Recreation Books

I have been involved in fly fishing for 8 years and fly tying for 7. Over that time I have assembled a library of books and scoured the internet for information related to this sport. In all my years of research this book has been the most informative in both fishing and tying. The way he has organized the information is tremendous. It is very simple to understand, yet is overflowing with valuable information. I keep coming back time and time again. If I were to put a dollar value on what this book is worth to me it would be in the hundreds of dollars. To think that I picked it up for $10 blows my mind. Buy this book and I know it will be one you get your money's worth. This is by far the most valuable resource in my fly fishing library. I only wish I had come across it 8 years ago!

This is a must have book for any fly fisherman. This book will help you fill up that fly box with exactly what you need to catch trout. I own many different fly tying books that I have collected through the years. "Essential Trout Flies" by Dave Hughes is by far the one I reference the most. If you can only have one fly tying reference - This is the one you want! I really like the way the book is set up. You will learn about each fly pattern and why it's essential. Once you learn one pattern, you'll know how to tie many others. Dave Hughes list many other fly patterns that can be tied basicially the same way... This helps keep the book fairly condensed and still very imformative.

This book came highly recommended to me from the online fly fishing forum that I frequent and it has lived up to the recommendations. Like most fly fishing books it opens up with a good discussion of fly tying equipment and materials. The major sections concern dryies, nymphs, wet flies and streamers. At the start of each major section is a discussion of it's uses, material and presentation.

I like the way it breaks down the hundreds of flies into a few styles. The idea is that you only need to learn a few major sets of tying steps to tie the majority of flies. The book looks at a major fly from each style (for dries: traditional, hairwing duns, sparkle duns, thorax duns, spinners,wulffs, humpies, parachutes, etc.). Then there are pictuers of the major variations. For each style at the end is a note on how to fish it.

This book focuses on simplicity and ease of tying. I have found it to be complete and very easy to follow in my tying.

What a great book. Of course anything by Dave Hughes is well written, very informative, I love all pictures! Just a great addition to any fly fisherman's library. It really helped me sort our what I needed versus buying a bunch of flies I'll never use.

Very good book regarding a variety of patterns. This book would enable the reader the ability to tie any style especially for west of the Rocky mountains.

March 18, 2004

This is possibly the best book on Greco Roman Wrestling in print. I have a copy of Greco- Roman Wrestling by M. Briggs Hunt which has drawings rather than photos and is no longer in print, which is also very good. Greco Roman teaches holds for above waist, and is practiacal for street fighing, and has holds you can use staying on your feet ...
Train hard and have fun!
Guro Dennis Servaes

this book covers some basic greco-roman throws, as well as some exercies to build you up for the throws so you can proform the movments required. overall i would say get this book if you are looking to add some stand-up throws to your grappling or fighting game.

Excellent book. I recommend it to all wrestlers, Judo, BJJ and Submission grapplers. Upper body moves and applications are discussed in great detail along with body positioning. The book emphasizes that even though you can not use legs to trips your opponent positioning you body nonetheless is paramount. Will little modification these techniques can be applied to MMA as well.

This is possibly the best book on Greco Roman Wrestling in print. I have a copy of Greco- Roman Wrestling by M. Briggs Hunt which has drawings rather than photos and is no longer in print, which is also very good. Greco Roman teaches holds for above waist, and is practiacal for street fighing, and has holds you can use staying on your feet.
Train hard and have fun!
Guro Dennis Servaes

I would like to describe how extremely helpful this book is to a spectator of the sport of wrestling. Since I am merely a fan or observer of this great sport, I don't have the inside knowledge to understand exactly what I am seeing when I watch wrestling. This book has been an excellent reference text and teaching guide for me to learn more about my favorite sport.

Since so much happens in such a short amount of time in wrestling matches - which is one of the reasons this sport is truly special and so exciting to watch (no endless waiting for something to happen, no standing around, no lengthy time-outs) - this book does a wonderful job explaining in depth what actions the observer is witnessing.

