Sports and Hobbies Books

Since the local craft store carries the Arnold Grummer supplies for papermaking, I decided to buy his book - Arnold Grummer's Complete Guide to Easy Papermaking. (Mr. Grummer also has a website.) The instructions in the book are very clearly illustrated by photographs. Many variations in colors and textures are shown. You'll need a frame set and cotton linter both available at the craft store, a blender and paper scraps. Easy to recycle old envelopes or paper (discard the black print which will turn the paper grey). Variations: Colored paper tints the pulp. Add dried flowers and leaves. Emboss wet pulp with brass stencil. Hot tip: When pressing out the excess water from the wet pulp, use a rolling pin!

I love this book. Arnold Grummer is fantastic. This book explains everything you need to know about paper, and making paper, in a very simple way. I especially love the beginning of the book where he gets into the technical aspects of what IS paper and why we can make our own. There are also many full-color samples of handmade paper that I found very inspiring. This book will keep you busy trying all the embellishment and inclusion techniques, too, including botanicals, pin drawing, and coloring. I'll be using this book for a long time, and I recommenend it to everyone.

There's an old adage that says, "Never judge a book by its cover."

That was certainly true for me when I first looked at Arnold Grummer's Complete Guide To Paper Casting. My initial reaction to the cover (& many of the 'projects' was--How 70s can you get?

Fortunately, I followed the adage's advice and read a few chapters. Result? I found a valuable addition to my how-to library.

The authors (Arnold & Mabel Grummer) have created a work which is rich with detail. They offer techniques, tips, history, ideas & more in such an easy to read manner that whatever your interest &/or skill level, you will find yourself casting pulp before you know it.

Saavy enough to recognize that many crafty types want to get started without reading 'War & Peace', the authors provide readers with a quick start-up in Chapter 2. I made my first paper cast within thirty minutes of reading the instructions--(took me twelve minutes to find the blender!)

From that point on, I found myself enjoying (& learning) so much. I picked up a vocabulary without needing to consult a dictionary; began exploring additives & molds & generally having FUN with paper casting in ways I had not considered.

With the current trend in paper crafts/arts, I heartily recommend this book to scrapbookers, altered-bookers & collagists. I also recommend it to anyone who has ever asked 'What If?'

The day I recieved this book I could not put it down, I had to read the entire book! From the start, it is an encouraging and creative book to be used in every aspect of the papermaking process. Unfortunately the only parts I felt were weak would be for paper artists who want a totally acid free paper. His comments on that though, do need to be believed because He is the curator of the Dard Hunter paper museum and a paper chemist. He feels that the best way to make that type of paper is to start with recycled paper that is already acid free. Those artists who create from plants alone may not find enough information to please them,yet many of His techniques can still be applied with their experience to create very artistic paper. Even beginners can tackle the most professional results with this book in hand. I feel even children could achieve surprising results with the processes he shows, step by step, using mostly home supplies. He shows you how to make your own mold and deckle too! The "moon paper" recipe he shows you how to create is worth the price of the book alone! Out of my entire library of paper books, this does stand on its own for the most part and for that reason, I recommend it for all beginner and intermediate artists and every papermaking teacher.Your creative juices will flow with this book!

With very few supplies you have to find (cardboard, soda bottle caps, binder clips) on your own this is a terrific educational fun book/kit for children of both sexes!

The best part is that children are encouraged to experiment. When my nearly 8 year old son made "The Impossible Project", he got the lightbulb to light up but he couldn't get it to shut off. After undoing it and rebuilding it a second time he found success!

My five year old son bought this book and it has proved to be fantastic. He cannot do the experiments by himself yet- we've been big helpers. But he has learned a lot about how electricity and circuits work. With this kit he has learned that a circuit is a loop, how electricity moves and how to make switches. The motor is great fun just to run on it's own. I would recommend adding the Usborne Book of Batteries and Magnets when you run through the activities in here. The Klutz kit provides you with ALMOST all the items you need to do the additional experiments in the Usborne book. I would recommend this book for any kid who has an interest in electricity, motors or just plain making things go.

