Fields Books

Self Coached Runner by Allan Lawrence, Mark Scheid. Excellent book. Purchased orginally in the 80's and loaned it out. Glad I could find again on Amazon.com

After trying several books on training, I always come back to this one. Not at all dated but I just wish Al could bring it back into print. This book took me to a 3:18 first marathon and a 29 minute PR a year later. The author is now one of the top prep coaches in Houston.

This is a book with a series of planned distance runner workouts
to get you in shape for the time you want to run. If you want to run a 40 minute 10K or a 34 minute 10K, the author has got the workouts for 7 days a week that run for months until you are ready to peak. Lots of track workouts, tempo and distance runs. I got in great shape following the workouts for my goal; however, the workouts are tough. I used to do the workouts for a goal a minute slower than my true goal because the workouts were a little too tough. I think the workouts set for specific times were really keyed to make you faster than the time you were training for. If you want to have a planed training program and run your optimum, this is it.

I have used this book to enhance my training for 5k to the Marathon. It is easy to use and makes a lot of sense. I have also had the pleasure of getting additional help from Al in person. He is my idea of what a coach should be.

No matter how much experience you have as a runner, this guide can help you achieve any goal. It is too bad it is out of print; my copy has swelled with rain water from sitting at trackside, been stepped on coming back from workouts, and generally seen more mileage than any of my shoes. Now, if only it would come back into print, I could replace it. The book outlines workout schedules, means to recover from injury, and nearly any other information you might need.

I love this book! I first saw Sex Flex when I went to a friend's house. He had it on his desk right next to his muscle mags. I laughed when I saw it. A guide for working out with your partner while being intimate? Hah! No way!!!!! (In all truth, I was a little excited by the idea.)

A week later, I broke down and bought it, especially since my girlfriend and I had been having some problems budgeting quality time. Now, we can't get enough of Sex Flex. We've worked our way through all of the exercises - and we've even made up some of our own. (If the authors are interested, they can contact me at the above e-mail address!)

Thanks to the authors for their great info and the solid base on which to build new exercises. My relationship's the better for it!

This book was great! My wife and I are very busy, and this is great for us to spend some time together. We get to do something that we both enjoy. We are also more limber than we have been in a long time! The pictures were great. Nina and John really looked like they were having a good time, which actually made it easier for us to relax. Reading the credits, I was pleased to see the use of an actual couple for the photos, and not just two models who didn't know each other. That way when I see them smiling in the pictures, I know it is genuine.

This book offers creative and unique approaches to enhanced intimacy for couples. Not only does it offer techniques to improve personal physicality, it gives couples the opportunity to better themselves as a pair. Having been married for less than a year, my husband and I found this book to be a way to bond and improve the more intimate aspects of our relationship. The husband and wife models did a great job and were easy to identify with. We will incorportate this into our lifestyle for years to come.

Last summer I bought Mr. Frediani's GOLF FLEX, for my husband, to help him improve his flexibility for golf. He loved it! This year he bought me SEX FLEX for us!Since I don't golf doing SEX FLEX gives us intimate time together. Not only are we getting a wonderful workout(and lots of giggles), as shown in the SEX FLEX PLAY chapter, we really enjoy the stretching routine.We have found that doing the stretches together is not only improving our posture and fitness but also our communication skills. We highly recomend it!

I have read several books that Mr. Frediani has authored. His focus on flexiblitiy leads a trend quickly becoming integrated into all aspects of body maintainance. The strength of this particular book is the use of flexibiltiy training as an avenue to develope and/or increase communication between cupples. The directions are easy to follow, the picutres informative, and this quiet time spent with your partner invaluble. I have been married for over 25 years. I highly reccomend this book. It provides yet another way to meaningfully interact with your partner.

