Open Books

I found the book to be a great information resource into her life and career start. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the out of order details, found to much jumping forward then back, or back then forward, but other than that, I thought is was a great book and I still love jenny in a big way, she is the greatest.

When my boyfriend gave me this book as a joke for my birthday, I didn't find it very amusing! You see, up to this point, I was one of the hopefully few "Jenny-haters" out there. But I decided to give the book the benefit of the doubt and give it a whirl, and I have to say that I was more than just pleasently surprised! Jenny McCarthy is not only very down-to-earth, but she's witty, hilarious, and quite frankly...normal! It was so refreshing to read that she isn't perfect after all - that she had acne, and stretch marks, and bad hair days, and bozo boyfriends. This book flys by, and I really didn't want to put it down. I am so glad I decided to read this book, not only because it was 100% entertainment, but because it gave me a chance to meet the "real" Jenny McCarthy. I loved it!

It tells us secrets about Jenny never evealed before.It's a little costly but well worth it.

The title should tell it all: Jen X. It should read Jen O because she is a negative interger. Take away those breasts, and she is just another annoying self serving celebrity with little talent. This book is a must read for airheads, retards, mutants and crackheads. Enjoy!

I think the book was one of the greatest books i have ever read. i could realate so much to her. she is my like idol and i was so happy when i found out she had a book coming out. i bought it the very first day i saw it at the mall. one day i hope i can meet her but i know that will never happen but all in all the book was really good~! i think everyone needs to buy this book and see just how much she is like anyone of us!!! well if your out there jenny mccarthy i just wanna say hi and maybe i will be lucky enough to see you one day! i love you! you are so cool! well people i have said enough, now you need to go get the book that i am raving about!please buy it! it will make me happy! well cya people! hope you read this jenny!!!! from: Your biggest fan in the world!!!!jenny h

This book is an excellent introduction into home schooling today. As a home school graduate I think he captured much of the spirit of the movement today. However, he misses one point. He looks to Holt as the beginning of the movement. His bias towards the secular home schoolers blinds him to the private school movement that led to Christian home schools. The exodus of the Christians started during the time that Holt was writing. Thus, both movements were happening around the same time. He misses the fact that Christians such as R. J. Rushdoony were writing before Holt on the need to leave the public schools. Thus, the Christians were seeing the danger in the schools at the same time if not before the secular crowd. The Christians did not hijack a secular movement.

The Mitchell Stevens does a great job of accurately representing the two broadest classifications of homeschoolers. As someone who lives in the county with the highest homeschool population (13,000+) I can tell you every homeschooler I ever met was accurately represented in this book.

I am a conservative Christian (what the author labels "Godly Women") but I practice Attachment Parenting (what the author labeled "Natural Mother"). I spend a lot of time and know lots of people in both camps, and I can tell you the author did an outstanding job of respectfully explaining them. He also explains how the different philosophies/world views have led to legislative and media domination by the conservative Christian homeschool organizations. With that knowledge new homeschools are given insight to as to the cultural divisions in open vs. closed support groups. Being familiar with both cultures can help avoid unnecessary conflict.

This book covers the first wave of homeschoolers. There are essentially 3. I Saw the Angel in the Marble by Chris and Ellyn Davis covers all 3 in one of the essays. It is an excellent companion book to Kingdom of Children. It covers the roughly 6 different ways people homeschool, the 4 different subcultures homeschoolers fall into, and the chronology of the 3 waves of homeschooling.

The Davises call the first wave "Pioneers"- people who were not happy with institutional settings for religious or philosophical reasons. They emerged throughout the 1980s. That's who Kingdom of Children is about.

The second wave are called "Settlers"- people who are not categorically opposed to institutions, but are enjoying the academic excellence and flexible lifestyle that homeschooling affords. They showed up in the early 1990s after the test scores of pioneer kids were widely publicized.

In the late 1990s and after the turn of the new century the flood gates opened and group 3 known as "Refugees" poured in. They are fleeing a failed system and are unable to access a private school of their liking. They are probably the fastest growing group where I live. They are not steeped in homeschool philosophy, and usually mimic school at home. (They are also called "school at homers" instead of homeschoolers by current Pioneers and some of today's Settlers.)

