Guns Books

The information in this book is now 5-6 years old and, in this age of product volatility, a lot of the mentioned rifles are no longer available. There's more here than you probably want to know when it comes to ballistics--I just skip the technical parts. As a casual airgun shooter, I'm really not too interested in the finer points involving physics. What House did in this book was to investigate a subject that is mostly ignored. He reviewed relatively inexpensive American multi-pump air rifles in the context of how they perform in relation to the more sophisticated, expensive--and decidedly less shooter-friendly--European rifles. His conclusion is somewhat astonishing in finding that the American rifles offer a lot of accuracy and utility for a reasonable price.

After reading this book, I felt obliged to dust off my old Daisy and give it a try at 10 meters. Unfortunately, it's been abused and neglected for well over 10 years and the whole barrel assembly was too loose to even attempt to use it again. I again consulted House and went out and picked up a Benjamin 392 that has proven to be a real joy. Every pellet I've tried gives substantially less than .5" groups at 10 meters even in my fairly unsteady hands and with my aging eyes.

The Crosmans, Daisies, Benjamins and Sheridans will never have the following or accolades of the finely crafted spring-piston European models but this book goes a long way in giving them the respect they deserve.

Mr. House's book on air rifles is a good informational book for the masses. It may fall short of Mr. Lumley's expectations but it is fine for the rest of us.

Mr. Lumley stoops to attacking the author and supposing his motives for writing the book. I don't think Mr. Lumley's comments are constructive nor will they scare off a thinking person.

The book has good information on air rifles and their performance.

This book is an excellent introduction to air rifles, pellets and the ballistics of air rifles. It would serve as a good guide to someone interested in purchasing an air rifle for hunting or plinking. The cover indicates that it covers target shooting, small-game hunting, complete ballistics and pellet selection. The latter three items are covered. However, there is essentially no information on target shooting or rifles designed for target shooting. I realize that the book is limited to American air rifles, but at least the Daisy Avanti models could have been included. There was also a lack of discussion of triggers, a critical rifle component for accurate shooting. I would have rated the book at least 4 stars, if it had not given the impression on the front cover that it included target shooting and target rifles, which was the reason that I bought it.

I purchased this book for my husband who loves airguns(all guns), hence the title. He would not put that book down until he read the whole thing! Especially about the Benjamin 392, which is his personal favorite(if you could pin him down to choose a favorite). In his own words,"It is the best book written on American made pneumatic "pump-up" Air rifles that he has read to date. It has plenty of statistics on fps and fpe and pellet accuracy just to name a few. Also great info on small game hunting using "magnum" powered airguns". I am very pleased with my husband's pleasure with this book and I would imagine any airgun buff/collector would not be complete with a copy for his/her library.
Sincerely,
S.Morales-SAN JOSE,CA

This is by far the best book for beginners and intermediate users of air rifles that I have seen so far. Lots of practical information on the selection and use of pellets and rifles. The author has a way of explaining some difficult topics in ballistics that makes the material useful to the non expert. I was also suprised to find out how accurate and powerful American air rifles are. The only additions I would have liked to have seen in the book are, 1) A chapter on shooting technique (target and hunting. and 2) A chapter on maintenance and lubrication. I would highly recommend this book.

This is a well done account of the bloody history of the Forks of the Ohio, that little spot of ground where the Monongahela and Alleghany Rivers converge to form the Ohio at the point where Pittsburgh stands today. This area was the scene of a heated dispute which lead ultimately to the outbreak of the French and Indian War as three cultures clashed over control of the Ohio Country.

In 1753, George Washington led a party of men to demand the withdrawl of French forces from this much disputed land. Washington was one of the first to comment on the military and economic value of the site and demonstrated the English willingness to fight for control of this desirable land. The Indians, caught between the clashing French and English armies, sought only to live in peace on their own lands. Washington would go on to fail miserably at Fort Neccessity in 1754, as would General Braddock on the Monongahela a year later. It was only after the Ohio Indians were convinced to abandon their support of the French at Fort Dusquene in 1758 that Forbes' Expedition was able to successfully take the Forks.

Fort Pitt would go on to importance again during the American Revolution but would never possess the strategic value it had in prior days. This book gives an excellent account of the many men and events that helped shaped what would ultimately become the United States.

It is a good read, though people looking for a more scholarly, documented, well-researched study of the campaigns of Braddock and Forbes should use Fred Anderson's Crucible of War.

Guns At The Forks tells the story of the five forts that were built at the forks of the Ohio River (modern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) - Fort Prince George, Fort Duquesne, Mercer's Fort, Fort Pitt and Fort Fayette, and the struggle to control this key bit of real estate that was crucial to the control of the whole inner continent. It keeps a tight focus on the story line of the struggle for this bit of land, and relates only the details of The French and Indian War and Pontiacs Uprising that bear directly on the fate of the forts at the fork.

