not get along with others". Overall the book was full of humor and some interesting facts. It is a quick read and if for some reason you are looking for something on Ford this book will at least give you a smile if nothing else.

Reeves is a veteran political reporter whose excellent insights and smooth prose are guaranteed to provide a pleasant, educational read. Although Reeves portrays Ford as a dummy, he presents him as a well-meaning dummy. Thus his take can hardly be considered critical. Indeed, Reeves assigns Ford's every success to the latter's naivete combined with his unquestioning loyalty to party. Ford's rise to Minority Leader and eventually Vice President are based on the actions of others, and the estimates of elites that Ford will be inoffensive and controllable. Indeed, he portrays the President as a captive of his own administration, controlled by the Nixon holdovers and their strong ideas, from the ubiquitous Kissinger to the reluctantly deposed Haig. Reeves explains the Nixon pardon strictly in this context, as the innocent action of true party loyalist, not as a cynical payoff for services rendered, or even a cynical partisan f-k you to the country. For those interested in politics and Presidents, Reeves should be classed with Witcover and Germond, as a must read. For those who have a passing interest he should be taken as an excellent readable primer, if it's not all you need to know, it's most of it. A bargain at any price.