Recreation Books

Nice, solid mystery for kids, with lots of action, and a couple of great nod-nod-wink-wink bits that readers will love!

I read this book after Mr. Hale spoke at our library last year. Even if you don't like soccer, you'll still love Red Card. It has action and adventure, and it's a really good mystery. I didn't figure it out until the end...

My wife and I always check out the books we give our boys (ages 8 and 10). We grew up on the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, and we loved the pleasure those books brought us. Until recently, we'd been unable to find anything new on the market in the way of great mystery/adventure fiction. You know what I mean - pure, unadulterated, fast-paced fun. There are a lot of books out there about kids with "issues", which is fine - they're certainly needed. But if alot of the kids today are anything like my wife and I were when we were young, then there's a need for a modern Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew.

We'd all but given up on finding anything like that, until I noticed a teaser on an uncle/nephew mystery writing team in last week's Apple eNews email from Apple Computer. I checked out the full story on Daniel J. Hale and Matthew LaBrot on Apple.com's Pro site. I was intrigued. I ordered both books in the Zeke Armstrong series. I read both Red Card and Green Streak in a single day (when I should have been making sales calls). They blew me away. They took me back to my youth. I gave the books to my wife. She stayed up until 3 AM reading them. They blew her away. They took her back to her youth. We gave them to our boys. They devoured them. For the past two days, all they've been able to talk about is Zeke and Pow Wow, Zeke and Pow Wow, Zeke and Pow Wow. My wife and I have never seen them so excited about books.

At last! In Zeke Armstrong, we have a worthy successor to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Thanks to Apple Computer for bringing him to our attention.

Okay, I got into the Zeke Armstrong Mystery series backward. I read Green Streak first. I loved it. My ten year old son loved it. I ordered Red Card and received it yesterday morning. Like with Green Streak, once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. I had it finished by the time my son came home from school. He picked it up and kept reading until HE finished it. We both understand why this book won the Agatha Award, and we expect Green Streak to win even more awards. Daniel J. Hale and Matthew LaBrot have definitely got something going with the Zeke Armstrong Mystery series.

Mr. Hale came to our school to tell us about this book. I reccomend it to anybody who likes mysteries. I don't really like soccer, but I still give this book two thumbs up

This is one of the most inspirational books I have ever read--in part b/c it was not written to be that. Bill Hancock's message is so simple...appreciate life. Appreciate the good times because they are good. Appreciate the bad times, because they alone can help you realize the good, and both are part of who you are. He should be commended for his tenacity to stay the course, both his journey in life and cross country biking!! I wish I could thank him in person for sharing his story.

I originally bought this book for friends who lost their 16 year old son in an accident. This last year I bought it for myself and read it. If you have recently suffered the loss of a loved one it is very difficult to get through the first chapter where the author details the loss of his son and the immediate reactions of the family and friends. After the first chapter the book moves into the difficult ups and downs of getting on with every day life with while being gripped by overwhelming grief. There are so many places in this book where the author is able to put incredible perspective on what most people would consider ordinary events. Whether you've suffered the loss of a loved one or not, you will read this book and look at people and things differently than you did before. I hope that I am a better friend to people who suffered a loss because of the understanding this book gives the reader. I found myself disappointed as I was nearing the end, because the book was so well written that I wanted to keep on going with Bill Hancock beyond his cross country bike ride. I "googled" the author and contacted him by e-mail to tell him why I had bought 2 copies of the book and how much it meant to me after reading it. He responded the next day with a very thoughtful e-mail. I highly recommend reading Riding With the Blue Moth by Bill Hancock.

Ooops; that is the title of another book out there; but it's still true and I think this is a fairly good book to accompany the book by Lance Armstrong which details Lance's fight with cancer. Both of these fellows having to deal with tragic situations.

The author goes through my home town; so I was fairly bent on not giving him 5 stars just because he did that in his journey from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic; but I am a cyclist; and I came to think after reading it, this is rather darn good; although, just like some characters that Bill describes, I've gone through some hardship, to the point that it was not easy to concentrate and read this; but I did.

March Madness; the NCAA tournament also, is underway as I write this for the year 2007; you know, it is in a tiny bit of a way a basketball book, seeing how Hancock is involved and connected with the NCAA; and it's things like that, that make this a good book to read. Now, I say this, because I believe the basketball fan could well find this entertaining too; but of course, not a basketball book like say, for example; the book "Pistol" that is currently in the stores.