The fascinating events that surrounded this struggle include George Washington's first entrance onto the world stage as a young man sent on a dangerous winter mission, and the following year bungling his first military mission and precipitating the start of the French and Indian War. Braddock's Massacre, the greatest British military defeat up to that point in history, happened while attempting to wrest the forks from the control of the French and capture Fort Duquesne. The subsequent years of Indian raids that terrorized the Pennsylvanian and Virginian frontiers were all launch from Fort Duquesne, until the relentlessly plodding Forbes expedition finally put an end to French power at the forks. The English then built their greatest North American fortress, Fort Pitt, at the forks, which was one of the only forts on the frontier to withstand the native attacks during Pontiac's Uprising, with an assist from Colonel Bouquet and his highlanders at the Battle of Bushy Run. The book relates all of these riveting stories in fascinating detail.

If you have an interest in The French and Indian War, Pontiac's Uprising, Pennsylvanian regional history, or the colonial frontier, consider this book a must read. It is extremely well written, and reads smoothly while weaving its history as a riveting tale - highly recommended.

Theo Logos

This is a 270 page must-read history of the British, French, and Indian struggle for control of the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio River.

The book includes maps, pictures, diagrams, photos, index and bibliography. The author manages to present a balanced approach, and cuts through many long believed myths, with a rational, easy to understand style.

Excellent account of Ft. Pitt /Duquesne and its use in the French and Indian war.

Using written reports from both side and a familarity with the ground O'Meara does a fine job making a vivid picture of the English, French and the Indians (yes I said Indians) in between. You see all three sides in this quest for the control of the waterways vying for position and when possible using each other.

This book was written in the mid 60's and the total lack of political correctness shows to the joy of the reader. It is a pleasure to see an author willing to call the roasting alive of a prisoner what it was , savage! That this is a parallel to some reporting of events to day make it even more relevent.

One final note. The truth of the Fog of war is illustrated as both side seemed to have no true idea of what they were facing and were released from their ignorance only when events or luck overtook them. This is a truth of war that never ends.

Very much worth adding to your home library.

A well written, informitive look at Mexican Migration. Mr. Quinones knows the implications, economic, political and social, of migration on both sides of the border. He also knows his subjects and follows them on each side of the border and back and forth.

Sam's stories are so alive, he writes about real folks living out the dream in their own ways. I love all the chapters but there is no finer or more interesting chapter than chap. 4, Doyle and Chuy Wrap Juarez in Velvet. To me the velvet painters are heroes, their story should be told and Sam does it. The cover is done in black velvet. I love the chapter about SouthGate too. Colorful stories all.Should be required reading.

A collection of short stories of the Mexican diaspora, saddening, uplifting and inspirational by turns that challenge the stereotype of the illegal immigrant on US media outlets. Hopefully readers will be able to bring rationality and even humanity to the immigration debate after reading these insightful stories.

Border fences do not squash the kind of raging desire for a better life that the characters in Quinones book seek and find. If you are inspired by stories of simple people who accomplish amazing things against all odds, you will love this book. This is not a book about politics, it is a book about people and it just might add dimension and perspective to your opinion on border issues.

In 2002 Ruben Martinez published "Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail". The book did a wonderful job of telling the story about an extended family separated by the U.S.-Mexico border. Sam Quinones' book "Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream" is an equally compelling and well written, researched book. The three part story of Delfino Juarez is without comparison. Plus, the chapter on migrants from Atolinga, Zacatecas to Chicago who entered the non-Franchise fast food industry is GREAT. My only concern about the book is that Quinones sets out to tell tales about the things Mexican migrants (to the U.S.) want. Ok, generally speaking he succeeded. I was bothered by the fact that Sam seems to lose focus on migrants to the U.S. For example the book has chapters that address such topics as the rise of Opera in Tijuana, Velvet painting in Juarez, and drug smuggling into U.S. and Canada. While the chapters are facinating and well written, I felt these topics did not tie into Quinones' stated objective. Aside from this concern, Sam Quinones obviously poured his heart into the project. Kudos to him. A very good read!

While the M1 Garand is certainly a classic american rifle this book hardly rates in the same catagory.

As a new M1 owner I was looking for a book full of technical information on operation and maintenance along with some history. This book is short on all of the above but very long on attitude. Mr. Thompson makes his opinions clear on everything from his local police department to the general state of world affairs. I do not dispute the validity, or factuality, of Mr. Thompsons statements. I would be more than willing to sit down and discuss them. I do not, however, enjoy spending my hard earned money on a book entitled "The Classic M1 Garand" which is overly rife with page upon page of geo-political posturing.

