Tracks Books

First, I take exception to Publisher's Weekly who calls is a "humdrum" romance, and also, another reviewer classifying this book as "chick lit romance." Yes, the romantic elements are important, but the book far transcends the typical romance novel. The characters are fascinating, fallible, real three dimensional human beings whose stories you're totally drawn into. For example, one of the main characters (the male romantic lead), while handsome, rich, etc. he is also kind and unjudgmental. There is a scene where he (as the head of the English Department) is interviewing a new undergraduate, who is obviously overweight, and he offers her a cinnamon roll. "Lydia studied his face closely, but found no trace of mockery. She had the idea - and very strange it was, too - that she could sit here and devour a couple thousand calories and he wouldn't take any real note of it." And when his catty administrative assistant comments, "I saw Lydia Montgomery leaving just a minute ago. Isn't it a pity?" he replies "I don't see any cause for pity. She's here on a full merit scholarship, her writing samples are stellar, she's got excellent plans for her education."

Often when I read books I do some skipping simply to see how the plot unfolds. But because this author is so gifted in the richness of her language combined with the fascinating personality of the characters, I enjoyed every step of the journey. While there was some predictability (caution: spoiler) in that the main characters were going to wind up with each other, there was enough tension and unpredictability in other elements of the plot to engage you to the end.

This author writes under another pen name, Sara Donati. Don't miss her "Into the Wilderness" series.

I am so excited to write this book review because I absolutely loved Tied to the Tracks. The synopsis of the story doesn't really sound all that exciting: documentary company (Tied to the Tracks of the title) from New Jersey is selected to do the documentary of a famous southern writer, Ms. Zula May Bragg, in Ogilvie, GA. The catch is that the head of the documentary company, Angie, and the department chair of the college where the famous writer is a teacher, John, were once lovers, and John is engaged to be married to the youngest sister of the other rich family in the town.

That said, the story was very exciting, fun to read, and enjoyable in all the right ways. The tension between John and Angie is so tight that the book fairly tingles with it.

What I absolutely love about Lippi/Donati's work is her sense of language. She captures the cadence and rhythm of language in a way that makes the conversations and thoughts of the characters "sound" in your head. The telephone conversation between Tony Russo (one of the filmmakers) and his mother in New Jersey was a delight to read. I was also excited to see that Lippi accurately placed the origin of Frito Pie in East Texas. It's little details like this that make the world she built in Ogilvie, GA, feel as hot, humid, and muggy as it would be if it were a real town just an hour outside of Savannah.

I know that a book I am reading strikes a chord with me when I start to have conversations with the characters and imagine what they would do in my world. The characters in TTTT came to life for me, and I had imaginary conversations with them all week. I am going to miss them now that I've read the book and have to place it back on my bookshelf.

At Ogilvie College, Georgia award winning author Miss Zula Bragg agrees to cooperate with a documentary about her life with the stipulation being that only financially troubled New Jersey based firm Tied to the Tracks make the film. Miss Zula explains that this small firm has the hunger to do it right not just sensationalize it.

Owner, writer and producer Angie Mangiamele has mixed feelings about the project that would provide a boost for her fledgling company as she knows that her former lover John Grant chairs the Ogilvie English Department. Still accompanied by her team, Rivera Rosenblum and Tony Russo who provide technical photography, editing and sound, Angie heads south. Affluent and belonging to the upper crust John is engaged to marry Caroline Rose, his social equal as the daughter of a prominent local family. However, upon seeing each other for the first time since their flame allegedly burned out, Angie and John deny the attraction that everyone at Ogilvie including her partners, his fiancé, and Miss Zula feel is hotter than a peppercorn.

This chick lit romance is enhanced by New Jersey zanies who stick out in rural Georgia amidst local eccentrics as each group adds plenty of humor while observing the not in love goings-on between the filmmaker and the professor. The townsfolk take sides as the matchmakers vs. the anti-matchmakers augment a lighthearted at times satirical romp. Sub-genre fans will appreciate Rosina Lippi's war of northern aggression.

