V Books

Philip Reed's "In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing" reveals his elevating but daunting experience as a student, friend, and biographer of the amazing Mike Austin. Mr. Reed's humbling yet successful quest to learn the keys to super-human drives endured the gauntlet of Mike Austin's piercing, super-energized, indomitable personality. At the age of 64, over 33 years ago during competition, Mr. Austin achieved the still-standing Guinness Book of World Records standard of 515 yards for longest recorded drive. Curiously, until now, Mike Austin was largely ignored in conventional golf history though knowledgeable insiders believe he was a half-century or more ahead in power-golf technique. Philip Reed's documentary has filled a significant gap in our golfing lore. For the dedicated golfer who seeks an honest inside-the-ropes story, "In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing" is a terrific value.

Ostensibly this book is half biography of little-known long driver Mike Austin and half technical discussion of Austin's revolutionary swing, many aspects of which run counter to conventional PGA wisdom. But as the artfully written narrative progresses, a third element emerges as well -- the touching story of the friendship that develops between Austin and author Reed during the writing of the book.

No avid golfer could read this book and fail to feel inspired to work on his or her game (I finished it yesterday and headed straight for the driving range today); some might even want to try out Austin's unorthodox mechanics. Yet there is a human-interest story here as well, the story of a larger-than-life golfing god who smacked a 515-yard drive at age 64 but somehow couldn't putt to save his life; lived it up with Hollywood celebrities and was respected by the best golfers in the world; studied the human anatomy and wore a skeleton suit while giving golf lessons to demonstrate proper body movement; and forged an unlikely friendship with a journalist decades his junior who weathered Austin's steely gruffness until it gave way to genuine respect and affection.

Highly recommended -- not just for golfers, but also for anyone interested in a well-crafted feel-good story about a fascinating man and his iconoclastic genius.

I've just finished reading this book and I have to say it is a great read and is well worth buying.

It is a story of how the author, Philip Reed, sets off to document the world's longest ever drive in a tournament set in 1974 by Mike Austin, and along the way wants to learn enough about this swing so he can transform his own drive of 200 yards into a more manly 300 yards.

The books gets off to a shaky start but I stuck with it. And after a couple of chapters I could no longer put it down. He helped me get to know more about Mike Austin, his history and his achievements.

It made me want to be there in the place of the author since Mike seems like a real character and a throwback to a different age and a different world.

It even gave me a few tips, and some hope, on how I might possibly be able to improve my own swing to give 300 yard drives. Now that would be nice.

Read this and give yourself a pleasant break from all those golf instruction manuals out there while enjoying a good golfing story.

The other reviews say it all - that this is a wonderful book on many different levels. I trust that some day it will be recognized as a sports classic.

I just want to add that Reed's book is an invaluable companion to Dan Shauger's 'The 21st Century Golf Swing'. This latter book has such an odd and uncomfortable style (my opinion only, of course) that it was hard for me to know whether to take the technical parts of it seriously. After reading this fine book it became clear that, yes indeed, you can.

It would be great if Shauger and Reed could collaborate on a second edition of '21st Century...'. I'll put up some front money, if that would help.

This book is absolutely wonderful. I picked it up out of curiosity after learning about Mike Austin's record-breaking achievement (longest drive in professional golf competition history), and ended up being completely drawn into the story. With a straightforward, honest writing style that moves at a nice pace and never gets bogged down, Philip Reed does a masterful job of portraying a complex man filled with both flaws and greatness, who not only achieved a stupendous feat that no one has ever topped, but also lived a fascinating life that plays like a great movie. Reed deftly weaves Austin's story together with his own journey by bringing the reader along with him as he describes his efforts to get to know Mike Austin and learn his swing secrets. He sets out not only to write about Austin, but also to experience for himself the power of Mike Austin's swing, hoping to harness it to achieve a personal goal of hitting the ball 300 yards. As we learn about Austin's amazing life and unmatched golf swing alongside the author, we are simultaneously drawn into a surprisingly touching story of how Reed came to develop a bond of friendship with Austin. Viewed through the lens of Reed's relationship with Austin, we come to understand and truly appreciate Mike Austin at a much deeper level, and also come away with important lessons about life. This is a magnificent book, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Very good reading and applicable to one's life, no matter who, what age or gender.

