Philip Reed Books

Philip Reed's "In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing" reveals his elevating but daunting experience as a student, friend, and biographer of the amazing Mike Austin. Mr. Reed's humbling yet successful quest to learn the keys to super-human drives endured the gauntlet of Mike Austin's piercing, super-energized, indomitable personality. At the age of 64, over 33 years ago during competition, Mr. Austin achieved the still-standing Guinness Book of World Records standard of 515 yards for longest recorded drive. Curiously, until now, Mike Austin was largely ignored in conventional golf history though knowledgeable insiders believe he was a half-century or more ahead in power-golf technique. Philip Reed's documentary has filled a significant gap in our golfing lore. For the dedicated golfer who seeks an honest inside-the-ropes story, "In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing" is a terrific value.

Ostensibly this book is half biography of little-known long driver Mike Austin and half technical discussion of Austin's revolutionary swing, many aspects of which run counter to conventional PGA wisdom. But as the artfully written narrative progresses, a third element emerges as well -- the touching story of the friendship that develops between Austin and author Reed during the writing of the book.

No avid golfer could read this book and fail to feel inspired to work on his or her game (I finished it yesterday and headed straight for the driving range today); some might even want to try out Austin's unorthodox mechanics. Yet there is a human-interest story here as well, the story of a larger-than-life golfing god who smacked a 515-yard drive at age 64 but somehow couldn't putt to save his life; lived it up with Hollywood celebrities and was respected by the best golfers in the world; studied the human anatomy and wore a skeleton suit while giving golf lessons to demonstrate proper body movement; and forged an unlikely friendship with a journalist decades his junior who weathered Austin's steely gruffness until it gave way to genuine respect and affection.

Highly recommended -- not just for golfers, but also for anyone interested in a well-crafted feel-good story about a fascinating man and his iconoclastic genius.

I've just finished reading this book and I have to say it is a great read and is well worth buying.

It is a story of how the author, Philip Reed, sets off to document the world's longest ever drive in a tournament set in 1974 by Mike Austin, and along the way wants to learn enough about this swing so he can transform his own drive of 200 yards into a more manly 300 yards.

The books gets off to a shaky start but I stuck with it. And after a couple of chapters I could no longer put it down. He helped me get to know more about Mike Austin, his history and his achievements.

It made me want to be there in the place of the author since Mike seems like a real character and a throwback to a different age and a different world.

It even gave me a few tips, and some hope, on how I might possibly be able to improve my own swing to give 300 yard drives. Now that would be nice.

Read this and give yourself a pleasant break from all those golf instruction manuals out there while enjoying a good golfing story.

The other reviews say it all - that this is a wonderful book on many different levels. I trust that some day it will be recognized as a sports classic.

I just want to add that Reed's book is an invaluable companion to Dan Shauger's 'The 21st Century Golf Swing'. This latter book has such an odd and uncomfortable style (my opinion only, of course) that it was hard for me to know whether to take the technical parts of it seriously. After reading this fine book it became clear that, yes indeed, you can.

It would be great if Shauger and Reed could collaborate on a second edition of '21st Century...'. I'll put up some front money, if that would help.

This book is absolutely wonderful. I picked it up out of curiosity after learning about Mike Austin's record-breaking achievement (longest drive in professional golf competition history), and ended up being completely drawn into the story. With a straightforward, honest writing style that moves at a nice pace and never gets bogged down, Philip Reed does a masterful job of portraying a complex man filled with both flaws and greatness, who not only achieved a stupendous feat that no one has ever topped, but also lived a fascinating life that plays like a great movie. Reed deftly weaves Austin's story together with his own journey by bringing the reader along with him as he describes his efforts to get to know Mike Austin and learn his swing secrets. He sets out not only to write about Austin, but also to experience for himself the power of Mike Austin's swing, hoping to harness it to achieve a personal goal of hitting the ball 300 yards. As we learn about Austin's amazing life and unmatched golf swing alongside the author, we are simultaneously drawn into a surprisingly touching story of how Reed came to develop a bond of friendship with Austin. Viewed through the lens of Reed's relationship with Austin, we come to understand and truly appreciate Mike Austin at a much deeper level, and also come away with important lessons about life. This is a magnificent book, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

While in Nepal last year I found this book to be exactly what I needed to get around as easily as possible. I usually use Lonely Planet Guides when traveling, but in this case - the Rough Guide is superior. Now if I can only get it back from my friend....

great guidebook. Describes in detail the good, the bad and the ugly of Nepal. The language section was extremely useful. A few hours spent learning some useful greetings and phrases will pay off tenfold upon arrival in Nepal. Being able to bargain or ask for directions in the native language is a lot of fun and much appreciated, especially since most travellers do not take the time to learn anything more than "Namaste."