This is a reference work. Its title indicates it is aimed at students of the battle of Gettysburg. If you skip the first twenty-five pages, "an overview of the Gettysburg Campaign," this book is so much more than it is billed.
It is first and foremost a great introduction to the field artillery of the Civil War. It contains an excellent, concise guide to how the big guns were operated and used. You can find everything in that short chapter from the location of the lunette to the invention of the three-inch ordinance rifle.
Next, the author tells how the artillery arm was organized in both the federal armies and the Confederacy. This is not an organization table. Rather he starts with the manpower requirements of an individual battery, then he goes on to the organization of the artillery arms of the Armies of the Potomac and of Northern Virginia. Before giving us a tour of Gettysburg today, the author gives us a lesson on loading and firing these old muzzle loaders, complete with tables showing ranges of fire for the principal types of guns used in July 1863.
Where Mr. Newton does us the greatest favor is in Chapter 6, where he gives an excellent guide for a driving tour of the artillery still on display on the Gettysburg Battlefield. (Many of the guns shipped there were, according to the author, melted down to make many of the bronze equestrian statues visitors have admired for decades). He adds to his narrative numerous useful appendices that detail with which larger units each battery was assigned, which states provided which batteries, and setting out the official reports of the principal artillery commanders involved at the battle. If you don't know how Civil War field artillery worked, and you want to, this would be the first book I would recommend.

I was fortunate to meet the author by accident at Pickett's Charge, Gettysburg, and I purchased my autographed book for emotional reasons. I was glad to have given in to them. The book is a gem on many accounts. For the Civil War enthusiast, who doesn't need the background, the non artillery information is placed in appendices in the back. The artillery information is concisely placed in seven chapters, and it is quite easy and interesting to read. It would make an excellent handbook for any teacher of the Civil War, who would love a hands-on approach to how the battles were fought and won/lost; and of course, a must-read for any Gettysburg enthusiast of whom I am one. An absolute delightful read. Colleen Bognet - Foreign Language Teacher/History Day Advisor - Hazleton Area School District

An interesting book on the artillery arm of Civil War service. The book focuses on Gettysburg and will answer many questions on the guns themselves plus many little know facts of the service they played at Gettysburg.

This book offers the reader a comprehensive look at the artillery used in the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, complete with numerous photos and illustrations, as well as informative diagrams and guides. Every Gettysburg enthusiast (no matter how serious) will find this detailed book to be enlightening and useful as both a recommended read and a reference guide. And not only does it contain a comprehensive detailed look at every type of gun used in the battle, it also provides a driving tour of the battlefield itself.

Silent Sentinels: A Reference Guide to the Artillery at Gettysburg is a historical guide to artillery used in the July 1863 battle of Gettysburg. Though hundreds of books have been published on the battle, only a handful have devoted more than a few paragraphs to the role of the "long arm" artillery. Silent Sentinels opens with an overview of the Gettysburg campaign, then narrows its focus to the role of field artillery, its organization, loading and firing, walks the reader through a tour of Gettysburg National Military Park, and even offers a chapter full of Gettysburg Artillery Trivia. Appendices include a list of artillery battles arranged by state and biographical sketches and official reports about union and confederate officers who served at Gettysburg. Black-and- white diagrams revealing the workings of artillery as well as assorted tables round out this excellent, thoroughly researched and focused reference.

This book is a must read for students contemplating the change to the real world of television employment. Concise, compassionate and clear, I recommend this volume to all the students who come my way.

This book has inspired me to achieve my dream to become a working actor in Hollywood. At times, it's a challenging path, but this book offers practical and thoughtful tips that will help me to advance my career to the next level. Thank you for giving us this gem of a book, Mary Lou Belli and Phil Ramuno!

There's nothing better than learning and laughing put together. Mary Lou Belli has created a sitcom textbook that everyone in the television industry (not just the actor), should have in their library. From the costume designer & script superviser to the writer & technical coordinator, everyone who plays a part in making a sitcom successful is discussed. You'll learn sitcom terminology and have fun reading comments and stories from legends. There are even quizzes! But all fun! No pulling teeth with this one. Thank you Mary Lou and Phil for this informative book. I'm now ready to go get my sitcom!

This is a must have for actors and writers interested in making a career in sitcoms. Mary Lou Belli and Phil Ramuno thoroughly explain the specifics of each day on a sitcom set. They illustrate the different types of jokes and define what makes each of them funny. And, they pepper the book with fun, informative anecdotes. I will read this book again and again! Mostly, because I can never remember anything... But still, the book is that good!

The authors leave no stone unturned as they walk you through every aspect of sitcoms. Required reading for anyone looking to break in.

Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer will not teach you how to write. You need to do that yourself, with practice and feedback from people around you.

