Recreation Books

I always thought that I wouldn't like cave diving, until I read this book. It is well written and flows well. A nice well rounded story of cave diving. Enough to pull you in if you have even the inkling of interest in the topic.

This is an absolute must for every technical/overhead diver but also an intriguing super enjoyable book for all divers and non-divers alike. Exley was not only the best cave diver ever but a great writer too. You will not put it down!

Hard to put down. It's an exhilarating ride for an autobiography. The history of cave diving is the history of Sheck Exley. He pioneered many of the cave diving protocols and risked his life testing the theories. All divers owe Sheck our gratitude.

Highly recommended.

I read this book from front to back in about 4 days. It was a very enjoyable read and very hard to put down. Exley did a very good job describing the early years of cave diving and how it evolved to it's present state circa 1993.
I didn't want the book to end, for I knew that one more turned page was one step closer to the end of Exley's life.
I have read many books on diving-The Last Dive, Submerged, The Cave Divers, Final Descent, etc.- and I have to say that Caverns... was one of the more descriptive,better moving books of all that I have read. It was fascinating to read about all of the research, preperation and logistics that went into Exley's record setting dives. I also found it interesting to read about Exley's incredible luck through 20 plus years of diving. Of all the envelope pushing that was a part of cave diving and deep diving's infancy it was very apparent that Exley was incredibly lucky to not die or get seriously bent in his record breaking pursuits. Others around him, even partners, seemed to succum to the deep while Exley remained unscathed. Incredible luck or Incredible talent? Probably a lot of both.
What needs to be written now is an addendum to the book that discusses Exleys fatal dive at Mante and how and why it happened.
One thing is for certain, had Exley not lived, many of the safety measures that are a part of everyday life for a scuba diver would not have been invented. We scuba divers, won't fully realise the contribution that Exley made until we read this book.
A Great book, a keeper to be re-read many times.

Sheck Exley is without a doubt the best cavediverin the world, probably unchallened in that title. Here we are invited into his world to share in his unharnessed thrill of the dive. You are welcomed to see through his eyes the beauty of what awaits. Many of todays standards in cave diving were set by Exley he has set many records that today stand still unchallenged. If you have the tiniest of desire to cave and explore the wonderous beauty of caverns or understand the desire of those who do, this is the book you need to read.

wow, the set of fabled lands books are brilliant, they transport you into a whole new enchanted world where anything is possible. I would well recomend these books to everyone. I just want to know what happend to the last six in the series?, i,ve been looking for them everywhere!

I strongly reccomend this wonderful roleplaying game. Absolutely non-lynear storyline, many different characters to start your game with and many mini-quests in the global quest.

I have been playing the Quest for more than 3 years, and it was a pity that only 6 books have been published. This is the most astounding Role Playing Games I have ever played. Specially for people who do not of RPG games on computers. I wish that Jamie Thomson and Dave Morris become aware of this and please publish the remaining 6 books.The descriptions in the book for places, characters and actions are so good that I have abandoned to play Fighting Fantasy Series. Best of all, for all readers, is that the adventure is unlimited and you can go back and forth.

wow, the set of fabled land books are brilliant, they transport you into a whole new world where anything is possible. I would well recomend this book to those of you who like to escape for a few hours into a land of fiction. I would just like to know what happend to the last 6 books in the series?, i,ve been looking for them everywhere!

The best solo RPG game ever!
These books create the most amazing fantasy world.
They allow you to roam about how you want to.
It was planned that enough of these books would be released to cover the map that is contained in each of this series.
However, I heard, that they charged too little for each book (in England I think they were just £5 or £6!!) so they couldn't finish the series for financial reasons!
An absolute shame - I do anything for the last few books!!

This is a Great Book by Tina Zhang and Frank Allen on how to do Northern Wu Style Tai Ji. Having studied Wu Style Short Form for 6 months with Frank Allen I can honestly say that many things he taught me in person are explained in great detail in this book. All students of all styles of Tai Ji will benefit from reading it and incorporating its techniques into their daily practice. If you are interested in Tai Ji You Must Get This Book !!!!!

This is a great book on the art of tai ji quan (tai chi chuan). It offers an excellent overview of the internal martial arts principles of Wu style tai ji quan, and addresses the aspects of the art that contribute to good health and longevity. The history of the Northern Wu is very interesting and includes rare archival photographs. The form and practical application of the postures are well presented, as is the section on the Wu sword form. This is the kind of book you buy to keep as a lifelong reference as you develop the skills of tai ji quan - from knowing the techniques (zhao shu), to understanding internal energy and gaining tai ji quan power (dong jin), and progressing to the advanced level where the spirit is calm, happy, relaxed, and free to use flowing techniques at will (shen ming). (See Chapter 8.) I can't wait for the authors' book on Bagua, due out this summer!

