Dean Books

I thought this was a great read! Here is an article I found about the book from the August Gannetteer:

"Indy staffer bares basketball player's 'sole'"

Probably the only thing you know about Chuck Taylor is that his name appears on a shoe. Abe Aamidor wants you to know why.

The Indianapolis Star reporter has penned "Chuck Taylor, All Star"(Indiana University Press), a biography of the man whose name became synonymous with the Converse basketball shoe that bears his signature.

"I learned that Chuck Taylor was the most famous name in sports no one knew anything about," Aamidor says. "There had been no biographies written about him, and some people thought the name was fake, like Betty Crocker or Juan Valdez. I felt there had to be a story to tell."

Aamidor was granted access to Converse's corporate archives and Taylor's stepson gave him permission to visit the Port Charlotte, Fla., home and estate of Taylor's second wife to collect materials. He discovered correspondence between Taylor and legendary University of North Carolina coach Dean Smith, as well as UCLA's John Wooden. Smith wrote the foreword for Aamidor's book and Wooden "was by far my best living source."

The three-year project also took Aamidor to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio - Taylor was coach of the Wright Field Army Air Force "Air-Tecs" basketball team during World War II - and the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

The book, Aamidor's third, has brought him national attention, with interviews on ESPN2's "Cold Pizza" and syndicated radio shows "Sports Byline USA" and "The Bob and Tom Show." Aamidor has also penned two college-level journalism texts, "Real Feature Writing" and "Real Sports Reporting."

by Ryan Corazza
Indiana Daily Student
Published Wednesday, March 22, 2006


His signature resides on the ankle patch of perhaps the most popular shoe in American history. He's a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and mingled with such basketball legends as John Wooden, Red Auerbach and Dean Smith. But up until now, nobody knew the true story of Chuck Taylor.

Enter Abe Aamidor.

The former IU adjunct professor and current feature writer at The Indianapolis Star spent three years digging up the facts and filtering out the myth of Chuck Taylor's life to write the first-ever biography on the Columbus, Ind., native.

"I was excited to learn there was never a book written about him," Aamidor said. "It was kind of like finding a gold coin in the street and nobody's around -- you just pick it up."

Because Taylor played in the pre-modern era of basketball that newspapers did not cover much and Converse misled the public about which pro teams Taylor played for, there was a lot for Aamidor to discover.

"Part of the mission was to debunk the mythology," Aamidor said. "There was a lot of junk in the standard brief stuff on Chuck's life, but there was also a lot that wasn't talked about."

Taylor was born in 1901 and spent most of his early years in Azalia, Ind., and Columbus, Ind.

He never played college basketball, which before World War II was the most watched and publicized level of the game. Instead, Taylor became involved with industrial league hoops, more prominent during the 1920s than professional basketball.

Taylor was also a great basketball coach -- a part of his life that is often overlooked, Aamidor said. He coached the Wright Field (Ohio) Army Air Force "Air-Tecs" of the U.S. Army's Special Service Division. The team toured the country playing college and other military teams and is regarded by some as the best service basketball team in history, winning more than 90 percent of its contests during the 1944-45 season.

"All the good players from colleges that were already playing pro ball were drafted (for military service)," Aamidor said. "In those days, you didn't get a deferment from the draft because you were a great ball player."

Instead of being well-known for his coaching abilities, Taylor became most famous for his relationship with Converse and its "All-Star" shoe. Although stories range on just how Chuck became involved with the company, he most likely became a salesman for Converse in 1921 and after proving to be a valuable asset to the company, his name was added to the All-Star patch in 1932.

One way Taylor marketed the shoe was through the "Fundamentals of Basketball" clinics he put on throughout the country. These clinics were put on at high schools and small colleges and on average drew about 300 to 400 guests.

"Before World War II, football and baseball were the big sports," Aamidor said. "So, in the clinics, he explained the game to a lot of people who weren't familiar with it."

Taylor promoted the shoe in a variety of other ways, ranging from traveling with the Converse All-Stars basketball squad to personally contacting and visiting owners of small-town sporting goods stores.

"In a way, his dealings were a bit shady, but he was ultimately honest and likeable," Aamidor said. "Nowadays, every photograph is airbrushed and any statement made is through a spokesman and interviews have to be granted. While Chuck's ways weren't perfect, they were much more honest."

Ryan Corazza
Published Wednesday, March 22, 2006

I'm not a sonographer but I need to know something about the practice to make what I write fit well with the audience. I got this book to help me walk through some basic exams and identify what settings and options I need to get adequate images.
This book gives me enough information to replicate some exams and get the information I need. It's well-structured so I can find what I'm looking for and it has enough system-independent information to help me out.

I am a sonography student and found this book really helpful in the lab and while doing homework. I am sure I will use it at clinical.

This book is so easy to read and so interesting that I just couldn't put it down. I love it! I enjoy the old west and this book was surely a down home western tale.. all of you should read it and love it!