Since I first discovered this book many years ago, I've bought dozens of copies to give as gifts to family and friends. This book truly is a "gift". Venice Bloodworth beautifully and simply, in succinct, no nonsense easy steps, explains the process of how each of us creates the life we experience and how we can change that experience (knowingly or unwittingly) by our thoughts. Then she gives us the tools and processes to enable us to create the best in our lives, as well as the answers for why we are not creating the best. I reread it several times a year and my copy is so highlighted, underlined, asterisked and notated that every so often I have to buy myself a new copy to make room for new notations as I put into practice her concepts. A must read for everyone who wants to take control of their lives!

It is true that great things come in small packages. The words of wisdom in this book are worh their weight in everything that you could ever want for yourself.

Serendipity drew me to this powerfully poetic and unadulterated book back in the 80s and I've read it at least once a year since that time. It was the answer to a prayer then and it has provided me with answers to countless prayers since. I simply can't imagine navigating life without this treasured guide to life. Do yourself a favor: don't just read it - Trust it. "Some things have to be believed to be seen."

Don't lose this Key: use it!

I like this chestnut from the good ol' days of self-help advice. The "secret" before infomercials and toll free numbers. Pleasantly repetitive. These days the self-help gurus are flying around having seminars, living in mansions, making guest shots on Oprah. In the 1950s Venus Bloodworth lived quietly in Georgia with a psychiatric practice and occasionally taught lessons to women confined in a nearby state prison. Good one for a night stand in a guest room. Maybe your lost teenager will pick it up.

Anyone with a background in Boy Scouting will love and appreciate this book. Oh my gosh, the memories that it brought back. I will definitely read this again.

A great read, very uplifting.
Captures the positive difference that Eagle Scouts and Boy Scouts create in our world.

This is a priceless book for someone who is into scouting or who is an Eagle Scout. I bought this book for a family member who was extremely pleased. I would highly recommend purchasing this book!

A second class scout, I left Scouting at 16, became a father at 21, joined as an adult leader when my eldest of two sons turned 11. Two months later, the Scoutmaster announced at a Court of Honor that his job had gone away and I was taking over as Scoutmaster, and I was too surprised to say no. Steve came home from his first meeting and announced that he was going to be an Eagle Scout as soon as he could, and two years and 4 months later, his mother pinned his Eagle on his shirt, and I, as his Scoutmaster, MC'd his Eagle Court of Honor. His younger brother took a longer route, with more encouragement, and after I despaired of his ever getting there, he decided he also wanted the honor, and had his board of review the eve before his 18th birthday. I bought 3 copies of the book, after reading it, to give one each to my two Eagles, and one to the troop, which I still serve as a troop leader and counselor for several merit badges, in the hope that it will encourage several more boys to achieve. Years later, their Eagle awards opened doors for my sons, and in a way, I am still "paying thier dues".
As an adult leader, I have organised and led our sons and others to most of the high adventure bases, and many other high adventure trips, and as many of those quoted in the book, get more out of Scouting than I put in.

Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts This is a great book for all Eagle Scouts, both new and old. Makes a great gift for a new Eagle. Solidifies the importance of the rank of Eagle latter in life. I bought two and gave them to knew Eagles. It was a great hit. Not likely to be a duplicate gift and something to refer back to as the scout gets older.

We have raised an unspoiled, intelligent and well behaved 5 year old that proves that recommendations and techniques from this book really work. We always get compliments from friends, family and even strangers on how well behaved our kid is. We are reviewing again as our 1 yr old grows. There is no magic formula to parenting, and sure, you may need to adjust a thing or two based on your value systems, heritage and personal preferences but two things I can assure: Love has no substitute for what's best for your children and this book is a great buy. We actually have bought 4 copies as gifts for friends who are new to parenting