I got this book for my 11th birthday and I absolutely love it. My friend and I spent an entire day building many of the projects. The submersible worked well, but I had trouble getting the hovercraft to lift off. It's also possible to make your own designs work well. It's cool that they included a motor with gills so it can go under water.

I used this to teach my Webelos Scouts (age 10) how electricity works and make things go. They mostly had fun using the fan to make horrible noises cutting pieces of paper, but they got the point of the experiment.

Requires fine motor skills; may be difficult for some to do without adult help.

I purchased 2 of these products to use as a culmination event with a 4th and 5th grade boys Pirateology Book Club. The boys loved it! The little book was very informative and they had fun pointing out previously learned and new facts as we worked. They split into two groups and had a great time competing with each other to see who's ship was coming to completion faster. We put the final products on display in our school and the boys got lots of compliments! Great product.

What could be more fun to an aspiring pirate than to build his or her own ship? This wonderful building kit comes with many different cards with clever designs that enable you to connect and create all the parts of a pirate ship. The finished product is pretty darn amazing, and kids will be thrilled with their work.

The best part of this toy is that you don't just finish it once. These cards are of the "mix and match" variety and you can use them to create other ships -- LOTS of different ships!

This is an absolutely wonderful toy because the possibilities are endless for creative play as your young pirate figures out all the incredible ways that he can put these cards together! Kudos to the company that designed this toy, because parents really get their money's worth here.

All the building cards sets are amazing. Fun to use with children to build all types of ships.

My 8yo son really likes this. He got it as a gift last Christmas and has rebuilt it a few times. He also uses it for imaginary play. It is just the right level of difficulty. He builds it by himself. The cards are sturdy and it makes a great project.

As a big fan of details and facts, Winter is always for me. He`s the best chess historian by far, and this may be his best book to date. Even if you`re not a serious Capablanca fan, this book will keep you entertained with those little special events that make life so interesting (like including a section of an article by Sergei Prokofiev about his playing in a simul against Capbablanca). I also didn`t know until reading the Capablanca writings from articles included in this book that the World Champion really did have a nice sense of humour. Engrossing, filled with facts, all attributions in order... but by no means is it dry. Quite the contrary, this will also touch on your emotions.

Certainly one of the best books I`ve ever seen.

This book is basically a biography via the subject's own writings and papers. Winter does, in fact, include plenty of his own (excellent) prose, but the meat of the book is Capablanca's own writing, much of it new to me, and I've read quite a bit on Capa through the years.

Especially interesting are Capa's thoughts on contemporary players and his early game annotations when he was writing for various chess magazines early in his career. For example, he annotated every game of the epic Lasker-Schlechter match, and they are all included here.

Although Capa is infamous for writing less than virtually any other World Champion, he still penned quite a number of articles, all of them of interest, and all, or nearly all, of which are collected here.

Winter is known for being a stickler about documentation, so you will not find a lot of unfounded gossip or apochryphal stories or legend here. This is a refreshing dfference from the large majority of chess biographies, including other books on Capa. Capablanca's career is full of enough true mindboggling stories to need to make anything up.

This book is a splendid achievement by Winter, and I had a difficult time putting it down. I plan on going back to it again and again as a reference, and, of course, to play over the games which Capablanca had annotated.

Winter has researched an enormous amount of material on Capablanca, and documented his sources thoroughly. He has a commendable distaste for unsubstantiated anecdotes. It includes both significant biographical material as well as many fine games not usually found in the main game collections (which are highly recommended by the way), and often with Capa's own notes.

Winter has also unearthed some very interesting game annotations by Capa, including the Lasker-Schlechter match, a famous Spielmann loss to Tarrasch, a Janowski brilliancy, etc. There are also fascinating reports by Capa on tournaments such as his greatest victory, New York 1927, and the Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires, 1939, where Capa made the best score on top board.

