Outdoors Books

Dr. Horrigan and "Doc" Kreis have done a great job with this book. It contains an abundance of information that anyone interested in enhancing sport performance will benefit from reviewing and reading. This text has enough "meat" in it that the strength training professional will benefit by having it on their reference list and the teaching approach is clear and so well illustrated so the athlete can use the materials also.

I just started playing hockey two years ago and was looking for a book to help me become a better player. This book is very detailed and easy to use for a beginner such as me. I have seen immediate results in my strength and conditioning since buying this book.

This is one of the finest and most comprehensive books ever written on sports conditioning. It is not only for the hockey player, but for all athletes in all sports looking to gain an edge. It gives great detail and clarity on ways to improve speed, strength, and overall conditioning. This book will make the average coach look like a genius.

This book is one of the finest and most compehensive books ever written on sports conditioning. It can stand on its own for training not only hockey, but any sport. As a strength and conditioning coach for 14 years, it is the most organized and a highly practical tool for writing and executing programs for the improvement of speed, strength and overall conditioning of every athlete. It can turn an average coach into a genius.

I really enjoy reading the stories. The idea to write about Striped Bass caught that weighed more than sixty pounds is great. It would be better if it was edited better, there is too much redundancy. Dont let that deter you it is a very good book especially if you like catching large bass.

Obviously written by a man passionate about striped bass! Loaded with storys and information vital to any striped bass fisherman, novice or expert. We look forward to Tony's next book.............JC

The fishing stories in this book are authentic and highly interesting. It is a good read for any salt water fishermen.

Great book for the striped bass fanatic. Gave it as a gift and the striper fanatic loved it. Very interesting facts for the srtiped bass sportsman.

"Tony Checko has put together a wonderful collection of stories and information anyone interested in the outdoors would enjoy. He weaves together masterful imagery that allows you to feel the waves, smell the scent of salt air and become part of the hunt in every page. You do not have to be interested in Striped Bass or fishing to enjoy this collection of stories and the passion Tony has put into this book, it is a keeper."

This book has so much to offer SO many people. It's got information on just about everything that's needed for summer fun. Games for kids to play & HOW to play them. Recipes that will make a hit with your company. There's many gift items to make to bring along when you're visiting friends & they're easy to make too. There's even a section on how to take stains out. This book is a MUST HAVE, not only for summer, but the whole year through.

Great Book! Great presentation and style. Nice tone and helpful. I truly believe the author loves summer and wants to share her experience with all of us. Highly recommended.

Reading this book is like slipping back to one's childhood when the long summer days seemed to go on forever and the endless possibilities of life were cut short by the screams of your mother calling you to dinner as the sun slowly fell behind the tall green trees swaying in the gentle warm breezes of an evening in July. Spend some time with this book and you'll be transported back in time without wasting one of your genie's three wishes.

Title sums it up. The book captures the essence of summer. Very well written and chock-full of incredibly useful information. We have already done about half the activities, cooking and playing our way through a couple of weekends. We applaud the author and anxiously await her next book!

Kudos!

Very well written. Informative and educational. I'm fortunate to live within easy reach of all of these rides and will try most all this summer.

I bought this as a gift for a motorcycling relative. They loved it and use it quite often. Great recommendations for beautiful drives.

Sunday Rides On Two Wheels: Motorcycling In Southern Wisconsin by Barbara Barber is an original and "user friendly" travel guide to motorcycling for fun and relaxation in and around the southern Wisconsin area. Travel routes, black-and-white photographs, and a spiral binding for easy reference while on the go, make Sunday Rides On Two Wheels an excellent, enjoyable and very worthwhile vacation planner and travel guide for the dedicated motorcyclist.

I have to honestly say that this book is one of the best I have ever spent my money on. I have been riding motorcycles for about two years and in that time I have tried to find backroads in the suburbs of Chicago and southern Wisconsin using detailed maps, but have found nothing but construction and traffic. I noticed this book on Amazon and right away thought it would be another waste of money, but to my surprise it was nothing but fun to read.

