Boating Books

I can't remember when, but at one point I mentioned to my wife that I was fascinated by adventures on the open sea. We conversed about it, and she told me about Kon-Tiki, the famed book by explorer Thor Heyerdahl. In that book, he builds a raft and then goes on an expedition from South America to the Polynesian Islands. I think I received this book as a gift, and eventually I began to read it.

Somehow, during the reading of Kon-Tiki, an e-mail arrived from John Haslett. "I was wondering if I could induce you to read my new book." His book? Voyage of the Manteño: The Education of a Modern-Day Expeditioner.

Both books describe the details of building balsa rafts. Both books describe the arcane politics of setting sail from a foreign land. Both books were about open sea voyages (in the case of Manteño, multiple voyages), and the effort it takes to make a voyage work. In each there are fascinating passages about the ocean which any sea-dreaming land lubber like me could enjoy.

While Kon-Tiki is the more popular of the two, and certainly the more heralded (it was first published in 1950), John Haslett's book comes much closer to telling me what I wanted to know. What does the ocean feel like in a storm? What are your emotions when you're adrift at sea? And what happens when you get pissed at your shipmates? (Both authors had a small crew.)

Voyage of the Manteño took on these questions and more. John describes the ocean in all its beauty and fury. He describes feelings of elation, anxiety, and abject terror. He describes the emotional fortitude required to be a true explorer. He writes about his shipmates as worthy companions, even though some of them couldn't hack the sea-faring life. His book is ultimately an adventure of great endurance.

When I finished reading it, I felt immense satisfaction that John was still out there, planning his next voyage. I hope he'll write about it.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I even ordered three additional copies for my Alaskan rafting companions. It's a fascinating adventure.

I bought this book as a Father's Day present after hearing an amazing interview with John Haslett on the NPR radio program Think, on KERA in Dallas. Before wrapping it up to send to my dad, I made the "mistake" of starting to read it and couldn't put it down.

This is a compelling, moving, and beautifully written account (despite quite a few typos and editing blunders) of John Haslett's attempts, with friends, to resurrect the dead technology and lost sailing arts of the ancient Manteno people of Ecuador. Through the course of building and sailing four gigantic balsa rafts over several years, Haslett gradually becomes aware of his mission, transforming from an adventurer with something to prove to a researcher with the ability to contribute to a body of knowledge. Haslett's strong prose brings alive sounds, sights, smells and physical sensations - intense, unexpected, sometimes intolerable, sometimes breathtaking - bringing the reader into the action. It is foremost a document of his experience, but also, as the title claims, of his education - definitely in the school of hard knocks.

I was repeatedly astonished at the author's (and his compatriots') supreme good luck in managing to survive to tell their tale. The sequence of disasters they endured seemed endless and incredibly varied. Even more astonishing was the author's refusal to give up. He somehow continued to believe in the possibility of completing his intended voyages, even as the odds piled up against him again and again.

Intermingled with the (mis)adventures were times of joy, delight, wonder, and unexpected humor. Sharks roll to scratch their bellies against ends of the raft's big logs. Dolphins and whales curiously examine the raft and the diving men. The indefatigable inventiveness of a pair of Columbian sailors provides life-saving drinking water as well as little unexpected "luxuries."

Although it is not the book's focus, we also see glimpses of the environmental [...] of the ocean. Haslett's frequently assumes that the conditions he faces, including the voracious sea-worms that destroy his rafts, are the same as those faced by the ancient Manteno, but what if the pollution and fish depopulation he witnessed have also resulted in sea-worm "bloom" leading to more severe infestations?

Many of the expedition's "disasters" actually resulted from inexperience and lack of information. Haslett was blundering headlong in the dark to recreate lost technology and technique - and blundering from his role as solo adventurer to his role as a leader of men. Impatience - the urge and need to get underway without adequate preparation - working on a modern clock rather than an ancient one - also ultimately doomed every voyage, according to Haslett. In relating all this, I found Haslett's account courageous. He was willing to share the details of the expedition's repeated failures, and admitted that his own shortcomings as a leader played no small part in the first raft's demise and the first team's disintegration.