During a visit to my parent's house about 6 weeks into my son's life, my father presented me with his 30 year old copy of this book. Clearly it had made such an impression on him while he was raising me, that he had not only kept it, but remembered it when it was my turn to raise my first child. After reading the What to Expect series, Dr. Sears, Dr. Spock, and other various finds studiously like textbooks while I was pregnant (highlighting, note-taking, comparing ideologies), I found this book refreshing, simple, honest and captivating. The "rules" are so commonsensical they may seem at first like a waste of time. But the author discusses the reasons why babies and young children do the things they do and need their basic needs in a way that makes you feel like you can really see the world through your child's eyes. It is a delightful read and many times brought tears to my eyes as the lightbulb went off above my head and I could see how simple raising a child can be. My son is 7 months now and this book has never left the side of my bed. I re-read it frequently as he develops just to re-center myself when the stresses of parenthood ever seem too weighty.

Unique as Pete: How Autism Does Not Mean Different

This is an excellent guide to raising a new baby. I love it becuase it's all based on sound research and the advice in this book has been right on with our daughter. This is a MUST have if you are raising a new baby.

When I was pregnant with my daughter - there was a lot of worry since this was my first child. Obviously, children do not come with a manual! I bought and read this book and used it constantly as a referral. Our daughter is happy, polite, shares, intelligent, kind, etc. She is constantly invited to parties and restaraunts that other childdren are not invited to. After meals at restaraunts, the managers/owners come and comment on what a well-behaved child she is. She does have many friends and can get along with varied personalities. We purchase this book for all new parents - and they read it stating they would like a child that is as polite and respectful (of others and their properties) as our daughter is. You really cannot go wrong in purchasing this book!!

From describing each developmental phase to suggesting toys, this book provides invaluable information that can help parents navigate the early years. Great shower gift for first time parents!

An inspriring speech, seperated by touching photographs. For most, not something you would look at more than once or twice, but a good coffee book table or converation starter if your friends are they type that can talk about world poverty around a coffee table...

Buy this book. Put it on your coffee table or beside your jacks. Let your friends read it so they can choose to share it.

...it's the kind of book that you'd read when you stumble across it at a library rather than actually order online. It takes no more than 15 minutes to finish reading the book (basically, Bono's speech to politicians about how they can help Africa). If you're an avid reader and looking for something that encapsulates your mind for at least a couple of hours, then skip this book.

I love Africa. I love Bono. If you know both well enough, there is nothing new that this book can tell you about him or the continent.

I bought this item because I thought I was going to Help...but it ended helping me.

Bono's beautiful words and photographs tell a story we all need to hear. He stirs us to take action to help the people of Africa. A book for us all.

When I first started to study to Law of Attraction, when I was a sales rep for Bob Proctor, The Secret of the Ages, by Robert Collier was a book that Proctor quoted often. I was sure to pick it up, since I wanted to learn more!

Collier talks about the Law of Supply, which is like the Law of Attraction. He speaks of "the secret" behind wealth and prosperity. Now this book was first published in 1926! Do you think he understood "the genie in your mind?" that he writes about in Chapter 1?

All of these great thinkers speak of one truth-there are certain laws or ways to behave, that successful people follow. And most people find it too simple to believe these laws really work.

Why not try it for 1 year and see what happens?

Andrea Samadi, author of The Secret for Teens Revealed: How Parents, Teachers, and Teenagers Can Inspire Leadership and Transform Lives

This book as it is published here is an abosulute must read. The first time I read this book I honestly felt happy inside. When I spoke to others I know who read the book, they said the same thing. They really felt happy inside while reading it. I will always keep this book.

For anyone who is looking to improve their lives and their views of success...i fully recommend this book by Robert Collier.

This was one the of first books I read about the the law of attraction, attracting wealth and using your subconscious mind.

Our Subconscious Minds are the Genies and it's up to us to let them out of the bottle and command them.

I learn a great deal about the power of the Subconscious mind from this book. I learned about the Law of Supply; how to get strong desire working for me; the impact of visualizing; the formula for Success, and much much more.

Please read it, you'll be glad you did!