Harriet Klausner

I don't need to go in to the details of the story since the other reviewers have done such a good job, but I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the story. As a big fan of Deborah Smith (who wrote A Place To Call Home, and many others) I had high expectations, and Rosina Lippi didn't disappoint. From reading the authors blog I know she had a career in academia so my one burning question is, who was the secretary modeled after?

So if your looking to sit back and enjoy the pleasure of becoming acquainted with a great cast of characters, buy the book, pour a glass of sweet tea and have fun.

If you are looking for a book to change your life, this is not it. However, if you are looking for more of a romantic comedy, not quite chicklit, definitely not a romance (little sex) then this could be for you. Recommended for someone who likes light fiction. The romance is predictable enough (that's not necessarily bad), but the secondary characters, especially the power hungry secretary and the iconic member of the English department are more interesting or nuanced than usual. Also, it gets into to the whys and wherefores of character motivation, which is a little more engaging than the genre's typical: mistakes, leading to romantic breakups, with the charcter then realizing, "Oh if I had only known...." This story has a bit more complexity than that and I recommend it. I gave this book 5 stars, not that it is the best book ever, but it does what it does very well.

This is one of the best chronicles in the whole wide world. I love it so much.

This is one of the best chronicles in the whole wide world. I love it so much.

I am a long-time fan of the Cheysuli Chronicles. Of the series I find this book to be the least gripping - in that I could actually put it down - but it is also the most moving of the series, several scenes are intense and very well written. You feel the emotion of what is not said as much as what is. Whilst the book can be read without having read the first three books, it is much better to have read them as you have an understanding and affection for the continuing characters such as Rowan and Donal.

It's a great series, and the books interrelate on a very unique level. Roberson is extremely good at making the characters likable and understandable to her readers; you don't have to read much of this book to really care about Niall and the others. This series and this book aren't "classics" but they're enjoyable and for the most part well-written, and if you've gotten this far, you might as well keep reading.

In my review of "Legacy of the Sword", the previous book in the Chronicles of the Cheysuli series, I said I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue reading the series. I'm glad I did. This book was much more enjoyable to me than the previous one. Niall, the main character and the son of Donal and Aislinn and heir to the Lion Throne, is very likeable, and a major component of the book is his struggle with his own identity. It's not as dark as the previous books and doesn't have as much war and fighting. It is not without these things, however, and by the end of the book Niall has acquired some scars from his battles. In addition, we begin to see a different side to the Ihlini, the other magical race who have up to now been portrayed as the evil opponents of the Cheysuli. It ends with some interesting and complex developments in the offing.

Now I feel much better about continuing to read the rest of the series.

This book provides great insight to a variety of training methods and should be a must for any coach, at any level. There is a level of specificity and clarity to each of the different chapters, and I am particularly caught with the ease of reading even the most technical terms. One could argue that the sprinter training developed is much more specific than the distance running, but the effort, energy and research put into this book's development is solid.

Great book for beginning coaches. Supplement it with a book that includes more info on drills and training routines.

The book arrived in PERFECT new condition. One of the best coaching resourses available in print. Highly recomend to coaches experienced and novice.

Wonderful purchase. This is an informative text with information for beginners as well as veterans of track and field.

This is a great Track and Field Coaching Manual. It covers everything Track and Field. This is a manual that every coach should start with. It has very good relay techniques and philosophy as well. I wish that the book cover information on how to best help an athlete recover after races to get ready for additional races that day, or a race on the following day.