Not only does this book offer a detailed description and clear photography of the Tai Ji Form and Sword Form, for these alone would be reason for those practicing or interested in Classical Northern Wu Style.
What makes this book invaluable for ALL internal martial artists is its direct and straight to the point explanations of the martial applications, how to apply the qualities of a Tai Ji practice to become more effective, and specifically what training methods the internal fighter will utilize in contrast to an external stylist. It is within these teachings that Tina Zhang and Frank Allen show their understanding of the complete art, integrating all the components into a whole... which is the essence of Tai Ji.

Although it is always preferable to have a teacher, this book goes a long way towards providing the images and text for learning Taiji on your own, which is an unusual occurance. The images are sharp and there are many of them. Using figure numbers, the images are linked to the text, which is as clearly written as is possible.

The introduction gives excellent background on the evolution of Northern style taiji and provides biographies of the people that developed and spread the art. The introduction is followed by a section on the Principles of Wu Style Taijiquan, which provides interesting information on the differences between the hard and soft, and the external and internal martial arts styles.

The Wu style described in the book consists of 83 movements with images covering the beginning and end of each movement plus images for all key changes in posture.

In addition to the Taiji form, the book contains a good section on Push hands, which incluses more than 50 images showing fighting applications using the Wu style movements.

The Classical Sword Form is also presented and the presentation is just as well done and extensive as the Taiji form.

The book is a well done, authoritative, excellent addition to the martial arts literature.

On the bookshelves of the martial arts section there are few books that can truly be called thorough and complete. The "Classical Northern Wu Style Tai Ji Quan" by Tina Zhang and Frank Allen in one of these few.

The history section is a concise look at the history of Tai Ji Quan from the perspective of the northern Wu style school. Instead of just regurgitating the usual legends, it tells an interesting story and gives the reader a quick introduction to the confusing and convoluted field of martial arts history. Unlike many Tai Ji books it actually has some new information, specifically about the Northern Wu style so that any Tai Ji player will get some new perspective on the development of the art.

The principles of practice are well laid out and to the point. There are many facets to be worked on here from alignments, to breathing, vision, and more. Very interesting are instructions on Compression and Expansion which is often absent in Tai Ji practice, yet is one of Tai Ji's most useful and enriching aspects.

The form is taught carefully with full instructions, yet not overlong or boring. Tai Ji enthusiasts should be able to make a close comparison of this with their own work and see how it is the same and different. The sword form is also fully taught and should also be quite useful for comparison.

A note on the combat applications. Any Chinese martial arts book that is missing the fighting uses of the form should be considered useless. This is where the hard gongfu training is demonstrated. The creativity and proficiency of the author is always shown best in the applications. Your form may be great but are your fighting moves silly and wrong-headed? In the case of "Classical Northern Wu Style Tai Ji Quan" the answer is decidedly not! The applications are a short section, but instead of wasting endless space on explanations, the pictures are worth a thousand words. Each shows the essence of a fighting technique, and almost all of the Wu style form movements are demonstrated in combative use. The demonstrations are clear and provide much fodder for exploration and experimenation by the reader. They are simple and direct so you can grab a friend and quickly get to work trying them out with no wasted time.

Finally the theory and translation of the Tai Ji classics in the end is of course another mandatory part of a good Ta Ji book. The special points of Northern Wu Tai Ji are also translated so the reader gets a small taste of what makes this style unique.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all Tai Ji Quan players, and all who want a close look at the intricacies of Chinese martial arts.

Sincerley,

Jess O'Brien
Oakland, CA

Flies like the Clouser minnow are well known and easy to tie, I
was interested to see how the man himself tied his flies.
The good photographs and step-by-step instructions make it easy to duplicate the patterns correctly.
Since these patterns are so succsesfull in both fresh- and saltwater I
regard this book as a must have for any flyfisherman.

I fish specs and reds in the flats, and when I'm not throwing top water, I'm using a Clouser...this book has led me to experiment with other than the Clouser standards with great success. The book is well written and the photography of the flies is superb. Glad I added it to my fly library, it certainly will be a classic.

Clouser's Flies: Tying And Fishing the Fly Patterns of Bob Clouser Highly recommended fly tying tutorial for Bob Clouser patterns. Tying sequences well illustrated with large, clear photos. Great for seasoned beginning or intermediate tyers wanting to advance their skills. Must have book to add to any flytyers library.