What this book will do is take you step by step through the trials of becoming a paid writer: everything from coming up with ideas to write about to structuring to the finished product, from querying editors for the first time to building a lasting relationship. The "rules" set down apply to multiple forms of writing, and not just for magazines, and references to other work are instructional and welcome.

There is also an excellent overview of how to manage your personal business as a freelancer, which for those of us "creative types," is certainly helpful.

The greatest part of this book, though, is its ability to lead the reader into types of writing for pay that many of us would never even consider. For instance, there is a chapter (written by a different author, suggesting the book's author knows her limits) on writing copy. Though I would never have thought to write copy, and almost skipped the chapter, following reading it and having been convinced that maybe this was a good way to suppliment income, I made some cold-calls as the book suggested, and a few days later, I already have a copy writing gig.

I would highly recommend this book to any competent writer that is looking to make a bit of money doing something that they love. If you can bring the work ethic, this book can bring the game plan.

Starting Your Career As A Freelance Writer by professional author Moira Anderson Allen is an extremely practical and detailed career guide for the aspiring writer seeking to become a paid professional. Starting Your Career As A Freelance Writer comprehensively and accessibly covers how to make time for writing; honing research and interview techniques; find markets for written work of all kinds; writing and marketing nonfiction books and articles, and a great deal more. A no-nonsense advice guide packed with tips, tricks, and techniques, Starting Your Career As A Freelance Writer is an absolute "must-read" for anyone seriously interested in developing a successful career as a professional freelance writing.

I remember very vividly when I sold my first article to a major Canadian newspaper. It was in the mid 1960s, when I had just graduated from law school and I decided that the only way to fame, and perhaps jump- start my non-existent law practice, was to write articles on Quebec Civil Law. Fortunately for me, I was in the right place at the right time, and the newspaper was looking for someone to contribute articles pertaining to this subject matter. They purchased the first several of my articles, and boy was I excited!

However, unfortunately, my free-lance writing days came to an abrupt end when no one else was interested in the topic. That is when I decided to devote all of my time and energies into practicing the legal profession. Perhaps, if I had at my disposal Moira Anderson Allen's book entitled Starting Your Career As A Freelance Writer, things would have been different. Remember, it was the 1960s, and at the time there were few writing guides pointing you in the right direction to a free -lance writing career.
I did not have Allen to show me how to start my articles, find the right markets, queries and submissions, rights and contracts, and how to expand my horizons.

It is these topics and many more where Starting Your Career As A Freelance Writer excels. The book is a splendid, in-depth analysis where even the more experienced writer can reap some benefits.

Divided into six parts, there is no shortage of vital and interesting information as to what goes on in the minds of an editor to how to interview, and from exploring and evaluating markets to writing for special interest publications and markets. The reader is also exposed to such topics as queries and submissions, legal technicalities pertaining to rights and contracts, as well as setting fees and keeping records. After all, without these essential tools, we will never get to first base with our budding writing career, no matter how talented we may be.

What is noteworthy about Allen's writing is her ability to cut away the fat from the meat. Furthermore, she never presumes that the reader should know certain fundamental concepts, and consequently Allen leaves nothing unturned.

Allen's writing credentials are impeccable, as proven by the hundreds of articles she has contributed to several publications over her twenty- year writing career. In addition, she has also being called upon to speak at writers' conferences and workshops, and to act as an instructor at many of these events. Commencing a career, as a free-lance writer, is a difficult task, and one in which a great deal of perseverance and patience is required. It is Allen's vast experience and her ability to effectively convey her knowledge from these experiences that is very much in evidence throughout book, and will surely prove to be invaluable to aspiring free- lance writers.

Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures and Travel Writer

The first third of the book is a review of how to write, how to do research, and what you should have in your office ("a chair," "a desk," "a place to store your writing supplies"), with which I am sure the average person looking to start a freelance writing career already knows. In fact, if you don't know how to write and conduct writing-related research, or have a place to put writing supplies, a career in writing probably never crossed your mind. For this, the book received four stars instead of five.