But I'll keep this short and to the point; I like Dean Karnazes book, The UltraMarathon Man; but I read that and think, I wish Dean gave out more info on his running, diet, etc.

Bill Hancock for some reason, gives a lot of detail, the basic facts of his road trip on a daily basis; I mean saying part of his diet was on any given day, "17 Fritos or 12 Cheezits, 2 gallons of water and a gallon of gatorade" is detail I've never seen anyone relate about before; some of the chapters even has a bit of a question and answer session via email where Bill is asked questions and he gives back answers about his trip. So, it definitely has a real diary quality about it and it is the attention to detail that makes me give it the high ranking; cycling detail but of course the book is much more.

A solid enough book, I like his descriptions of many geographic locales; such as Yarnell hill; I had to look up that mountain on the internet I was so curious; or the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma.

Glad to see the positive reviews for this book; but most of them are rather short to gather people's impressions. I decided to make mine a bit longer. A fine contribution to cycling literature.

I felt like I was along for the ride with Bill Hancock in "Riding With the Blue Moth", experiencing the emotional highs and lows, chuckling at the amusing experiences he had along the way, and shedding more than a few tears. Nothing strikes fear into the heart of a parent more than the prospect of losing a child. The Hancocks experienced every parent's nightmare and the healing of the cross-country bicycle ride was great both for the reader and, I suspect, for the author as well. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially to anyone who has lost an offspring or is close to someone who has.

I've been reading this book at night for a week now. I shed tears nearly every night, and find myself at the bedside of one or both of my kids thanking God for the privilege I have of being their Dad. This book has almost become a devotional for me. The depth of the writing is stunning.... My prayers are with you Bill and Nicki. Thank you for letting us glimpse enough of your pain so that we can better treasure all that it means to Live.

The title says it all, as co-authors Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas amp things up to delve into the training and racing for those who are seeking to achieve big goals in the vast venues of road racing events; from the fast 5k to the grinding marathon.

The charts, analysis and text is geared to be guides over specific periods of time. The book - while a comparably "easy" read - is best used in conjunction with a training/racing schedule, hence it may find a cozy home next to a log and not gathering dust on a shelf.

Pfitzinger was one of the top road racers - and 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials marathon champion - in an incredible era for runners and events. The knowledge and tips he shares are for the long run.

What I like most about Pfitzinger's and Scott's book is that it is a very friendly efficient book that gets right into the subject matter and it breaks down what others describe in more complex fashion, like VO2 Max, into much simplier terms making the comprehension easy and in far fewer pages. Although written in the very late 90s, this book is still an excellent guide for HS and runners virtually up to local elite status. "Daniels Running Formula" is probably mote satisfying, and more detailed for top guns but Pfitziner and Scott give you a lot of the same information with a variety of workouts based on goal times at various distances. The authors even quote Daniel's research and others so it still is in the game. If you want a quick grasp training book that is top knotch, pleasant to read with examples and pictures, then this is your book.

Pfitzinger's book finally delivers on what I always want from a book on a complex subject, simple explanations and simple solutions. Why write 800 pages when 188 will suffice. If you are only looking to train for 5K's then you can skip the section on 10K and marathon training and get even more concise explanations. This book gives short, simple explanations to the key elements of a training program. We now know everything we need to know about VO2 max and lactate threshold training, their relative importance, how to improve them and how to incorporate them into your training program. Pete indirectly points out how most of us are doing no lactate threshold training (by running most of our daily runs to slow) and doing all of our interval work to fast. I recommend this book to anyone looking to improve his or her racing times.

I would also suggest buying "Daniels Running Formula". I bought it last summer and my 5K's times went down from 19:40 to 18:50. I bought "Road Racing for Serious Runners" to basically get a second opinion on Daniel's theories. Actually these are not opinions or theories. These are time-tested methods back by sound science. I'm 43 years old and I'm living proof that random training will yield random results. Both Pfitzinger and Jack Daniels book will eliminate the "lets try this" approach to training. Both books cover the same topics and both authors come up with the basically the same training program. Daniels book breaks his schedule into 4 six-week phases while Pfitzinger has a 10-week and an 11 phase. When you look at both plans it becomes obvious and almost laughable on how easy it is to improve on your racing times (and in my case actually cut back on the training intensity).