A good, easy to read story. Set in Texas and Colorado this story leads you through thick and thin with Will Sterritt, sharing all his excitement, danger, love and life in general as he starts on a new adventure as foreman of the Circle D ranch. I have enjoyed this book so much that I read it 3 times! It's just a good down home story.

This is an excellent book whether you want to learn trick riding or just have an interest in the subject. Lots of great pictures and diagrams on the various tricks. Also a good chapter on safety as trick riding is a dangerous sport and should only be attempted with the proper safety measures in place.

Lots of tricks that also cross over into vaulting. Though trick riding and vaulting are two different sports all together.

The book also covers bios of professional trick riders, finding a trick horse (or training the one you have), training the horse, equipment, the tricks themselves, and safety.

this book is really good. it includes about 144 tricks to do on horses, information on how to do them, and a picture... i love it, and it taught me a bunch of new tricks to do on my horse. it's a really good book for anyone that wants to learn or improve their trick riding

Both my husband and I have read this book. We thoroughly enjoyed the stories and are purchasing 5 books for gifts. The author has a gift for telling stories in detail, to which we can all relate in part.

Dean's stories are heartwarming, suspenseful, humorous, and smart. I don't know how one man could have so many interesting adventures, or how Dean remembers them all with such detail! The short chapters make for a comfortable, entertaining read. This is a wonderful book!

Stacy Dean Campbell takes you back to a time when life was simple, yet restrictive to some. One can truly get a sense for the life and injustices that were ever present during the depression. His writing imagery gives the reader a true sense of being there. If you are looking for a page turning true to life drama, this is the book to read. And the music CD which accompanies the book adds the finishing touch to an already moving experience. It sets the backdrop, and even after reading the book, you'll find yourself listening to the music for everyday enjoyment, always remembering which tune reflects different overtones of the story. Stacy is a truly talented writer and musician, a true visionary, and one who leaves an imprint on the heart and soul. He most definitely is one to watch.

Few stories captivate with such escalating pace as Stacy Dean Campbell's "Cottonwood". In the tradition of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird", this novel weaves its characters & their lives with such believable detail, one wonders how it could be fiction. I've always been one for great Beginnings & Endings and this one delivers, all the way thru the last page. If old-fashioned chill bumps, penetrating reflections and surprising finales are of interest, "Cottonwood" is a must-read.

A female can easily meet with an accident... Canons Grange was the perfect setting for a romantic adventure-- and its handsome owner was suitably mysterious. Robert Hartwell seemed the perfect English gentleman. But why was he absent so frequently? Who were his midnight visitors. Where did he acquire military secrets? Such questions tormented Caroline. She must find the answers-- or forfeit any hope of happiness. She must know if the man she loved was a daring patriot-- or a ruthless traitor.

Dinah Dean, who also wrote Masquerade (Mills & Boons historicals) as Marjorie May, wrote a marvellous series set in Russia that are now collectibles. She also wrote three romances set in England - The Cockermouth Mail (reviewed by me some months ago), The Country Gentleman, and The Country Cousins. The last two books are set in the same area, and somewhat related in that the hero and heroine of TCG appear as secondary characters late into TCC. TCC also links into her Russian series with a minor but important character who is the hero of one of her Russian books.

First, a warning. This book is *not* easy to find. It is not as highly priced as suggested, but it is not one of Dean's more readily available books. I really don't know why this is so, but I thought I should warn any person reading this book.

Dean's merits, as far as I am concerned, are the vivid realism of her settings (with detailed descriptions of the countryside, local problems, socio-economic issues, and of course, the houses and their interiors) coupled with believable and gentle plots with generally likeable plots. The Cockermouth Mail featured a story where the hero and heroine met on a stagecoach and ended up travelling together (along with other passengers). THE COUNTRY COUSINS begins in London, but moves rapidly down to its true setting.

What is so unusual about this book? Perhaps the heroine, Caroline, who is the daughter of a City merchant (a Cit) who has married a lady from minor gentry. By marrying down, Caroline's mother has been cut off (or has cut herself off) from her old lifestyle, her friends and even her surviving relative, a sister who married upwards (by catching a baron). The story begins when this sister's stepson arrives at Caroline's home in the City on washing day (clearly a mistake). Caroline and her mother have mixed feelings about the invitation he offers to Caroline - she may come down to his country home to stay with his half-sister Julia. There is a family tragedy of sorts - Julia's parents (the baron and baroness) and her younger sister are trapped as prisoners in France following the rupture of the Peace of Amiens (1803), and Julia has grown up without them. What is worse, she is obviously on bad terms with her elder half-brother, a man whom Caroline does not like.

In this book, we watch Caroline learning about country ways (including what a heifer is) and we watch her jumping to mistaken conclusions about certain people. All this takes place against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars (including the Portuguese campaign) which *is* discussed by the gentry - unlike the lack of such discussion in Austen's novels. As it happens, the course of the Portuguese campaign directed by Wellington will play a minor but important role in the plot.