This book has given me comfort and a wealth of information about what I would like to do and see in Nepal. Having a well planned trip in advance is smart and this book will probably tell you everything you need to know about anything, and more. Food, health issues, places to stay, sights, special points, etc. Definitely worth the investment.

I just returned from Nepal using this guide. The book was very well-written with lots of practical advice-- everything from how to book an airline to what kind of diahrrea you may have picked up. Very accurate information re. hotels, modes of transportation, etc. Useful vocabulary list.

The best thing about this book is its vast coverage; especially those places off the beaten track. It has a lot of practical information and despite being 2 years old now, it was still fairly accurate. Other travel books attempt to be encyclopedic about Nepal,... documenting everything without prioritizing the places that people actually do visit. David's book goes into a lot of detail about places of interest, both historical and practical info. For example, the book had an excellent section on Chitwan national park. In fact, on our recent trip it saved us from getting a guide. I thoroughly recommend this book. The author even keeps a website to update the readers. Great.

Philip Reed has long been known for his superb miniature models, He has finally published a step-by-step manual of his modelling techniques, recorded during the building of Majestic, a 74-gun ship-of-the-line. While Mr. Reed builds to smaller scales than many modelers (typically 1/92 scale) the techniques he uses would be suitable for any scale. The book is composed of 385 black and white photos with brief captions that cover the construction of Majestic from hull to rigging complete with realistically furled sails. Also included are eight color photos of the completed model. Mr. Reed's photographic skills are superb and one cannot help but marvel at the model as depicted on the front and rear covers. Ship modelers in general and admirers of superb miniaturist Donald McNarry in particular, will surely want a copy of this book for their library.

I found "Modelling Sailing Men-of-War: An Illustrated Step-by- Step Manual" by Philip Reed to be well worth the price of the book. Following the builder/author through the modelling of the 74 gun ship HMS MAJESTIC in both text and photographs provided me with several techniques which I have already implemented.

The book includes a brief description of the ship and her history, an introduction, a description of the author's workshop and the building of the model with copious photographs that are well captioned. The captions not only describe the activity in the photograph but include many building suggestions and techniques.

I not only enjoyed reading the book but will certainly use it as a valued resource in future miniature shipbuilding projects.

Modelling Sailing Men-of-war
Never seen anything better!
This book traces the progress of the construction of Majestic, 74, each step in the various stages is meticulously photographed in close-up, with the work actually in progress, and fingers or rulers giving a visual guide to scale.
The first chapters describe Mr.Reed's background, his workshop & tools and the reasons for his choice of scale and model.
Then the book takes us, in logical, but not necessarily chronological order, through the planning and construction process. Mr Reed favours a solid, excavated, then planked hull in preference to a built-up hull, as it was a commissioned project; this certainly saves time and effort, is more robust and looks more lifelike than the exposed interior of admiralty-style models.
In the text accompanying each photo (typically 4 per page), the author describes each process and gives hints and tips along the way. Some things I would do differently, but there are some interesting techniques used which I shall definitely adopt. The section on ship's boats is particularly helpful.
In the middle of the book are colour photos of the finished model, at anchor in a carved sea, surrounded by several bumboats - this looks so lifelike at first sight, one does a double-take! It is only the figures in the boats that give the game away - and they were not made by Mr.Reed!
I heartily recommend this to any amateur modeller, as a perfect teaching aid and inspiration to tackle bigger, more complex models.

I needed 27 copies for a class that was started in a week ... Amazon saved me!!!

Kotler, a symbolic guru of marketing, has brought a new offering of "Framework for Marketing Management" since years' serial publication of classic texts in marketing management.
Some new issuse has been included in this edition in depth.

I never bought a car in my entire life, and I often heard that car buying is really hard. So I'd thought that educating myself before buying a car, is the first step.
I find this book very detailed and straight forward, because it widens your vision all about cars. It teaches you, first about budgeting and financing, it gives you the pros and cons about buying new car or used car and also about leasing a car. It will also educate you about types of car like (sedan,coup,van.etc)

One tip that is missing though is about bringing an amortization table (book) in going to the dealer.

The last chapter is the best chapter, because it gives you the inside knowledge about the technique of the salesman, and how they will approach you.


I can say that its the best book, because I applied all the things in it and I got a great deal with my car!