I would buy both books so you can really feel good about your new training methods. Pete's book is simpler and has separate schedules for some of us low 20-40 mile per week folks. Daniels book has slightly more science and covers more topics. Daniels also has been around longer and has trained more athletes. There are only a few contradictions in Pete's book. He states on page 21 that your volume of Vo2 max workouts (your hard intervals) should be 1 workout per week with a total distance covered of 4 to 8K with the possibility of adding a second lower volume session each week. This corresponds with Daniels book where he has 2 Vo2 max sessions each week (or 1 Vo2 Max and a race). But when you get to the detailed 5K schedules for the 20-40 miles per week you only see 6 Vo2 max workouts scheduled in 21 weeks, despite them being listed as the number one priority. Also only 5 threshold workouts are scheduled in the last 11 weeks for the 20-40 mile schedule. I guess Pete is no dummy. He knows that Bill Rodgers may not use his book and that it will be geared towards people like me. He knows that I'm going to sneak in a combination of ten 5K and 8K races this fall before I attempt to peak in early December. The Daniels book just encourages it and has those realities clearly shown on the schedules. Just buy both books, start training smarter and in some cases a little easier. I've bought bad unhealthy lunches for [PRICE]. If you run this will be the best [PRICE} you will ever spend.

Very good book for learning to race everything from 5k to marathon distances. There is no fluff, just the facts on how to prepare for a specific race distance. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is the authors schedules are a little too general for those of us who must have a detailed schedule. This book is not a beginner's book. To get the most from it you need to have some experience running races, even if you are a slow runner.

If Jack Daniel's book is the bible of running, this book is a close second. Clear, concise, and with good training tables, this book is a nice tweak on Daniel's book.

Using the methods espoused in these two books has improved my race times dramatically. Instead of random training, every training run now has a purpose; be it a slow easy run or speed workouts at the track.

I had the opportunity to sail Pink Cloud through Newport (CA) harbor with Pat Royce in 1978. He gave me a signed copy of his book which I will forever cherish; I started sailing International 14's a couple years later and had a chuckle when I looked to see Pat included the 14 in his book. A wonderfully illustrated and narrated book. Buy one for yourself and give as gifts to your friends who want to learn about sailing.

Great book - have the one from the 70's but just wanted an update and to give one away to a new sailor friend who is taking sailing courses.
Wooo hoooo!!

I have shelf after shelf of books on sailing and boating, but only Royce's Sailing Illustrated is essentially worn out. This and the accompanying workbook are the only books of which I have two copies; one set at home and one set the boat. If you want an excellent introduction to sailing, buy, borrow, or steal this book. It's still no substitute for actually spending time at the tiller (and making your own mistakes), but Royce, through this little book, will teach you more than a boat-load of much more expensive volumes (or most sailing "schools", for that matter).

I've never sailed, but bought this to understand what was going on in the rigging as I read Two Years Before the Mast, and have since found it an invaluable companion in reading such books as In the Heart of the Sea, The Loss of the Ship Essex, the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin books and others. Much to my surprise, the book included diagrams of the Pilgrim in which Dana sailed and some of the other ships mentioned in Dana's book, and of the Essex as well. Many of the wide variety of sailing ships mentioned in O'Brian are also shown. Fascinating reference to deepen the understanding of this literature.

Only telepathy could have provided a faster & more pleasant experience.

A very entertaining book.

Growing up, everyone has lessons to learn. As we get older, we start to see that our parents are human beings--men and women--not just dad and mom. Thirteen-year-old Ruby Tuesday Sweet's awakening begins with the wedding of her older brother.

Sports have always been an important part of the Sweet household. Ruby Tuesday's dad, Hollis, is absolutely obsessed with the scores of the game--any game. Little does Ruby Tuesday realize that the reason Hollis is so concerned is not a simple love of competition, but a love of income: the Sweet family income. But during her brother's wedding celebration, a series of events gets the ball of awakening rolling for Ruby Tuesday and, suddenly, she is on the road with her rarely-present mother, Darlene, to hide out in Vegas with Hollis's crotchety old mother, Nana Sue. With her eyes opened wide by these two outspoken, independent women, Ruby Tuesday learns more about life--particularly her own--than she ever knew existed.

Kogler brings excitement and realism to Ruby Tuesday without crossing the line for adolescent readers. There is a lot of gambling slang used throughout the book, and readers may be rather confused by this language, just like their new friend Ruby Tuesday. But Kogler includes a glossary at the back of the book, and this will help readers decipher the "code" of the bookie-gambler world.