Still, I have to recommend this book to anyone trying to start a career in writing who doesn't know quite where to begin. The second two-thirds of the book are filled with a grand assortment of helpful hints and information that are vital to a successful freelance-writing career. In particular, her advice on figuring out exactly where you should look to publish your work is extremely valuable. An entire chapter is devoted to the submission process, which includes how to deal with editors who don't reply to your submissions and how to deal with rejections.

For me, the query letters she presents helped a great deal. She presents real letters-to-the-editor so there is no confusion about exactly what it should look like and what it must include. I didn't know about "hooking" with queries; I just assumed they were written like resume cover letters. Imagine how much failure I might have encountered, otherwise. And, not to be outdated, she even includes a chapter devoted to e-mail queries.

Overall, I thought this book was an excellent resource for a budding freelancer. I felt as though it would have been better for her to leave out the first few chapters and get to the point. However, once she got to the point, I was thrilled to pieces that I found this book. I'm sure you will be, too.

This book contains all of the essential information I needed to jump start my career as a freelance writer. Having some experience in the field in the distant past, I needed a refresher course and this book provided it. (It would be even more useful for someone without previous experience in the field.) Besides providing proper form for query letters and instruction on how to go about finding and approaching markets, it gives specific guidelines on the right way to pursue a freelance writing career, reasonable expectations and how to organize your work as a business.

This is a good book. The design is very approachable, and the writing is quite readable - especially in an age when people would *like* to explore telework, but don't quite know where to begin. From Telework 101 to senior-exec-level concepts, it explains much of what today's teleworker - and even the at-home entrepreneur - needs to launch a fully-functional home office, without losing touch or professional stature with the corporate community.

This book is a "must-read" for all potential, as well as current, teleworkers. It is packed full of tips and techniques for both the telecommuter and his/her employer. From setting up your home office to communicating with others, this book covers it all. I will keep this as a ready-reference. I recommend that all "driven knowledge workers" do the same.

Michael Dziak's book is very thorough, and is a comprehensive guide on telecommuting. The check lists, forms, and practical tips are very usefull. This book offers so much for anyone operating a home office, it is a good investment even if they don't telecommute. I agree with other reviewers this is the desk companion or bible for telecommuters. I highly recommend it.

Telecommuting Success is a great tool for the telecommuter. It is very easy to read and understand and gives tips that will help ensure that if you become a telecommuter you will be allowed to stay one. It shows you how to be successful and get the recognition for your work that you deserve, even if you are out of the office a good portion of the time. This is key to a successful teleworking relationship.

I highly recommend this book for any business that has or is implementing a telework program and would make it required reading for all teleworkers in that program.

I recently reviewed a number of books on telecommuting and distance collaboration for a research center (...) and Dziak's book was the best I found on telecommuting.

While some other books dwell too much on details of home office setup (which this book does cover thoroughly in ch 4) Dziak is by far the most insightful about the real challenges of telecommuting, which are social issues of staying in touch. The book gives prescriptive advice in easily-digestable forms. Dziak is quite fond of top-10 lists, but manages to pack a lot of good content into this somewhat gimmicky format. My most-reference part of the book was his '10 Ways to stay on the corporate radar screen' (p. 181).

A most entertaining book - fun to read, and so informative - for once I read what the africans really do on a day to day basis.
A ruuner's coffee table MUST HAVE. MAde me wanna run... all the way to Africa!

This is the best running book I've ever come across - and I've read a few! It's easy to read & fun, makes we want to run to Africa to run... On a more serious note - it shows that the only way to improve is to train. It's informative and backed-up by some of the world's greatest runners. As Mr. Tanser says: Train Hard, Win Easy. Great reading!

If you are a "goal oriented" distance runner, you'll love this book. Most of us can forget trying the workouts listed here but hey, we can dream! This is a great thing to reread when one wants to get fired up about one's training. I really turn to this book when I am tempted to waste more money on fads, new gadgets, etc. :-)

The formula for Kenyan success in distance running? It is no secret, really. You will find about what you expect. Still, this book is worth reading.

This book also provides a few brief glimpses of Kenya's culture and of the various sub-cultures within.

A total break from the boring running books. This book actually tells us from a runner running with the great runners. Whenever I need a kick before training I just get out this book, read a couple of pages and I'm flying through the Rift Valley training with Moses Tanui!