Haslett's relationships with his crew and the many generous people who helped them were poignant. He generally portrays them with respect and conveys their very distinct personalities, sometimes exposing too many warts. Yet he also conveys a slightly overwhelmed sense of gratitude, profound love, and a bit of guilt toward most of his crewmembers. Some were truly heroic, saving the lives of the entire crew; most endured conditions much worse than they had expected, even to the point of trauma. I find myself with strong emotions towards many of the book's "characters," especially Dower, the Ecuadoran fisherman whose maritime experience saved the expedition many times.

This was a worthwhile read, one that calls for a next installment. I hope that John Haslett and his future crew succeed in learning how to build a raft that they can navigate successfully all the way along the ancient Manteno's hypothetical trade route to Mexico - I'll be cheering them on from the shore!

After reading "The Voyage of the Manteno", I can emphatically encourage you to buy a copy for yourself and as a gift.
John's writing makes you feel like a member of his crew. Your knees will feel the bounce of the bamboo floor of the raft. The sea will wash over your feet. Your stomach will growl from hunger. You'll shiver and laugh over John's foibles with a hammerhead shark. His description of living in the darkness at sea will make you hold your hand out in front of your face and marvel that you CAN see yours. You'll cheer for John and Annie - two kindred souls who found each other. Was it chance or fate? You'll admire John's determination, perseverance, and enormous heart. You'll be in awe of what the human body and spirit can endure.
Don't miss the chance to share the experience of a modern day adventurer. Buy "The Voyage of the Manteno" by John Haslett.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, the story was really captivating. Although I was really entertained by the story, I agree with many of the previous reviews that there were many egregious errors in the book, and I had a hard time getting through it without whipping out my trusty old pencil and making corrections in the margins...

Great information that is helping plan a schedule for our trip to the BVI.

I recently did a sailing course in the BVI and this book came as part of the package. It was an invaluable asset to sailing in the Virgin Islands and I highly recommend it before going there. Details on restaurants, places to anchor for the day and overnight anchorages. This is a great reference book!

If you only had one publication to take on a trip to the Virgin Islands this would be it. The updates are good which means their research is working and I am really pleased to see the return to a spiral binding. This works so well when you want it to stay opened to a particular page.

The spiral binder is a simple solution to using the book aboard. While it is true that you'll get a lot of ads it's a fair trade off since you'll only pay about half of what other cruising guides cost and it will show you the services you're likely to use. I find the technical aspects of this guide (anchoring, mooring, customs, etc.) to be clear and accurate. I've used some well respected guides for other areas that were not so.

I purchased this book prior to a sailing trip through the British Virgin Islands. My family has bareboat chartered in other locations before, but was our first trip to the BVI. This guide was outstanding - gave thorough information about anchoring, mooring and also activities and amenities to enjoy on the various islands. I would highly recommend purchasing this book prior to boating in the Virgin Islands. There is so much to do - we plan to go back next year - we couldn't get to all of the great places this year on a 9 day trip.

So sharp and acerbic that it just might be one of the funniest books ever written. Boating for beginners is a refreshing look at a story that everyone has heard more than once, only, in this version you are more likely to pee yourself laughing than be riddeled with guilt.

i loved this tale of an alternate possible truth to the noah story. i love anachranism, anyway, so this flood of it (ha ha!!) was right up my alley. i found myself telling others about it over and over, although i couldn't really do it justice. in fact, i'm on amazon right now buying it for a holiday prezzie for a friend. i thought it was lots of fun and wish i could read on....perhaps another one????

Terribly weak compared to her other work.

The story of Noah and the flood...told from an entirely different perspective, including rhinestone roller-skates, an orange demon, angels addicted to romance novels, and a transvestite...not to mention that giant ice-cream/black forest gateau concoction! Less intense than most of her later work, but beautifully written and an ton of fun to read!