The book is actually pretty scant on technical data and most of the photos are too dark and unfocused to be of any real value. This book is simply too full of useless information. I had intended to purchase Mr. Thompsons previous book, The Complete M1 Garand. Since I don't believe in throwing good money after bad I think I'll pass.

I suggest that you do the same.

Between the covers of "The Classic M1 Garand" by Jim Thompson, lies the intertwined stories of many whose lives have been touched by the legacy of this beautiful rifle. The opening pages tell the sensitive, true story of two men touched by time and linked by family, who had lived through two different wars. They grew to discover another thing which they had in common was their respect for the M1 Garand, a weapon that for each of them served to retain the memories of a time and place too horrible to remember...... and too much a part of what they were as men, to forget.
I am not a gun collector or a shooter. I am merely a woman who has had the incredible luck to browse through this excellently composed book which is full of history. The descriptions of the birth and re birth of the M1 are perfect in their detail and interesting in that the author weaves anecdotes and personal stories into the factual data. This is a wonderful way to keep the reader's attention riveted. It is apparant that this weapon has been around the world in it's various incarnations, each of them given ample space for photographs and exacting descriptions. And , speaking of photographs, this book is full of them. Many more so than I would have thought to find. There are photos of the various parts, markings and accessories to the gun and many pictures dedicated to the beauty of the rifle itself. Believe me, it is a wonderful machine with it's clean lines and spare design. Gorgeous wood and shining metal. This M1 Garand is a beautiful piece of art. It is no wonder that the M1 Garand is sought after by collectors the world over! The author, Jim Thompson, is credited with several of the photographs and appears in some as well. He is as capable an artist with the camera as he is with the pen. I enjoyed reading and looking through "The Classic M1 Garand", and will keep it visible to all who come to my home. It has become my newest and most treasured coffee table book. Thank you Mr. Thompson. Please write more books......for a long time to come.

The COMPLETE M1 GARAND and THE CLASSIC M1 GARAND are a pair of the most practical and straightforward firearms books I have ever read or seen. Most important, they saved me money, trouble, and thumbs. This writer does not fool around! Rather than elaborate charts of which 99% are useless to the typical gunnie, this guy gets to the meat, and in a hurry. And yet, the material is easy to handle.

He even covers and shows fake and real and rare and common parts, the way they ACTUALLY look, instead of all fancified and restored. I had lots of trouble with other books, where the parts arrays were new or better-than-new, and didn't seem even similar to mine.

I invested, I think, %45.00 in these books. Dollarwise, I have saved maybe $2000 or more, and a lot of problems. This guy knows the gun, knows the market, knows the parts, and tells you what you need to know, in practical, plain English, not mumbo-jumbo garbage.

I got all the M1 books. This one is the easiest to use, and makes more sense than all the others together.

These are the best of the M1 books, the easiest to read and
understand, with the detail laid out in a way that anybody can
understand. And the guns he shows look like the real thing.

The notes on the gun confiscation movement and local politics bring this World War II veteran rifle into modern context, and make it very obvious what the motiviations of the antigunners really are.

Scholarly without being pretentious, I found myself absorbing techniques and information without even noticing it.
And I did most of his maintenance stuff, and it all worked. With the trouble shooting information in Thompson's other book, THE COMPLETE M1 GARAND, the books have saved me thousands of dollars and lots of hours.

He goes beyond other researchers, who seem to dig up all their stuff at the armories, the factories, and from dry delivery records, and who pay no attention to the reports of veterans and actual units in the field. This makes his work very practical. He also puts holes in some of the "stand operating b.s." and lies of the past, which someone out there is surely going to find troubling, but what he says, I found out, works, makes sense, and is the truth. He has spent a lot of time getting this stuff from gunsmiths and armorers, and a lot of it I had heard previously but discarded because it wasn't in the dry books of other authors. It seems he is right on virtually every score, and much of the "official" stuff is smokescreen. My gunsmith (who built M1's during World War II, and wound up carrying one in Korea) loves the M1, and says Thompson obviously listened to "the right guys"... He also affirms Thompson's data and analysis of the gas traps and their performance, and that everything else in the book is obviously the way it really was.

These books are way better than Canfield's, and
have way less errors. And they include the Italian
rifles and the ones a guy is likely to actually GET,
too, and in MUCH MORE detail.

Don Kates, Gary Kleck and numerous other contributing researchers have produced a well documented and scholarly but highly readable examination of a hazy issue which unfortunately has become an emotionally driven, ideological litmus test in our society.

Not only do the authors exhaustively and convincingly argue of the positive social utility of lawful, privately owned firearms, they effectively demolish or refocus many long-held assumptions that we in the US and overseas often have about firearms misuse, crime, criminals, crime statistics and the means by which we try to define and "combat" crime. In turn, they effectively rebut many scholarly critics of the "right to keep and bear arms" by looking at the 2nd Amendment not as an isolated aberration. Rather, they view it as a keystone of a closely interwoven Constitutional philosophy well grounded in English history and common law as well as in the political theory of George Mason, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, not to mention the philosophy of John Locke, David Hume, Adam Smith and others.

