Players Books

This book was really good - it showed his whole life. The pictures were great and the tips accurate. It really shows the life of a player and how hard you have to try to make it big. It was a great thing for me---you should check it out.

The worst thing about this book is it doesn't have enough pages...I found myself wanting to read more. There are a lot of tips for young players and some bio information which is interesting. The pictures are great, espescially the younger ones. Thanks to Chris for sharing them with all of us.

If you were like me and were looking for a good Pronger book, your search ends! This had a lot of great information on Pronger. Let's Go Blues!

I can't really add much more to say about this very useful book - the above reviewers did an excellent job of describing it's content. I will, however, type up a list of what's in the content page since you can't "see inside" this book:

Preface
Introduction: First Principles
Section I: Scales
Comprehensive Diatonic Scales
Two-Octave Scale Forms
Rhythmic Formulas for Practice
Two-Octave Diatonic Scales in all Keys
Three-Octave Scales
Developing Velocity in Scales
Scales Beyond the Diatonic

Section II: Chords and Arpeggios
Systemic Cadences
Recurring Chord Forms
Cadences in the Principal Keys
Arpeggios
Basic Arpeggios in Increasing Complexity
Arpeggios with Thumb and Fingers Played Together
Practicing Arpeggios with the Carcassi Etude 2
Two Etudes by Dionisio Aguado

Section III: Left-Hand Development
Slurs
Basic Ascending Slur Exercises
Descending Slurs
Ascending and Descending Slurs Combined
Triplet Slurs
Slurs Across the Fingerboard
Chromatic Octaves and Tenths
Bar-Chord Strength Development

Section IV: Exercises in Technical and Interpretive Control
The Left Hand
The Right Hand
Interpretive Control

And there you have the entire contents page. Pretty impressive I think. If you practice these exercises and drills that Mr. Duncan has given, you will improve in many areas. I ask my more advanced students to purchase this book and we begin practicing two octave scales - minor and major.
There is nothing about this book so far, that I can find anything negative to comment on. It's well worth the money.

Classical Guitar 2000 is what is says:a companion to Charles Duncan's Art of Classical Guitar Playing (Art of Series).
Tons of guitar instruction books are being published. Just type in words like "mastering the guitar" and within soon you may get lost musing what to choose.
This book, written in 1993, may be the one to look for.
It is not written for the beginner. You'll not find the word "easy" in the book.
The serious student (Duncan's words and, I may add, the serious guitar player) will be guided from basic guitar technique to practical examples taken from the classical guitar literature.
It offers a well organized compendium of excercises, tools which provide guidance to "the process of learning and performing music". Again Duncan's words however to be completed by the tag "technical".

Do we learn "music" from books? I don't think so. The book provides the tools to reach the technical levels to perform but it is not by accident that Duncan uses the word "student" several times in his introduction.
Set a goal, get organized, be inspired and find a source to fire the inspiration and enthousiasme to make music. The book may help you to reach that goal.

This book contains the quintessential essay on nail-filing in the literature for classical guitar. I require it for all serious classcial guitar students studying with me. It's discussion of tension as falling into the categories of functional and dysfunctional tension is a very important discussion that helps the developing student realize how the hand function properly. This book is on my "Basic Library" list for all students, classical and otherwise.
Thomas O. Olson, MM, Performer and teacher of Classical guitar, graduate, the Cleveland Institue of Music.

This book is terrific for any serious student who wants a complete book of exercises for left and right hand development. What I like most about this book is the presentation of the scales. He gives you 33 pages of scales: melodic minor, major scales, chromatic, diminished, etc. in one, two, and three octave ranges. He shows you different approaches to the same scale -- two string version and three string version; 5 string versions and six string versions, etc.

There are good arpeggio exercises, cadence exercise,slur exercises, chord change exercises, chromatic octave and tenths exercises, and everything else you could think of. The explanations are clear. The print is big (nice layout to the book) and easy to read.

I first read Duncan's book, The Art of Classical Guitar Playing, which is a companion to his Classical Guitar 2000 book. That's also very good and unique. Classical Guitar 2000 is the practical application of what he discusses in his Art of Classical Guitar book.

I also have Pumping Nylon by Scott Tennant, and although both books are outstanding and I use both on a frequent basis, I prefer this book.

I'll just echo what others have said - Bak's book is wonderful. It combines a narrative history of the Tigers from the late 20s through the early 50s, recounting the glory years of the 1930s in greatest detail. The second part of the book is a series of oral histories with Tiger greats and unknowns during this period. It is very well written and organized, and for anyone interested in baseball during this period is a sure bet.