If you read the author's remarks on her own webpage, then ÒBoating forBeginnersÓ is supposed to be a pot-boiler, written for the money inthe time of dearth before her ÔOranges are not the only FruitÕ finallysaw the light of day. Should this be true, then Ms. Winterson is evenmore talented than I had given her credit for. The book is a riot,truly funny, the kind of sarcasm that may kill a religion, and is muchmore effective as an antidote than the most elaborate production oflearned scholarship ever could hope to achieve ...Of course there aresome purely British insider jokes, and since we are at it letÕs givethe media a bit of a flak too. It is the wonderful world of glitteringtears and hallelujah-burgers from Genesis all the way to the latesttelevangelists. Praise the Lord! (And it is true: you CAN get yourorgasms in a supermarket.) Ms. Winterson sparkles with angular twistsand turns and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of ideas and jabs, butto the readers pleasant surprise, it all falls into place, and a realstory among ÒrealÓ people develops Ð characters we recognize, even inthis warped apparition from a parallel universe. Talent, fantasy andthe language, if an author has this, and Ms. Winterson has it inabundance, then even potboilers turn out to be a delight to read Ð infact it may even turn out better than more ambitious projects where anauthor can be a tat too conscious of what she or he is trying todo. (Yes, you guessed it, I am thinking of Ms. WintersonÕs ÒGutSymmetries.Ó) For the seeker of Ôprofound ideasÕ: the book developsthe premise: ÒWhat would happen if we took Northrop Frye seriously andused his method as a prescription of how to write narratives?Ó Need Isay more? Anyway: it was a pleasure to look into the workings of arare talent. If this book really had been produced in such a haste, asMs. Winterson claims, than it is the most transparent sample from herworkshop so far Ð and I must say, the most appealing, despite hertremendous ÒSexing the Cherry.Ó If you like Douglas AdamsÕÒHitchhiker,Ó then you are in for a treat, because this here is waybetter, and a good starting point to explore Ms. WintersonÕswork. Thing is: the book is only sporadically available in the US. andWintersonÕs own US-publisher doesnÕt even mention its existence. Why?You tell me! What a shame. END

With this book in addition to Chapelle's and Stewart's books, I am beginning to grasp round bottom traditional wood construction.

Its a great book if your want to build wooden boats in the most traditional way or with an archaic manner. Most wooden boat builders today can cut time by using modern equipment and techniques which is not described in this book. Its a good reference book and it includes a topic on the author's experience using modern epoxies and it contains Herreshoff rules/guidelines which every classic boatbuilder enthusiast might find informative. It will also describe you the events that you will go through if you're building a cruising boat. This book is not for the beginner for the terminology used will confuse them. In my opinion, if you would want to build a classic wooden boat I suggest you go through a weekend workshop (for the curious) or an apprenticeship (for a career) then buy this book to supplement what you've learned. Like the author said, "There is no such thing as a comprehensive book on any type of boat building." Your best chance to build your own dream boat is to get out there, learn from others, and supplement what you've learned with this book!

What to say about this book...it shows you wooden boat construction at its very, very best. Starting with raw lumber and simple hand tools, Larry Pardey takes us, step by laborious step, on the odyssey of building a truly world class cruising yacht, his 30' Taleisin. Not only is every step of the hull construction detailed, but we also get "real world" time and cost estimates so there are no illusions as to how much time and money each step will take. There are superb "pro and con" treatments of aspects that have a variety of solutions. If there are multiple ways to tackle a job, he makes two columns and discusses the pros and cons of each in detail. Usually you just get the author's opinions without any extra information.

This book is famous also because of it's very important final appendix on epoxies in salt water craft, and how epoxy often is weakened to the point of failure by salt water, repeated stress, and heat - 3 things that a sailboat gets plenty of. I am told by many epoxy fans that this chapter "is now out of date", but I don't remember any amazing new epoxies coming out that make Pardey's findings defunct. George Buehler says it best - epoxy works best when it's backed up by a bolt. "Praise epoxy but pass the nails".

Also note the title "The Hull". That's all you get. When it comes to decks, houses, rigging, etc., you're on your own. Hopefully Pardey will bring out volume 2 on the rest of the boat.

He's a masterful carpenter and his work is glorious and gleaming, fully among the best of yacht-quality work ever done. This is something you need to seriously soak in. This is THE BEST, and not necessarily realistic for the average home boat builder. This book represents a set of skills that you probably don't have, and may find difficulty developing in your lifetime, unless you are really dedicated. Also, there is the time factor. It's one thing to look at a photo of fastening planking on the frame and say "I understand that...I can do that!" and it's quite another to realize how many HUNDREDS of hours are involved in just a few of the aspects of the hull construction. Pardey could work on his yacht full time - he didn't need to do other work to pay the bills. He was also in the prime of his health. Most Americans only have this kind of time if they're retired, and that often means not as strong as we once were. If we're young and strong it means we have to work for a living. So, this particular boat might be best aimed at the youngish man who doesn't have to work very much for his living. Either that or you'll spend about a decade of weekends on this boat.