This book is an important read for anyone who fishes & ties Bob Clouser's flies; that would probably include everyone who flyfishes fresh or inshore salt water.

This book gives very clear instructions with great high res color pictures showing how to tie some of Bob Couser's most popular flies. He gives great advise on general fly tying techniques that will help you with other tying as well. It also goes through proportions and helps you to understand 'why' his flies are designed the way they are for better fishing. Pretty much one of the best fly tying books out there for specialty patterns.

As a machinist, and amature gunsmith, I'm fairly well versed on how to modify guns. However, there's no need to reinvent the wheel if it's already been done. Since this was my first 10/22 buildup, this book helped just by being able to see all the different possible combination of parts one could use for a modified 10/22. The accuracy tests with various ammo brands vs. different rifle mods give the new owner a great place to start. If you've been around modified 10/22's for a while, this info might not be too much of a surprise. But for the person getting into this type of gun for the first time, it is very informative, and time saving in the long run.

The first shipment was wrong, I returned it with a picture of the cover showing the thumb hole stock. Second book arrived, the same as the first.
Not the thumb hole stock, but the none thumb hole stock which I had. I want the edition with a thumb hole stock on it, even if it is just a new cover on the one I have.
Why is it people do not think, read and pay attention to what or why things are returned? I'll go to Barns and Noble at the mall and try there.
The first book is very, very good if you shoot and own a Ruger 10/22! It has more information, how to, where to find, about the 10/22 than any book I have found to date.

This book is a 'must have' if you own a Ruger 10/22 rifle. Very informative!

This book was well written and organized. I found it very helpful in answering some questions I had about my Ruger 10-22. It was a good value.

Excellent presentation of both text and illustrations. Material very helpful to both inexperienced shooters as well as old pros.

Best book on weather I've read since Bomar's Texas Weather. As in Bomar's book, the author understands that it's the unusual weather events that are of most interest to most people, and he doesn't fail to disappoint on that score. A must for all weather nuts.

This is a well written and fascinating book on weather extremes. I'm only about 100 pages into it, but I enjoyed it so much I wanted to make a brief comment.

Although the book is mostly about extreme weather phenomena, you'll also learn a lot about more normal types of weather, since if you understand how the more extreme storms are generated, you often can understand how the less severe ones occur as well. But this is done in the context of learning about the more severe and extreme types of weather, which I find an interesting approach. After all, there isn't much when it comes to natural phenomena that's scarier than a hurricane or a tornado (well, earthquakes and tsunamis of course are right up there too, but in weather, they're the kings :-)). I once read that a typical hurricane can release each second 100 times the energy in the first atomic bomb (which was a 20 kiloton bomb).

The book discusses weather extremes from rainfall to tornadoes for the U.S. and the rest of the world, including many fascinating topics, such as internally lit tornadoes that glowed with their own light. Witnesses reported orange lightning bolts coming out of the bottom of the spout which would then be sucked up by the violent winds into the interior, thereby lighting up the entire tornado. There are a couple of photos of these sorts of tornadoes, including a black and white one at night showing two luminous tornadoes that obviously had to be internally lit. Very cool stuff and my only complaint was there weren't more photos like this, but then these are very rare phenomena.

Also, the maximum winds typically don't exceed 325 miles per hour, and most tornadoes are usually more like 75-125 miles per hour. This is just one of the many very interesting topics covered.

Overall a very cool book on weather, and I'll have more to say about it later when I finish the book.

This is an excellent book and affordable. Some other reference books are very expensive and don't have the great photos and data presentations that this book has (I still highly recommend the others, but they are not cheap). This book saves a lot of time and makes it easy to show other people exactly what you are trying to say, and they will be impressed with the quality of this publication. Excellent book in its own right and can easily double as a "coffee table book" and a great conversation starter.

This is an excellent book that should actually be used as an accompying text to a regular weather text. The cartography is superb and the data is listed in an easy to understand fashion

This is a wonderful book on weather. And the extreme values it gives are actually fairly interesting and fun to read about. Besides, we all like to know if we're in the middle of truly unusual weather.

The book starts with heat records for every state, both absolute maximums and July averages. As well as maps showing number of days with 90-degree (Fahrenheit) or higher temperatures. We learn about temperature-humidity indexes, heat waves, and even heat bursts. As well as extremes in temperature ranges. There's information about heat extremes in foreign countries as well.

Next we get to cold weather! Heat records for every state, both absolute minimums and January averages. Cold waves. Wind chill. And international extremes. Did you know that near Lake Vostok, in Antarctica, the temperature once reached minus 128.6 degrees Fahrenheit? Brrrr!

