Outdoors Books

I wrote this autobiographical book as a result of a lifetime of work locating and shipwrecks and sunken cities in over 60 countries around the world and decided to share my adventures with the readers of this book. It started with my building a home-made diving helmet at the age of l2 and almost getting killed using it, to my first discovery of gold at the age of l5 on a California Gold Rush ship and then on to hundreds of other old shipwrecks dating between l000 BC up to modern day shipwrecks.

My most recent discovery was that of one of Magellan's ships lost in l522 off Borneo. Not only does the reader experience the jubliations of my discovery of countless treasures, but also the hardships such as attacks by modern-day pirates and sharks, treasures found and then lost to unscrupulous governments and being captured by terrorists in Lebanon while working on a Phoencian shipwreck. I hope the reader gets as much enjoyment from this book as I have from living the kind of life that most people would enjoy having done. Robert F. Marx

Another well written book by Robert Marx. Lots of treasure history and adventure. It's always a pleasure to read one of his books. If you are a maritime archeologist fan you will enjoy reading this story. Mr. Marx seems to have a sixth sense about treasure. He has a way of taking tedious daily events and turning them into real adventure. Very interesting reading, I found it hard to put the book down.

I would have rated this book a ten, but Amazon didn't offer that selection. This is easily the best real life adventure book I've ever read. I've recommended it to friends and family as a must read.

Marx takes you on a wonderful adventure in this book ,and it's hard to put down! I've read it twice.As a scuba diver myself,I can only dream of such great adventures. this book is a must read!

I gotta say that I could not put this book down. Bob Marx has to be a real life modern adventure pirate(without the killing and dishonest staff). He has done more in and for maritime history that most academics could only read about. From all points of the compass this man has been there and done that and lived (only just) to write about it. Can wait for the next book Bob !

This is the most comprehensive book that I've found on the subject. This book is a rare find and a must have.

To be brief, as stated above, this book is an absolute MUST for any roller coaster enthusiast, be it novice or seasoned rider. This book is ever-so-difficult to obtain, but it truly covers all aspects of these amazing creations, an extensive and thorough history, as well as loads of rare and significant b & w photos.

This book is simply the most complete treatise on the subject of wooden roller coasters that anyone will ever read. Tracing the coaster back centuries in time, Cartmell then brings us through the complete historical time line of designers and coasters. It would do no good to try to describe the book's contents much further here. Even a non-enthusiast will find this a fascinating read into a very interesting subject. Enthusiasts will find it very difficult to put down once they begin reading.

I agree totally with the above reviewed. Just two things to add: the Notes and Bibliography sections are very good, and a superb resource for scholarly research. This is a "classic" and should be in your library!

This book should be in everyone RollerCoaster Entusiast Collection. Written Dr. Robert Cartmell, The Great American Scream Machine tells about the Golden Age of Rollercoaster and The Legendary Builders. It has some rare photo of Herny Traver's Classics including the Cystal Beach Cyclone. The Book was written in 1986 and it nice to see how far coasters have grown since then Also encluded are is a Chroniclogical history of all PTC coaster building and modification.

Complete and very helpfull to anyone who intend to mix gas dive and enhance the knowledge about this kind of diving

This book takes theory of mixed gas diving seriously. Extreamly detailed you can find all gas and diving related formulas and gas composition data. It's an ideal book for those involved in this matter. The good thing about this book is that it's presented in such a way that even the novice mixed gas diver can understand.

This book will give the desired level of information for the beginner interested in the basics as well as a reader interested in the underlying concepts and physiology of complex dive profiles and physics. Clearly written without omitting the details, broad without being vague, and enough "interesting" examples to keep from being a dry tome.

I have been an active scuba diver for more than 30 years and, until recently, avoided all thoughts of progressing from standard scuba diving to technical diving. At the same time, my quest to write about more and more shipwrecks meant that I would either have to go even deeper on "Air" or find myself writing about wrecks which I had not visited - if only because I considered them to be too deep.

At the age of 57, I finally began to study mixed gas diving and this book was my very first move in that direction. Laid out in an easy-to-follow routine, author Heinz Lettnin takes the reader from the basic sciences of mixed gas diving right up to the most advanced techniques. Read once and the diver will have gained an excellent appreciation of the subject. Read twice and the seabed is the limit to what might now be achieved.