Donald Mitchell, et.al. have done another remarkable job in providing source material for the serious student of Benjamin Britten's life and music. At the same time, the book reads like a biography. It is filled with invaluble information that helps frame, illuminate and clarify issues surrounding Britten's important work of the time. I especially appreciated Dr. Mitchell's thoughful response to those who would have us look at Britten's incredible artistic contributions solely through the mind and eyes of sexual preference. I can't wait for future volumes.

What a great book of RK Post's warped and beautiful visions of fantasy and horror. This hardcover book has a comprehensive selection of the cream of the crop (to date) that RK has painted and drawn, including Klick Klack, Unmask (Magic The Gathering card art), Avatar of Hope, Avatar of Will, and, yes, it has the girl gunslinger in the black duster coat as well.

I only wish that RK had put in comments for each of the works.

If you liked his paintings that appeared in the yearly Spectrum books, this would make a great addition to your library.

Saint Germaine is a man who lives forever and he is an amalgate of many people that have lived before as he takes the memories of those dying. This allows the writer, Gary Reed, to cover quite a bit of historical ground as he reaches into the past to pull out some compelling reading. Topics such as The Crusades, the Nazi concentration camps, the life of Franz Kafka, the Salem Witch trials...all blend seamlessly into this narration.

And Saint Germaine isnt't the only one. He has his long time companion, Lilith who also does the same. These two are now opposed to each other so it makes for some great reading.

this is just a fantastic story and I'm looking for some of the other issues since this only has five issues in it. I found one dealing with Casanova and another with The Man in the Iron Mask and those are equally as good.

In an interview, someone compared Saint Germaine and Gary Reed to Sandman and Neil Gaiman. They're not the same, but they're equally as good.

Saint Germaine is a must read and I'll be sure to be look for anything else by Gary Reed...he's my new favorite writer.

If you're an Elmore Leonard fan, you're in for a treat. Reed takes us on a no-holds barred tour of the seamy side of the auto business. complete with fraud, hoaxes, and mayhem.
Bird Dog is Get Shorty on 4-wheels. Once it starts, it just doesn't stop.
Reed is sure-handed writer with obviously great knowledge about the world of auto dealerships. Not only will you be fascinated, you'll learn a few tricks of the trade for next time you have to buy a car!
Only question I have is why isn't Bird Dog already a movie? But I won't worry--one day it will be.

"Bird Dog" opens with a glimpse of killer-Mex, Mariana, a raven-haired beauty with red lips and flashing teeth, in stiletto heels. She's out to buy a car, a simple task that leads to mayhem when she is taken advantage of by an unscrupulous car dealer. Enter Harold Dodge, a work mate of Mariana's at an aerospace company. It turns out that Harold has written a book on how to buy a used car, which is based on his previous life as a car salesman, a.k.a. "bird dog," for the car lot where Mariana purchased her car. The fun begins when Harold accompanies Mariana back to the car dealership, then back into the maze of the LA underbelly of chop shops, corruption and greed.

Harold, a quirky but loveable, bear of a man, with fifty in his rear view mirror, can't say no to a beautiful woman. Through tough negotiation, fast action, and sometimes just dumb luck, Harold manages to extricate himself and Mariana from some very hairy situations.

Reed brings his offbeat characters to life and makes the reader a part of their hapless ride through danger. He has a knack for showing the best and worst of his characters, making them real and sometimes tragically funny. Believe me, you'll never look at that nondescript man at the office in the same way again, after you've met Harold Dodge.

"Bird Dog," Reed's first book, is a fast read about a fast ride. If you liked "Bird Dog," read on. The chronicle of Harold Dodge continues in "Low Rider." Don't miss the fun.

Philip Reed's Bird Dog introduces us to former car salesman turned engineer Harold Dodge. Aptly described as a "car noir" thriller, Bird Dog offers readers a thrilling ride with Harry - one of the most interesting characters I've come across in quite some time - at our sides.

Harry Dodge seems to have two joys and weaknesses in his life - cars and women. So it's no surprise that he lands in hot water after sexy Marianna Perado walks into his life, the victim of a car deal gone sour. Marianna's experience at Joe Covo's car dealership has left her feeling ripped off and cheated. Dodge knows all about car dealers cheating their customers, and he knows about Joe Covo's activities from personal experience. By agreeing to help Marianna unwind the car deal, Harry finds himself in the middle of an elaborate plot of revenge, crosses and double-crosses that play out in the streets of Los Angeles.

