Publications Books

I love Temari balls. If you want to learn this fascinating craft - you will find this book very helpful.

This is an excellent guide to help you create beautiful, and fun-to-do, Temari balls. Simple and easy to follow intructions are given.

I first became aware of Temari when I saw some balls on display by a lady offering lessons on how to make them. The lessons were $65.00. I decided to check Amazon.com before I gave up learning it on my own. I ordered this book and was thrilled with the results. The instructions are very easy to follow with lots of drawings showing exactly what to do. I was successful on my first try and I am delighted with my new hobby. I have just ordered a second book by Diana Vandervoort and can't wait to get it. By the way, the balls that I had seen on display were all from this book.

As far as I can tell, I own every Japanese and English book on Temari currently being published. This is the book I recommend to beginners who want to learn this wonderful craft. It would also be good for someone who knows a moderate amount already, as it has some advanced skills.

I first was introduced to temari while channel surfing, and stumbling onto the Carol Duval show on HG network when Diana Vandervoort was demonstrating her craft. I could not wait to get my hands on her book and try it for myself-mostly because I could not believe something so elegant and complex could be so easy to do! This turned out to be one of the easiest crafts I have ever tried, and I have tried my hand at A LOT of things. The photos are truly inspiring, and the instructions are some of the easiest to understand and follow. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book, and new patterns.

Reviewed by AJ Cooper for Reader Views (1/07)

"Things Invisible to See" is about a number of different families and people. It is also about spirits and death. The main focus revolves around Ben and Clare. Ben is on a golf course with his friends goofing off and they decide to hit baseballs towards the river. The ball is pitched to Ben and he hits it so hard it goes across the river and strikes someone. All of the boys hear the scream and take off without determining who they hit. Ben searches the local paper in the hopes of discovering who he hit. A number of days later he does locate a small article about the girl his baseball hit. He is wrought with guilt and works his way into her life and the life of her family. Clare is unable to walk due to the accident and it cannot be determined why she cannot walk. Clare has a spirit that visits her and takes her to see different images and people away from her body. There are also others in the book who are able to see and communicate with the spirit world.

The book goes on and on with each chapter describing different families. It is very disjointed to me and not really that interesting. It is as if parts from this book are taken from many other stories and then added together at the last minute. I found this book very hard to read. I felt I had been reading this book all of my life and could never get to or find the ending. There are small parts of the book that I found interesting. But over all I would not read this book again and I am not sure who might enjoy it. I am sure there must be a group of people who may enjoy "Things Invisible to See," but I could not take a guess as to who that might be.

This book turned my teenaged niece from a non-reader to an avid reader. Can there be a better tribute to any book?

Admittedly, I'm from Ann Arbor. But Willard is quite magical in capturing the feel of (what was then, before WWII) a smallish Michigan city, from an utterly unexpected angle. The book is one of the most successful examples of magical realism I have ever encountered, and Willard's prose itself is enchanting. I've read this book (and its successor, Sister Water, now out of print) many times, always with fondness, and I recommend it to anyone else who wants a thoroughly good read.

I just ordered a hardback copy of this book, because my paperback is falling apart from so many readings! I was not surprised to see so many other reviews for a book so old; because this is a wonderful, magical book. I picked it up at a used book-store, even though it looked to be a "fantasy", which I don't read. But this novel cannot be wedged into any genre. If you love baseball, are interested in (or lived through) WWII, grew up in S. Michigan, went to U. of Michigan, or believe in miracles, this book WILL resonate with you. And you may love it without any of those points of resonance! It also has those subtle references that make re-reading worthwhile. Example: a scene set in early December 1941, where Death-a little man who is a main character in the book-attends a seance several days early, because "he has important business on Sunday". It was my third reading before I followed the book's timeline well enough to realize Death had to be at Pearl Harbor that Sunday.

This book leaves you with not just a good feeling, but a tingle of wonder--like maybe there are always little miracles afoot in the world???? If Nancy Willard only had one "big novel" in her, I'm glad its this one; but I'd love to see more from her.