Fully recommended as the next logical step from scuba diving to technical diving.

NM

This book takes theory of mixed gas diving seriously. Extreamly detailed you can find all gas and diving related formulas and gas composition data. It's an ideal book for those involved in this matter like commercial divers and mixed gas blenders. The good thing about this book is that it's presented in such a way that even the novice mixed gas diver can understand.

i first had jerk ribs at a jamaican restaurant in long beach, CA. ever since then, i have been searching for a jerk recipe that tastes as good as the ribs i had there. i tried several recipes i found online, and none of them were even close. finally, i got this book, and made the jerk marinade recipe. bingo. this is it. that's the taste i remember! lots of the other recipes look great too. i'm looking forward to trying more of them.

I have tried at least 10 of the receipes in this book and find it very hard to move on to others. The ones that I have tried are always repeated in some cases many times over. The Dry Jerk seasoning is a staple which I have prepared and given as gifts in fancy found jars (page 16). "Wid It" is a special treat that is a must. My all time favorite "Jerked Spareribs", that I place in a platter, cut ribs into small chunks, mix well with white rice, yellow raisens, cashews, and pineapple rings cut into chunks, smooth,put a flat layer of yellow corn on top, place pineapple rings on top of corn, spill all of the juice from the can all over the top and add a few maraschino cherries for color!! It's the BEST!!

Jerk Barbecue is very easy to follow. I am American and I married to a Jamaican. I wanted to start cooking meals my mate grew up eating. This recipe book is perfect. The dishes always turn out great!

I dare you to find a bad recipe in this book. Every single recipe is a winner. The Jamaican cole slaw is so good everyone who eats it asks me for the recipe. The same for the jerk chicken. I love this book.

My husband and I have tried numerous recipies from this cookbook and each one has turned out 100% successful!! Helen has captured the true taste and flavor of the Caribbean with each and every recipe in this cookbook! This is our favorite cookbook!! We highly recommend her recipe for Dry Jerk Seasoning on Page 16!!!!! If you try her Jamaican Cole Slaw on Pg. 115, we would suggest adding pineapple. The sweet flavor makes it perfect!!! If you are going to buy ANY Caribbean or Jamaican cookbook, this is the BEST one by far!!!!!!

This book has all you need to know about this sport. I love this book. As a rookie in this sport, i feel that this book helped me and my team win the northern Massachusetts bocce state title. This is a great book for all ages and playing needs

I bought this book and a Backyard Bocce Ball set for my husband for his birthday and found it very helpful for planning game strategy. We plan to build walls for our game area next Spring using the guidelines in the book. Good book for all beginners to Backyard Bocce!

While Pagnoni's book contains a lot of interesting facts about the game of bocce, it fails to mention the World Series of Bocce, a multi-day event that draws teams from several states and Canada to Rome, NY, every July. A mention -- if not some recent results and/or pictures -- would have made the book much more complete.

The Joy of Bocce is an excellent book for everyone, from the novice to the expert, who wish to play this game. Pagnoni explains, in detail, the rules of the game, the different types of shots, the playing surface, strategy, even practicing. Most importantly, it describes the different types of play for both recreational bocce and professional bocce. There is even instructions on how to build your own bocce court. Anyone interested in learning about this sport, or anyone who would like to learn more about this sport, should pick up a copy of this book. A complete manual about playing the game.

This book shows all the best of Bocce and I think for anyone just starting out or already in the game should read it and enjoy it as much as I have.

Tahnks Mario

Pick this up if you are always at Menards, Home depot, or you just like to play with rocks, on a friday night. It did occur to me after I read this, that my friends may think that I am wierd, because I read a book about rocks and how to place rocks, all on a...you guessed it...FRIDAY NIGHT! LOL! I am not cool!

I love the full color pictures - it gave me all sorts of ideas. I just wished there were a few more pages on "How to do it" I'd recommend this book though for the price - it was awesome.

Beautiful book, well put together, LOTS of pictures. I especially liked the way the author covered different styles of stonework. I'm not a fan of very formal design and he included examples of more informal, earthy landscaping.

