Sports and Hobbies Books

Thomas Owens' Collecting Baseball Cards (1708-2) provides a primer on collecting, with color photos of cards and players supplementing the basics on how to start and value a collection.

It would be a shame to limit Thomas Owens' Collecting Baseball Cards to the young audience it was written for: many an adult collector will find this the perfect introduction to baseball cards, using easy language to explain how the cards are graded and what determines their value. Color photos throughout display vintage cards.

This is an essential resource when you are on the road. It has loads of juicy information on an incredible number of clubs. So many of them offer reciprocity to other club members so you can visit them on your travels. The colored illustrations of the club burgees are also useful when seeing other boats along the waterway. AND they seem to have the only listing of private signal flags in the world since Lloyds stopped publishing.

This is an essential resource for anyone who travels and enjoys visiting new clubs. It give information on lots of different clubs and whether they offer recipocity with your home club. So many do!

This is a terrific book about an important historical chess match. If you play chess, even if you don't have a great interest in these historical figures, the games are interesting and the author has gone to great pains to get all the information he possibly could relating to these players and these matches.

This is a hard back book, designed to last for years. It is well worth the price!

First of all, have you ever read ANYTHING on the Internet ... only to look for it later, and discover that it had been moved or deleted? (One of my 'pet peeves.') I don't know why anyone does this, much valuable material: chess games, book reviews, news items, etc; these are all deleted on a regular basis. (Please read on, you will see the relevance of this complaint later in this review.)

I have had this particular book for many months now ... all I can say is that there are literally hundreds of books that people have sent me over the last few years, and I need to do book reviews on all of them ... eventually.

Chess History: what is the perhaps the most important match of the last 250 years? Which match was one of the first to pit the top masters from two different countries that were considered to be the leading chess nations of that day? Which match was the FIRST to have all the moves of that event recorded for chess posterity?

The answer was the event of 1834, which was - in actuality - a series of matches between la Bourdonnais and McDonnell.

Morphy studied these matches, as did many other chess players of the 1800's. But for over 100 years, the regular player could not find a book on these games anywhere. In the last 20-30 years, chess databases contained all of the games, as did a few other sources ... but most of these were inaccessible to the average chess enthusiast. A permanent record of these games was long overdue.

Taylor Kingston did an excellent, if somewhat lengthy review, for Chess Cafe, (The authorized merchandise distributor for the U.S. Chess Federation.). However, even though I have searched for it diligently, I can see no trace of this review on their website. (It is archived on my web pages; you should be able to find it with any search engine.)

Should you study these games? Well, to be honest, the answer is yes and no. As an Original USCF LIFE-Master, the student might look at these games and they would appear to be a little crude. Of course, one must bear in mind that they were played almost 200 years ago - chess has advanced considerably since that time. Additionally, several reviewers have pointed out that the analysis in this book is not perfect, the assiduous player, aided by Fritz, (or any other chess program); will definitely find improvements in the play and the notes ... should he (or she) choose to do so.

Then why would you buy this book? I think that this question has more than one answer:
# 1.) It is the ONLY place where you can find ALL the games ... and the notes from dozens of different sources in one place. (The author gets an A+ for his research, I doubt if any pertinent source has been overlooked or missed.)
# 2.) I enjoy a chess game that has been diligently annotated; many times there are copious notes, especially in the more famous of these encounters.
# 3.) The average player, which means anyone rated below 1850, will definitely learn a great deal by diligent study of these historic clashes.
# 4.) Anyone who considers himself a serious student of chess history will definitely want this book; it is as thorough and as in-depth as anyone could hope for.

A small side note is that the author even found my web pages, and mentions them in a couple of places. (See the notes to game # 04 and game # 50.)

In the end, this is a fantastic book, it receives my highest recommendation. This is a beautiful hardback edition with a library binding, the highest quality paper, and top-notch editing. This is a volume that most chess players would be proud to own and place on their book-shelf. I conclude with a quote from Mr. Kingston's review: (this book) ... "must be considered the definitive work on this important event, and one of the best of its kind ever. It is a book that scholars will cherish, and that anyone with the least interest in the game's history will enjoy."