Barbara clearly explains each area of travel with history, facts, opinions, road conditions, contact information, pictures, etc. and the maps and directions are very clear. From the very start I could not wait to start up my Honda F4i sportbike and hit the road. My first tour was the Breakout Ride in the Kenosha area which was an absolute blast to ride. Being from the northern parts of Illinois with nothing but rushed traffic, very secluded roads and beautiful scenery were all I saw the whole day, which is what riding should consist of. I had loads of fun going down the few Rustic roads on the tour, with the overhanging trees and hills and curves that took my breath away more than once. It was such a great change of pace to have this much fun on my bike and I will definitely be making this a weekend activity until the winter comes. I cannot wait to take some further trips up to the Kettle Moraine area and even further up near LaCrosse.

A few things to look out for are the missing road signs in Wisconsin which occur frequently in the remote parts and a few of the directions in the book had a couple right/left turns switched. Also, the mileage was off on a few of the roads which weren't really a big problem once you figured out where you were going. Overall though, thanks to Barbara's experiences and research, she has made it possible for any kind of rider to enjoy a fun and scenic bike tour. I will definitely recommend this book to my group of friends and I would recommend it to any rider looking to have some fun on two wheels. Great job Barbara!!!

This is a great book !!..It is well written,informative and entertaining. many pictures,drawings and in depth information on just about everything..I also make my own primitive archery equipment and hunt with homemade bows/arrows which was my prime reason for buying the book.. I was very impressed with the in depth information in this area and as a primitive bowyer myself I can attest to the fact that the author at least has a good basic understanding of such archery.. Only those of us that are obsessed with such skills will know more than the author.. I can tell that it is not his primary hobby, but I can also tell that he is pretty knowledgeable on the subject..

If you are into primitive archery this section alone is interesting read( it is NOT an intructionional book, but is informative enough to give you good insight to how native bows were made)..

The book covers a lot of different topics and has very in depth knowledge of each area..

The author covers a wide range of survival skill subjects from the use of an atlatl to how a boat was made from tules. The book is filled with detailed information with cited sources. The table of contents is hefty and an excellent bibliography is provided. A must for anyone interested in survival skills of Native Californians from the past.

Pual Campbell's Survival Skills Of Native California is an impressive, scholarly, exhaustive, detailed compendium surveying more than 2000 California-based Native American tribal skills. Survival Skills Of Native California is superbly enhanced for readers, students, researchers, and scholars with almost one thousand instructional illustrations. Included are informative sections on all the basic survival skills, the tools of gathering and food preparation, the implements of household and personal necessity, as well as the arts of hunting and fishing. Survival Skills Of Native California offers the reader comprehensive, authentic, detailed information and instruction on how to live off the land and capably employ all of the varied resources of earth's bounty that enabled the survival of California's native population for millennia. Survival Skills Of Native California is a unique and invaluable acquisition for personal, academic, and community library Native American studies collections reference collections.

This book provides a fascinating and comprehensive glimpse into the daily lives of pre-contact California Indians. It is laid out in easy to use chapters that provide just enough information to be complete, but still include local examples and myths to add flavor to the narrative. My only complaint is that some of the skills are a bit complicated and are confusing to read. I guess you just have to go out to the wilderness and try it out! This is a must-read for anyone interested in California Indians and their history.

One approach to history, the traditional approach, is the biography or linking the biographical sketches of the significant actors of a time to chronicle the time. Another approach, and the approach used by author Mike Cox in Texas Disasters:True Stories of Tragedy and Survival, is to develop a theme through telling the stories of the events over time.

In taking the second approach, Author Cox writes of disasters in Texas-both natural and man-made. He describes in detail 20 disasters beginning with the first recorded, the 1554 sinking of three gold and silver bearing Spanish ships off South Padre Island, through the deadly and destructive Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of 2005 hurricane season, and then lists in appendix sixty-nine others (tops in terms of loss of human life killing fourteen or more) that have occurred, or at least that have left some discoverable documented trail. As Cox notes, "disaster often becomes a catalyst for positive change." For instance, the 1900 Galveston hurricane, in man's promise to himself to never let it happen again, gave birth to the commissioner model of municipal government, in order to more efficiently meet the local needs of anticipating and responding to a natural emergency. The 1921 San Antonio flood gave rise to a flood control system that in the 1968 era of Hemisfairs and Urban Renewal provided a structure upon which the Riverwalk and the economic engine for the most popular international tourist destination in the state arose. The 1937 New London school natural gas leak explosion resulted in tighter regulation of architects and engineers and the addition of mercapitan to odorless natural gas to give it a chance for detection by humans before explosions occurred. The 1947 Texas City fertilizer plant explosion gave rise to federal regulations for the handling of hazardous materials. The 1953 Waco tornado prompted the use of World War II radar as a tool for local weather stations to predict and therefore to be able to alert the public of killer storms in enough advance to get out of harm's way. The 1979 Wichita Falls tornado inspired the development of storm-safe rooms in houses. And the 1985 Delta Airlines crash at DFW Airport heightened the need for more study of wind-shear and the resulting of better windshear detection systems and pilot training to avoid or to handle downdrafts in critical stages of flight for better safety of the air traveling public.