We learn about the snowiest cities. And then we get to rainfall records for a big bunch of American cities. There are also records for varying amounts of time. What's the record for rainfall in 30 minutes? It's over 11 inches! And it fell in Sikeshugou, China. And there's material about floods, thunderstorms, hail, and tornadoes. As well as wind and fog!

There is a fascinating chapter on hurricanes. I vividly remember Hurricane Carol, which struck in August of 1954. And there's a picture of Providence, Rhode Island, after it was hit by the storm surge from that hurricane. There is also an excellent map of the American Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean coasts, with probabilities per year of being hit by a hurricane, as well as probabilities of being hit by 125 mile-per-hour winds or greater. The five areas that in 2004 that were "overdue" for a hurricane are listed. Of course, as any technical person knows, being "overdue" for a storm does not increase the chance of being hit, if anything, it decreases it. But it does imply that one may be less prepared for one when it does hit. New Orleans is listed as one of the five areas (it was hit by Betsy in 1965 and not hit again until Katrina in 2005). The book explains that the dikes protecting downtown New Orleans, including the French Quarter, from the water in Lake Pontchartrain would almost certainly be overwhelmed by a Category 4 or 5 storm surge. And that if they were, much of that area could be swamped under 20 feet of water. I wish that more people with the responsibility for protecting the city of New Orleans (or voting for its protection) had been more aware of this, so that some of the damage caused by Katrina might have been lessened.

I highly recommend this book.

Fenway Park is amazing, and so is Tim Shea's Fenway Pole Finder Guide. The guide points out some of Fenway's inherent design flaws which can make the viewing experience a little less enjoyable. In fact, prior to owning this guide, I was reluctant to purchase any GS seat, fearing that I would have an unadvertised obstructed view of the game. This is not the case now - I can easily reference the section, row and seat in the guide before committing to a purchase.

In addition to the valuable obstructed seat diagrams, there is a wealth of Fenway general information included in this guide. I would point out to potential purchasers that the seating prices have gone up since the book was published - but other than that the book is spot on.

Tim Shea's Fenway Pole Finder is one of the best, if not the best guide to help determine if your view will be obstructed. It is a must for any fan looking to take in a game at Fenway - regardless of where you sit!

This book is one of the best guides I have ever purchased. I have used it to purchase 4 sets of grandstand seats and have had a perfect view of the field using this guide. This guide was sent from the Fenway gods.

In the interest of full disclosure, I know Tim Shea. He even wrote a testimonial on the back of my book Green Monster University: Creating Die-Hahd Fans Since 1901.
But that aside, you must believe me when I say this book leaves nothing to chance in guiding you in and around the most historic ballpark in the country.
Things have changed since I was a kid and had season tickets. For one, you could GET season tickets. But now, with added seats, and exorbitant parking rates, and a concourse containing an expanded array of foods, it's become a science to plot your day at the park.
This book is to Fenway Park as the "Let's Go" series is to travel abroad. For anyone that is about to experience Fenway for the first time, GET THIS BOOK!

If you are a huge baseball fan like I am, a visit to Fenway is absolutely a must even if you just go once in your lifetime.

Just obtaining a ticket to a Red Sox home game can be a daunting task due to the extremely high demand, so before spending your hard earned dollars READ THIS BOOK. It tells ALL the intricate details of the mind boggling choice of seats and how to avoid the dreaded "pole obstructions". The book also has a wealth of many other tips on how to make the trip to The Church Of Baseball a truly memorable experience.
A 5 Star job was done by this author and wow, thanks to him for this wealth of information!

If you are a Red Sox fan, and visit Fenway alot. You need this book!!

I never again am sad when I get to the park to see my view at home plate is a pole!!!

Dont buy the bad tixs!!! Save them for the uninformed!!!

Skip Morris breaks it down for beginners. He explains and has colored pictures of materials and tools. Also there is detailed (and colored) step by step for all the types of flies. If you are going to start tying flies, this book is a must have.

5 years ago I was mentored by a friend who taught me to tie basic flies... unfortunately life got in the way and I didn't tie flies for two years. A year ago, I pulled out my vise and materials, which inlcluded this book. By starting from the beginning, this books takes you through all the basics and gives you a foundation to tie ANY fly you want - the only limiting factor is the price of materials. If you're new to tying, this book de-mystifies topics such as the whip finish and palmering hackle to name just a couple. As a bonus, it is spiral bound to lay flat so you can tie along with step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting.