Mr. Bak outdoes himself on this spellbinding autobiography of 22 "greats" of Baseball Legends. Few writers can make the pictures and words come to life. Bak should be commended, as he does quite well at this. He not only gives the reader a sense of time and place, but prefaces players' interviews with a short history as well, and the paths the city and professional baseball took from the end of WWI through the early 50's. Beautiful and yet haunting pictures of the way baseball was. An extra bonus was the almost-forgotten Black professional teams as well. Good reading, and one you'll go back to read and reference time after time after time.

If Richard Bak was to write 10 books about the Detroit Tigers, I'm sure my top 10 favorite books on the team would be those books (with my appologies to Ernie Harwell). Unlike any other Detroit Tiger author, Bak puts you at the feet of the greats he talks about or interviews and makes you feel like you are at Tiger Stadium during the 1930s. He has just the right blend of personality and historical fact to each book he publishes. In Cobb Would've Caught It, Bak talks to several Tiger greats and not-so Tiger greats and puts you in the seat next to him while he interviews them. I almost catch myself wanting to ask questions to the players as each story continues on. When Bak writes a book about Detroit basball, I immediately buy it - and I am never upset. David Troppens

I am a 16 year old basketball fan and this book is every thing i ever wanted in a book. Up until i read this reading was like torture to me. But now i read all the time I can't wait until Craig Strohm writes another.

I think this is the best book I have ever read in my whole life! I used to hate to read but now I love it! This is actually the first book I've read. It is my favorite. It made me love basketball and it is my most favorite sport.

Having spent over twenty-five years teaching in classrooms in Alaska, I've read numerous survival stories. Comeback is an artfully told story about a teacher/coach and his survival - filled with tension and intrigue. The fiction will captivate readers; the truth will rend your heart. I'm a fan out of the author's past who continues to be one...

The 1997 Complete Handbook of Baseball is the last one in the great series, which began in 1971. Winter always ended for me when I would spot the new edition of this indispensible baseball guide. In the 1991 edition I spotted an error and wrote a letter to Zander Hollander about it. Several months later a typewriiten (on a real typewriter not a word processor) letter arrived thanking me for writing. Snap 'em all up if you can.

Mr. Hollander's baseball annual is one I look forward to, having bought it every year since his first edition in 1971. Somehow, I lost my 1975 copy, if anyone has one to spare! His lively, knowledgeable and often humorous comments on the players, teams and issues of the game are a delight for me as a lifelong baseball fan. This is the one book I never want to miss, come springtime, and it's the one I'd recommend to any fan of any interest level. Whether you're just learning, or wanting to learn, the game.....or a fantatic who already thinks he knows everything - this one's a "must read" and one you'll refer to again and again throughout this season and for seasons to come.

This book is a great source for player stats in the baseball season of 1996. A must have for baseball fans.

Mr. Hearn's story is terrific! He courageously talks about the ups and downs of professional baseball playing, and ties these to the ups and downs of kidney disease. His story is one of winning, and meeting the challenges, despite being asked to "catch some real foul balls" in his struggle to overcome the limitations of chronic kidney failure and dialysis. I would recommend every professional who works with people who suffer from debilitating, chronic disease to read Mr. Hearn's book!

On the surface, Ed Hearn had a brief and undistinguished career as a catcher in the major leagues. However, there is so much below the surface that needed to be told, and Hearn tells it all, the good and bad.
Hearn had a promising career as a catcher. He gives an excellent look into his life throughout school as a star athlete. He does not hold back as he tells his story, blemishes and all.
Tragically, Hearn was stricken with kidney problems, requiring a transplant. Once again, Hearn tackles this part of the story with brutal honesty. Sometimes it is painful. Sometimes it is heart-wrenching. At all times, it is inspirational.
Hearn never made a major league All-Star team, but he is truly an All-Star in life.

As an avid K.C. Royals fan, I too jumped on the 'Why did we trade David Cone for Ed Hearn' bandwagon back in 1987. After reading Ed's book and meeting him in person, I realize how shallow I was. Ed's story is a must read for all sports enthusiasts and everyone who has overcome and is need of overcoming their own 'curves' in life. God bless Ed on touching lives through this book and his many speaking engagements. His signed copy will always be at the front of my bookcase

Some great insights to long ago baseball stars and the stories behind the stats. I have totally enjoyed this book.

Both books are instantly a must read for all fans of this era..Fantastic to see these teams and players given such loving and endearing attention.

The Society for American Baseball Research has outdone itself again, with a companion book to "Deadball Stars of the National League;" appropriately enough called "Deadball Stars of the American League." Following the same manner as the N.L. book, it has short biographies of the major stars for each of the franchises active between 1901 and 1919, complete with many photos. This excellent book again utilized a huge amount of people on the "Deadball" Committee of the organization taking part in the writing, editing and fact checking. It's a wonderful book for those wanting a feel of the game in the first decades of the 20th century, and of the players of that time, and I highly recommend it.