If you want to get on the water a little quicker than that, consider George Buehler's "Backyard Boat Building", for salty and sea worthy crusising yachts that the average man or woman can build themselves in a year or two, and actually take to the Caribbean, or further. I'm not saying don't aspire to Pardey's level, but remember that you live in the real world. It's better to build a simple boat than to not build a fancy one. It's better to go sailing than it is to spend your free weekends for 2 years screwing down teak decking. But, that consideration aside, there is no better guide to traditional yacht construction than this.

Larry Pardey book is the definitive guide on Carvel Plank construction, he takes you through the building process of their 30' Talesin.

Besides is Epoxy-phobia, there are great tips and considerations when building a boat. If you plan on building even a strip plank, Larry's book will give you tips to avoid the mistakes that have often destroyed a home builders dreams or wasted a lot of wood.

The short coming of this book is that the deck is only modestly covered and it stops at the hull. Mr. Pardey has yet to put out the other part that covers the interior and rigging. So you will find some questions unanswered.

I have read at least 5 (maybe more) books on home boat building. Where this book does a superior job is in its prolific use of photographs to demonstrate the steps discussed in the text. Pardey's is a good book but a bit on the "HARD CORE" side. For instance how many "one-off" builders are going to go to the trouble of forging our own magnesium alloy floor brackets? If you are serious about building your own boat I'd still recommend reading this book but it should not be the first you read. In my opinion, Pardey's book is not intended for the rank armature. In fact you have to be fairly familiar with, carpentry, boats, and boat building terminology in order to follow the book at all. I still encountered JARGON that was unfamiliar to me. If I were the editor of this book I'd recommend a comprehensive GLOSSARY OF TERMS be added at the end of the book. That one addition would greatly increase the utility of this book.

To who ever desires or dreams of building this is a valuable eye opener of what has been drawn over the years.
Some difficult some relatively easy. But all worth studying for the efforts the designers made to come up with some beautiful ships.
It is not a complete list but a very varied selection and will be able to allow some one to focus on what one find more appealing.

This is simply a catalog of plans you can buy. I wouldn't pay for a Sears catalog of things to buy. It also has a list of related articles in Woodenboat magazine that can be ordered.
I am looking for imformation on how to build a boat, not looking to buy a book on where to buy imformation on how to build a boat.

A wonderful compendium of study plans for wooden boats. The full construction plans can be purchased separately and in various places, depending on the plan set.

This is a great book for anyone wanting to build a wooden boat. You can go over 40 different designs and then purchase the plans for the one you wish to build.

5 Stars

Some people love working on cars, golfing, or seeing a good game. This reviewer loves ships and boats. I got this book as a house warming gift for a friend who build a massive house. I have to admit the book is amazing and quite informative.

Bluntly, if you're a good carpenter with a full work bench of tools, know a lot about basic carpentry construction, and don't mind spending money then this is the book for you.

Indeed, the person I gave this book to is an avid sailor on Lake St. Clair and is a house contractor. He is using some of the information in this book in restoring a wooden 1950s era cabin cruiser. This book tells a craftsman how to cut nautical grade joints, tells what types of woods to use, calking, and what types of glues to use. Note, the information is a little old so a person may want to research modern glues for marine use. It may not be easy to find some of the older glues referenced in this book.

I highly enjoyed reading this book. This amazon.com reviewer own a small sloop with a Marconi rig. I would never own a gaff rigged boat. But this wonderful little book will give you complete information on building a nice little sail boat. The section on the large cruisers is very tempting to anybody who has a passion for the sea.

If you are a builder of boats this book will have some good information for you. If you're like me, it has a fair bit of necessary general information on construction techniques and nautical terms.

I give it five stars. Anybody who likes boats, woodworking, and being on the water will learn something good from this nice book.

Highly recommended.

What Lefty Kreh did with saltwater fly fishing was nothing short of revolutionary. It's easy enough to walk to the nearest store and buy saltwater gear and flies now, but Lefty helped pioneer the genre and many of the flies we now enjoy - including the Lefty's Deceiver. Lefty writes the way he speaks in public; generous, affable and full of infectious energy. No serious angler's library is complete without this book.