If you want to know more about your subc.I heartily recommend these CDs

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
The Master Key System
Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World
The Science of Getting Rich
The Science of Mind
Think and Grow Rich: Original Version

It's now over 6 years since this book came out and it still has a tremendous amount of relevance. I am rereading it again and stop by every now and then in hopes that a new edition will come out. I have all the other Zeldman books and they are all useful, but nothing approaches how much I learned from this book. It amazes me how much of the content is still applicable. Anyone who's been doing this since the book came out can make mental notes about what has changed. A proponent of CSS before it was practical (really), Jeffrey seems to have planned a long shelf life for this book.

If you're a graphic designer who is entering web development (which is a large segment), it's still a must read, but beware the 4.x browser version suggestions, and don't bother to try and support tables any more. It's not necessary, and it's bad form for oh, so many reasons. Everything else in the book is absolutely essential for the transition. Your best bet would be to read it and ask questions from someone who's been developing websites for a long time (and is open to web standards).

And if you've been building these things for a long time, it's still a great book to revisit at least yearly.

You can't really go wrong with a Zeldman book, imho, at least so far. If he writes something on knitting, I can't guarantee it...

This book gives a good overview of Web Design till 2001.
People who are interested in where the web is coming from will like this book. If your are looking for how web design is done today anno 2005 I would like to recommend Jeffrey Zeldman book "Designing with web standards".

Even though some of the content in this book is outdated (such is the nature of a book based on the internet, which evolves daily), it is still a mainstay in my collection. I would recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in web design.

Jefferey Zeldman teaches basic, foundation building principles that you will use almost daily during your tenure as a web designer. If your looking for a book to hold you by the hand and teach you how to perform specific actions with step by step coding, this isn't your book. Instead, it touches upon ideas and methods. Zeldman covers topics from designing good navigation to fundamental steps in working with a potential client.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It would have received a perfect score if it wasn't for some outdated material. Purchase this book, it should be a part of any collection.

A thorough, comprehensive and usable book for people trying to migrate from traditional media into the (sometimes) scary world of new media.

Jeffrey Zeldman's unique voice permeates the entire book, holds your hand, and gently guides you through the ups & downs of working with the web. His examples are concise and to the point, his writing style (as always) humorous and friendly, and, most importantly, you get the feeling that he truly loves this medium, and would like nothing more than being able to help another person discover just what the fuss is all about.

Should be on the shelf of every designer - no matter what your level of experience is.

This book opened my eyes to issues such as accesibilty, css and xhtml, I now have a site that is fast to load and easy to update. I found this book to be an easy read,[ I am neither a graphic designer nor a trained web designer] I really like Zeldman's writng style and will use some of his points in my classes web design for photographers. The mix of code and ideas was great and for once I just read the book rather than being tempted into turning on my computer and starting work.

I found Alpha Dogs to be an inspiring read. The author, Donna Fenn, does a magnificent job of taking eight businesses and highlighting specific aspects of the business that make it a "leader of the pack." For example, Chris Zane of Zane's Cycles goes to remarkable lengths to attract and maintain his customers. Jim Throneburg at THOR-LO constantly innovates a commodity product to maintain his leadership status and Trish Karter of Dancing Deer Baking carefully fosters the development of her brand. I just launched my small business and took pages of notes about the featured companies and their strategies for success. While none of the companies featured in Alpha Dogs are in my industry, the basic themes of innovation, customer service, branding, reinventing and technology stretch across all industries. This is a valuable and informative read that motivates any small business owner to progress forward.

I absolutely loved this book - I blew through it in two days, which is a really rare occurrence for me.

This book was full of insightful and valuable lessons, in the form of entertaining and inspiring stories about 8 businesses that, through the techniques explained in this book, have become leaders in their otherwise mundane or unglamorous industries.

I have made this book required reading for everyone working in my company, and will be buying additional copies as we hire more employees. A truly worthwhile read, and unlike many books of this kind, it completely avoids being pedantic.

I will be looking forward to Fenn's latest book!

This was a very informative book using real life businesses and their successes and struggles

Are you a small business owner? This book is for you! Donna Fenn captures the spirit of small business ownership and the entrepreneurial energy that it takes to compete in today's market. The non-traditional business examples (bicycles, socks, ice cream, grocery stores and more), will give you great ideas to kick start or re-energize your small business. Highly recommended!!!