The chapters on his World Championship negotiations and matches with both Lasker and Alekhine make fascinating reading.

There also clear B&W photos of Capa at all stages of life.

BRILLIANT. WELL WORTH THE MONEY. IT HAS HELPED ME TO IMPROVE MY CHESS ENORMOUSLY.

As Lone Wolf, you are dispached by the king to investigate a missing shipment of gold...ok, where have we heard this before? But hold on-the plot thickens! You journey to Ruanon, a mining province, and discover that evil again is plotting to rear it's ugly head-in the shape of Lord Vashna-the long defeated and very powerful Darklord of Naar. The Acolytes of Vashna are attempting to ressurect him, and only YOU can stop them! Grab the book and pick up the fight!

The Lone Wolf books are divided to 4 groups, book1-5 is the kai series, book6-12 is the Magnakai,13-20 is the Grand Master series and 21+ are the New Order series... The Chasm of Doom is the best book in the Kai group.It is very challenging and requires your utmost caution and strategem.A must-have!!

I started this series probably 15 years ago, maybe more. I remember being so wrapped up in this interactive adventure that I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next installment. Well, while cleaning off my shelves a few days ago I stumbled across these gems and I tell you, I got overwhelmed with the same feelings.

You are Lone Wolf, the last of the Kai Warriors in the land of Sommerlund. Throughout your adventures (the are 28 books and 4 "World of Lone Wolf" books) you will face monsters big and small, wizards, magicians, puzzles, riddles, and everything else your imagination can think of. This book starts as a mission to discover what has happened to the missing gold shipments that were supposed to be on the way to your homeland of Sommerlund. However, there is much more going on in this adventure that will test your Kai skills.

This book is just like your standard "Choose Your Own Adventure" book except that it is more interactive. Not only do you choose your path, but you also choose your skills, equipment, and whether or not you want to battle enemies. This book employs an interesting combat system in which you pick a number from the "Random Number Table" at the end of the book by closing your eyes and poking the page with your eraser (see my shared photo). I highly recommend getting ahold of a 10-sided die to use instead, because after a few books one can learn where the higher number areas are.

I had the first 15 books of the series when I was younger and now that I've reread them, I am scrounging ebay and used Amazon books to locate the next ones. Unfortunately all of these books are out of print. If you are looking for these books, I highly recommend getting the UK editions of books 12-20 because the US editions are abridged and are missing huge sections. Additionally, there are many "broken links" since they were edited so when it says to turn to page XX it takes you to the wrong place. Also, good luck finding books 21-28 as they were ONLY printed in the UK. They are very rare and if you have them, hold on to them!

Finally, Joe Dever has authorized the free distribution and licensing of his Lone Wolf series which are available online. This resource has the unabridged editions which makes it great. I will not give out the URL as part of the reviewers agreement but with a little searching you should be able to find it. However, I would rather read the paper version anyday but this is still a great resource.

This is the best book I think in the Lone Wolf series. You are Lone Wolf and you are out to find the king's gold that was stolen. The things that I like in this book are you are able to choose your suplies such as weapons, special abilities, backpack items, and Kai Disciplines. The Lone Wolf series is a good series to read on vacations, coming home from a trip, or just a book to chill out with...

Excellent comprehensive book on 1950-1969 Evinrude ,Johnson,Gale and Buccaneer motors from 3hp to 40hp. Highly recommended!!!!

Lots of details and pictures. Covers fairly specific OMC models and years not alot on merc or some harder too work on brands..

I see more and more large inboard boats coming up for sale at incredibly low prices. Incredible until you consider the mainenance costs. In this work Max Wawrzyniak takes the reader on a step-by-step journey to cheap and reliable marine power, via old OMC outboards. By following his advice I now have two 50-year-old motors that start with one pull and get the job done time after time. My total investment including parts has been less than $400 per motor. That is really hard to beat!