Fun and excitement, along with some rough awakenings for the naive-but-feisty heroine, make RUBY TUESDAY a coming-of-age eye-opener for both tweens and teens.

Reviewed by: Mechele R. Dillard

Ruby Tuesday Sweet's family has always been a little different from her classmates' families, but she never knew exactly how different. She had only a vague idea of what her father did, but now things are becoming a lot clearer. Ruby Tuesday has always known that her "Uncle" Larry, mother, grandmother, and father weren't like other people, sure, but now she knows that they're more than eccentric; they've been involved in some shady business, and now her father is in trouble following Larry's murder.

Ruby Tuesday and her mother, Daphne, skip town for a little bit until things blow over. Where do they go? To visit Ruby's grandmother, who lives with her pet iguana, 21, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Apparently, a lot of the secrets in Ruby's family go back to Las Vegas--and gambling. It's legal to gamble in Las Vegas, but Ruby's father and Larry were involved in that same business in California. Now, it's gotten them all into some hot water.

Ruby is just one of many fascinating, unusual, and well-written characters in a great novel by debut novelist Jennifer Anne Kogler. I also believe this is the first YA novel I've read taking place in Las Vegas, and that setting gives a lot to this book. Jennifer Anne Kogler has put captivating people in an enthralling location and written a funny, entertaining, original, and absorbing novel about them. It's a page-turner!

Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce
12/20/2006

4.5-BOOKS on WUAT = 5-STARS on Amazon

Ruby Tuesday is one of those rare books that successfully voices the weirdnesses, funninesses, sadnesses, and revelations of moving from a kid world to an adult one, while managing to throw an iguana-filled Vegas adventure into the bargain. Like Roald Dahl, Jennifer Anne Kogler infuses an alternatively dark and touching humor into her novel that catches hold of both adults and kids- although Kogler's protagonist, being a bit older, speaks more to adolescent confusion than childhood rebellion.

Unlike the worlds of Harry Potter or Lemony Snickett, recent hits that also transcend the kid category, the world of Ruby Tuesday, although decidely wacky, is refreshingly and very recognizably the real world. Although Vegas glitz, grimy casino backrooms, and mafia hitmen aren't exactly part of the normal tween experience, the gritty reality of realizing that parents don't always do or say the right thing, and that sometimes it's the kid that needs to forgive, is. The best parts of the novel plunge you, right along with Ruby, into the dicey contradictions of adult relationships and the tension between doing the right thing for the wrong reasons or the wrong thing for the right ones.

And as anyone who has read the book will tell you, we're all excited to see what Ruby will do next....

Insightful, hilarious, creative... Ruby Tuesday is impossible to place into a single genre. Its also impossible to put down. Though its hero is a 13 year old girl, her context is decidely unique. A bookie father, a rock-and-roll mother, an iguana-toting grandmother, and an adventure in Las Vegas a normal adolescence does not make. With Janet Evanovich-esque humor, its hard to believe that Miss Kogler pulls off a drama amidst her comedy. I was particularly impressed by how real her characters were even in an atmosphere few of us can relate to. A great adventure, its like Finding Nemo - appeals to all ages, with smart humor and lots of heart.

This book was EVERYTHING I look for in a book of this type. It is an easy read. It does not bog down in chest thumping "I was there and I did this" stories by the author. It offers a broad look at a very interseting subject where in the author draws on the experience of a lot of folks who literaly "have seen the elephant". It is factual without being boring. It tries very hard to be subjective with out too many of the authors predjudices sneaking in, and when they do Boddington is very careful to differentiate his opinions from fact.

Anyone interested in practical hunting info, cartridge developement and history, African hunting or just good sound advice should read this one. It sits on my shelf right next to John Taylor's "African Rifles and Cartridges" and Bob Hagel's "Game Loads and Practicle Ballistics for the American hunter". I can't give it higher praise than that.

Like Taylor and Hagel's works it is a little dated but those areas are easy to supplement with the latest "Cartridges of the World" and a couple of newer reloading manuals.

This is the book that Terry Weiland's "Dangerous Game Rifles" should have been. In my opinion Boddington's book is by far the superior of the two.

A little tough to find and a little pricy when you do. But, well worth the hunt and the price. I just wish there were more than 5 stars I could give this book. As a hunter, rifleman and just plain ballistics junkie I loved it.