This is a wonderful book. I teach it in a class on "Baseball, Literature, and American Culture." Like all good baseball books, it's not really about baseball. It's really about love, war, families, race, and other universals. Willard is a gifted writer who understands that adults like stories with spirits and ghosts and magic and whimsy as much as kids. The baseball in it is well-rendered. Willard is a sophisticated fan (Tigers): she knows whereof she speaks. It's a shame it's not in print as there are so few works of baseball fiction by women. This the best I know of. I photocopy 50 copies for my class (with permission). It works. Students like it, especially the more literary types.

It has been over 30 years since this book was first published and it's really amazing how Kyokushin-kai has evolved. I would like to point out that some of the techniques depicted in this book are actually wrong. Ushiro-geri (back kick) for example is executed by turning your head in the opposite direction of the kick.

This book only contains the very basics as far as techniques are concerned but it does explain a great deal about breaking techniques. It explains the proper techniques for breaking stones, bricks and striking the tops off of bottles half filled with water. Unlike the first volume, this volume doesn't have any katas with the exception of Tensho.

Nowadays, low kicks and round kicks from different angles are an important part of kyokushin-kai but when this book was first published they were all but non-existent. The special kicks such as the low kicks and Brazilian kicks were developed over a period of time through competitions and from studying Muay Thai kick boxing techniques.

The value in this book is to appreciate how much kyokushin karate has evolved and has become one of the hardest systems of karate to learn.

I've read this before and watch the korean movie about the, authors life Kinda almost good as the book itself.
Hope they print more of this book "what is karate"1958 coz we shall introduce this to the new student who wish to study martial, arts.
anybody who wish to sell there books or just lyin around there bookshelves pls. contact me glim@asia.com

I have later (newer) version of THIS IS KARATE autographed by author himself Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin Karate (Ultimate Truth) Full Contact Karate System. It always amazes me how Sosai Mas Oyama could put his knowledge together in this one book and in such a practical manner. I remember his speach was always full of spirit, and valable. He always had a good story to tell, and drew everyone's attention with his kindness and love....

I would also recommend WHAT IS KARATE. These TWO books are now getting harder to find, and increasing in value. These books should be used as a Text book for Kyokushin practicionor. You must SWEAT, SWEAT, SWEAT before you can even utilize the information shared in this book. OSU~!!!!

This is Mas Oyama's best work. I would say it is the most complete book for Japanese karate (Not okinawan). There are good practical applications in this book. And self-defense training.

This is regarded as the bible of kyokushin karate.

The author Masutatsu "Mas" Oyama, was a legend in his own time, and the creator of Kyokushin kai karate -one of the largest karate styles in the world.

This book is old and looks it, it is however one of the finest karate manuals ever published. Along with its brother books ("what is karate" and "Advanced karate") it forms the nucleus of the kyokushin style. On its own it is a outstanding work second to none of the inumerable more recent books on karate. When it was released it set a standard few books can measure up to.

It is a step by step introduction to the fundamental techniques and katas in karate, also it contains selfdefense and some more unusual aspects of karate such as breaking and other special training methods.

The section on history is very aged though, and should not be taken as absolute truth. Much has happened in the research in martial art history since this book was released 1965.

This book is recommended to any practicioner of karate, but especialy to practiciners of kyokushin karate or to practicioners of kyokushin derived styles.
Only please be aware that even kyokushin karate (the style the author founded) has changed slightly since this book was released.

It tends to be expensive, but it is worth it.

Nice book. I chose the book because of the Amazon.com reviews. It appeared to be what my Grandson had requested and he seemed pleased to get it as a Christmas present. We will have to wait to see if the information in the book helped him with the training.

This book is absolutely fantastic. After reading numerous other training books and still having difficulty with my young dog I stumbled onto this book by accident. Spencer covers every aspect of training the puppy right through to advanced blinds and marks. His style of writing is very clear and his use of anecdotes helps to illustrate the real life ramifications of various techniques. Until I read this book I had great difficulty training consistent blind retrieves. Spencer's explanation of the correct use of conditioning flags has made it so much easier. I have read this book at least ten times and learn something new every time. I can't recommend it enough.

James B. Spencer's Training Retrievers For Marshes And Meadows will hold a specific appeal for hunters who use retriever dogs in their work. Beginners are taught how to gain rapport and train dogs, from basic obedience to training for the hunt - and receive instructions particular not only to retrieving in general, but to the breed.