I read a review of this book in Messing About it Boats and
had to order it. It is a clearly written, easy-to-follow
guide to handling one of the last relatively simple machines
available to consumers.
There are a lot of old outboards around because many of them
were used only lightly-so a thirty year old OMC may have had
less than 100 hours of use. If you follow the buying hints in
this book, you should be able to pick up a bargain, not a lemon
and get it in running order quickly.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005

It's a good book in truth I got it just for the Elizabethan bag on the cover and it is great for beginners I just wish we were told more about what style of embroidery we were using for all the entries and personally (for the elizabethan bag) which stiches were used and what inspired the bag) but I'm biased as I am making something for a recreation group, and like to document what I am working on

This book features some unique and beatiful designs, such as a pattern for an evening bag called "Bird of Paradise" and a rather nifty handbag called "All Roses". There's patterns for everything from totes, drawstring bags, handbags, evening bags, and a couple of whimsical designs for a little girl's first purse.
The diagrams for construction of each of the bags as well as embroidery are clear and easy to use. Each project description includes measurements of the finished product and a detailed list of supplies (measurements are given in standard and metric). Different types of embroidery are introduced, such as shadow work, stumpwork, and casalguidi stitching.
If you've got a bit of artistic talent you can adapt many of the ideas presented to your own designs - diagrams are produced for tassel making using floss or beads, and an inventive decorative stitch is used to make a lace-like sideseam for one of the drawstring bags.
This book was well worth the money - a definite must-have for embroiderers and textile artists.

If you're looking for a book to teach you how to make bags, this book is a great choice -- even if you don't do embroidery. The book describes how to make 16 classic styles with clear, complete instructions and full-size patterns.

The techniques are solid and enable you to produce high quality bags that stand up well. If you like soft, romantic designs, you'll fall in love with every project in the book. And they provide great basic forms for more artistic interpretations using different materials and embellishment.

The designs in this book are simply beautiful. I found the instructions easy to follow and I'm not an expert embroiderer. I want to make every single bag. Great for Christmas presents.

Hungry

Great Colonial American Projects is the dream book for teachers to help their students understand what real life was like in Colonial America. The author not only provides an array of inexpensive models for kids to build to "recreate" objects colonists used in their daily lives, she has also manages to write about history and historical figures in a way that will connect with kids and have them asking questions. I love to read history, and I enjoyed the spirited and informative style with which Bordessa writes.

I bought this book the other day to suppliment our homeschooling curriculum. I was SO impressed. It was so much more than I was expecting. I thought it would just be a few projects and crafts that you could do with your kids to give them some impressions of Colonial life. I had no idea it would be so well thought out, with so many great historical facts. I really got the feeling that I had learned SO much more about how the Colonists had lived, in an everyday-type of perspective, after reading this book. My son and I are getting ready to start a Colonial History Unit and I am so excited. We are going to start reading the book together and do the projects as we go. And because there are so many interesting things in this one book, I'm sure it will take us a bit longer than I had originally thought. I can't wait to get started!

I purchased this book expecting "great colonial projects" for my homeschooled kids, and it delivered. A friendly tone draws young readers in, while drawings and graphics make the text visually appealing.

However, this author has created a far more powerful resource than that. Ms. Bordessa includes bonus features: a timeline of the Colonial period (divided by both colony and year), background of voyages, maps, a glossary, and text boxes with interesting facts and charts. "Spotlight on Famous Colonists" provides a biographical reference. "Colonial Words to Know" are helpfully placed near the passages where they're used and are also highlighted in the text. Facts are in a frame of reference children can identify with. (For example, the colonists traveled 2,700 miles across the ocean at 2 m.p.h., about the speed of a skateboard!) In this way, the projects link to the larger colonial world.

Even adults who flip through the book will learning something new. I only wish this book had been available the first ten years I homeschooled my children! But what a treat for those mothers with young children who want to bring the colonial period to life for them.