I first read this book in college in South Florida in the early 90s. Unable to afford bait, I took an old fiberglass fly rod out and following this book's advice, caught snook, reds, trout and even juvenile tarpon and hammerheads.

If you like this book, (and you will) you should also pick up Lefty's DVDs on tying.

As usual; Lefty at his best. Another book where Lefty has the ability to teach and simplify with the written word and short stories like few others in the sport. I highly recommend all his books.

How to catch barramundi, trevally or milkfish?
Lefty write about indo-pacific fish and give efficient techniques working in all South East Asia.
Thank you!!!

Lefty is a unique treasure for fly fishers. He is full of experience, eager to share it, and able to communicate his wisdom. Unlike more typical fly fishing writers who specialize in conveying mood and meaning, such as Lyons, Gierach, and Weatherell, Lefty's books make you want to be there because you are now armed with so much useful information. I can't wait to delve into ocean flyfishing for the first time.

I am a beginner in the sport of saltwater fly fishing. Lefty covers all the bases with the book. He explains choices of equipment. I was ready to hit the water after finishing this book in a few days.

THIS BOOK PUTS A REAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE REALITY OF DEALING WITH TREACHEROUS SEAS. IT MAKES MY HAIR STAND ON END EVERYTIME
I LOOK THRU IT...

I would give this book five stars except that it is a little out of date and not the easiest to read. Despite this, there is no question that the material within is critically important for any sailor who ventures offshore and worth reading. I feel this topic has not been adequately explored in the printed media. There are only three good books on the subject and this book leads the pack. There is still a lot of research to be done in area of heavy weather sailing. Coles does a good job explaining what to do in various situations he faced. This book gives you a chance to put yourself in his shoes. This book is well worth the price. It is cheap insurance considering that what you learn could save your life. Serious yachtsman read this book.

No-one who takes responsibility for others at sea should be without the life-saving knowledge in this important book. It is a 'distance-learning masterclass'of wild-water seamanship, bang up-to-date, and filled with hard-won experience of what works and what doesn't when the chips are down.

I would not want to be at sea in a rising gale without the 'know-how' I've learned from 'Heavy Weather Sailing'. I echo Pete Goss's endorsement - "If you buy no other book for your voyage, buy this one."

Bill Bailey MRIN and Commercial Ocean Yachtmaster

No-one who takes responsibility for others at sea should be without the life-saving knowledge in this important book. It is a 'distance-learning masterclass'of wild-water seamanship, bang up-to-date, and filled with hard-won experience of what works and what doesn't when the chips are down.

I would not want to be at sea in a rising gale without the 'know-how' I've learned from 'Heavy Weather Sailing'. I echo Pete Goss's endorsement - "If you buy no other book for your voyage, buy this one."

Bill Bailey MRIN and Commercial Ocean Yachtmaster

This book has excellent info, but is a bit overwhelming and I didn't let my partner read it, cause it can be pretty scary. Then I came across the DVD Lin and Larry Pardey put out. Their ideas are discussed in this book. But their Storm tactics DVD put it all in prospective and added a lot of info. was fun to watch too and my partner came away feeling eager to get out voyaging. The two make a grand combination.

It's a great book, although I don't think it's something for the average sailer. A vast knowledge of science will help you understanding this book much better. The book is devided into four parts, of which I especially found the first two parts, named wind and water, very usefull. Wind is not just the story about high and low pressures, it's also translated to the effects you see on the water and the action that needs to be taken for maximum benefit. The water part is a good explanation about wave paterns and how to sail it. Parts three and four, called The Boat and Handeling, I found less usefull. It's better to buy a book who's specific on your type of yacht than reading a general story about this.

Just what is going on in a sailboat race (perhaps a regatta where everyone is sailing their 505 dinghies, and wearing t-shirts with comments on them such as the one in the title of my review)?

This book tells us plenty about what is going on.

The first part is about wind. And at once we're told about the various surface wind patterns, how they arise, and how often they repeat. The light air patterns are called "steady, unsteady, oscillating, and ribboning," while the breeze patterns are "steady, wandering, pulsing, convergent/divergent, channeling, and harsh." There's an enormous amount of specific advice about how to spot what is happening and how to react to each of these cases. We also see a discussion of the "stability index," which incorporates a number of factors that control predictability.