The most fascinating part of the book is the writers' detailed exposure of the disturbing attitudes and behavior of many of those calling for ever-tighter gun controls if not for complete abolition of their ownership by private citizens. Among these are the relentless character assassination, crude ad hominem attacks, heavy editorial bias, routine scaremongering and bigoted stereotypy directed by anti-gun members of the mainstream news media, the clergy and intelligentsia (ordinarily so self-congratulatory about their presumably unassailable sense of objectivity, tolerance, fairness, balance and impartiality) toward law abiding firearms owners. Whether one is pro or anti-gun or none of the above, this phenomenon alone is a cause for serious concern.

Kates and Kleck present a reasoned discussion of the possession, control and use of guns and their impact on violence and crime in the US.

The book is a refreshing change from the pre-programmed argumentation that characterizes most of the "gun debate". As a gun owner, I dislike the lack of intellectual honesty that is endemic in the anti-gun literature but I also recognize the repetitive, almost ritual pro-gun prose.

Kates and Kleck address the traditional guns'n crime issues but also say that some types of gun control are desireable (ones aimed at disarming or disabling people who've demonstrated membership in the "criminal class").

They address in some detail the intellectual dishonesty behind much of anti-gun "science" and the biases in much of the press coverage of the "gun debate".

It's a very informative and readable book. I recommend it highly.

...the last 1/3 of it got bogged down in too much technical detail and repeated information that had been previously stated. That is too bad because the first 2/3 was well-written and informative.

This really is an interesting book - one that should burst some bubbles of the anti-gun crowd. The writers painstakingly analyze the statistics and the motivations of some of America's biggest gun control lobbies, including the Centers for Disease Control (did you know that they use bogus data to label handguns as a public health threat? They quote FBI data that literally does not exist - they cite the document but it does not have the statistics that they use as a justification to lobby against guns. The document doesn't even report that type of statistic!)

Don't let my comments about the last 1/3 of the book deter you from reading the rest of it - it really was worth the time and effort and firmly completed my swing from being anti-gun to being anti-gun control.

What is lost on many reviewers is the political history of the two authors which would cause some to assume that they would be viciously anti-gun. Well, they were, at one time.

Don Kates is a former "Criminologist of the Year" award winner, as is Florida State University's Gary Kleck. Kates is lawyer specializing in civil rights, and was instrumental in writing the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Part of Kate's life experience that shapes his views today were the violent attacks on the civil rights workers by roving bands of KKK. The local police would not come to their aid, so Kates found himself standing armed guard around the homes of NAACP officials. The KKK wisely kept clear. Even given this, Kates had fallen for the gun controlers ruse, "Saturday Night Special" (SNS) which are claimed to be disproportionately used by criminals. Kates later researched the subject and found that the term got its start in the post Civil War south. The original term was actually "Niggertown Saturday Night Special." It was used to villify inexpensive firearms (the only ones the newly freed slaves could afford) and resulted in only well-made and expensive guns being legal. Viola! Blacks were slowly disarmed and easily attacked by the newly formed KKK. Kates discovered that criminals actually prefer high quality firearms (just like the rest of us) and wonders, if the SNS theory is true, what the benefit would be to arm criminals with more expensive weapons the didn't "blow up, jam, or were more accurate."

Kleck is another self-described liberal Democrat. He is a member of ACLU, Common Cause, and Amnesty International. He was so firmly anti-gun that his original study was admittedly started to show that guns in the hands of peaceful citizens were not used very often to stop crime. His final study found that they were indeed used at least 2.5 million times per year in face to face confrontations to thwart crime. For this work he won the Hindelang award (most significant work by a criminologist in several years).

Despite their pro-gun data, Kleck and Kates still think that "gun control" and "registration" is a good thing in general. I don't. To find out why, look into Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. It was founded by holocaust survivors who saw Hitler confiscate Jewish firearms using registration data just before he killed six million of them.

This is a factual, well documented text. And that's just what it is: A text fit for an honest, college level sociology course. I found it very informative, especially the final chapter on Constitutional issues. However, I found the chapter dealing with the Fourth Estate, the press, a little curious. It seems that Kates bent over backwards giving excuses for the press's behavior, but went on to reveal a clear case of premeditated libel. Oh well, I didn't let that color my judgement of this well balanced presentation. I highly recommend this book because of the revealing statistics and their erudite presentation. A highly reliable book.