SPOILER ALERT!
I was surprised Kingdom of Children let the cat out of the bag. The author's observations led him to the conclusion that women homeschool. No matter what camp they are in, no matter what they say about biblical hierarchy, in the end women develop the educational philosophy and research materials and do the work of teaching. Women set up support groups, networks, and enrichment activities. They also handle the lion share of the child rearing and household management at the same time. There are books and convention workshops that tout the idea of father significantly participating in and overseeing the process. How can they? They are working so hard to provide for us so we can enjoy the amazing and challenging experience of being a homeschool mom, it leaves little time for hands on instruction by dads. We're so appreciative that they do. Anyone considering this lifestyle needs to be ware of that reality.

Dads-read Help! I'm Married to a Homeschooling Mom by Todd Wilson. Your wife will be soooo glad you did!

Mitchell Stevens provides the first in depth study of the American home schooling movement. Instead of assuming that home schoolers are right wing fanatics or left wing bohemians, he takes the time to attend their meetings, visit their homes and read their literature. From his in depth study, he concludes that home schooling is an activity that grows out of long traditions in American politics and is an honest, and possibly successful, attempt at reconstructing education so that it meets the needs of children.

The focus of Mitchell's book is the division between home schoolers who view home schooling as a form of Christian education and those who view home schooling as a secular activity. Mitchell's thesis is that this division defines much of the discourse, organization and politics of home schooling. It also reflects concepts of womanhood, childhood and family.

From a sociological perspective, I think that this book's biggest contributions is an implicit critique of some themes in the sociology of education, where schools are seen as propagators of the status quo. Here, we have an example of how an institution, public education, is relaxing its grip and new forms of education are being created. This is not to say that public education is on the path to extinction, but this book shows how viables alternatives to dominant institutions emerge.

To summarize: first in depth sociological work on home schooling, takes home schoolers seriously as people, clear

writing and very little jargon and furthers our understanding of educational institutions and social change. A sure winner!

We have been homeschooling since the early 70's. earlier if you consider my homeschooling in the 50's. This is why I was eager to read this book and why I recommend it. Because the author gives the reader one of the most complete and balanced view from the outside, of who homeschools and why.

I also like the fact that the author was interested in parents and families and not simply whether or not the homeschooled child tests better, gets enough socialization, have their own friends and get into college. What the author set out to find is what drives the parent to homeschool. And what "practical household decisions" make homeschooling possible. Because as he notes "conventional parenting is a lot of work" and he "suspected that homeschooling is even more labor intensive." And he set out to find out "how people decided that they could afford the time, lost wages, and mental energy that homeschooling costs." And "how homeschoolers assemble the help they need to get the job done."

He also include the study in 1995 that sociologist "Maralee Mayberry and her colleagues released the best comprehensive statistical study of home educators to date." The authors fifty-six item questionnaire included measures of parental occupation, educational attainment, religious affiliation, household size and income and the divisions of domestic labour. Working with a sample of home educating families in Nevada, Utah and Washington the researchers painted a picture of a predominantly white, middle class and religious movement. Ninety-eight percent of the survey respondents were white 1 percent were Asian Americans, the rest a mix of African American, Native American and Hispanics. Most parents were under age forty and the vast majority or 97% were married. 43% claimed at least some post secondary education, and additional 33 percent were college graduate. Professional and technical and managerial and administrative occupations were heavily represented among the fathers some were craft or service workers and a few were ranchers or farmers. 57% reported incomes of between 25 and 50k, 26% reported less. Compared to the general public the respondents were better educated slightly more affluent and more likely to be white. They also found that homeschooling is heavily gendered. 78% of mothers do the homeschooling. Also of interest to is the religious aspect. 91% reported that religious commitment was very important. 78% claim they attend church weekly. Yet 20% say they are not religious per se. 12% didn't answer the religious question. What surprised me was the fact we know more Asian and Jewish homeschoolers that any group, so this study should have studied homeschoolers in NYC, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco as well in order to get a better read on a more diverse section. The states studied are higher income and better educated so the results make sense.

I also like the book because the author notes the SAT study by Jon Wartes of Washington State homeschooled students. Although these were done in the 80's. The author does note the HSLDA funded study by Lawrence Rudner and I was happy the author noted "The study's findings must be tempered by the fact the research was built with a nonrandom convince sample, financed by a highly interested advocacy organization, and has received criticism from both within and beyond the homeschool community."