There's also some general race preparation advice. If your boat can match the speed of all the other boats in all conditions and you know what you are doing, that makes you the favorite, and you ought to sail conservatively. You pick three or four other boats that might win, ignore the others, and if those boats (roughly speaking) stay together, you stay in touch with them. "If you don't sail away from them, they cannot sail away from you." You beat them one by one by using the wind patterns, but only by enough to gain "the tactical advantage you need to be ahead of or inside of the selected boats at the next mark." Similarly, if you can't figure out a pattern, you can guess that a few others (perhaps with better "local knowledge") may know what they are doing better than you do. In that case, you should sail defensively, staying with the top boats. Those top boats will beat you, as will a few of the "gamblers," but you will beat most of the rest of the gamblers.

The second (and shortest) section is about water. That means a discussion of the types of waves, and the implications for proper boat handling, as well as currents and tidal streams, which affect navigation and tactics.

The third section deals with the specifics of the boat. Non-planing boats win according to wind speed in light and moderate winds, and according to wind direction in stronger winds. Boats which can plane, but not to windward, will win with wind direction upwind and with wind speed downwind. Boats that can plane to windward will win with wind speed, not wind direction.

This section comprehensively discusses sails, rigs, foils, and hulls.

The final section is on handling, to windward, crosswind, and downwind. That includes a discussion of downwind sailing in light airs, where it is of prime importance for the crew of the boat to stay as still as possible. That means moving as smoothly as possible to set up the jib on a whisker pole or set the spinnaker.

This section also includes a chapter on "kinetics," which is the co-ordinated movement of sails, steering, and body weight. When sailing to windward, the only useful variety of this is "surging," which means slowly and smoothly rolling to leeward a little bit to increase forward thrust. In other wind conditions, there are several other techniques, including impulses, energy-recovery, and pumping (overtrimming).

Sailors of all abilities can learn plenty from this book. I recommend it.

I love this book, it is incredibly deep and detailed with excellent illustrations. Teaching sailing is my job and I study this to improve my own racing performance and I will be passing the gems from this book to my more advanced students.

It is very technical, which I think is a good thing, in that it gives you an understanding of a lot of the detailed science inherent in wind, currents, tuning, handling etc. Mind you, there is a lot of information here... so expect to spend a season reading it and digesting it all. Some of it is so complex I still don't quite grasp it... but I will return to it and work through it when I get time.

If one could somehow 'brain dump' all the information in this book into a medium-level sailor's mind... he would be well on track for an olympic campaign.

I love this book and it will always be on my shelf as a guide, reference work and an interesting read in its own right. I give it the highest possible recommendation and I would love to have the depth of knowlege, penetrating insight and breadth of intelligence to have written this masterpiece.

I was a hot shot dinghy sailor from the 1960's, read most of the books at the time. Reintroduced to this by my sons and the recent purchaser of a 29'er (Julian Bethwaite design) and as a somewhat hapless and occasional 50+ year old skipper of the same boat I decided to read up on the skills necessary for this skiff. Sometimes you are born too early. I could have used this information 30 years ago (but so could most of us if it had been known and available). Better late than never. The book covers slow (traditional keel, old style dinghys) boats, medium speed (high performance, laser 2's) boats and fast boats(skiffs). It is well written in a conversational tone. As in most scientific works you may need to reread some of the more analytical parts depending on your prior educational training. There are some interesting experiments that you can perform simply in your sink, bath tub, hot tub or pool to demonstrate the hydro/aero dynamic principles. I've got 30 or 40 sailing books in my library but this encompasses the most information on how to sail fast of the whole lot.

I thought I knew about meteorology, waves, boatbuilding and sailing. I have a first class Cambridge degree in physics, have sailed and raced various boats (dinghies and sailboards) for 30 years and designed one fast dinghy. I thought I was one smart dude. Words begin to fail me. Wow! I wish I had known this lot 30 years ago. It turns out that I was pig ignorant. The book is the best I have ever seen on what the wind does. It's the best ever on how to handle it. It's extremely good on rigs and how to adjust them. It's not just the best ever, it's streets ahead. Don't expect to read it quickly. There is a vast amount to take in. If you really know your stuff you might get through it in a few weeks. Better to plan on a whole winter.