As Cox writes, "[w]hile some measure of good came out of several of Texas's worst tragedies, other disasters caused heartbreak and havoc in the short term ...." While their effects may not have lingered on the community as a whole, their effects on individuals changed lives forever.

For an interesting read, one that the reader can do in 15-minute increments, this book is worth the price of admission.

They say reporters write the first draft of history. Mike Cox, a seasoned journalist and public safety spokesperson, offers a lively and intensely human second draft on some of the worst disasters to strike Texas since Spanish colonization.

This book is an excellent read for those who prefer to learn about history through the poignant stories of people lived it, instead of through wordy, academic analysis. Cox's descriptions put you at the scene, often through the recollections of witnesses and survivors.

The featured stories bring to life twenty famous Texas disasters. In many cases, their lessons led to new inventions and protocols that help keep us safer today. The appendix, meanwhile, offers an exhaustive reference list of tornados, hurricanes, steamboat explosions and other calamities to strike the Lone Star State.

Hailing from Lamar County, I had to skip ahead and read about the 1916 Paris fire!

Captivating! After spending nearly 10 years in Texas emergency management, I mistakenly thought I had heard all the stories. Mike Cox has brought to light dramatic, real-life events that should hold the attention of anyone who knows that truth is more fascinating than fiction.

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (10/06)

Mike Cox has written a gripping definitive account of twenty of the most devastating disasters in the history of the state of Texas. Cox, an acute observer, recounts theses stories of tragedy through the eyes of a news reporter. His accounts are readable, compelling and engaging.

Cox covers a period of over four hundred years of Texas history in the book. The account begins with the wreck of three Spanish ships off the coast of South Padre Island in 1554, and concludes with hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2006. Although Katrina came ashore in Louisiana the impact of Texas hospitality and the supreme effort to aid the 400,000 evacuees demonstrate that in adversity Americans unite in the effort to save lives and restore property.

The author provides an amazing number of prints and photographs that reflect the disasters, debris, and destruction of flash floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and explosions. Twisted houses, buildings leveled, smoke and fire damage are only a few of the results shown in these illustrations.

Dislocated families, lives lost, and mass graves of unidentified bodies, are among the horrors related in these true stories of tragedy. Fires subsequent to the initial disaster were often more devastating then the original cause.

The stories come from people who lived through those dreadful experiences. Mike has captured the essence of how the man of the street pitched in to reach out on a human level of compassion.

Cox gives specific examples of this in many of the stories. Men and women became heroes during the aftermath of the ravage, devastation, and destruction of nature's fury.

The following is typical of the action of civic leaders and hero's of the day: Following the Galveston hurricane in 1900, "Help began pouring in as fast as rescue and aid workers could reach Houston."

Mike Cox uses these accounts of disaster as a wake up call to civic leaders and citizens alike to focus on preparedness in the event of future similar catastrophes. The historical account and commentary in "Texas Disasters" is well researched and documented. The bibliography is comprehensive and impressive.

This is a collection of uplifting, heroic stories of survival in the face of overwhelming adversity.

With 38 years of rugby experience & a fairly extensive print reference collection, I rate this insightful work from Jim Greenwood as tops. Anyone who can view the strategic considerations in a rugby match as similar to the thought processes needed in a chess match will find delight here, Greenwood's earlier work Total Rugby is likewise, though more in a technical skills manner. Think Rugby brings the mental aspects of the game to the forefront. Physical prowess is valuable, but experience & conscious decision making can make all the difference. Opportunities are limited in any match and knowing how to capture the most & waste the least is what you want for your side. This book can take you there!

I'm only part way through this book, but so far it's been great. I have a hard time slowing the game down in my head during play and analyzing what's going on. This book has helped me to relax a bit, take my time, and think about what the other team is doing and what I should be doing to beat them. Overall, great book. Can't wait to finish it now.