I know this book is intended as a training/how-to manual, but I feel it is great for non-participants (cheerers) too. I intended to pass this book on to a family member to encourage participation in the sport, but I am afraid I am keeping it for myself, at least for the time being.

Great photos, easily understandable technical/strategy information, and a nice history/background section - this book has it all. I already had a tremendous appreciation for the sport of wrestling as far as the sportsmanship, strength, endurance, strategy, training, skill, etc. Now I have a greater understanding of the complexities and nuances as well. This has given me wonderful insight into something I could admire, but only slightly understand before. And I am planning to employ some of the flexibility exercises in a non-wrestling context. This is simply a wonderful book for everyone to enjoy, not just wrestlers and coaches.

J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles, and wrestling fan

What a shame that books this worthwhile have to go out of print. In its quiet, unassuming way, I found this to be a classic work of animal-lover's literature. Like at least one other reviewer, I wondered whether I could get through the entire book after reading the first paragraph, which seems to be foretelling a tragedy. But I did, and instead shared something more like a triumph. I will never give up my copy of this book. I hope the used copies available here will be enjoyed by many more people.

"Home Waters" is a charming story about a fly fisherman and his dog. It is Monninger's memoir and tribute to his dog, Nellie, an eleven-year-old Golden Retriever, who he has recently learned has cancer. He decides to take a road trip from his home in New Hampshire to visit some of his favorite fishing spots in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. Monninger takes the reader along for the ride, describing the details of his fishing trips -- where he sets up, which type of bait he uses, how he adjusts his technique to the circumstances -- and how Nellie accompanies him in all he does -- how she sniffs at each stick and stone as she explores a new area, how she snuggles into his sleeping bag on cold nights, how she taught herself to dive under water after him. As he makes his way through the trip, he reminisces about earlier fishing trips and other experiences he and Nellie have shared.

I loved the tone of this book. Monninger has a pleasant, matter-of-fact way of telling a story. I especially liked how he conveyed his simple love and respect for Nellie just in the way he interacted with her and in his reports of their conversations: "I told Nellie we were done for the night. She seemed grateful." Or, "I told her she was a good dog." When Nellie encountered a harvested potato field, she gave her best shot at retrieving the hundreds of potatoes left on the ground, only to be defeated by the magnitude of the task. Monninger says, "I consoled her on the walk back to the truck, telling her we all have such days, then fed and watered her. I told her to lay down on her dog bed and she did." After he returns to his hotel: "When I unhooked Nellie's leash inside the room, she put her nose on the edge of the bed, asking permission to get up. I told her to go ahead, but not to hog the whole thing. She curled at the foot of the bed, tail to nose. I sat besider her and gave her a rub. In a little while she began to snore. I read for awhile, then turned out the light." I especially related to his dilemma when he went fishing at Yellowstone. "The hard part was explaining to Nellie it is against park regulations to take a dog into the back country.... Nellie wasn't pleased with it... and when I locked her in the back of the truck, she whined to come with me. I was firm with her and caved only enough to give her a biscuit." I've never been fly fishing, but I enjoyed Monninger's equally droll explanations of how it works, the strategy (and luck) that goes into it. I think I now understood why "the one that got away" haunts every fisherman.

Monninger uses all his senses in his prose. Unassuming details become necessary pieces of a fabulous story about a man's love for his best friend, one that can't verbally reciprocate the bond but shows an appreciation of the author through her patience and obedience. Bravo!

In this memoir, author Joseph Monninger recounts a very special fly-fishing trip with his best friend, eleven-year-old Golden Retriever, Nellie. Nellie has been diagnosed with cancer and Monninger decides to let the illness run its course- but not without one last grand encounter with nature. The pair traverse the country by pickup truck- camping, fishing and otherwise enjoying nature and the company of each other. This is a great book for those who fish because there are lots of references to the techniques and joys of fly-fishing.But the touching glimpses of the bond between man and dog, and of dealing with the curves life throws at us, add memorable depth and make this wonderful story of interest to everyone, fisher-person or not.