This was an enjoyable read with a lot of very enlightening and useful information. I came away with great pointers on how I can encourage and support my baseball player. I also learned a lot about the game I didn't know. This book kept me engaged throughout; the writing style is easy to read. I found myself laughing, learning, and enjoying cover to cover. I would highly recomend this book for anyone with a baseball player in the family!

If you have a child who is or wants to be a baseball player, then this book is for you. Beautifully written by a devoted baseball Mom in an informative, understanding, supportive, loving way. Reading this book brought back fond and painful memories of my grown son when he was a little boy with a leather glove and big dreams to be special...and he is! I love this book, and give it as gifts to my friends with basball kids.

Invaluable information for the parents of daughters & sons in competitive sports, especially baseball. This book is clearly written from personal experience and reveals the human element, and not just the stats.

I enjoyed this book immensely! Shari MacDonald is a wonderful author with an equally wonderful sense of humor. Her writing style was NOT stilted or awkward (thank goodness!). Her understanding of human characteristics and everyday occurances made me feel as though I could relate to the people in the book. You can be sure I will be reading more of her books in the near future. Keep up the good work, Shari!

Loved the book. Couldn't put it down. Even a man like me can enjoy a romantic story when it is mixed with sports.

I absolutely loved this book! Not only is it based around baseball (which is my favorite sport), but it included real life situations. Stubborness, pride, and other responses natural for humans. The humor and romance is clean and pure. It was impossible to put down, and once I finished it I sang for the rest of the day! Shari MacDonald has done an excellent job. This is the first book of hers that I've read, and I can't wait to read more!

This book is a repertoire book centered around the Leningrad Dutch - a very aggressive (yet slightly risky for both white and black), tactical line. The specific line highlighted is as follows- 1. d4 f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. o-o o-o 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 Qe8.

This book has three features that I really like-

1)An intro chapter discussing typical middlegame plans, tactics, and various pawn structure that are likely to arise in this variation.

2)It covers many other sidelines such as staunton gambit, english, etc. that one is likely to face in addition to the main line.

3)It has a final chapter with "test" positions so that you can find out how well you have learned the opening.

Warning! This opening is not for the fainthearted! - If you like an all out slug fest where both sides "burn their bridges" early, and you enjoy putting maximum pressure on white's position-then play this opening.

Note: I have had pretty decent results with this opening. I am currently rated in the 1800-1900 USCF range and I find that many of my opponents are not terribly versed in dutch lines- they spend thier time preparing against the Nimzo-Indian, King's Indian, Queen's Gambit, etc. Therefore, an additional bonus in playing the dutch is that I have generally been more familiar with what's going on during the game than my opponent.

Let me say that the Dutch is an excellent, but risky, system that should appeal to people who like to "burn their pants" early. In the dutch, there is no such thing as as a loss that is based on one static factor. All losses are SLAUGHTERS.The Leningrad system is the most riskiest, newest, and most blood thirstiest system in the dutch. Both sides have to play on there toes , as one slip could cost the game for either side. Endgames are hardly never reached in this sytem for game usually last 30 moves. You have to be on your top at tactics. I wouldn't recommend weak players to play the dutch and especially the leningrad. However, if you are tacticaly good and accurate with your moves and love blood thirsty battles and hate endgames. Then I seriously recommend you get the book "The Dutch for the Attacking Player" by Steffen Pedersen. It provides you with a full repertoire against any thing that white can throw at you using the Leningrad system. All of whites major replies and sidelines are covered in detail with complete games and provides the logic behind the moves. But let me remind you.... The Leningrad is extremely risky. I hope this review has aided you in which system to play. Keep in mind that this is my opinian. If you like a rock-solid wall of pawns then play the Stonewall. If you like endgames and quiet play, then play the Classical dutch by all means. If you decide to play the Stonewall, please keep in mind the gaping holes you are letting white have.

This is a repertoire book for black, and it's geared towards the attacking player. The basis of the suggested repertoire is the Leningraddutch (with 7. - Qe8 ), but the more rare continuations after 1.d4/c4/Ktf3 f5 are also covered using 36 commented games. Analysis of typical dutch middlegamepositions are therefore thouroughly covered.

The books starts with a chapter on the common plans in the dutch for both sides, which gives you a jump start in understanding the opening. At the end there are also 9 strategical tests with the motto "How well do you understand the Dutch?", to test you and give you hints on what parts you need to study again. This book does a great job in explaining a difficult opening system to the point where it becomes close to being percieved as simple.

If you are planning on playing the dutch you must buy this book!