What beautiful and innovative designs this book has. My husband and I wanted to landscape much of our property with stone. We actually did more than planned because we were so impressed by much of the ideas in this book. A concern of ours was the price. Much of the simpler projects you find you can do yourself (such as the small retaining wall around the garden), which saved on additional labor costs. We were guided which stones to use, and stones that could be found around the property. For the work that was a bit more extensive we called in a professional and showed him from the book what we wanted. He was very much impressed with this book himself.

From single stone placements to walkways, patios and garden rooms, this book will provide you with endless ideas and inspiration. The instructions are thorough yet easy to follow. A must for a resplendent garden!

When I read this for the first time, I said "I've read this before....". Then I realized it's very much in the style of William Least Heat Moon. Good for laying on a hill, watching the clouds, listening to the birds and animals.... and that's just what the book is!

As often happens in Washington, DC, I got inside information. The author (my eighth grade history teacher) tipped me off about his book, before it was available. I got to read a "galley" I think it is called, and felt even more like an insider. It's exciting when a friend publishes a book, and when that friend telegraphs, with the sound in his voice, that this one might be something special. Steve knows. I read the hardback copy as soon as I got it. Growing up in Colorado gave me some appreciation of this majestic place to the East, which I now plan to visit for the first time. Stephen Jones has woven history, geography several sciences into a literary work of art, that can provide great inspiration, even to the uninitiated. His images are vivid, whether he is describing the hard-scrabble personalities that live there or the spirit-ghosts of Native Americans that have long since perished. His treatments of the landforms and myriad species of animals that dwell in the Nebraska Sandhills, are characteristically perfect. He has written a couple of other nature books, including one with his photos, called the Shortgrass Prairie.What many do not know about Steve is that he was diagnosed with a back problem before he undertook his arduous weeks long trips, the several hundred miles East. He would not want me to mention this, Steve is a low key guy. But his courage is, well, another story. I hope everyone who loves nature, and our vanishing wild places will read this book and be inspired and dream and go there.

Mr. Jone's admiration, appreciation and concern for this very special ecosystem shines through this lovely book. In it, he intertwines Native American myth, Plains history and well researched scientific data into a cohesive and readable overview of the Sandhills of Nebraska.

Through his eyes, we visit and experience a landscape of beauty, solitute, history and rich wildlife. It is, in turns, thought provoking, humourous, enlightening, yet never preachy. Steve is most respectful of the current private owners of these lands, and integrates their ongoing stewardship into well reasoned suggestions to insure the long-term integrity of this fecund habitat for posterity.

The Last Prairie: A Sandhills Journal is an astonishing blend of nature, myth, and love of the land--richly textured with wry wit and something very close to wisdom. It's so deeply rooted in love and its own particular landscape that it transcends locality and becomes universal. In other words, it's a classic, akin to Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Writing, details, and a sensibility to treasure.

Stephen Jones notes in the book that the Sand Hills of Nebraska make up one of the few "dark spots" on those wall posters featuring a satellite view of the United States at night. It is, truly, a wide open space, and he does the landscape great justice with his evident love for the land, its wildlife, its people and history.

For those who think Nebraska is simply home to a football team and endless acres of corn, "The Last Prairie" should open some eyes.

Jones is a prose poet. He makes the Sand Hills live and breathe right there on the page. An excellent, deeply-felt homage to one of America's little-known (thankfully?)great natural treasures.

As someone who's loved the mountains since she was little, I've just recently started exploring them as a grown-up. I've read much of the normal climbing literature, but this book with it's emphasis on female explorers and mountaineers really struck a chord with me. It's wonderful to read of women's long and accomplished history of mountaineering, especially with it's emphasis on climbing in the Pacific Northwest. Right now I'm stuck in the non-mountainous Midwest, but reading this book sends my spirit back to the mountains.

I think this book would be enjoyed by women new to rock climbing and mountaineering as well as seasoned climbers. It made me laugh and cry but more than anything it inspired me to accomplish the feats these women did. I grew up loving the outdoors but these stories gave me new personal goals. The women share stories filled with fear, accomplishment and the importance of the group as a means to an end. You also gain a sense of the writers personalities by their writing style which makes it fun to read.