I own a number of fly tying books and this, by far, is the best. If you start with only one book, start with this one. The author methodically goes step by step, using fly patterns which require most, if not all, of the basic skills. The photography and illustrations are wonderful. Not only does the author give you exact, easy to follow directions each step of the way, he goes as far as to give a point by point review of what should be done if you find yourself in a mess. (invaluable for a klutz like myself). This, as I indicated, is by far one of the best books for beginners, but should certainly be owned and used by more advanced fly tiers also. The price is well worth it and in the long run will save you much money and certainly much time and frustration. I do wish there were more "how to" books around of this quality. Highly recommend this one.

This an excellent book to use when you're starting out. Directions are clear, illustrations are helpful-everything is designed to help you build your success along the way, moving from relatively simple to relatively complex. It introduces the materials, tools, and skills that will continue to be helpful as you develop expertise.

I am fairly new at tying my own flys. I own a couple of fly tying references and I am so much more impressed with Skip Morris' book "Fly Tying Made Clear And Simple." This is an outstanding choice for the novice. The biggest help, for me, has been Skip's methodical way of going through the process as he instructs on building each fly. He also describes solutions for the most common problems a novice will face and, best of all, the book lays flat on your fly tying bench due to it's spiral bound binding! I wish I would have started with this book!!

This is one of those books with a literal title and a book that I cannot refrain from recommending strongly. If you have any interest in auto racing (and, really, who shouldn't?) this is the book you want to read first, no matter what kind of race cars you daydream of. With a direct language, a captivating prose and a hearty, contagious enthusiasm, Dave Gran details all the steps basically anyone can take to be able to start a racing adventure and to begin to enjoy the thrills of speed and automotive competition on a budget most people will be able to afford. Although it may appear to be impossibility to most (it certainly did seem impossible to me until very recently), Dave's point is in fact correct: yes you can - get into your own race car! The book is chockfull of useful, current and detailed practical advice which I have found to be accurate. I only wish I had read it a few years back.

THIS BOOK IS WORTH IT'S WEIGHT IN GOLD. IF YOU HAVE EVERY CONSIDERED RACING, THEN BUY THIS BOOK. IT WILL SAVE YOU ALOT OF TIME AND MONEY.

this book is incredible. For anybody remotely interested in car racing of any type they should read this book. It is the best source of information for getting started in racing with any budget even if if's a five hundred car. Must read !!!

THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTLEY FANTASTIC!!

I have a good friend that's been racing SCCA for the past 8-9 years and for the past couple years he's been on my case to give SCCA racing a shot. I've ALWAYS been a car guy and have always been big in to drag racing and American muscle cars. Well, this past August I finally gave in and took part in a PDX at Mid-Ohio in my daily driver SRT4. MAN-O-MAN what a blast!!!

SOON thereafter I started seriously thinking about picking up a full-fledged SCCA race car, but I initially resisted. That's around the time I purchased/read Dave's book and that was the "clincher", I was HOOKED!! Soon therefter I was on the lookout for a SSB/SSC/ITA/ITC race car and within a month bought an SSC Focus. I'm looking forward to driver's school this April. THANKS DAVE for a great book!!!!!!

If you are like me and have an interest in going racing someday, this book really shows you what you have to do to get into the sport on a decent budget. I read the book in a day (which is a HUGE feat for me - I never liked books very much). It is very informative and sometimes humorous. It's laid back, but provides the advice and teachings that would prove very helpful when the time comes. Gran, the author, even goes into explaining how to prep a car... Anyway, I really liked this book. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Autocross, SCCA Club racing, or just interested in racing.

This story is a good one. I liked reading this, especially in a cozy environment. Not my favorite, but I think many readers will enjoy this story. A bit suspenseful, easy to visualize. Makes a great holiday gift!

This was actually the first Phantom Stallion book I read. I won it from our libary when I was ten and I didn't really care for it at that time. I re read it a few months ago and loved it!! This one is a great book if you like mysteries along with horses. It's one of my favorite.

This book was wonderfull!I could not believe that
Sam could make such hard desicion.This book is great
for anyone who LOVES horses or any other animal.I
want everyone to trie out all of the books in the
series.

Sam and her friend Jen are doing a school project in
an old ghost town. They see a horse and when Jen starts thinking
it's a horse that her family lost. She sort of goes crazy trying to catch the mare. I think the fire and ice palominos sound pretty cool.
Very exciting book. better than I thought it would be.

I have read the first thirteen of the Phantom Stallion series, and Golden Ghost is one of my favorites. Like all the Phantom Stallion books, a lot of different story lines are presented throughout the book. You get to know not only the human characters, but also the horses, each of which have their own personality as well. I highly recommend the Phantom Stallion series for any horse lover!