This is a wonderful story about the relationship between a man and his dog. I've never gone fly fishing but I found the descriptions quite interesting. I felt like I was with Joe and Nellie on their adventues. Very moving! I highly recommend this book to everyone even if you don't have a dog!

If you want to test Ballard's theories, try the drill on
page 60: "Another way to get a feel for [connection] is to
hit some medium or short irons with a handkerchief under
your left shoulder. If you drop the handkerchief, you've
unplugged, or disconnected, allowing the arms to work
independently of the body." You may have seen Vijay Singh
hit practice shots with a headcover under his left arm
and wonder what he was doing. That's what he's doing.

I've played 40 years, including college golf, and have a
single digit handicap. I am 5'8", small framed, under 150
lbs. Without the big muscle approach, I'm toast. His
common misconceptions alone will help you.

This title should be put back in production. It would
eliminate a lot of human suffering.

In my humble opinion based on reading perhaps 1,000 books on golf over the past 40+ years, this may be the single best golf instructional book ever written. It's short, it's clear, it's well-illustrated, and it's an approach to instruction that WORKS. As I recall, Ballard was selected as the "teacher of the decade" for the 1980's by Golf Magazine, and with good reason. His fundamental principle of "connection" is, as he says, not merely the key to golf but to any number of sports. He has identified the fundamental principle that distinguishes the great ball-strikers from the hacks and also-rans. Regardless of what they may SAY they do, or FEEL they do, Ballard has identified what the great ball-strikers really DO. I recently took some lessons at the Kapalua Golf Academy and came home thinking "That sounds just like what Jimmy Ballard was saying 20 years ago." I picked up a copy of this book and confirmed that it indeed was what Ballard was saying 20 years ago. You may need some professional guidance to confirm that you are grasping what Ballard is saying, but I'm convinced that what he is saying is pretty much the one overriding key to the golf swing. I'm astounded that this book is out of print because it deserves to live alongside of Hogan's Five Lessons and a handful of other indisputable classics.

I'm an older golfer (70+) and I found this the best golf swing instruction book I've ever read. The illustrations were of players I remember idolizing when I was a younger player, the concepts logically defined & metaphores easy to remember when practising, the drills constructive & productive. His use of concepts like "connections" and "swinging from the ground up" have stayed with me throughout the season. In some instances he told me things about the act of swinging the club that had never occurred to me before. In short he must have been a great teacher as my golf instructor told me when he recommended it.

From taking up golf at age 10 until I was 18 I was a hacker - and I so desperately wanted to be good that practiced every day on the range. I took lessons from many local Club pros but never improved. My swing felt ungainly and awkward and I found golf so frustrating and depressing. Then by accident I bought Jimmy's first video - 'The Jimmy Ballard Golf Connection'. Soon after I bought this book. I was completely amazed. He was telling me exactly the OPPOSITE of what I had always been taught by all these different pros, as well as many well meaning amateurs at my club. It was almost an evangelical experience. I felt as if a huge cloud had been lifted. I read and re-read his book and immediately began to practice, disgard all the classical 'sacred' swing rules I had ever learnt that had prevented me from making any natural, athletic moves and ignore all the teaching I had ever had. What a transformation. Within 12 months my handicap had reduced from 18 to 6 and then shortly after to 3. I was picked for my University first team for 3 straight years and won the vast majority of my matches. I hit the ball so consitently and straight whilst my opponents were in the trees/rough/undergrowth. Best of all, my golf swing FELT so perfect, natural, effortless, balanced and perectly repetitive. Everyone commented about it enviously. I had so many comments that my swing looked exactly like Curtis Strange. (He should have known better than to listen to any other teacher and fiddle with a perfect swing). Now several years later, my busy career has meant that I only played golf once last year. But I stood on the first tee having not hit a ball for many months and after I few practice swings, my swing felt perfect, natural and easy. Perfect contact and the ball went straight down the middle as if I had never been off the golf course. That is the proof that Jimmy Ballard is right and everyone else is wrong. Before if I didn't hit a ball for 2 days I just couldn't make contact.
What more can I say? This man has given me a perfect golf swing for a lifetime. He is God when it comes to golf. He may not be anywhere near as good at promoting himself and using the media as David Leadbeader (who stole a few of Jimmy's ideas when he came to prominence - and then added some flawed ideas of his own) but listen to no one else and read nothing else unless it's by Jimmy Ballard. This book is the Bible.