As I have been considering joining Mahamudra lineage of the Karma Kagyu, I wanted to get a feel for the fore-fathers of the lineage. This is a very interesting book, some of which, with my limited progression so far on the path, was not completely understood. Nevertheless I found it vital to get a feel for those yogis who formed the Kagyu lineage. I recommend you read it many times as your meditation progresses to get the most out of this book.

The Venerable Khenchen Rinpoche Konchog Gyaltsen is a Tibetan monk that has gone through all the phases of expatriation followed by refugees fleeing Tibet after 1959 (see the magnificent description of this period of Tibetan Diaspora in John Avedon's "In Exile from the Land of Snows"). He now lives according to http://www.drikung.org/bio2.htlm in the United States. Asides from being a teacher and a master of Buddhism he is a translator that strives to make important text available to the public and provide training in the Dharma. He has already translated other Tibetan texts, but he found that a translation of the 13th century text by Dorje Dze Od a disciple of the Kagyu lineage might be useful for the public and his students.
Dorje Dze Od was himself a great master that practiced in Western Tibet, experienced in meditation practices and perceived by his disciples in miraculous ways. He wrote a compilation of the lives of the Kagyu Masters starting from Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa down to the more recent Phagmodrupa and Lord Jigten Sumgon describing their mutual relationships, their miracles, illuminations and adding significant and beautiful doha songs (a kind of praises and prayers).
So we are talking about a translation of a 13th century text, like (if a comparison is consented) Dante's "Divine Comedy", or St. Francesco d'Assisi's "Laudato sii.." or Jacopone da Todi's Laudae. Naturally Italians, with experience of Latin and classical literature, are capable of understanding part of these beautiful and significant religious texts, but even our school editions have notes and explanations that consent to appreciate the full meaning of the texts, but when an English translation is necessary notes are indispensable. This is to say that once one decides to translate an ancient text, more so one with a religious and spiritual significance also in modern times and not only a narration of known and timeless tales (like for example the Iliad), this must be rendered comprehensible also to a non adept public. Notes, historical, geographical explanations are completely absent from this book. Only the dates of the life spans of the Great Masters are reported.
This particular characteristic makes this translation an esoteric book which is somehow a little frustrating for the interested reader. However, since the web gives us many resources I found great help on http://www.ordinarymind.net/Feature/feature1_oct2002.htm for a comprehension of the Kagyu tradition and on http://www.ordinarymind.net/Feature/feature2_oct2002.htm for the current meaning of the Lineage.
Remembering a "The life of Milarepa" I read many years ago, I took it down from the shelf and reread it. This translation I have (from the Rechungpa chronicle of is life - 12th Century) is by Jacques Bacot, and I don't believe it exists in English. Though not fraught with notes it is comprehensible and infinitely interesting to read and has the intent of explaining Mila's life to the occidental reader. The introduction expressly states "sometimes different words design a similar or same thing. We must remember the enormous distance that separates the intellectual world of Milarepa from that of the occidental reader today. Some misunderstanding might be present also regarding the facts. Our comprehension of the phenomena of Indian mystics will always be missing the will, and also the possibility of experiencing it, because it requires some conditions which are for us today unrealizable". Bacot wrote this in the 1920's. Maybe today it's truth is not so evident because many readers have an idea of Tibetan mystics and Buddhism is part of or New Age practical life philosophy. However, KK Gyaltsen's translation is sometimes really cryptic and this is a pity because the interest of the text does not come fully out.
The book has a sturdy binding, a colourful cover and very nice line drawings. At the end it reports the Drikung Kagyu lineage with the relative dates.
It is a useful adjunct to a library, but only a stepping stone to knowledge about such a different cultural milieu.

Translated by Tibetan Rinpoche Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen, Tibet The Great Kagyu Masters: The Golden Lineage Treasury is a collection of the wisdom of the early sages of the Kagyu sages of Tibet, many of whom are virtually unknown to non-Tibetans. Presenting the life stories of several enlightened masters including Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa, and others, The Great Kagyu Masters is part biography, part religious history, and part insight into principles and teachings of this dynamic path of Tibetan Buddhism. Many of the biographical sketches alternate between standard prose and verse form. An enthusiastically welcome addition to public library, Buddhist history and Buddhism study shelves.

This book chronicles the lives of saints from those of the Kagyu lineage. It is concise when compared to books that are devoted to just one saint. The ones published under the Nalanda Translation committee (Chogyam Trungpa) are a treasure.

Another reviewer, Magalini Sabina "sabina", mentioned a book near the end of his review titled "The Life of Milarepa". There are few known translations of this text, and for those interested there is an English translation available: "The Life of Milarepa: A new Translation from the Tibetan" by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa. This is a treasure of a book and is very sacred in nature. There are a few editions of this book, the first being in 1977. The introduction reveals the history of the text and its translations, and the fascinating history that surrounds the text. The first English translation became available early in the 20th century by W. Y. Evans-Wentz, and if I recall correctly the translation the reviewer mentioned (Bacot) is the early French translation.