I expected this to be a book, which would reveal all the secrets of Kenyan runners and take my own running to another level. I was a bit disappointed at first but when I started reading it more I found it very inspiring. It teaches you how crazy actually the Kenyan runners are with their training. This book does give training examples of what the Kenyans do but they are more like just "samples" of the training and it's hard to get a big picture. If you want to learn the secrets of Kenyan runners, forget it -- there are no secrets. These guys just train so hard that it would be a wonder if they wouldn't be world class runners. If you want find out what it takes to be a world class runner, this book could be your choice.

I coach middle school track and found that this book helped me think beyond drills. My students love the games, and I see improvement in their running!

This book has some great ideas to spice up your workouts. It is organized very well and offers different ideas that range from simple to complex.

Training for cross country or distance track events can often become tedious work. Anderson does a great job of providing simple, ready-to-use games and techniques that will help combat this problem. I found many of the ideas useful and easy to use right away. Other ideas were not so adaptable to my team, but I still used the nuggets he have in the book and manipulated them to meet my needs. My athletes responded with enthusiasm. While nothing can take the place of mileage, the mindset an athlete has during the mileage can set the tone for the whole training experience. Although this book may not meet the needs of the reader to a tee, it is broad enough to enable the reader to create his/her own variation on the theme. Solid book for coaches.

"Training Games" is a rather tiny publication compared to others relating to the same topic, but it is loaded with great ideas! It is to the point. Everything relates to practice and there is no wasted page! I used this book over and over and still discover new things. It also leads the user to create and add own ideas. Invaluable for any teacher and coach! It is money well spent.

Lots of fun and useful information. The kids are always asking to play a game or practice one of the techniques found in the book. I have had the book for a year, and there is still so much yet to use! A great tool for finding new and different ways to improve your coaching/training.

Over the last year I have visited Western New Mexico on numerous occasions, including many of the settings of Trinity Fields and its sequel, Ariel's Crossing. Morrow's description of the New Mexican countryside and its people is exquisite, allowing me to see that beautiful State with a fresh appreciation of its natural, historical, and spiritual beauty.

Morrow's treatise on the human affinity for and in the end the banality of war-particularly Vietnam-is worthy of another Pulitzer. The metaphorical power of the friendship of Kip and Brice is best understood as complementary alter egos, forces and instincts that exist side by side within many of us.

I read Ariel's Crossing prior to reading Trinity Fields. While I also loved the sequel, I recommend reading Trinity first, since Ariel builds on the characterizaions so carefully wrought in Trinity. Read them both for a great literary experience.

Philip argues with Victor about his love for Chloe as Victor claims he's too young to know what love really is. When their argument heats up, Victor grounds him for having low grades and being distracted by Chloe. Stefano overhears Brandon pleading with Lexie to give Isaac to Hope where he belongs. Stefano first offers him money to keep quiet and then threatens him but Brandon isn't frightened which worries Lexie. When Stefano complains to Rolf about this trouble, Rolf decides to kill Brandon. Belle and Chloe look for Bo and Hope to tell them about what Belle saw at the river. Hearing the fire department found nothing after dragging the river again, Bo decides Hope's right that J.T. is still alive. This, folks, is the wonderful world of "Trinity Fields." Read it and learn the meaning of the word "enthralled." Here's how many tiny yet flamingly intense white dwarfs I give it: ****************************************************************************. Wow!

Brad Morrow has a way with words ... He crafts them into exquisite sentences, paragraphs and mental pictures that are wonderfully refreshing. The story is compelling ... His Characters believable. I loved it! Great job, Brad!

As a member of the so called X-generation, I have a better understanding of what my parents must have gone through regarding Vietnam. Morrow's writing style puts you right in the scene. As I was reading it I was convinced this must be his life story. It was so real. However, the acknowledgments at the end point out that this is not his life, but his incredible imagination. I will be reading more Bradford Morrow.

1968, by Joe Haldeman, and Trinity Fields, by Bradford Morrow

1968 will surprise readers who think of Joe Haldeman exclusively as a science fiction writer. Its stunning realism and cynical outlook are harrowing. Haldeman's main character is Spider, a soldier in Vietnam. Haldeman never compromises his grim vision of this pivotal year in American history--just when you think it can't get worse for poor Spider, it does. The writing is razor sharp--I was especially enamored of the sections relating Spider's evolving description of his wounding and near death in an ambush. The story changes with time and with Spider's experiences and mental state. At story's end, Haldeman turns the tables and tells the story from another participant's point of view. In doing so, he manages to give the entire book an ironic spin.