Percy Cerutty was certainly an energetic and entertaining character who took his own near death experiences into an extraordinary fitness life style transferring into a fitness coach, a highly competent masters runner and a successful yet erratic coach. He strikes me as being as Australian version of the late great Yankee coach Casey Stengel who although a competent coach, was also a great entertainer and showman made famous for his wise cracks. Cerutty was as famous for some of as his antics and his often conflicting abrasive style as well as his unique coaching that encompassed capturing an animalistic form of competitive spirit, efficiency of running form and off track running. Sims captures Cerutty with his unique lifestyle set up by his long-term illnesses that almost killed him until he underwent a dietary change and exercise. Once a promising miler, Sims describes Cerutty as an unusually successful over 40s runner who competently ran marathons into his early 50s and remained a physical specimen all his life. The exciting part of the book is Cerutty's coaching of the Australian greats Landy, Macmillan and Les Perry. Of course, the career high point is his protégée Herb Elliot going undefeated in the mile/1500 through the fantastic 1960 Olympic dominating 1500 victory. The fascinating part of the book is Cerutty's personality that could be overly forthright and abrasive such as explaining to Roger Bannister why his form was inefficient and then conducting a demonstration. His low point is bad mouthing Landy after Landy ran one of the fastest miles in the world with a break through run, assuming that Landy was soaking up the glory on his own to reporters, causing a severance that never completely healed. Another unusual moment was accepting a so called expert's theory on the importance of warming up in double sweats that was tried right before an Olympic final probably costing Macmillan a medal. The training is not quite as detailed as one would like but Sims captures the overall program that consisted of weight workouts, dune running to endure beyond the lactate threshold, off track training allowing more physical freedom and living the life of a "stotan". His training compound on the Portsea was Spartan like in its unique seaside location but appears to have been a great get away from standardized training or intervals three times a week that was a 1950's rage promoted by a coaching rival. Often rejected by the Australian Olympic committee, Cerutty was a unique and hard character that emerged with Elliott as his great success. Quite a unique story and person captured well by Sims along with some great detail on the Olympics of that period. As a distance runner, Cerutty makes you appreciate the opportunity to get to a park and enjoy an off road run.

Cerutty was definitely an extraordinary character, but "maker of champions" or any other such label is very generous. Specifically, his antics drove Landy away, which led to Landy actually developing his own training and Cerutty then taking the credit for making the world's fastest man. In other words, he was kinda sleazy.

This fascinating biography of the legendary Australian track coach Percy Cerutty, based on his cache of personal writings and interviews with his inner circle, portrays a visionary thinker whose fusion of philosophical, biomechanical, naturalistic, nutritional and motivational theories into a "Stotan" approach to athletics and living remains as compelling today as it was during the peak of his popularity in the 1950s and 1960s.

While Cerutty's coaching relationships with milers John Landy and Herb Elliot have been examined in a number of other works, this book sheds new light on the turbulent childhood, adolescent and early adult years that forged his volatile temperament and laid the groundwork for his theories. What emerges is a picture of complex man with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and curiosity for his environment, which led to a number of groundbreaking theories that won admiration from many. To its credit, the book's even-handed dissection of Cerutty's character gives equal shrift to his manic-depressive tendencies, self-destructive behavior, and the inflammatory outbursts that soured many friendships and spawned a large contingent of detractors. Graem Sims also captures the tension between Cerutty's strong drive to profit from his theories and his refusal to affiliate himself with individuals or projects that offended his Stotan principles.

The book probably won't silence those who view Cerutty as a charlatan who just happened to become associated with talented young men bound for athletic glory with or without his assistance. But it reinforces my conviction that this enigmatic fellow, who ran sand dunes, moved heavy weights and ran six-minute miles well into his sixties, was one of the most important thinkers in the history of athletics. His emphasis on doing things the natural way and disdain for modern trappings and conveniences are particularly meaningful in light of the doping scandals currently rocking the sports world.

-Kevin Joseph, author of "The Champion Maker"

To know Percy Cerutty was to be castigated, scorned and sometimes to question your very existence. Cerutty's goading of athletes would hardly have survived this litigious age. Yet as a runner at his Portsea International Athletics Centre in the sixties, I was drawn to the sheer force of his personality, his originality in research and running, his discourses and attitudes in philosophy, the extraordinary way he almost floated over the ground as he ran, and his lectures at "the circus", the small sandy circle where he held his audience in awe. Cerutty had a simple test of "manliness" and propensity to succeed - if you could survive Portsea and his outbursts, then you could survive most things. Many didn't, but others went on to become world champions in running, cycling, and other sports, and I was privileged to meet some of them. Cerutty coined the term "stotans" deriving it from the greek ancients of "Stoics" and "Spartans."