I am recalling most of this from memory, so my apologies go out to those who find my data incorrect. I highly recommend the new english translation of "The Life of Milarepa" for anyone seeking the life of saints. Thank you "sabina" for bringing it to light.

The book offers an interesting and entertaining look into the stories of the famous names in buddhist study. For those who want a further information as to why buddhists follow and honor these figures, it gives often lengthy accounts of their biographies, training, and accomplishments. Highly readable and informative.

I had high hopes for this book until I kept finding error after error in the text under the photos.

Here are some examples of the errors that I found in the text of the book:

Page 9: Book is about Air War over Europe but B-17 pictured is in the Pacific.

Page 15-16: Formation of A-20's are actually B-26 Marauders.

Page 85: Shootdown of Ju-88 is actually a Me-210 or ME-410.

Page 98: Shootdown of Me-109 fighter is actually a Arado AR-96 trainer.

Page 99: Me-163 Jet Aircraft should be a Me-163 Rocket Aircraft.

Page 102: He-111 is actually a He-177. Hint He-111's don't have four bladed propellers.

Page 113: German plane destroyed on ground is a captured French Dewoitine D 520 fighter.

Page 129: Square tailed Me-109 looks more like a Ju-87 Stuka and a FW-58 liason aircraft is not even listed in the text.

Page 130-131: Potez-63 is actually a former French LeO 451 Bomber.

This could have been a "Great Book" but it only rates as a "Good Book" due to all the textual errors. Buy it for the photos but don't put too much faith in the accuracy of the writing.

If you are interested in the history of aerial warfair you simpley must have this book. It shows the other side of the the stories of succesful aces. Some pictures do show the last seconds of the lives of maybe 10 to 12 crewmembers how simpley didn't even got a chance to escape. Imagine the panic which goes through the minds of these brave airmen in there often last moments. This book shows the real face of war, no glory just fear, suffering and sadness.

Looking at some of the pictures in this book is like looking at a horrifying car crash in slow-motion. Horrible and yet fascinating - you just can't pull your eyes away.

This is an absolutely incredible collection of unique action photos, and in some cases sequences of shots. As an example there is a series of photos showing one A20 actually getting hit by a bomb released by another, and then vearing off and colliding with another A-20. Absolutely incredible.

Another spine tingling shot shows what happens to a B-17 when it takes a direct hit from a heavy calibre AA gun. It's as if it was sliced into 3 components (tail, mid and forward sections) which have then been casually tossed hundreds of yards from each other. It is totally surreal.

There is simply nothing else like it out there. I can't recommend it highly enough to anyone with an interest in the European air war.

This book offers us a glimpse of the brutality of the Air War over Europe from the American perspective. Numerous photos of doomed aircraft with wings sheared off, gas tanks exploding, gaping holes caused by flak that are both spectacular and horrific. One cannot help but to wonder what these men were thinking in their last moments. Overall this is a good book; I think, though, that there aren't enough pictures (some I've seen quite often) to justify the cost, and the text was somewhat sparse and did not offer much in the way of background information.

This is an excellent book. The pictures are graphic to the max and bring the viewer as close to the action as is possible. They are guaranteed to bring one's emotions to the surface and are not for the squeamish. I know, because the picture on page 43 of the burning Douglas A-20 Havoc was piloted by my cousin, 1st. Lt. Gordon R. Argyle of Joliet, IL. The plane, Betty Ann II, was new and Gordy had borrowed it from his commanding officer, Major Arthur R. Milow (who had named it after his wife). The plane was hit over Bonnieres, France (not Nazi Germany)May 9, 1944 and crashed in the vicinity of Frevent, France. The photo was taken by a crew member of another Havoc on the raid and may be seen on the 409th Bomb Squadron's website. In addition to Gordy, his navagator-bombadier Lt. Corey, and his gunner, S/Sgt. W. H. Oglesbee, died in the crash. The other gunner, S/Sgt. L. W. Dirikson parachuted to saftey and spent the rest of the war in various prisoner-of-war camps. He died in 1999. Lt. Col. Milow is still alive and living in CA. He's 85. Gordy was a member of the 9th Air Force, 409 Bomb Group (L), 643rd Bomber Squadron. Shortly before our grandmother died she requested that if Gordy's remains were found that they be brought home to Joliet. In keeping with her wishes his remains were taken from the U.S. Military Cemetary in St. Andre, France and buried in Elmhurst Cemetary, Joliet, IL.
I still get a feeling of deep sadness when looking at the picture and realizing that Gordy is alive and in the pilot's seat with God-knows-what going through his mind. What a sacrifice those men made! I hope it is appreciated.