I cannot describe the novel much more without giving away some major spoilers. If you like a gentle well-written novel, with a woman developing an affection for a man she cannot quite trust for several reasons, this may be what you are looking for. There is mischief afoot in the novel, but the villains and other mischief-makers do not play a very prominent role in the book. This is not the book if you are looking for a lot of adventure and fast action. Things happen slowly and the secrets of the hero are revealed relatively late. [And no, he is not a tormented hero].

I did find it slightly puzzling that Caroline, such a sensible young woman, would believe Julia's version of events over that of Robert's (the hero). However, she is not perfect, and she does make some mistakes, some more amusing than others. And we need some reason to keep the hero and heroine apart - perhaps blood is what counts in Caroline deciding to trust her cousin over her step-cousin.

I highly recommend this novel for lovers of classic Regency romances.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Florrie Binford-Kichler, Founder of Patria Press, Inc.- an award-winning independent publisher and Member of The Children's Book Council; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

The poem is a bit of an odd duck for kids, since it describes the exploits of a drunken cow--but the illustrations should charm its intended audience. Dean Yeagle's designs for this book are animated, beautifully drawn and not at all serious.
This book is a must-have for animators and collectors of cartoon art.

I have been an nurse in a critical care area for over 5 years, this book tells you what you need to know in a concise way, and leaves all the non-essential information out. If you want to know th quick answer without reading a bunch of fluff, this is the book for you.

This is easily the best crit care handbook around. Well written chapters - the one on mechanical ventilation is the best I've read in a handbook - and hits most topics you need to know.
Downsides - it can use some updating, and I think most chapters can be a little more detailed. (better to have more detail than less)

Another good option would be Joseph Varon's Handbook of Practical Critical Care Medicine.

If you're going to buy a crit care handbook it should be one of these.

This is the eleventh book in Chaosium's Cthulhu Cycle series. This volume features tales of Lovecraft's most well-known creation, the octopus-headed entity, Cthulhu. Included are the foundational stories (i.e. "The Call Of Cthulhu" by H.P. Lovecraft and "The Black Island" by August W. Derleth), some rare reprints (i.e. "Some Notes Concerning A Green Box" by Alan Dean Foster) and some interesting new stories of Cthulhu in the modern world (i.e. "Rude Awakening" by Will Murray). In any collection the stories are of varied quality but I enoyed the majority of the works collected. If you are a reader of Lovecraft's Mythos fiction then this is a must for your library.

The Cthulhu Cycle

THE CTHULHU CYCLE and THE DISCIPLES OF CTHULHU are some of the best collections that Chaosium has put together. THE CTHULHU CYCLE is marked by strong writing and and classic tales pertaining to Cthulhu. Something included that I have missed from some of the other anthologies is the editor's notes that discuss academically the stories and their part in the development of the Mythos. Having certain influences pointed out is helpful to those who are familiar enough with Lovecraft's work to want more depth.

"A Shop in Go-By Street" by lord Dunsany: A few phrases on an idol in a reliquary seem to have sparked the first half of Lovecraft's famous story. Knowing that Dunsany strongly influenced HPL, I appreciated seeing one of his stories included.

"Count Magnus" by MR James: I'm not sure that this strongly ties in with the theme, but James is an excellent writer of terror and horror, and this is one of his better stories.

"The Call of Cthulhu" by that guy. You don't expect it to be missing, do you?

"The Black Islnad" by August Derleth: I have a beef about Derleth's "Shrewbury cycle." The guy is like some Scooby-Doo mystery gang, globe-trotting and solving mysteries. It has the feel of organized resistance to the Old Ones, and winning to boot. But, being the influence that he has been, Derleth's work deserves to be there.

"Patiently Waiting" is a story from Inspector Lagrasse's point of view, as he deals with cults and Things Man Was Not Meant To Know (tm). As with other stories in this collection, the characters are fleshed out along with their emotions and motivations.

"Recrudescence": this is an interesting story about a different cult, a different god, and a different mechanism for release. I've seen something similar in "The Greatest Adventure" by Eric Temple Bell, but otherwise it is an original plot device involving the stored bio-energy of dead species.

"Black Fire": Usually I don't care for lovecraftian stories where the good-guys triumph - it seems like a contradiction in terms. HPL's vision is that the universe doesn't care if there is a happy ending. In "Black Fire", a carefully-laid plan for the return of the Old Ones is thwarted by a simple man doing the only thing he can think of to stop the destruction. His great sacrifice saves the day, even as the next trap leading to man's destruction begins to unfold elsewhere. It has the feel of inevitable doom that we all know and love, but our capacity to sacrifice for the good of others makes the horror more poignant (if we are mere brutes with no redeeming and enduring qualities, it is hard to feel regret for our passing).

"Zombies from R'Lyeh": The main strength of this piece for me was the author's development of the setting. His description and invocation of tropical seas and islands is a siren song, and the horror is more personal when I feel the longing to be in the same place. I am now seriously considering dropping my thesis work and becoming a pirate to sail the tropical seas. Yar, be forewarned!