Graem Sims has researched Percy Cerutty's life very thoroughly and written a long overdue book; a task I had once contemplated myself. In keeping with current storytelling fashions, he starts at the end (of Percy's life), but then traces his entire history. Cerutty really lived two lives; one up to the age of 44 when his health had been devastated by smoking, physical inactivity and early pneumonia and poor diet, and he was given less than two years to live, and the second beginning with his recognition of his need to survive, and embracement of new rules for living, eating and working. To this he added his prolific background of reading in all subjects from theology to science, and his extra-ordinary capacity to experiment and research movement and fitness from first principles. Graem's book provided fascinating insights into aspects of Percy's life that I had not known. While he includes numerous stories of Cerutty's famed biting comments and cantankerous nature, he does not dwell on them in a sensationalist way; rather he explores the whole rich canvas of Cerutty's life and its directions. Many of Cerutty's antics, for example, were deliberate attempts at publicity to attract people and an income to his athletics centre; the sheer diversity of his ambitions and his complex character however often become self-destructive. There are character and biographical sketches of many people who were connected or disconnected with Cerutty, at a time when Australian middle distance runners held world stage, and reproductions of numerous photos including the earliest shacks at Portsea, many from a cache of suitcases unopened for a quarter-century. Cerutty was a model of independent and unbiased research - Graem's biography includes the development of Cerutty's ideas on movement from studying the motion of horses for hours; methodologies which had more in common with the great scientists of the renaissance than the deductive processes in modern laboratories.

This book is not just for Cerutty aficionados and athletes; as a personality, philosopher and scientist, he makes a fascinating subject for anyone interested in the subject of what makes us tick, physically, mentally and emotionally. Much of what he said and did half a century ago is highly relevant to the current era of cloning, bio-ethics and the passion for computerised simulations which take the place of real life. Graem has provided a well-balanced biography of a man who had us eating raw foods and oatmeal decades before the term muesli was heard in Australia, moving heavy weights twenty years before gyms and fitness regimes were embraced by more than dedicated athletes, and a holistic approach to life and ethics that preceded the rise of eastern philosophies into western thinking. A book that I couldn't put down, and highly recommended

Those who have met him would realize that something has been ignited within them. Regardless of whether those people agree or disagree with him. Their latent wildness is awakened and their fighting instinct is switched on. They become independent as a human being who decides their own path and who does not rely on others.

He would have achieved many successes if only he had played things better. But in the face of success, success almost always ran away. He was indeed the doomed type. It could be said it was inevitable. A person should not be controlled by another. Cerutty expressed this ideal both intentionally and unintentionally.

Irrespective of the class or the position of the people he was with, he continued to be himself. He lived his life on his own initiative and responsibility without belonging to any group.
He followed his inner voice right through to the end, no matter what others said. He was just Cerutty to the very end.

Cerutty - a man who pursued the truth, who chose solitude and finely honed his sensibility. He kept on expressing through his body what the joy of living and freedom are. His powerful message still appeals to us even now, 30 years after his death.

My daughter needed a biography on a female for a school book report. This one was very informative and we learned a lot about someone who honestly we had not heard of before I found this book. It would be good for third grade and up.

I bought this book for a public speaking my 7th grade students were doing. The book is detailed in her athletic achievements, despite harsh critics. It also delves into her personal life and life with cancer. Babe Didrikson was an intriguing person and Russell Freedman captured her life very nicely.

Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The making of a champion, by Russell Freedman. This book was great. It doesn't just tell about her adult life; it also talks about how she got started, like when she was young. She was always the tomboy type until she was in her twenties. As she got older, she had to be the center of all the attention. To tell you the truth, she was always full of herself, which wasn't always a good thing. Babe participated in almost every sport that a woman could do. She was good at every one of them, too. She turned professional in track and field, basketball, and golf. I recommend this book to any girl who loves to compete in sports. I really didn't have a role model until I read this book!

When asked if there was something she didn't play, Babe replied smiling: "dolls!" This intriguing book by Russell Freedman lets you in on the tragic and wonderful secrets in Babe Didrikson Zaharias's life. From hurdling her neighbor's bushes to winning world-wide golf tournaments, Babe's extraordinary life captures all young readers! How good can Babe get? This wonderful story tells it all with excitement and suspense. Enjoy your reading!

This book is an interesting, yet honest look at the life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias. There are parts of the book that are necessarily a bit dry, e.g., the explanation of how and why she tried to regain her amateur status after playing as a professional. Most of the book, however, does an excellent job of getting the reader to feel her seemingly boundless energy and determination. It also does a good job of portraying the limitations of the era on female athletes. It doesn't make them into tragedies, but it does point out that they were more "hurdles" that Babe had to overcome.

For those interested in biographies of famous women, this book and Freedman's book about Eleanor Roosevelt are both excellent additions to the young adult library.

As an A's fan (albeit an Oakland one--I'm not old enough to remember the Philly version), I am fascinated by the strange journey my team has taken in baseball. This book fills in the blanks and is not only about the 1929 A's. It covers pretty much the entire time they were in Philadelphia and really does bring both the team and period alive. It focuses, of course, on Connie Mack but the postscript on what happened to these players from this 1929-31 dynasty is great followup. I also like his short, but sweet, statistical comaprison of these A's to the so-called "greatest team of all-time" the 1927 (or specifically 1926-28) Yankees. At times the author when describing scenes around and in Shibe Park, you can almost hear the fans and the crack of the bat.

I also love the little trivia just thrown in a line or two in places like the fact Thomas Edison was a huge A's fan!

Fascinating account, even for one raised on horseback and skis. I have never understood the intricacies of The Great American Past Time, however, Mr. Kashatus' story telling is illuminating.

I was expecting more really. Not much has been written on the 1929 Athletics dynasty but lots of good information is out there on this team. I figured the author would collect all this info and give us the best of it in his book. We get a few good tales about Connie Mack's boys but nothing new or spectacular and this book is not cheap. I love Foxx, Grove, Simmons, Cochrane, and so I bought it, but it was very average. In fact, kind of dull sometimes. Buy it because it's the only book out there on this team (29-31 A's) but don't expect too much. Buy the biographies on Foxx, Cochrane and Grove and you will learn just about as much, if not more. The Sports Illustrated article on this team with Simmons on the cover got me interested in this team-it was awesome-but don't expect the same from this book. Give me a good Biography on Al Simmons to go with the others mentioned above and we got the complete story on this greatest team of all-time-even better than the 27 Yankees.

THIS IS A BOOK I DID NOT WANT TO END. AN EXCELLENT JOB OF WRITING ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING OWNERS AND ONE OF THE LAST DINOSAURS OF BASEBALL. (CONNIE MACK) THIS BOOK'S TELLING OF THE A'S DYNASTY OF THE LATE 20'S AND EARLY 30'S IS EXTENSIVE AND MASTERFULLY WRITTEN. THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS. ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE EVER READ.

Fascinating account, even for one raised on horseback and skis. I have never understood the intricacies of The Great American Past Time, however, Mr. Kashatus' story telling is illuminating.

I bought this book even though I expected to be disappointed. However, the book is very good, and I was not disappointed at all. On the contrary, the book is very useful.

The best aspect of the book is that it is very concrete in its description of the details, and that it tries hard to avoid judging the different styles of living. Therefore, it enables the reader to understand the background of ones partner/friends/etc.

This book is not only for people trying to understand their spouse. This helps understand and interact with other social classes. Its very informative and has dashes of humor. Its a quick read, and very informative.