An amazing book ,it completely encompasses all the possible attributes of avery good novel.Highly thrilling and explosive, it starts of with a bang and carries on like an Express Train. A must read , is very difficult to put down.
(Personally I have read the book around 75 times and can still read it with the same enthusiasum as though it is the first time.)

I read this book as a teenager at the recommendation of a neighbor, a former English teacher. The book is enthralling account of what would now be considered "special forces" in World War II secretly landing on a German controlled island in the Mediteranian, crossing the island and eventually attacking the huge in-cliff gun implacements at Navarone. On the way they encounter various problems and surprises that must be dealt with. Highly recommended for teenagers (and adults) with an interest in adventure, the military or war history.

Thriller writer Alistair MacLean hit the big time with "The Guns of Navarone," his second novel, in 1957. It was made into a very successful movie with Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, and David Niven in the starring roles. The idea of the secret commando team consisting of a number of specialized operatives (Cpt. Mallory -- rock climber extraordinaire; Andrea -- incredibly strong, lethal fighter; Cpl. Miller -- explosives expert; Petty Ofc. Brown -- engineer and radio expert; Lt. Stevens -- rock climber) with a suicidal mission was duplicated in numerous incarnations ranging from "The Dirty Dozen" to "Mission: Impossible" (the TV series).

"The Guns of Navarone" is a fantastic adventure/war novel. It's tight and tense throughout, and there's an edge to it that is missing from a number of MacLean's later works. It comes across as more realistic than the fun to read "Where Eagles Dare."

The basic plot of "Guns" is that the, during World War II, the Germans have recaptured from the Allies a number of Greek islands; the last one left will be taken over soon, dooming over 1000 Allied soldiers. The British would evacuate the soliders, except they can't get through a channel covered by the Guns of Navarone. All previous aerial attacks on the guns have failed. So Mallory and company are sent on a mission to approach the island of Navarone by boat, climb a sheer wall face, infiltrate the German fortress, and blow up the guns.

"Force 10" is the sequel to "Guns," written eleven years later. It picks up from the ending of the movie, not the novel, so characters who were in the book but not the movie disappear. This time, there's another mission, and Mallory, Andrea, and Miller are paired with three young soldiers who are more eager and less experienced. It too has an edginess to it, but it's not as thrilling as "Guns."

Note that the movie version of "Force 10" starring Harrison Ford, Robert Shaw, and Edward Fox is based on the book in name only (well, except for one fight scene, sort of). Andrea isn't even in the movie. So don't expect the book to be anything like the movie. (Which may be good or bad depending on what you thought of the movie.)

In sum, these are prime examples of MacLean working at his peak. You can't go wrong here.

I first read 'Guns' about thirty five years ago. Thought it was great then, but enjoy it even more now. Some people find it simple; to me it is concise and focused. Longer is not necessarily better. Unbelievable? Only if you know nothing about what has actually happened in war. Truth is stranger than fiction. I don't want to give anything away, but I especially like how Alistair Maclean conveyed the feeling of deceptive peace rapidly changing to incredible violence during the boat journey to the island of Navarone. I once would have thought that the characters were somewhat sterotypical and larger than life, but when I served two years as a paratrooper in the 82d Airborne Division I found that some sterotypes are based on fact. What I enjoy even more now are the descriptions and the mental pictures that are conjured up of the islands and natural settings that the action is occurring in. I say this is the original 'Mission Impossible" because the storyline of the small team of highly trained professionals taking on the impossible mission has been done many times since('Dirty Dozen', for example), but I personally don't know of any story that pre-dates 'Guns'. I enjoyed the movie as well, but I find myself wondering why they had to give it the 'Hollywood' treatment and tamper with such an outstanding action tale. As far as 'Force 10', it is also an entertaining read, but not in the same league as 'Guns'. Still, a nice package for the money, well worth it!

Guns of Navarone was my introduction to Alistair MacLean a couple of decades back and what an introduction it was! A disparate team, each member picked for his particular expertise, united only by their enmity with the Germans, is deployed to attempt a near impossible task. The British sea borne retreat from the Aegean islands is prevented by the gun battery on Navarone that commands the sea route. Assault by air or sea is impossible and the land route to destroy the battery involves climbing a rock face that even the best rock climbers shudder at - but there is no other route! The team assembles, bonds as it approaches the deployment point (despite individual irritants) and makes the attempt. The outcome of course is successful but in spinning the yarn MacLean takes the reader on a roller coaster. From the calm of the Aegean cruise to the split-second timing of the finale, from the crude pettiness of small minded individuals, to the unsung heroism of a dying man, from the stereotyped Nazi villain to an individual's battle to overcome fear, MacLean holds the reader in thrall.