Hands down, the best book I have on big game rifles and ammunition. Maybe I could be a bit more objective if it didn't literally save my sanity when I was delayed for over two hours in a traffic jam. Book in hand I never moved from my seat or glanced at the stalled traffic or my watch. In my opinion, this is the purest measure of quality. Does the book entertain, educate, engage and involve the reader? Is the information based on the author's own experience and research rather than armchair theory? In Safari Rifles the answers are clear and I find them increasingly rare as the years go by. This is a comprehensive guide for new and old enthusiasts on the practical use of hunting rifles in Africa ranging from the smallest caliber's working up to recently introduced seven hundred Nitro Express. Boddington also takes the time to give us the historical roots of the more popular rifles and offers sensible advice on their modern day applications. As a way of reminding the reader that he is a hunter first and gun-nut second, he interjects a good measure of his own field experience giving his observations extra credibility, not that they need it. I would recommend this title to anyone who uses a rifle. The information offered is current, accurate and thoroughly entertaining

this has to be the best book to have on any bedside tale for anyone with an interest in big game hunting and rifles, it is very informative and will go a long way in helping you to choose your next rifle should you be planning a hunt. I have decided on a 416 rigby bolt action rifle which gets more than its fair share of good reviews and hope this book will help in the planning of your next safari.

Craig obviously really knows how to hunt and must have done heaps of it

The best look at modern rifles and today's African scene there is.

An excellent book that starts with the basics and progresses in a clear and easy to understand manner. It has good exercises to build your skills and covers the broad spectrum of tracking (humans, animals, stalking, tracker dogs, etc). I have bought several tracking books over the years and I think this is the best to get started with. "Tracking: A Blueprint for Learning How" by Jack Kearney is also excellent. Tom Brown's "Science and Art of Tracking" provides a different perspective to round out your tracking skills, but some people find his spiritual style a bit heavy-going. If you're into tracking humans, "Tracking-Signs of Man, Signs of Hope" by David Diaz is good, and "Tactical Tracking" by David Scott-Donelan is good if you're already fairly competent as a tracker. An excellent book for any tracker is "Tracking and The Art of Seeing" by Paul Rezendes. It will greatly hone your powers of observation and deduction. But, if you're just getting started and only want one book, I highly recommend The SAS Guide To Tracking (along with a readiness to practice lots!).

This book is great for someone interested in tracking, the author goes beyond just the basic skills and givs key examples of training and techniques to improve skill.

Well worth a Read!

This is a very interesting book to read and has lots of great illustrations.

Note that this book is not about the SAS, just great tracking skills and it is well worth reading.

This book is an extensive source of material for tracking humans, but also covers material on all facets of tracking and related skills (stalking, observation and navigation skills). This book has its flaws; some that would make animal tracking experts and Tom Brown "Brownies" cringe; for example mistakes and statements made by Carss about determining the sex of deer. Overall this is very minor mistakes to me. As far as the Human (mantracking) and military tracking portions, I think most of the information is right on, seeing as most was gleamed from military sources like the New Zealand and Australian Special Air Service. One of most interesting topics covered in this book not found in other works is the Track Pursuit Drill (known in U.S. circles as the Track Following Drill), which is a methodical procedure of following sign/spoor that falls somewhere between the step-by-step method and the aggressive speed-tracking. The TPD was adopted for heavily vegetated areas but is suited for all terrain. Also of note is to please be aware that this title was originally published (1st edition) as "The Complete Guide to Tracking" which is identical in everyway other then the cover and size, the 2nd edition being slightly larger and squarer in shape. This book is to be revised and updated for 2008, so keep your eyes open for it! As a professional military tracker I can not recommend this book more. Anyone who wishes to learn a broad base of information on tracking this is the book to start with no matter if you track humans or animals.

Exciting book to read. The information offered in this book is very convincing, and it gives the reader an insight in what it takes to track humans or animals. I haven't practised everything I learnt from reading, but that's the other attractive aspect of this book: it is exciting and interesting just to read as a pastime and learn something more about human and animal behaviour.

Yet another outstanding book from the Chivalry Bookshelf, the ultimate source for literature on Medieval martial arts.

Translated from the Fechtuch of Sigmund Ringeck of Bavaria, Tobler provides us with a modern interpretation of this significant work on fencing. The book is heavily illustrated with photos to demonstate the techniques. Ringeck's original text is translated into English, supplemented by Christian,s modern interpretation.