This is truly an astonishing book that tells quite candidly how to work with and have relationships with people of different classes. I LOVED the class mindset quiz in the first part of the book. It made me think how the hidden rules of class do hinder relationships in both the business world and our personal relationships.

This book is a good place to start in terms of social class expectations, something that doesn't get talked about very much in American society. On a personal level, it gave me a lot of insight into a failed relationship with a working class man that I loved, and helped me understand why he chose to marry someone with more similar values.

Still, what I hoped to see was a chapter or two on "What to Do When You and Your Partner Both Shift from One World to a Different One". This was the case with my parents, who came from working class backgrounds and retained working-class attitudes toward child-rearing despite adopting middle-class attitudes in other areas of life. Some people really do retain both sets of values rather than making the transition that the author implies occurs automatically. It would have been nice to see those viewpoints included.

Also, middle-class and upper middle-class are two very different experiences in America, in my opinion. Some of the behaviors this author describes as middle class (extreme attention paid to quality of food, childrens' extracurricular activities, and the status of a college or university which a child attends) are more properly described as upper-middle class values. I wish the author had separated middle-class from upper middle-class, and used four basic categories instead of three.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit from it. The author does a good job of explaining that a particular set of behaviors does not constitute stereotyping, since many who self-assess as being members of a specific class would not identify with all of the attributed associations (I found myself a hybrid of working-class and middle-class values). She also fits observations into general categories in a way that makes sense. The current edition is a good starting point for discussion, but an expanded version of this book would be even more insightful.

After hearing Dr. Payne on a radio show, I decided to buy the book. Not only has Dr. Payne helped me realize problems in my own personal relationships, but it has helped me realize my own issues with being a successful women who has come up from a poverty situation. I had my partner take Dr. Payne's Quiz that defines what type of class thinking you have. It was a fun way to discuss our very different views of marriage, finances, child rearing, and so much more. I highly recommend it

I love all about Tuscany would love to live ther and be able to write about it

Beth Elton's title isn't just a cookbook - it takes a culinary tour of Tuscany into regions largely uncovered in other titles - and surveys the special kitchens and products of over fifty restaurants whose cooks produce original recipes revealed just for this title. All dishes have been adapted for home cooks but retain the authenticity of generations of development, so cooks seeking a blend of travelogue and new dishes to try will find delightful the blend of travel insights and easy dishes. No photos, but the simple instructions don't need them.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book is what so many books claim to be but aren't -- an off-the-beaten-track gem. For any visitor to Tuscany with the time or inclination to go beyond the usual Florence-Lucca-Pisa-San Gimignano-Siena type of itinerary (to name just one), the book offers a wonderfully imaginative alternative: plan your days -- or the entire trip -- around the best restaurants to be found in the little towns that most tourists never visit. The author gives tantalizing descriptions of both the towns and restaurants (with maps and itineraries), and supplies plenty of recipes to boot. So the book will function in the kitchen just as well as on the road -- it is essentially half cookbook and half guidebook. But for me (not being much of a cook, and planning a trip to Italy) it was the places the author describes that were the most delectable of all. The book is a great idea, beautifully executed and beautifully written.

Beth Elon's descriptions and recommendations are spot-on. I got this book just in time for a trip to Tuscany and found it extraordinarily useful. We loved visiting the places she mentioned and found her recipes and description of local specialties a great help in making fantastic menu selections. Back home, the recipes are like having Tuscany in our kitchen. It's now my favorite book to give to food- and travel-loving friends.

A fabulous travel guide, which my wife and I used extensively on our recent visit to Tuscany. The author provides details of wonderful restaurants, spectacular settings and hidden gems in small towns and villages throughout the region!

If you are planning a visit to Tuscany, don't leave home without this book. If you are over 50 and look forward to a good meal at the end of a well-travelled day, this book is a must-read.