Before, during and continuing with the training of my current yellow Lab, I have read quite a few books on the subject. I wish I would have had this one sooner! Easy to read and great instruction all in one book.

I found out about this book in 1991 shortly after I had gotten a Lab puppy that I wanted to train to be a working dog.

I had read all the popular books at the time, but none made it clear to me - what I needed to make clear to my dog !!

I met a man on Compuserve who raised and trained working retrievers in the Midwest. He highly recommended this book, but it was difficult to find, and in those days we did not have "AMAZON.COM".

Anyhow, I finally got the book and my dog Molly became the best working dog I have ever had the pleasure to hunt with. She was nothing short of amazing at spotting birds down, and she could easily blind retrieve the ones she did not see fall (almost always a double).

This book also taught me the concept and importance of teaching "force training" for retrieving, and it indeed works.

Molly is 15 yrs old now and is "retired", but if she was physically able she would hunt with me tomorrow.

So my strong advice here is get this book if you have a young dog that you want to be well trained and a pleasure to hunt with. Also, well trained dogs make MUCH better and happier pets!!

-- Cain

A Genie in the House of Saud: Zubis Rises (A Genie in the House of Saud)

A bit arachaic in language and cultural approach, but the narrative pictures Doughty draws are fascinating; submersion into a little known cultural and time. Great for anthropological studies.

I must, grudgingly, give this monumental classic work of travel and adventure five stars, despite the fact that I don't really like the author. Doughty was probably not a very nice, friendly person; his life and opinions seem centered around a strict, almost fanatical and unforgiving, religiosity (he was a very fervent christian). Nevertheless, what he set out to do, he did with ample success and eficiency; and what he set out to do is not so simple as it seems at first sight,in my opinion, except for one of his main, but most superficial goals: to redeem the English language from the poverty and oversimplicity it had fallen into (Doughty believed the English language had fallen from grace since Spencer: I wonder, what would he think of it now?).

"Travels..." is an account of Doughty's two years of wandering through the Desert, in the 2nd half of the 19th century, with Hejaz and Nejd nomads. Unlike many other travellers before him (such as Sir Richard Burton), he never even tried to pretend he was a muslim, but admited to the nomads he travelled with that he was christian....and then went on, once and again for two years, to argue christianity's superiority over Islam and to explain how the fact that they were muslims excited his pity at seeing them fooled by their fraudulent Islamic beliefs. We know that traveleng in Arabia in those times was quite risky and dangerous, so it is a wonder that he was not killed by the nomads he was travelling with after they had to hear, for the hundredth time, how their faith was a fraud!!! This pious propensity, or even thirst for martyrdom (some times the provocations seem to point at that), is also quite trying for the reader.

However, if you can stomach the religious dissertations in his very special saintly style, the reading is rewarding indeed. Doughty had the (undeserved, I think with envy)luck to find the remains of the Nabataean town of Hegra, which he describes in some depth, with sketches of the tombs and copies of the inscriptions he found there. Who doesn't dream of finding the abandoned, lost, ancient town, built by a mysterious half-forgotten people? His descriptions of life with a Nomadic tribe of those times, with its unbelievable hardships, due to the famine-level subsistence usual among nomads, are an etnographic work of first rank. His report of the abuse, threats and indignities he had to suffer at the hands of the nomads because of his refusal to deny his christianity are unintentionally funny, in spite of himself.

But it is when we see that Doughty constantly compares the nomads of the desert with the Patriarchs of the Bible, and we know he can imagine himself in the company of Abraham's or Ishmael's tribes, when we learn the extent of the religious significance that this journey had for him. The ignorance and fanaticism that he finds in these nomads, he imagines in the Patriarchs of the Bible. For him Christianity, his own faith, was the light and salvation that took people out of the pitiful and primitive state these nomads live in. In fact, his journey is actually a pilgrimage to invest his religion with a significance that maybe he had been in the process of losing from sight.