We bought this on a road trip, hoping to keep my five-year-old occupied. I didn't expect it to actually keep his attention as long as it did. He drew for HOURS, and the drawings he produced were amazingly close to the examples given. The paper roll lasts for a LONG time, especially since you can only draw on two or three inches at a time, and the illustrations are cute but simple enough to easily duplicate.

I recommend this highly - in fact, I've just ordered the Dog and Cat ones for this Christmas road trip we're taking!

This is another item from the cool "klutz" company that makes neat educational toys that are portable enough to go anywhere in a pocket. This helps you to improve your doodles, or scribble art, into better art. Also has a pencil and a note pad. Great stocking stuffer. My son keeps this in the back of my car, and it competes with Gameboy for his attention now. I also reccommend Ed Emberly's "Make a World", and "Big Green Drawing Book".

This is an excellent how to book for the fly fisherman going to Alaska. Each species of salmon and trout is covered with details concerning best time of year to fish, best fly patterns and what tactics will produce strikes. This is a how to fish rather than where to fish book although it does mention many areas worth investigating. I would suggest buying both this book and the book, Alaska Fishing, by Limeres and Pedersen, which gives detailed info. on where to fish rather than how to fish. Both excellent books that when used together will prepare the angler for the trip of a lifetime. Tight Lines.

Admittedly, I am mostly a spin fisherman by nature, but reading this book had me practice casting in the backyard in 10 degree weather. The book is very readable and filled with anecdotes and information that obviously resulted from years of field experience.

This is not a location guide, it is a species guide. The author does give general information about where to find a certain species but does not give up any secret holes or mention any locations that might be sensitive to overfishing. What he does give in abundance is his knowledge of each fish species; it's life cycle, the proper flies and equipment to use and most importantly, the presentation for each species. Throughout the book, he gives a sense of mastery gained from countless hours in the field. The chapter on flyfishing for Sockeyes alone is worth the price of the book. He debunks the myth that Sockeyes don't bite flies and lets you know how to present the fly to elicit a strike. I have never wanted to fish the Russian River like I did after reading that chapter.

I'd recommend it to anyone going up from the lower 48. Even if you are an experienced flyfisherman, this will help jump start your success with new species.

I'm normally not a model builder, and I never saw Forbes Field, but I really enjoyed putting this ballpark model together. The quality of the design is tremendous, and the finished product is display-worthy. A nice gift idea for native Pittsburghers. The enterprise is very much doable, but this is no two-day project. If you aren't willing to put some energy into it, you're better off with a jigsaw puzzle.

A must for the classic ballpark enthusiast. A real challange for the model builder but well worth the time and effort.An excellent tribute to the "Old Lady of Schenly Park.

Inside this book you will find a wonderful and fulfilling list of outdoor games and activities for your kids. This is a very "user friendly" book. All games are listed by levels and each game is described with well defined rules, playing time, objects used, author comments, and variations of each game. This book can keep kids outdoors, active, and having fun for hours & hours!

This book is a complete collection of outdoor, active games for kids. Listed by activity level, it describes the rules, time needed, equipment needed (often just a ball), and makes personal comments on each game. Becuase it's self published, it is no frills but full of wonderful content and a great bargain! It is the number and variety of games in this book I think makes it worth having. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, especially parents.

I first read Ruy Castro's 'Bossa Nova' and wanted more! Then I found his book 'Rio de Janeiro', and loved it. I then went on to read Ruy Castro's next book (translated into English) Garrincha which is about a Futebol star. I am not into soccer but I loved the book.

Although some people may disagree - the entire population of Argentina, I suspect - Brazil are widely considered the top dogs of world soccer. As a nation they've won the World Cup five times and the Maracanã - where Brazil play their home games - is one of the sport's most famous stadiums. Any discussion about the soccer's greatest players will feature several Brazilians - Pelé, Jairzinho, Zico, Romário, Bebeto, Falcão, Sócrates and Ronaldinho would surely be in contention. Manuel Francisco dos Santos, most commonly known as "Garrincha", may not be as widely known as his countrymen but he fully deserves to be included on that list. He is, however, quite clearly honoured in his home country where he is still known as the "Joy of the People".