Connie Lapallo
Author, Dark Enough to See the Stars in a Jamestown Sky

This is a really great resource! I wish it had been in print when I was a teacher. Most books on colonial America tend to be a bit dry. This one is visually appealing, lively and would be very useful if your child had to do a report or was just interested in this time period. It covers all the usual things like who the colonists were, what they ate, wore, did for fun and so forth, but it also covers unusual stuff like crime and punishment and fire fighting. In addition, there are directions for dozens of easy projects such as making your Liberty Bell puzzler, marigold dye, dipped candles and a tin lantern. None of the projects take a lot of time and use easy-to-find materials - both big pluses.

An index and glossary help add to the book's usefulness. Overall, a definite pick if you're studying American history.

I love this book. Young or old gymnastics fans would love it too. The pictures are great and so is the interpret. I read this book many times and I strongly recommend it to others.

This is a great book for girls, encouraging them to get into sports. Shows a group of about 8 girls (and 2 boys) learning gymnastics. The kids look to be around 8 years old, but my 3 year old loves looking at the pictures and trying the gymnastics moves. The photography is beautiful and the text is very informative.

This book is pictoral in nature, and follows the progress of a group of young students during a series of gymnastics classes, ending with a competition. The photography is beautiful, and basic gymnastics skills (stretches, splits, cartwheels, etc.) are demonstrated by the students. The book is geared toward young girls, probably around ages 4-8. However, the photography is excellent and the storyline is not too terribly babyish for older fans to enjoy, too. This would be a great addition to a gymnastics library.

This is a great book for girls who are involved in gymnastics and are inspiring to be on the team someday. It is geared towards girls probably up to age 9-10. I have a 5 and 7 year old that are in gymnastics and really like the book. There are many pictures and descriptions on how to do what is involved and what they can look forward to as they progress. Great book.

I own this book and I am satisfied with it. The instruction is clear and the photos are very crisp. However, it covers a great deal of ground and is probably a bit dense for the average person who is just interested in learning some knots. It has either too many steps or too few. In some cases, the leap from one step in one photograph to the other is a big one and my teenage son can't follow some of the steps.

For those of you who you who really want to know just about everything there is to know about knots, try the highly regarded classic by Clifford Ashley. Just search "Ashley" on Amazon. It's the grandfather of all knot books. It's expensive but it's the best.

If you have a computer and are just interested in tying some common knots, you might want to try a CD-ROM that my scout troop purchased at a Boy Scouts district store. The CD-ROM provides surprisingly clear video instruction that shows every step to tie common knots. Young people seem to like it. Just do a search for "Beutner", the publisher, on Amazon. Or, get it cheaper through your Boy Scout district or catalog.

Finally, if you just want to learn how to tie a knot or two, but are less than motivated, just ask any group of scouts! They will love the attention -- and you'll get the knowledge for the price of paying attention.

There are no multi-strand knots in this book, but there is a nice selection of bends, hitches and knots which cover many facets of knot tying. The pictures are clear and the descriptions precise. The book would be of benefit to beginners, who wish to advance to more complicated knotting and to those wishing to explore knots which post-date Ashley. It is also nicely printed.

I tie knots for fun and for use when I'm backpacking. I own several knot-tying books and have borrowed several others -- I bought this when I got tired of checking it out from the library. It is far and away the best book on knots that I've read. The pictures are beautiful and instructive, and the historical notes put the knots in perspective. Best of all, Budworth includes an amazing array of knots, from the standards to useful but largely unknown knots. This is a fun book to own, and very practical. I suggest buying the over-sized, hardback edition if you can find it: The illustrations are larger, and besides, you won't need buy any other books (don't worry, I don't know the author; I just love this book).

Geoffrey has outdone himself with this very handy book of knots. The illustrations are clear, the photos expand on the text and relate directly to it and his opening leaves no stone unturned in the knot-tying realm. Geoffrey's other books are good but this one really brings them all together in a very easy to access format. Great job of publishing and of writing!