Mr. Greenwood went into great detail about the Tactical Decision Making that goes on during a match. Not only does this book expand a players thinking capability on the pitch, but many of the methods of thinking can be used off the pitch. Do not buy to help out your physical game, but your mental game.

Thing Rugby is am amazing book for any coach, player or even fan of rugby. It will help you develop as a player or coach. This is a resource no team should be without. One of it's primary focus's is to help you learn to think and play as a team, from the coach down to the reserves. Definitely a must read for any Rugby Enthusiast.

Well done. I sailed on many of the Johnson family yachts. This book was a great reminder of how many good times I had.

Since the book was puiblished, in 1997, you have shown the wrong dust jacket in your listing and review. Please hcnage it as it will certainly enhance sales.

More than your classic coffee-table book, Jack does a wonderful job tracing this boat's history from her own perspective, as well as from her owners and associates as well. The photography alone is worth the price of admission. Her launch photo is spectacular. My only disappointment is with the final chapter(s), wherein her story does seem to take on a bit of a sappy note.

When you've finished this book you will realize that the only real boats are those made of wood. Anything else is just .....well, plastic I guess!

It's a pity that a detailed set of architects drawings is not included, as well as drawings of her various interior configurations. Also, the dust jacket on my edition features a painting by T. Thompson in which the proportions are all wrong and the boat seems 100 feet long, not 72. Apart from that, it's a wonderful book and I reccomend it unreservedly.

Trellises, Arbors & Pergolas: Ideas and Plans for Garden Structures (Better Homes & Gardens)

I had been searching for a long time to find a suitable design for an arbor at the end of three converging pathways on a rustic portion of our property. I finally found the design I wanted at the bottom of page 9. I showed the design to our carpenter and he built an identical copy out of ipe. The result was so perfect, that I asked him to build a small pavilion in the same style on another part of our property. It also was elegant and sturdy. He commenced these projects in the middle of January in snowy, icy, windy, sub-freezing weather and finished both within about two or three weeks. I am now designing a 200-foot-long fence along two sides of our property in--you guessed it--the same style. If I ever figure out how to work my husband's new handycam I may be able to submit a video review. Useful book.

This is an excellent how-to book; great designs, clear instructions and easy to read text. This is a good book for the beginner thru the professional. I highly recommend it.

Good information on the different aspects of building the various landscape structures.

My husband and I had a landscape plan drawn up that included a pergola. Since my husband rebuilt part of our fence, he wanted to tackle the pergola himself. So, I bought him this book and he really loved it.

The beginning of the book shows a variety of ideas for trellises, arbors and pergolas. Even if you're not going to build it yourself, the photos, drawings, and descriptions of styles may help you select or design one that you like and fits your house/yard. My favorite idea from the book was a trellis that goes over the garage door - what a neat idea!

The next section of the book has all the necessary instructions and shows you how to build a number of these structures. This could come in handy if you decide to build it yourself.

Section three offers some suggestions for plants that will climb up structure.

The final portion of the book goes over the different types of tools you may need for your project. There are also drawings and descriptions to help the novice learn the basic building and wood-working skills needed for these projects.

Although we haven't started our pergola yet, I'm sure this book will come in handy. We've definitely been enjoying looking through it to see what kind we might want!

John has written a great book here that will be an easy read. If you are starting a deer farm, or just want more knowledge. It's not too long of a book and gets to the point. I myself am excited to try some suggestions offered in this book. You will find places suggested to purchase certain seed, etc. For the money - it was a great value! Add this to your shelf for reference at minimum!
Thanks for a great book John!

Book is a great place to start when considering habitat improvement. Goes beyond just the simple foodplot info, presents general info on habitat improvement. Comparable to other starter books on this topic. Easy to read.

I think I really hit on something when I bought my husband two of these Outdoorsman's Edge books. He really found the book to be informative and well written. He said he learned ways to "correct" his food plots. He said it was very specific on the products to use and how to get them. "Excellent" in his opinion.

If you are looking for a practical book on deer, turkey, upland birds and other wildlife food plot management, this is the best of all the books I have read. The book is based on the use of affordable equipment, Biologic seed products and sound agricultural practice. I have increased deer activity and estimated that the turkey population has tripled in 1.5 years.
This is an excellent book at a low price.