Garrincha was born in 1933 in a small town called Pau Grande. Amazingly, for such a gifted sportsman, he was born with 'bent' legs - his left bent out and his right bent in. When young, he was also smaller than the kids his own age and was christened 'garrincha' (the local name for a 'little bird') by his sister. His hometown was founded by the English in the 1870s and was centred around the América Fabril factory - the factory, it seems, practically employed the town's entire population. The town's soccer club - Sport Club Pau Grande - was founded in 1908 and, although an amateur team, was the first senior club Garrincha played for. He eventually moved to Botafogo, one of Rio's professional teams - it was here he played his best football, and he won the Carioca (Rio's State Championship) several times. He played for Brazil 60 times, winning the World Cup twice; he dismantled and demoralised the highly-rated USSR team in the 1958 Finals and, some say, won the tournament nearly single-handedly in 1962. Garrincha, however, played primarily for enjoyment - he didn't always turn up for training and still enjoyed playing with his friends on Pau Grande's dangerous pitch. Money seemed nearly irrelevant to him and he was practically taken advantage of by his club's directors. He'd regularly sign a blank contract, with the salary to be filled in later - as the team's star player he was then paid less than he was worth.

Garrincha's life was also hugely colourful off the pitch. He was, allegedly, very well endowed, which may help explain why he was so popular with the ladies. He fathered (at least) 14 children by 5 different women, including eight daughters with his first wife, Nair, and a son in Sweden - conceived while on tour with Botafogo. It seems he was anything other than a devoted husband to Nair. Throughout his marriage to her, he regularly chased other women - he had a number of girlfriends and one-night stands and had children with several of them. Only one woman came close to 'taming' him : Elza Soares, a well-known singing star and every Brazilian man's fantasy. The pair met in 1961 and began their affair the following year. However, the public were less than impressed when news of their relationship broke, something that caused a great deal of trouble for them. Garrincha also suffered from alcoholism - cachaça, made from fermented sugar cane, was a particular favourite - and it was this affliction that led to his death at the age of 49. It also caused a great deal of trouble for his friends, relations and colleagues.

The book is subtitled "The Triumph and Tragedy of Brazil's Forgotten Footballing Hero" and, as time goes by, the tragedies become more and more commonplace. At times, it is very difficult not to feel sorry for Garrincha, Nair and Elza - I certainly felt a great deal of regret that things didn't work out differently. The book was written by Ruy Castro, and was originally published in 1995 - he has quite clearly researched the book meticulously and has written a very engaging book. A great deal of credit must also go to Andrew Downie, who translated the book into English in 2004. A highly recommended book, that should appeal to more than just the soccer fan - largely because of Garrincha's colourful personal life. However, because of his personal life, I wouldn't think it's ideal reading for the kids !

I am ... and I love the short stories about golfer's oops, smart-alic caddies, and funny sayings. I golf weekly and this book will always be in my bag! Thanx for the great book of golf history Mr.Herrington.

What a fantastic book. Everyone should have one. Written by my old college roommate at Michigan! GO BLUE

I found the book to be well written and well organized. It showed me how important the old man in the white beard was to the game of golf. Not only was he instrumental in establishing 18 holes as the standard number of holes in a round, but he also had a hand in starting the British Open, the first major golf tournament. I enjoyed reading about the many courses he designed and I would like to play some of them when I visit Scotland. I think anyone going to play golf in Scotland or Ireland would benefit from reading this book.

I enjoyed reading this book about Old Tom Morris who, I discovered, sculpted golf into the game we play today. I always thought that the Old Course at St. Andrews was created by nature, but Kroeger's book showed me that Old Tom did a lot of design work to it in his 40 year stint as greenkeeper. I would highly recommend this book to anyone traveling to Scotland to play Old Tom's courses or to those interested in the history of golf or golf course architecture.