It's a real shame that this book is out of print. This is the best book I've read on the golf swing. Applying concepts learned in just the first few chapters, I saw immediate improvement.

I really enjoyed the book, it was fun and made me laugh. But more so than making me laugh, it also taught me. It taught me about running and how strange we runners can be. It also reminded me not to take myself too seriously as a runner.

The chapters are short, making it an easy read! Whether you are a hard-core runner or a newbie (like me) you should enjoy it!

I was looking for a little humor to go along with training for my first marathon, and I found it in this book! Schwartz takes all the small quirks of a runner, things you may not even think twice about, and has you laughing all day. Nice, light, fun reading.

I may be one of the few runners who had not yet heard of Bob's wonderfully written book. Thankfully I came upon it at the bookstore and I could not put it down. It's filled with rip roaring laughter as Bob takes us on a hilarious romp through all things (and then some) near and dear to runners and provides some insight as well. I enjoyed all the many chapters but some stand out so well that just thinking of them makes me break out in laughter (from Introduction to Ingurgitation to Trick or Feet to Lifetime Taper for a Masterful Peak).

If you want to laugh, this is the book for you. Tremendous!

This is a fantastically funny book and although dealing with running, it provides a lot of laughs for non-runners as well. Bob presents a terrifically humorous look at runners and races and training and lots of other subjects associated with running. The book makes a great gift and the accompanying illustrations are a perfect compliment to each chapter.
It's rare to find a book presented so very well and Bob should be highly commended for this welcome addition to a runner's library. The chapters on stretching and cross training and his satirical look at rules to run by are simply hilarious!

Finally, a humorist who is a runner takes a wonderfully funny look at all runners. This book had me laughing out loud from the moment I opened it as each of the short, snappy chapters are filled with wonderful humor in a very well written, easy flowing and creative manner.
Bob is a skillful author and very funny and entertaining. I've read many of his articles on family life as well and would love to see a similar book on that subject.
I highly recommend I Run, Therefore I Am - Nuts! to all runners. The book is simply great! I've actually read it twice now and had the same amount of laugh out loud chuckles along the way.

I put off writing a review on this book for a long time,...Since Mr. Wu is my teacher. I did not want anyone to think I was Jumping on the band wagon, when this first came to Paperback, So I waited to review it.
So here it is:

This book is probably the most needed book on Kung Fu, Gong Fu, Shaolin.
It is HUGE,.....I mean HUGE!!
It just doesn't get any better than this book.
This book is "SO" worth the money that it is ALMOST OBSCENE!!!
Buy it, I guarantee you will not regret it.

Very detailed book, exellent reference material, as well as gives some insites into different styles.I am very happy with it and it has helped me already. Highly recomended to anyone intrested in the martial arts of this type.

This book does not illustrate the visually captivating "flowery fist" kung fu often seen in the movies. It really addresses the root elements of kung fu.Not only does it cover the fighting elements but also the fitness and spiritual aspects as well. This is a must have for anyone interested in martial arts.

I think this is one of the most complete book on Wushu that I've came across.
It contains information on warmups, techniques, sanshou, chin na, and chi kung.
The appendix at the end of the book was very informative. It provides information about many of the Wushu figures and styles.
The only thing I was unclear on is how to actually apply the wushu techniques from forms in free sparring or fight. It seems that there is a disconnect between the techniques used in the forms and the techniques used in Sanshou. The technique used in Sanshou looked more like a combination of Kickboxing and throws or even jeet kune do.
Maybe for many people, it questions the usefulness of learning technique used in forms other than for training movements and calesnetics.