And it is this, the fact that this author had set out for a journey with the intention of profoundly despising the people he was going to live with, what makes me despise him as a person, even though I see the importance of his work. Although Doughty repeats, now and then, the common, admiring expressions that were usual and fashionable to speak about the nomadic Arabs of those times -all the usal "noble savage" stuff-, we can read between lines (and later on, directly) that he thinks they are repulsive, inferior creatures. He goes to Arabia thinking he will be a superior among primitives, and he leaves Arabia, two years later, convinced that this has, indeed, been the case. In my opinion, the one who comes out the worst from the experience, is himself, although I have to thank him for recording his experiences and so, giving me the oportunity of reading between lines and learning from that.

I would like to add that this is not a complete edition of Doughty's work, which I read in the Dover two-volume edition, with an introduction by T.E.Lawrence and translations (of the Nabatean inscriptions) by Ernest Renan, and with some beautifully drawn maps.

There are few travel books that can stand up to the depredations of time - indeed, travel literature by its nature tends to be ephemeral. We may peruse the Victorian travelers, but mainly to get a sense of the exotic, from a time when it still was that way.

Fewer travel books still can claim to have had a conscious impact beyond their own genre. One thinks of Stendahl's travels in the South of France, Radishchev's journey from Petersburg to Moscow, or Stephens and Catherwood in the Yucatan. But Doughty is in a class by himself.

This remarkably eccentric man with the remarkably eccentric writing style set off into one of the last fringes of society, to a world where the art of the word was cultivated and where a man's worth was set by his speech. He is not an easy read. Yet his writing reflects the sense of a major intellect from one culture confronted by a tradition which is very old, very venerable and yet totally alien from that in which he was raised. That he sought to explain it by creating a new way of writing is perhaps not remarkable.

Many writers of the last century have been quite vocal about the debt that they owe him; one sometimes wonders if this is honored more in the breach than we would like to believe. But try him on for size, but be prepared to be patient. You will find that his style will win you over if you are.

Doughty had reflected his belief throughout his journey and I am not surprised. He decreased the Bedw traditions and tried to link it completely to the teaching of Islam. He knew from the beginning that the Bedw tradition especially in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula has nothing to do with the teaching of Islam. It was basically their culture. He did used the Bedw to serve his purpose since he wrote this book only to the western readers at that time to capture their imagination of the Arabian desert and to lay down the first step toward the colonization period that took place 30 years later.
Doughty in his book has described the Bedew life with many details that have shocked me. Since he lived with my great grandfather (Tollog) during his stay on al Harra, I was able to tell how close he was to reflect the real life of my tribe.
If we ignore his belief's reflection in his writing, we can conclude that his book is truly a masterpiece in detailing the life of one of the most isolated part of the world in 1800 century.

After reading this work detailing the 1870s [mis]adventures of the legendary Charles M. Doughty, one comes to understand much better why T.E.Lawrence so admired the Bedu and mistrusted the Arab city dweller. Doughty's "travels" really amounted to being "driven" through hostile lands occupied by "fanatics," continuously handed off from one group of outlaws and thieves to another. "I found in them an implacable fanaticism," wrote Doughty. "All their life is passed in fraud and deceipt." Sacred oaths, swearing in the name of God out of mere habit, traditional mores of protecting the fellow-traveller in one's charge honored mostly in the breach. One friendly Arab acquaintance along the tortured path tells Doughty, "I hope that your life may be preserved: but they will not suffer you to dwell amongst them! You will be driven from place to place. As many among them as have travelled, are liberal; but the rest, no." Abdullah el-Kenneyny advised Doughty, "I am even now in amazement! that in such a country, you openly avow yourself to be an Englishman; but how may you pass even one day in safety. You have lived hitherto with the Bedu; but it is otherwise in the townships."

Early on, the strange language seemed humorous and distracting, but it soon grows on you. "Give me a hand" becomes "Lend me a grip of thy five." Robbed, stripped, insulted, the intrepid Doughty gives the evil-doers the back of his hand as often as he dared, many times with his hand on a revolver hidden under his robes. One bluff carried off successfully against fellow travellers, who were sworn, of course, to defend him -- "By the life of Him who created us, in what instant you show me a gun's mouth, I will lay dead your carcasses upon this earth."

Occasionally some paragraph seems to be the obvious inspiration for a like passage in Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," an exquisitely detailed description of how a camel comes to a halt and lies down being one of the most obvious examples.

A major feature of this work is the great care taken by the author to use and then explain the Arabic vocabulary for places and things unique to the Arab culture. Each and every page is peppered with these terms. There is a fine glossary, praise God, the Merciful One!