In a field of mountaineering books written by men, it is certainly refreshing to find a book that provides so many anecdotes of women excelling in both alpine and rock climbing. What's best, you get to hear from women throughout history, young and old, and climbing in large and small groups. The stories are inspiring both to women and men. I highly recommend this!

As a beginning alpine climber and a somewhat experienced rock climber, I found the anecdotes in this book to be inspirational. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you'll particularly appreciate the many local authors. Even if you aren't a climber, it's great to read about women's experiences in a very demanding sport.

This book was great fun to read, full of interesting and exciting adventures. It turns out that the editor, Rachel da Silva, is leading a Women's Everest Base Camp and Khumbu Valley trek to Nepal in fall 2000, through Adventures in Good Company, an outdoor group based in Afton, Minnesota. I would love to go and write my own adventure book! In the meantime these stories have been perfect for the armchair climber or hiker.

Cheryl's book has managed to eloquently portray the beauty of the appaloosa, with colorful and captivating photos of the breed! The stories are heartwarming and lovely. This is a fantastic book for appaloosa and horse lovers everywhere.

Cheryl has put together an outstanding composite of wonderful photography, interesting facts and a glimpse into the history and relationships of some of those whose lives are entwined with one of the greatest breeds of horses to grace this planet.

The photography is captivating and the fact she gives ample credit to those artist whose works grace her creation is refreshing.

A book for every coffee table.

If you love Appaloosa's or just love horses in general you will love this book. Beautifully done with lovely photos and inspirational stories. I would HIGHLY recommend this book. Cheryl really captured the spirit of the Appaloosa.

Book just arrived, and WOW! An absolute must for every horse lover's coffee table! And requirement for Appaloosa lovers for sure! A work of art laced with photos!

All I can say about this amazing book is WOW! The photos are stunning! I highly recomend it for anyone who loves the Appaloosa horse. More then just facts about the wide range of colors that Appaloosa's come in. This book tells heart warming stories of the horses people have loved. Again, WOW, simply amazing!

This book has been on my coffee table for awhile and I have noticed two things. one I always have time to pick it up and strol down the river with both the expedition and the photographer. His presentation makes you able to really "be there". Second, I have noticed when I have guests in town, they invariably pick up this book - out of many I have laying around - and will peruse it over and over again. It is a true pleasure to own! I can not wait for Richard Mack's next book!

In this book Richard Mack has captured the unbelievable beauty this country has to offer and he has done it with the setting of the Lewis & Clark Trail as its background. While this book gives you a thoroughly new look at the trail and the country as the folks on the expedition might have seen it, it transcends that and goes beyond, to the world as we can see it today, in all of it's natural glory. His photographs are superb, and one can make the claim he is one of the best landscape photographers working today. This book is not just for Lewis & Clark fans, although it is the best book I've seen on the trail, with the journals of Lewis & Clark interspersed with many of the images, it also stands as a testament to our natural resources and why we need to continue to protect them. I highly recommend this book to everyone, Lewis & Clark aficionados, nature lovers, photography buffs, or those just needing a great gift for someone. This is the one!

A true journey and labor of love. Mr. Mack captures the beauty, serenity, and majesty of our country and shares with us the magic of that courageous expedition. A brilliant concept, captured by a gifted photographer!

Those who have read and admired Steven E. Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage" will be moved by this photographic depiction of Lewis and Clark's Journey of Exploration. The photography is incredibly vivid, and romantically evokes the magic of the western American landscape. A masterful piece of work.

Richard Mack is clearly a remarkable, talented man. His skill in photography, his love of the widely varied American landscape, and his respect for the members of Lewis and Clark's expedition all shine through in every page of this beautifully crafted book. If you love photography, you need this book. If you love natural beauty, you must buy this book. If you are intrigued by the human stories and the visceral phenomena that make up the fabric of every historical event, get this book right now.

Mack didn't merely travel the trail and take great pictures here and there. He captured moments right out of Lewis and Clark's journals by photographing each spot along trail at the same time of year that the expedition party was there, often presenting the photographs with quotes from the journals themselves. You turn each page and move along the trail with the party, seeing much of what they saw and understanding the wonder and awe they must have felt in the midst of riveting views, often brutal conditions, and seemingly unending newness.

I've shown this book to dozens of people. It draws not merely appreciation, but admiration. It's a book you will find yourself thumbing through again and again.