Force 10 merits a mixed review. Though billed as a sequel to Guns, it is actually a sequel to the movie version, which added the usual Hollywood froth to the book, and hence is a bit disorienting for the reader who has not seen the movie. Based in what used to be Yugoslavia, our team of heroes, now somewhat abridged, attempts a brilliant feint to fool the Nazis as to the direction of the main Allied attack into Europe. The feint also has a significant local impact of course. Again an excellent thriller (my only real beef is the discontinuity with the Guns novel) and in fact both Guns and Force 10 are MacLean at his early best, when his novels were concise doses of thrilling action. Among his early strengths were high quality dialog and terrific descriptions, especially of events of nature like storms and floods. Excellent suspense for the most part, fast paced action, believable yet wondrous storyline and gripping prose. Good for an air or train journey or even vacation reading.

This book is different from the other hunting dog training books I've read. It covers a puppy's early development as a whole dog. Joan Bailey takes you from your puppy's first day in your home, through adolescence, to early adulthood. It will show you how to help your dog become both a member of your family and an excellent hunting companion. This book explains why a particular training method might work and how to develop a cooperative relationship with your dog.

This is an awesome book for novice birddog people. I highly recommend it, and give it to my (Pointer) puppy buyers. My favorite feature is that at the back of the book there are lists of things to remember to expose your puppy to by a certain age so that you'll end up with a stable dog. I pull it out every time I raise a pup as a sort of checklist. I agree with the majority of what the author has to say, and the author tends not to take sides (like on the issue of force retrieving). The book does have some info that is geared towards versatile birddogs rather than just Pointing dogs, which is fine as long as you are able to seperate what your dog needs to know. This book is geared towards the first year of puppyhood, not training... which is great as there are not a whole lot of books out there for this. Helps you to remember they are just pups and to just let them grow up for a while.

This book is fine for the average person who has no experience with dogs. But for the average gun dog owner, the first half of the book is a waste of time. The last half does have some good ideas, but I would rather spend my money on something more informative such as the writings of Bill Tarrant, especially the Delmar Smith method. It's hard to argue with success and Smith's training methods earned him many national champions. As for this book, I found myself in disagreement with a couple of the training methods, especially gun conditioning. Overall, it's a good book with many great ideas for the beginner.

This book is a far reaching work that not only addresses the training of Gundogs but also any family pet...of importance is the sections on crate training to facilitate housebreaking and teaching the dog that there are restrictions on his activities...I also enjoyed her views on conditioning and letting the dog learn at its own pace with firm and consistent training by owner...and letting the dog learn to be a dog before pulling from its littermates and throwing it into a new environment. I have trained two dogs with her methods and let 4-5 friends borrow it when training their pets...all have been great successes. My copy is dog-eared (no pun) and hilighted throughout...but a great book for those that want to try a softer method with great results.

There are (too) many "how-to" sporting dog training books available, but I found this one to be different in how it focuses on first year conditioning of the pup rather than training, per se. I didn't agree with everything - not that you would - but I followed about 90% of the author's thoughts and found my dog's second year training to be MUCH EASIER. I think this is important if you have a sensitive breed that won't tolerate heavy handed training, such as mine. It also explained in considerable detail that way in which the puppy learns and this allowed me to sort of 'get inside' my dog's head to better understand how to do the conditioning and training so that he would be successful and the process would go faster and better.

Some folks may not like Bill's writing style. I do. It is not the "Earthier than Thou" style that some gun, dog, and hunting writers use. Nevertheless, he does relate some stories that any outdoorsman can relate to and enjoy. This book has become sort of a reference book for me whenever someone tells me about hunting some bird that I am not familiar with, somewhere I have never been, with dogs that I don't own.

I believe it was this book that first convinced me that it was OK to sleep with a dog. My dog made that decision long ago, but I always worried that I was making a mistake, or was simply being bullied by the dog.

Each page of this book will make you want to schedule a trip, get another dog, or buy another shotgun. Beware.

Mr. Tarrant has done a great job of giving out lots of information without making it drab. If you read his book carefully you will find plenty of hidden advice. He camoflages it as everyday knowledge but if you look, it's all there. Thank you sir, for an interesting and informative book.

This book is great especially if you are hunting with a bird dog. I have gained so much insight into the ways to hunt birds with my dog that I may never have considered without reading this book. I enjoy the way that Bill Tarrant writes and it is very catching. I had a hard time putting this book down.

Anyone who hunts birds with a bird dog will benefit from reading this book. Bill goes over the different types of birds and their common habits and characterisitics and where to look for them. It was very helpful to me.

Tarrant obviously knows what he is talking about. My hunting experiences will be a little more enjoyable after reading this book. Not only is he an accomplished hunter, but I like the way he writes.

This is a good book. It covers several bird species and explains their idiosyncracies. I do not care much for Mr. Tarrants writing style and find it a bit too flowery. A good read.