The first half of this collection of selected passages from the massive original work will give readers warm feelings for the Bedouin and sweet dreams of wandering amongst them at peace with God and nature. The second half will likely wipe out any such urge. Civilizations still clash, 130 years later. Extremists rear their ugly heads on both sides of a vast chasm. Will the next 130 years bring much fundamental change?

From the files of FATE Magazine, the oldest of paranormal publications, comes this collection of True Mystic Experiences to set your mind aflame. I have personally always loved the "Believe it or Not" types of tales but have been on the skeptical side until recent years, and taken the stories with a grain of salt. However, this book, being from my favorite paranormal publisher, leaves no room for doubt in my mind. I know the practices of this publisher, being a writer who has submitted to them, and can attest to the fact that every story, such as these, is published only after the author has signed a sworn affidavit of its truth.

What a well-rounded collection is this! From guardian angels and premonitions of death, to psychic dreams and out of body experiences, there is something here to suit every curiosity. The stories come from everyday folks: soldiers at war, daughters in mourning, newlywed couples and more. Some are written in detailed prose, while others are more like a letter from home. But all exude a feeling of "Something wonderful and awesome has happened, and I was a witness to it."

Jennifer Spees has compiled a wonderful collection into chapters of the unexplainable. Whether you sit and read through it all on a rainy, snuggly weekend or savor it bit by bit in moments of peace, True Mystic Experiences will be a book you won't forget. The stories will haunt you and inspire you to look about for signs of your own mystic encounters. And what a wonderful thing to have happen!

This book is one of the greatest books I've ever read. This book is full of fascinating real-life stories of spirits, ghosts, and strange phenomena. If you are really into supernatural unexplainable stuff, this book is perfect for you to read.

I've loved this stuff since I was a kid. Rationalism may be a nice security blanket for those who are scared of the dark -- but just because you've nailed up the closet door it doesn't mean the monster's not still in there! The personal experience of the invisible world is universal, and can't be explained away. These stories are great examples of that experience, and fun reading too.

Ignore the slightly cheesy cover...this book is great. We always had Fate Magazine around the house when I was growing up, and I later subscribed (although the current incarnation of the magazine can't hold a candle to the ones from the 60's, 70's and before). My favorite monthly segments were always "True Mystic Experiences" and "My Proof of Survival"...ordinary readers wrote in to tell their ghostly/paranormal/psychic experiences. It's great to have this collection of stories to take me back...and this has plenty from Fate's 50+ year archives. Hopefully Fate will put out a "My Proof of Survival" book next...I read this in a couple of evenings and want more!

After reading this beautifully compiled book of strange and unusual mystic experiences, the world was not the same for me. Jennifer Spees weaves together a scary, yet poignant fabric of unbelievably true stories, threaded with supernatural, paranormal, and just plain spooky undertones. This is a must have for anyone who has experienced the unbelievable, who has an interest in the paranormal, or who just wants to be entertained. Be prepared to be mystified!

Turtles into Butterflies is a marvelous tale for children and adults alike. Turtle is an inspiration to us all, overcoming self-doubt and finding self-love. This book teaches children to accept themselves in spite of their differences with others. It teaches children that they can appreciate the qualities of others without having to give up who they are to become someone they're not. It is a helpful reminder for adults that we should be ourselves and teach our children their value through our own living examples. This book is filled with lovely illustrations and exciting adventures as turtle learns that he is beautiful. This book also teaches the value of friendship. It is important for kids to learn that sometimes friendship entails uplifting our friends when they are feeling down. I am grateful to Dane for writing a book that teaches children the value of self-love in a fun, creative and adventurous way.

This book is a marvelous tale for children and adults alike. Turtle serves as an inspiration to us all, overcoming self-doubt and finding self-love, a notion we certainly want our children to learn. It teaches children that they can be proud of who they are in spite of their differences with each other. It teaches children that they can appreciate the qualities of others while loving themselves, that they do not have to give up who they are to try to be someone they're not. It is an excellent story for adults as well, reminding us to be ourselves and to teach our children through our own living examples. This book is filled with lovely illustrations and exciting adventures as turtle discovers that he is beautiful. This book also teaches the value of frienship, demonstrating that butterfly is a true friend by helping turtle see his beauty. It is important for kids to learn that friendship sometimes entails uplifting our friends when they are feeling down. I am grateful to Dane for writing a book that teaches children the value of self-love in a fun, creative and adventurous way.

this book is asbolutely wonderful not only for children but for kids of all ages! i highly recommend this book!