There is a little bit of everything in Bird Dog - hot cars, hot women, vengeance, seedy characters, and a plot with as many twist and turns as you might expect in L.A. It's a great thriller, and a different kind of thriller than I've come across. Give this Edgar Award nominated novel a try and get acquainted with Harry Dodge.

The book jacket on this little gem describes it as a "car noir thriller", and this is one of those rare instances when the cover blurb nails it. If you want cars, this story is dripping with Mercedes and Maximas and Fords and GMC's and Integra's, even an Escort (!?). If you're into noir, you'll love the seedy downtown LA settings, the bodies in the trunk, the femme fatale seeking revenge -- and an ending that does the genre justice. Finally, it is a non-stop thrill ride through wrecked lives and double-dealing and the law on your tail no matter which way you turn. The hero (always a relative term in noir) is Harold Dodge, who falls hard for a babe in spike heels who's been hoodwinked on an automobile transaction and wants him to "unwind the deal" for her. Unable to resist those killer legs, he agrees. Before Dodge knows it, he's in trouble up to his neck, winds up in jail, almost gets himself killed and manages to get laid like he's never been before, though not necessarily in that order. If you like Elmore Leonard and Jim Thompson, you'll like Phil Reed, too.

I'm not used to the thriller genre. The book was emotionally draining. It reminded me of a friend's comment about the movie "Blue Velvet": "Some of the characters are such scum you don't want to be on the same planet with them." Whew. I don't know how I'll ever be able to buy a car again! At least they by and large eliminated each other, eventually, but not as painlessly as one might wish. When it's over, how does the occasionally introspective, moralizing hero, Harold figure he stands with God? He's quite a mensch, hard not to like. No wonder his magnetism affects enough women to complicate things for him. Great job setting up for a sequel, too. It 's just that "Bird Dog" leaves so much scorched earth that I can't imagine how Harold can possibly set foot anywhere near LA ever again. Which is perfect, of course, because I have to read the next book to find out. Something tells me that glowering cop Gammon was just warming up in "Bird Dog." Harold had better stay under his radar. Note on irritating speech mannerisms mentioned in previous review: Harold's the only character in the book who peppers his conversation with "i.e." I've known people with at least equally irritating tics, and my impression was that that's all it is: i.e., characterization.

I don't know why Phil Reed has not garnerd more accalim or commrcial success. I would like to see a half-dozen more books in this series. His non-hero anti-hero rumple-suited car expert and unlikely knight in rusted armor makes for a page-turner.
I still want to know what happened after this book. I even wrote the author. He needs to write another book.

Low Rider, the second in a series with ex-car salesman Harold Dodge, is another fast paced ride through the streets of LA. This time Harold is teamed with Vicki Corvo, a block-buster blonde with a penchant for automobiles.

Down on her luck since her husband disappeared in Bird Dog, complements of Harold and his lover, Marianna, Vicki entices Harold into revealing to the police where the body of her husband can be found so she can collect on his life insurance.

Vicki `s lust for bad boys makes for some steamy scenes and close near misses with danger. Harold, lead as always by his mail organ rather than his better judgment, tries to set things right for Vicki, all the while trying to avoid the LAPD and an assortment of Los Angeles-style bottom-feeders.

Reed's characters are quirky, but real. From Fabian, a burly enforcer for his brother's chop shop and a wanna-be opera singer, to Dash, a sleek blonde insurance salesman who's also a cold-blooded killer, they live in the reader's mind and make for a great read.

If you liked Bird Dog, Reed's first novel, you'll love Low Rider!

" This novel is busting with razor sharp dialogue and a multitude of colorful, witty characters.Reed's debut novel, Bird Dog, jets along at a break-neck pace and offers more than surface impressions, painting a gritty tale of life in L.A. and the dark world of used car salesmen. Nothing hackneyed about this story! Refreshing and unique."

" This novel is busting with razor sharp dialogue and a multitude of colorful, witty characters.Reed's debut novel, Bird Dog, jets along at a break-neck pace and offers more than surface impressions, painting a gritty tale of life in L.A. and the dark world of used car salesmen. Nothing hackneyed about this story! Refreshing and unique."

Author Phil Reed has come up with a loveable protagonist in Harold Dodge. He's rough around the edges, knows it, struggles with it, never gives in or gives up. He's much like Odysseus (sorry for the metaphor!) in that the winds of the world buffet the heck out of him, but with wiles and a gimlet eye, he keeps battling. It's nice to have a noir-type character who is willing to take burdens on his shoulders, and still dream of finding a perfect life for himself, his Dad and his girl. I look forward to the further adventures of the scraggy-edged charmer, Harold Dodge.