Mike and Michal
New York City

if you want to be a pro,check this book out first it details one mans year on the tour,(by the way joe thomas is no slouch
a fine fisherman) and is you like to fish this still a great read

As a former touring Bass pro myself, I have to say that Thomas & Tucker capture what it is really like out on the professional fishing circuit. Perhaps the only thing missing or in error related to the book vs. the tour today is simply one of a forgiving level of competition. The book was written in the early 90's when a competator could have a bad tournament and still make the classic. Such is not the case these days in most situations. A single stumble can ruin a year's chance at the classic.

Otherwise, a great look inside a much mis-understood and little seen side of the sport.

I have read, and re-read this book about 4 times. Each new season coming off a bad previous tournament season, I re-read it and find it to be a grounding factor in my goal setting for the coming year. I feel like I know Joe personally at this point. His insight into what really happens in Competitive Fishing is exceptional, and details the real world responsibilities of what it takes to be a National Touring Bass Pro. The financial part of it may be a little outdated, because the sport and payouts of Full Time Tournament Fishing have increased greatly since 1996, but the content and mental aspects of this book make it one that needs to be in any serious bass tournament anglers library.

This book is awesome! It explains in biographic form the ups and downs of being on the tournament trail...even a section telling how hard it is to maintain sponsars and the business side of bass fishing. I was real startled to here that he found a suicide victims body in the water.

This diary of one angler (Joe Thomas) for a year in high profile professional tournament fishing offers something to everyone from the weekend fisherman to the local tournament trail angler. I not only enjoyed reading about the competition of the tournaments themselves, but also the attention to detail and preparation that is involved in being a pro angler. The book made it clear that these guys work hard for their money both on and off the water. Most days' entries would include "I'm exhausted and going to bed early" but would be followed by "Worked on my tackle before hitting the rack". These guys really have their priorities in line. Joe must have taken the oath of "Be Prepared" seriously in the scouts (even to the point of carrying an extra trolling motor with him in the boat). I was able to draw a few parallels with Joe's experiences as I have fished local tournaments over the past years. Even they have bad days, but not nearly as many as I do. The book also offers up strategies he employs both on practice days and competition days. It was informative to know why he made the moves and choices he made. There are also short by lines with tips and tactics that all of us can use to avoid those bad days.

All and all the book is an informative and an easy read. It is one I will pull out again and again to get me thru the winter months waiting on spring fishing to arrive.

This book is excellent.

Great sketches.
Great photos.
Excellent information.
I will keep this with me on any outings where I will be tracking unfamiliar quarry or simply interpreting what I come across.

Definitely recommended.

Easy to use and very informative. Many tracks for different areas of the country. I was looking up a set of tracks I found in light snow on my deck and was able to identify them definitely from the images in the book.

The original Peterson's Field Guide to Animal Tracks by Olaus Murie has been an inspiration to generations of trackers, naturalists, and wildlife enthusiasts. It was the first in-depth guide of its kind, and in addition to numerous illustrations of tracks and animal sign, Murie added colorful stories of his own experiences in the great outdoors. The book transcended mere field guide status into the ranks of the classics of natural history.

In the most recent revision of this classic, Mark Elbroch has done an exceptionally tasteful job of updating the guide. He worked to enhance the work of Murie, but keep the essence of the classic work. In particular, Elbroch re-arranged the animal species into phylogenetic order (the order by which animals are related through the course of evolution) allowing for the many advances within the scientific community since the original book was published, and added many color photographs to enhance the illustrations of Murie. As Elbroch notes, the book is still the one Murie wrote; Elbroch simply acted as a caretaker to bring this great book to generations more.

I would recommend this book highly to anyone with an interest in animals or natural history.

I purchased this book in hopes of making quick identifications of unknown tracks in the field. Although the book is very thorough, there is no way to sort out the information quickly. It requires too much time to find the track descriptions and sort through all the similar tracks to really be of any practical field use for me.

Very thorough. Easy to use. Great detail. We do wish it was hard covered and or a better binding. Concerned that the binding will give in time as it is a book for the outdoors to use comparing tracks to itself.