I really like the concept behind ALPHA DOGS: HOW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS CAN BECOME A LEADER OF THE PACK by Donna Fenn. So how is the concept different than any other book? Fenn combines the strategies she is promoting with small business profiles of companies that exemplify those very strategies.

For example, chapter three "Convert Your Employees Into True Believers" profiles the Dorothy Lane Grocery Company of Ohio. Penn outlines a brief history of the company and how they came about adopting the employee training process that has made them so successful. Penn outlines the entire process from hiring to orientation to continuous training and learning to what they call intrapreneurship. The profile concludes with the companies community involvement and how they keep their employees involved as well.

Each chapter ends with two to four pages of tips from the profile company on how to implement the discussed strategies and processes. In other words, this book doesn't just talk the talk, it walks the walks with actual working examples to follow or emulate. The mix of companies also enhances interest. There's literally something here every company can relate to.

There's also a great deal of really good back matter here. Each chapter's sources are listed for further study. Fenn is a contributing editor of Inc magazine. Those familiar with her articles have come to expect from her, exactly the kind of information this book delivers.

Prior to purchase, I was concerned this might be too "outdated" to be useful. I was wrong. Dr. Atkins was a brilliant man who shares in a personable way what is safe and what isn't--based on years of clinical practice, as well as personal study. Dr. Atkins years of experience can help you implement the plan that is going to work best for you far more quickly than starting from scratch. Dr. Atkins even shares a few pit falls to watch out for along the way, again from experience on a large client base over a number of years of practice. After owning this book for some time, I find the detailed INDEX in the back of the book is most helpful to look up that forgotten nugget.

I couldn't have said it better. Read Em and Em's review. I agree whole heartedly!!

First thing I do whenever my health isn't what I want it to be is look up what vitamins Dr. Atkins recommends and it what dosages.

It's never failed me. May not work as quickly as prescribed medication, but in the end has the same effect and a lot healthier.

Cannot recommend this book more strongly.

This book covers uses for various supplements that are not always covered by other vitamin books.
The information is very helpful, but a few things are a little out of date, mostly because of what was or wasn't available when the book was written.
Overall, a good addition to your nutrition library if you're interested in using supplements or knowing more about what certain nutrients do.

I am a professional who has been reading and studying the field of supplements. This book is the best that I have come across. Not only is it the most complete, but the supplements in it were used in Dr. Atkin's clinical practice. This is were the rubber hits the road, and the concrete real life information that gives this book credibility. If I were to buy only one book on this subject, it would be this one, even over the encycolpedia type books.

This book is great for a child who is afraid to make friends. Very cute.

I absolutely loved this book!!! It has a great message about friendship and changing around a negative situation into a positive one. Both my 4 year old and 6 year old were hanging on every word. The best part for us is that our son's name is JEREMY ROSS and we have a trampoline in our backyard!!! So you can imagine how shocked I was when I starting reading this book to my kids that I randomly grabbed off the shelf at the library:) My son was delighted that his name was in such a cool book! It almost seemed like we had the book made with our info in it. We are going to purchase this to have as a keepsake.

I LOVE this book and my kids do as well. It is such a great tale of how to not judge a book by it's cover. Many times young people can feel threatened by a new kid in school/town/etc. This shows if you give someone a chance you may like them more than you would have realized.

This is a fun book that teaches a good lesson about kindness, acceptance and friendship. As an adult, I find myself judging too quickly at times, when all I really need to do is allow myself to know and understand others...and maybe share some pie with them, too : )

What an outstanding piece of children's literature! This book reminds me of the old fashioned picture books of my youth with a modern feel. It teaches a valuable lesson without being preachy or didactic. Throughout the story a young boy struggles with a new neighbor who is not very nice. The two become sworn enemies, until, our main character, with the help of his Dad, decides to get even by serving enemy pie. While Dad bakes the pie, it is the protagonist's job to keep the enemy occipied by playing with him. Finally the pie is ready and he no longer wants to serve him the dreaded pie. After all, we don't serve our friends nasty pie, do we?