The text begins with basic skills in use of the bastard sword, and also features instruction in use of broadsword and buckler, unarmed grappling skills, and armored combat.

This is an astoundingly high quality text, a series of lessons in battle-skills from across the centuries, presented in a manner that is useful to the student in our time. Sigmund Ringeck would be quite pleased to see this portrayal of his work, still inspiring students of arms half a milennia after his day.

What can I say besides this is a great book. It really helps understand Ringeck's work. Get this book if you are interested in German Longsword fighting. Though if you are starting off I would recommend the excellent book Fighting with the German Longsword, also written by Tobler.

This book also works well with Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of The Longsword by Lindholm and Svard. Same material but some different interpretations.

If you are interested in this book go to the publisher's website. It's in stock there at the regular price, not this inflated used market price at Amazon.

This book is essential for anyone interested in doing medieval swordsmanship. Tobler has done all the hard work for you, he has interpreted the moves perfectly. There is very little guesswork left up to you, each move has many pictures showing every subtle change in position. Easy to follow and the pictures are very clear. A great book, none better.

`Western martial arts are every bit as sophisticated as their Asian counterparts. The German martial systems incorporate both armed and unarmed combat, with and without armor, on foot and on horseback, using daggers, long and short swords, bucklers, shields, falchions, and spears and poleaxes.'

In Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship, Christian Henry Tobler has done an outstanding job of introducing the reader to the skills and methods of the Germanic man-at-arms.

The book is broken down into five major sections:
>> Longsword Techniques
>> Sword & Buckler
>> Wrestling Techniques
>> Armored Combat
>> Mounted Combat

Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship is an interpretation of the teachings of Master Johannes Liechtenauer and of the later work in the 15th Century of Sigmund Ringeck, a descendant of the Liechtenauer school and master-at-arms to Albrecht, Count Palatine of the Rhine and Duke of Bavaria.

While there were, of course, no photographs in the 15th Century ~ Christian Henry Tobler has filled Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship with hundreds of photographs demonstrating the techniques of the masters. He has made an accurate interpretation of the techniques described in the writings of the masters and displays that described in photographs.

Each photograph is clear and in sequence allows the reader to learn the techniques of the masters. These techniques are highly effective and the more one practices, the greater insight one gains into the secrets of the masters of arms of the 15th Century.

The book concludes with a glossary of terms well-worth learning to improve understanding of this text and others related to it.

I found Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship to be an absolutely indispensable reference for the student of Medieval Swordsmanship and Western Martial Arts.

I first bought Mark Rector's _Medieval Combat_, but I didn't feel I truly grok'd many of the illustrations in that book until after I read this book.

For the most part I think that Mr. Tobler's interpretations of Ringeck's verse are dead on target. But in many cases, it seemed pretty nebulous what Ringeck meant - not that surprising considering we are trying to take a very abstract description of a full-sensory 4d event - verbal, and put back all those lost details.

In those cases were I couldn't figure out for myself what Ringeck meant, Mr. Tobler's work seemed at least internally consistant, and well thought out.

Again, excellant.

First of all, this book is excellent, and it's 27 years old.

I am wondering if there is someone who will write a universal solution book to let a player achieve any possible specific pattern from any possible pattern. Ex., let every square of every facet marked with digits 1-9 while the Rubik's cube at the pattern of all squares of the same color on a facet, and then, scramble it several times randomly, note the pattern, scramble it several times randomly, try to let the cube be back to the pattern noted.

Or, there maybe someone who has made, or will make computer programs to show how to achieve any possible specific pattern from any possible pattern.

I bought this back in '81 when I was a freshman in high school. I spent about four hours a night for a week memorizing the patterns and here it is in 2008 and I can still solve the cube in about 50-60 seconds (my personal best is 42 seconds). I keep a cube in my office and amaze co-workers.

My neighbor's kid has discovered the cube and wants to know how I learned it, so I naturally came to Amazon and looked...sure enough, this book is available. I've only read one other Rubik's book (I forget the name) and this was 10X easier than the first book I read. Since all the patterns in the book seem to flow in symetrical patterns, I found this to be very easy to master. The author even offers reverse patterns to save you steps (e.g. when orienting the bottom corners, you either run through pattern "A" (for example) twice to orient them, or run the reverse of it (call it "B") once to finish the corners. If I could memorize the colors and their relationship to the others, I could probably solve it in 40 seconds everytime. It seems I spent more time figuring which colors to solve than doing the actual moves. In fact, I can look at the cube and put it behind my back and run a move, look again, run another move behind my back and solve it that way. If you play guitar, then it's basically the same thing...after awhile, you just know what to do by only glancing at it.