I was lucky to be introduced to this book. It's such a fun book with a Wonderful story about going for your dreams. Adults and Children will love this book. It will touch your Heart, too.

This book is awesome. My kids totally loved it and they want me to read it to them over and over again. The book is not long which makes it easy to read to my kids before they go to bed repeatedly. I'd recommend it to anyone whose got children. Jorento is a gifted writer of children's books.

When I was 10 years old this was my very favorite book. I am so happy that it is still available because I want to buy one for my grandchildren.

I first read this book as a teenager, and have re-read it many times since then, discovering new levels of enjoyment as forty years have passed by. The story is set in the early or mid-1800's. Yan is the sickly city boy who goes to visit his cousin Sam in the country to recover his health. They gradually get better acquainted, making allowances for each other's differing experiences, perspectives and education. An enjoyable story and plot line unfolds, including conflict resolution, evaluating personalities, recognizing age and generation differences, and building trust. The book is absolutely filled to overflowing with fascinating woodlore information, skills and techniques, and countless drawings and sketches to explain or illustrate what the boys are discovering, doing, making or building. I have nothing but praise for this American Classic!

My mother brought well-loved books from her childhood--Ernest Thompson Seton, Dan Beard, L Frank Baum, from her family's home. So I grew up on among other things, this book.

I was curious how it had survived the years since I'd last read it at the age of 11.

Very well, thank you. The people are alive--much more than I'd remembered for the most part--and I'm enjoying the observation and learning from experience that the boys do.

This book has an autobiographical feel, set in Ontario in the last quarter of the 19th century. It deals with the interaction between an adolescent loner "from town" and the people and environment of the back country through woodcraft, and with his growth in that context. Though it contains much of Seton's wonderful woodcraft and illustrations, it is most valuable for the story and the lessons about human nature and rural poverty (my own youth).

My mother first read it to me from a tattered hand-me-down copy in the early 1950's when I was too young to read it for myself. It shaped my attitudes toward the natural world and helped me understand my own adolescence. To me, it is probably the single most important book I ever read.

The first copy I read was a hand-me-down from my father. In 1924, at age 11 he wrote in it...

I pity the river,

I pity the brook,

I pity the crook,

that steals this book.

I read it the first time when I was 14 and have read it several time since then. It may be a little more difficult to read than more modern literature because of the writing style, but it is a wonderful story for anyone interested in wildlife, woodlore, Indians woodcraft, and young boys doing things on their own. Boy-scouting should be this good.

As someone who took up chess late, I faced the challenge of trying to find out a bit on different openings and what would be best suited to me. There are huge resources in any specialised opening but this overall guide to the types of openings has a clear help. Instead of trying to guess 2-3 moves of a reply, you get a clear explanation of white or blacks plan to move into the middle game. I've met Sam Collins at tournaments and duely said "Thank you !" on behalf of the adult learner.
Without doubt in my mind, this book has helped provide a straight forward, uncomplicated structured approach to finding your way out of the beginners to a competent club player...and even beyond.

There is always work to be done in improving but this is an excellent book to put you smack in the centre of making the best informed choice of what opening or reply you can take on.

Excellent work Sam, Get to the Cork congres soon so we can get you autgraphing books !

This book should have been entitled "Learning the Major Chess Openings". It organizes the main opening lines and many sub-lines well, and it's a good reference if you want to learn the difference between say, a Scheveningen Sicilian and a Najdorf Sicilian, but it does little to help you "understand" these openings.

As is typical with most worthwhile chess books, the text contains a lot of strings (and stub-strings [and sub-sub strings] of moves, and it can get confusing. My objection is not to that, but rather to the fact that the explanations as to why one move is correct and another is incorrect are often so perfunctory as to be completely unhelpful. Over and over again, I found myself asking "why?" Clearly, this book wasn't helping me "understand."