The focus in Trinity Fields is on Brice McCarthy, who's sedate existence is interrupted by a letter from a friend he thought long dead. The letter causes Brice to reflect on his life, and, more importantly, on the influence that his boyhood friend, Kip Calder, has had on him. As sons of scientists working on the Manhattan Project, the duo literally grew up in the shadow of the atomic bomb. As children, the two were inseparable, but as they grew older their paths diverged. Their deteriorating friendship finally collapses over their philosophical differences regarding the Vietnam War and their love for the same woman. Ultimately, Brice joins the radical Left and Kip flies secret missions over Laos. Morrow's description of their meeting some twenty five years later, and the poignant favor Kip asks of Brice provide an emotional and satisfying climax.

Taken together, 1968 and Trinity Fields provide plenty of food for thought. Morrow's book, cerebral and reflective, is the perfect complement to the more visceral and gruelling 1968. In both, the horror stems from the Vietnam war, and the physical and mental damage it inflicted. Individually, either book is worthy of your attention, but I recommend that you read them together for greater impact.

I refer to this book whenever I feel low, or seek inspiration, or just wish to bring some meaning into a numbingly humdrum day. I keep it on the back of the toilet so it will always be within easy reach. I have felt much more compassion for toilets since reading Edson's poem about a toilet sliding into a room like a snail, begging to be loved. (When it is denied, it slides back out, flushing with grief.)

My favorite is The Family Monkey. ("We bought an electric monkey, experimenting rather recklessly with funds carefully gathered since grandfather's time for the purchase of a steam monkey.")

Dip into this when you desire to be shaken free of the rut in which you find yourself. Unless of course, your rut is eccentric prose poetry, in which case, praise your hat and pass the ape!

Russell Edson is an accomplished master of prose poetry. Each of his poems are complete presentations of his uniquely expressed verse that has earned him the respect of his peers, academia, and readers. "The Tunnel: Selected Poems" draws from the poet's own chosen favorites among the seven previously published collections of his work and will aptly serve to introduce his originality and expertise to a whole new generation of appreciative readers. 'The Large Thing': A large thing comes in./Go out, Large Thing, says someone./The Large Thing goes out, and comes in again./Go out, Large Thing, and stay out, says someone./The large Thing goes out, and stays out./Then that same someone who has been ordering the Large Thing out/begins to be lonely, and says, come in Large Thing./But when the Large Thing is in, that same someone decides it would be/better if the Large Thing would go out./Go out, Large Thing, says this same someone./The Large Thing goes out./Oh, why did I say that? Says the someone, who begins to be lonely again./But meanwhile the Large Thing has come back in anyway./Good, I was just about to call you back, says the same someone to the Large Thing.

Suicide hotline operators should simply read from Edson. This is life affirming stuff. I insist you also get his new one, The Tormented Mirror, and anything by James Tate, especially Shroud of the Gnome. These two will startle even the most steadfast poetry-haters.

Don't let yourself get all tangled in the arguments over what is and isn't a prose poem, or even if such an oxymoronic creature is possible. It doesn't matter what you call them, these things by Russell Edson are great fun and great reading.

Most of these pieces are about a page long, and many are considerably shorter. They are moments of dreams, newsreels from some surreal purgatory, portraits of impossibility. In this world, "Mr Is went into the woods to think about his wooden head," and "A woman had given birth to an old man." Within the oddity and amidst the strangeness are moments of tenderness, passion, horror. Read slowly and carefully, these words somehow seem to reflect the world we trudge through and the life we lead, and so add contours to our boring reality. There is a lot of melancholy here; it comes perhaps from the confusions and juxtapositions, but there is nothing to fear, and plenty to love, for, as Edson writes, "In such a world there is much sadness which, of course, is joy..."

I read this book with a poetry reading book club and it was one of the club's favorites. Edson writes often surreal philosophical fables which are easy to enter into because of their familiar, "There once was a woman who..." language. However, this river runs deep.