This volume is nothing but great. It covers all the things you'll need for your wushu training and is crammed with loads of extra information about styles, people, weapons and more.

I especially like the fact that it stresses jibengong, the fundamental excercises of wushu, and not taolu (form). The sanda applications are well explained and covers a lot of ground. A little bit more fighting strategy and tactics would be a good thing though. The explanations and presentation of neigong, the internal martial arts, are also very good. I think that neigong and qigong have to be felt and describing them in words is an impossible task that nobody ever will be able to do well, but Shou Yu Liang does a good job none the less. The glossary in the end is very impressive indeed. It has a LOT of entries of which many are illustrated. Very well.

My only real criticism of the work is that I don't think it covers wushu history well enough. It's too much of a runthrough and dosen't really give any in-depth information. It is a subject that is very dear to me so I guess I'm biased on that point. Also their explanation of the character wu (as in wushu)is not satisfactory. There are generally two mainstream theories in linguistic circles of the original meaning of the word (the most popular by far is Berhard Karlgrens) none of which is the one presented in this volume.

However, that is only a tiny complaint and it dosen't alter the fact that this is a very impressive book. It truly IS the best book on wushu in English. I live and train traditional wushu in Beijing and have trained for some 8-9 years. I am of the opinion that wushu cannot be learned from a book, no matter how good it is, but it can definitely help you improve and clarify things for you. This book is a very good reference, especially for beginners, but also for the advanced student. It offers a lot of information and is WELL worth the price.

Rick Reilly has a unique gift for communicating his humorous tales. Thumbs up.

Every Thursday I check the mailbox when I get home, see my Sports Illustrated, and go straight for the back page so I can read Mr. Reilly's column. There is a reason he has been named Sportswriter of the Year so many times, he is simply the best. Reilly writes about the humorous, the sad, and the ironic of sports. I laughed at why he hates the Yankees so much, and almost bawled when reading about the Columbine teacher who gave his life for his students. I do some writing myself and even in my dreams I am not half as good as Mr. Reilly is, and never will be. If you are a fan of good, solid writing, pick this book up and read it over and over again.

There are serious columns in the book. The humorous ones are what made me read the book again. The chapter on the Olympics is the funniest thing I have ever read. Anyone who thinks Reilly is boring has no sense of humor.

Nobody writes about sport like Reilly. This is a great collection of his Sports Illustrated pieces. If you are a fan of sports journalism, this is a must read for you.

I had the privilege of being interviewed several times by Rick when I was a high school track athlete and he was a young flip-flop wearing sports writer for the Boulder Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, Colorado earning his stripes covering high school sports. Even way back then it was obvious that he enjoyed sports writing and it came as little surprise to see him eventually end up as SI's most notable writer. This collection of some of his best (but not all of his best) SI columns is a gem. Not all are "laugh out loud" humorous, but many are (a testament to his versatility as a writer). His postscript comments are also entertaining. After a thorough reading, this book is a keeper. I can't wait for Volume 2.

A great read! My 4 year old can now recite just about every page word for word. The main character is is a girl so the story line promotes equality!

Nice illustrations, good story with rhyme. Better for ages 6 and up probably.

Once again, you have sent a book that will also become my grandson's favorite reading. It is a pleasure ordering books through this website.
Jan

Recommended to us by the PR staff at the Carolina Hurricanes and we love it!

This book is fun to read, cute artwork, with a lesson for all. My son enjoyed it very much and read it to his class for this birthday. Easy to read, fun to dream, easy for kids to connect.

I've been camping in Maine for a few weeks... Mainers expect you to have one of these. They say "get out your DeLorme's" not "do you have a map?" Some people I've met have pointed me to the right page without looking at the back.