As an alternative I'd suggest John Nunn's "Understanding Chess Move by Move." His book takes the approach of examining specific games to explore various themes in chess, not just the opening, but it will give you much better insight into the "why" of the opening moves than Collins's book. My one quibble with Nunn's book is that the Table of Contents does not specify the opening for each game (I've taken to handwriting them in myself).

So, alas, I guess we'll have to wait a little longer for the definitive replacement for Reuben Fine's classic, "Ideas Behind the Chess Opening," still arguably the best book on opening theory but now a little out of date.

Well-covered by other reviewers, I feel compelled to add my vote for this rare, well-written chess book. I've played chess for years but just recently started getting serious about getting a decent rating. While Reuben Fine's book is often referenced as great for understanding openings, I found it to be impenetrable. Meanwhile Sam Collin's book has become my first go-to book for getting a basic understanding of what an opening is all about. His writing is crystal clear, and he gets you straight to what the opening is trying to accomplish. Other books, like Modern Chess Openings or Standard Chess Openings, can then be used to examine alternative variations, but speaking for myself, I really need to start from Collins to get the strategy behind the opening first. I find this book to be an essential reference for a beginning or intermediate player.

There are many different openings books which focus on different aspects of opening play. This book is like a survey of the territory and covers the most likely openings to come up and the many variations of each. What I most like about it is that it is logically organized, well-written and easy to follow. It includes commentary, but the commentary is not comprehensive. This good or bad depending upon what you are looking for in a book on openings. In short, the text gets to the point with respect to the major tactical advantages and disadvantages of particular openings. However, it doesn't cover any of them in great depth.

I like this book because it doesn't repeat a lot of the ground covered in other books. It is a small volume at less than 225 pages of many different openings and the MOST important points about each. This makes it a great reference book to get one started with a particular opening. However, you need something with more depth to go along with it.

I am sometimes "turned off" by chess books which are 1,000 pages with very little text or diagrams. This is a bias that I have and learning anything sometimes seems overwhelming. This book strikes a nice balance between text, diagrams and presenting a series of moves. It makes the content more digestible and because of how its organized, easy to learn.

As far as I am concerned, this is a MUST own book for a serious chess player and particulary for someone transitioning from the beginner to advanced beginner or early stages of intermediate play. It uses modern notation and it is extremely well thought out with respect to layout. Both the author and the editor did an excellent job!

This book WILL help you to improve your opening play. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any player and if you are turned off by poorly organized or cumbersome large volumes, you will like it even more.

This book is very well organized. I am very pleased with it. By playing several of the openings in the book I have found myself (finally) able to defeat the computer at chess at levels where I couldn't do so before. I have also learned which openings are to be avoided as well, that way I don't have to spend time memorizing all of them. But it is still important to understand why some openings aren't good.

I've never been a Rossi fan; although a very committed MotoGP fan. After reading this book, I've come to understand the sport and it clarified my unclear situations that I have come across in the current years of MotoGP. I think it is a must read for all the Sport fans.

I enjoyed reading this book tremendously. The writing style was surprisingly good, though I'm not entirely sure if it was more representative of the author or the translator. The reader is taken through his childhood, decision to commit to racing motorcycles, evolution through the European classes to MotoGP, many bad-boy exploits and finally some of the most challenging experiences Rossi has participated in as a MotoGP rider. It was fascinating to compare his perspective from inside the helmet with my perspective as an observer. It reads much like the script to Sundance film, starting in the present, digressing into history, and progressing back to present. I found it a bit difficult to follow at times but in the end was satisfied. If you follow MotoGP at all this book tells you what you already know, Rossi is a bad a-- on and off the track, yet warm, thoughtful, personable most of all simply human.

If you are a fan of Rossi or MotoGP this is a must read.

This is a neat book that dives into the life of one of the most accomplished racers to ever live. Lots of pictures, but haven't read entire book yet.

Definitely another good V. Rossi book which contains so much images within his life and two wheels.

What a great book. I bought this book as a present for my husband and being a fan of motogp myself we both really loved this book. A must for all Valentino Rossi fans to add to the collection. A great insight into the man and what drives his talent.Great photos.An inexpensive purchase but worth it's weight in gold.Very colourful and detail is excellent.