I feel that the spiritual aspect of golf is sometimes overrated or overwrought in various writings. Here, however, is a long-lost gem wherein Mackenzie, typically, gets it just right. The last two chapters on the societal benefits of golf and golf courses are spot on. I would suggest that anyone who wished to truly understand the spirit of golf should read those chapters. It causes me to hope that there will be numerous quality golf courses built around Iraq and Afghanistan in the near future. If that could be accomplished and some of the local kids and healthy adults take to it, as inevitably they would, then we would achieve our goals of victory and the establishment of advanced societies in those places. It may take that to get there.

MacKenzie's "Spirit of St. Andrews" shows that his philosophy of golf course architecture is as relevant today as it was when this was written in the 1930s. The good doctor's writing flows with the charm of that era.

Not to be confused with a book centered on architecture, this, MacKenzie's unpublished and possibly unfinished volume on golf, is a general essay on the game and its facets.

Because MacKenzie is famous for his courses, the obvious assumption is that this would be centered on course design. Rather, it is almost a reflection on what goes in to making a good course versus a bad one, what seperates good golfers from the hacks, and a whole other range of subjects. It even features a chapter on his disection of the golf swing.

For someone looking purely for an architectural perspective, it would be better to look at his other book, Golf Architecture. This, on the other hand, is much more broad ranging. Most will only be interested in the first half, where the focus is on courses, their upkeep, and MacKenzie's personal involvement in the spread of golf. The latter, on the swing and a few random ideas on golf, will likely drag on the reader rather than offering the enlightenment we would hope for.

Lost manuscript now publlished for all of us to hear the thoughts of such an influential figure in our sport's history. Bob Jones wrote of him in the preface: "all his courses that I have played have been interesting; in every instance he has placed interest and enjoyment ahead of difficulty."

Oh, that more modern designers would learn the lesson! He states that even the most emphatic golfer who says he's not interested in beauty is "subconsciously influenced by his surroundings." Easily the designer of some of golf's most influential hole scenes, this guy gives definite hints, e.g. Playing down fairways bordered by straight lines of trees is not only unartistic but makes tedious and uninteresting golf. Many green committees ruin one's handiwork by planting trees like rows of soldiers along the borders of the fairways."

Love the poem he quotes on the analysis of paralysis: The Centipede was happy quite until a toad in fun said "Pray which leg goes over which?" This put his mind in such a pitch he lay distracted in a ditch considering how to run."

Great read and great sketches. When asked how he got such interesting, hilly, contoured greens, Dr. M once said, "Employ the biggest fool in the village and instruct him to make the greens all flat"

Scary how much of the comments written in the early part of the century apply to today's game and course design. Once section about the controversy of the day re: limiting the flight of the ball is exaclt what we are hearing nearly again 70 years later

I enjoyed Brad Lewis's account of his coaching experiences at UCSB. People who are familiar with rowing and do some coaching would enjoy it the most. He has a great sense of humor.Wanted: Rowing Coach

As a rower myself, I greatly enjoyed reading this book. It gave me a bit of insight into a coach's mind and into how I think about rowing. I don't know how someone without knowledge of the sport would feel reading this book because it doesn't give one great specifics about some rowing terms, but nothing one could not look-up. In that respect, it doesn't delve into lots of rowing terms so I don't think the non-rower would be overwhelmed. It was a fun read, written like a diary of the events of the day for a coach and his thoughts on what to change, how to understand his rowers, and how to make the most of a season. I don't know who edited this because there were a handful of grammatical errors that you will notice, but it really doesn't take away from the reading.

Brad's book is a great read for rowers and crew coaches. He uses his excellent writing skills to combine a good story with lots of practical useable rowing drills and inspirational sayings. I would have loved having him as a coach. With all his superhuman coaching efforts, it was too bad his results were not better!

The story is a good one, particularly if you are looking for a crew to coach, but I found the book so poorly written I couldn't read it all. A good story deserves more attention to the writing than Mr. Lewis provided. Where were the editors?

Thanks again to Brad Alan Lewis for this entertaining and illuminating look at the sport of rowing, and athletics in general. This is a fitting post script to Brad's earlier work, Assault on Lake Casitas, which is one of the best books on high level athletics ever written.