The details in this atlas are great! All of Maine's public reserve land and campground are clearly marked. If you are trying to do some real camping in some remote areas, get this map. This is a must if you are going to be doing anything outdoors in ME. I never thought I'd say a map is fun to read.

After reading reviews on Amazon, I bought this book with a couple of others for my sister-in-law who moved to Maine. Within a week of moving to Maine, they got lost and used this atlas to find their way! They really like it.

This is the bible of maps of Maine. And most, if not all, other states have a version available. The first time you use it will probably make the purchase worthwhile.

If you like maps and spend any time in Maine hiking, paddling, or traveling backroads, you must have this. It is fun to study and indispensable for exploring Maine.

The detailed maps are great but guys...no use looking for a road map of Maine, I mean the whole state as it doesn't exist: incredible! so do order a map in addition!!

I love Jim Corbett, I don't know if any author is better at transporting you back in time & making you feel like you were there. A warning though, once you start reading a Jim Corbett book you will need to find more of his books they are addicting. Also you will be hard pressed to find stories as exciting. This book wasn't as good as Maneater's of Kumaon. If you haven't read any of his books start with that one.

Corbett is a natural writer and combines his knowledge of the jungle with uncanny hunting skills to give us one of the best Indian adventures ever written.

Reading his books is not just following a maneater with a gun - it is a journey into the days of the British Raj where you will be transported into the remote jungles of Northern India, read about the simple people and their unsophisticated lifestyle. There are no villians, no suspicious characters lurking around and nobody to provide humour. You just have village folk trying to eke out a living which is sometimes interrupted by a feline with a taste for humans.

This particular book is about one leopard which terrorised a large region for many years and claimed about 420 lives. To understand what these people must have felt, it must be noted that in those days there were no high security fences, no guns or any kind of technology to track the leopard. Yet the people had to enter the forest to earn their daily bread. There is an unforgettable chapter in the book titled 'Terror' which starts something like this:

'During the day, people went about their lives as usual. Trade and commerce, transport and all other transactions went about their normal way. But as evening approached, there was a marked change in their behaviour. Pilgrims rushed towards their night shelters, businessmen closed shops abruptly and people scurried towards their homes for relative safety. No curfew was more strictly imposed. No orders to remain indoors were observed as faithfully.'

This is one of the books which shows that for writing adventure you don't need weapons or FBI investigations. All you need is a writer with a big heart who loves what he is doing and knows what he is talking about.

If you like adventure literature, you should find this piece really wonderful. I read it while I was alone at home for a week and I started to "feel" leopards all aronud the house at night. Very well writen, hard to stop reading.

This book is available from the Oxford University Press website: http://www.oup.com/

I just purchased a new copy for 12.49 British pounds including shipping to the USA which is just over $21 USD (December, 2003) I don't know why the new/used books advertised on Amazon by private sellers are so expensive.

If it's anything like Corbett's "Man-eaters of Kumaon" it is a masterpiece.

Another excellent book from the corbett library. Its true that fact can be stranger than fiction. And no where is it more evident than in the story of the maneater of rudraprayag.

Corbett is out to kill this very clever and wily old leopard in the second half of the 1920's. The leopard is believed to have made its debut as a man-killer following the influenze outbreak of 1918. Corbett hunts this killer over two years. In an intense battle of nerves between the best shikari that ever was and the wily leopardus, corbett's life hangs by a thread many times. On one dark stormy night, robbed of his defenses, he makes his way back to the village after a failed attempt in an experience that he terms his scariest. Another time the leopard snatches a goat right under his nose and gives him a run for his money! All and many illustrations of man's utter helplessness when a clever maneater turns against him.

In the end, corbett suceeds in putting a bullet where it truly belongs - in the maneater - to end its career. In true corbett fashion he has a soft spot for the old dead leopard, which gave him such a sporty fight. I am sure they both met again in the happy hunting grounds!

A wonderful book by a wonderful man.