I highly recommend this book. I still have mine...27 years later!

This is an easy solution but will not solve it fast. You will probably get it done in about 3-5 minutes. I have used Jeff Conquers the Cube in 45 seconds and Minh Thai's The Winning Solution in the 80's. I used to average 38 seconds with a best time of 23 seconds using the Jeff Conquers the Cube method.

I just got the Jeff Conquers the Cube book again and after about a month average just under a minute and have a best time of 38 seconds.

I originally owned a copy of this book years ago and easily learned and memorized the steps to solve "the cube" using the guidance provided. I can't say that I recall my personal best time on solving the puzzle; but the patterns were easy enough to memorize that I could find the solution while talking to friends or walking down the street. Considering all the possible moves, I think that's it's impressive that the book is simple enough to memorize those solutions. My original must have found it's way into a garage sale years ago, so I purchased a recent copy and a new cube. If my brain can still understand it at my age, anybody can use this book to solve this frustrating little puzzle and maybe even actually impress their spouse or, amazingly, their children! I see that other reviews that say there are solutions requiring fewer moves and I have no reason to question that. All I can say is that the solutions provided in this book are easy to understand and that they work!

Superb book - short and to the point. The explanations are clear and simple. Nourse even provides expert variations for when you get the hang of his solution. WARNING - it's virtually impossible to find this book in most brick-and-mortar book stores (nowadays puzzle and game shelves are filled mainly with books on sudoku or poker), so buy this book ONLINE if you get a chance. You might never find another copy!

Excellent, excellent book! I have been in aviation for 20 years as a flight attendant at three airlines. The variety of quotations is excellent. The book makes me appreciate aviation even more. These are exciting times and this book helps me navigate the past and apply great quotes for my continuing aviation career.

I am very thankful for this book. I will keep it by my bedside and take it on trips.

I bought this book as gifts for my rc- aviation friends and it was an instant hit! This book makes an awesome bathroom quote book- or a lovely coffee table book. It is small but thick. A great read. I gave it 5 stars, but I will say that I expected pictures to go along with the great quotes.-this is just a minor flaw. Most probably wouldn't expect pictures anyway. The words inspire scenery in the mind by themselves. Definitly worth the buy!

My husband likes to fly (we have a small plane) so I thought he'd enjoy this book even. He loved it! And I loved it too I n=must say. Its a terrific collection of quotes the reference or talk about flight and flying. The quotes are organized into chapters: high flight, magic & wonder of flight, predictions, first flights, air power, combat, bums on seats, cliches, misc., piloting, safety, space, women fly, last words. There must be hundreds of quotes in here. There are some photographg (B/W). Its a terrific collection! Highly recommended!

My father was an air traffic controller (firstly in the air force and then in civil aviation) so I grew up around airports and aeroplanes.

I can just sit with this book for half an hour any time. It is a wonderful combination of humour - "Airplane travel is nature's way of making you look like your passport photo." (Al Gore) - might be my favourite. But there is also the deeply profound and quite moving.

It'll be a well thumbed and much quoted book for years to come.

Flying is a PASSION and "Slipping the Surly Bonds" is a great book for anyone who shares that passion....

This is a must read for pilots or ANYONE interested in flying or connected with the aviation industry. It is NOT a " sparse, flowery book of aviation poetry," - it is a very thorough book of aviation history in the form of various quotes. I would estimate that there are approximately 1000 quotes contained in this easy to read format.

This book makes a WONDERFUL gift for pilots and those who have always been fascinated with flying. However, unlike most books that contain a few poetic lines on each page - this book centers more around historic and literary quotes. Although it is more than a "coffee table" book, it is certainly a book that would easily interest most guests.

"Slipping the Surly Bonds" is divided into 14 areas and has an index for easy referencing. Areas of interests include: First Flights, Magic and Wonder of Flight, Air Power, Combat, Predictions, Piloting, Safety, Space, and Women Fly and more.

As a female Vice President of two small Aviation Companies, I have often searched for gifts for pilots, etc. who have been difficult to buy for. I have never gone wrong when purchasing this book as a gift.