The author also explains the while homeschooling is legal in all states that some states have strict rules as far as parents reporting to state educational authorities. This is often one of the first questions I get from a parent asking about homeschooling. Is it legal? How do I find out? And I like the fact the author noted the Sikkink study that shows that homeschool parents are more involved in cicvic life than public school parents.

And the history of homeschooling since the 80s is covered well. And I am glad ton see that John Holt and Holt Associates are given good coverage since this is the one organization we joined in the early 80s and was the most secular or accepting of all homeschool families. So often all I hear is that the majority of homeschoolers are conservative Christians, even though my experience since the early 1970s shows (yes I live in a more liberal area of California) that there are more secular homeschoolers, or at least ones who are free spirits.

This is a book that any fair minded person interested in homeschooling should read. This is one of my top 3 homeschool books.

Rather than tell you what the book says (see other reviews) let me just say that having read this just as we are beginning homeschooling with our children, I have a much deeper understanding of the people we are going to be relating to in the future. Many of his insights have already been borne out in my observations. I appreciated the fact that this book is fairly up-to-date (written in the late 90's). I think I will be able to relate to other homeschooling families in an understanding way after reading this book.

Live a Praying Life is one of the best small group study books I've done. I highly recommend it for every Christian seeking a spiritually transformed life.

This is a study that I refer to constantly! I have given it to many people and the result is always the same....."this is one of the most awesome studies I have ever done....."! I bought it for my 4 sisters and mother and we started it together at Christmas, which has resulted in several group Bible Studies and a weekend seminar on Prayer!

MORE THAN JUST A HOW TO BOOK. LESSON S IN PREPARATION, DISCPLINE, OBEDIENCE, PATIENCE, FAITHFULNESS, & GAINING A NEW LEVEL TO ONE'S SPIRITUAL LIFE AND GROWTH. MUCH NEEDED MATERIAL WHEN THERE'S SO MUCH CONTROVERSY REGARDING HEARING FROM GOD AND ACTING ON HIS PROMISES. INTERCESSORS SHOULD NOT MISS THIS ONE!

This book isn't just a book. It's a 3-month journey through what prayer is. Jennifer walks you through the deep truths about prayer so that you will know them AND apply them. It also brings out the freshest and truest views on what prayer really is. You will not leave this book unchanged.

P.S. And I live with her oldest son. He's tall.

This is the best book on prayer, that I've read. I will confess, even after reading this book, I still don't understand all the mysteries of prayer, but I understand a lot more. This book tackles hard questions such as 'can we really change God's mind with prayer?', 'why does prayer seem not to work', 'how to pray', 'what is the purpose of prayer', etc. It gives concrete steps on how to develope a praying life and is heartily, biblically, referenced.

This is inarguably the best book on straight ODBC API. Very lucid in its presentation and full of practical examples, every page is packed with all the essential information. This is really a serious book for the serious ODBC programmers and every tool and technique to get the job done can be found in this book. My only wish is that the authors would update this book from ODBC v2.0 to v3.0, perhaps also include a few chapters on OLEDB.

Buy it, this book contains many recommendations how to write programs using ODBC. Great book even for an experienced professional.

I had a situation come up where I needed to access an Oracle 7 stored procedure that returned output parameters and no results set. The Microsoft Visual C++ CRecordset classes don't handle that situation very well. The only solution was to drop down into ODBC API calls. I struggled until I found this book. It takes a lot of the mystery out of an extremely complex API. It pretty much rides around in my backpack everywhere I go now!

This hardback text is one of the best database API books that I have in my collection. It is well laid-out and it has examples.

This book is laid out in the order statements are used, with the necessary create and destroy statements together. It starts with connecting to the database, moves to statement execution, and rounds out with retrieving your results. There are of course necessary chapters on creating tables and dealing with transactions.

Each ODBC API call is accompanied with a list of appropriate parameters, return values, and errors.

ODBC Database API's are used in layers:

To Setup: Allocate Environment, Allocate Connection, Connect, ...

To Shutdown, reverse everything: ... Disconnect, Deallocate Connection, Deallocate Environment.

With the ODBC API you are given a whole lot of notes? But how do you combine those notes to write a symphony? This is the only book on the market which really shows you how. It consists of a detailed ODBC reference and highly useful sample code that shows how to take the API calls and make an application out of them.

The calls are grouped in logical sequences, each call is thoroughly described, and then an example of a program that uses that call (and other calls) is given.

The writing is extremely clear. The presentation is excellent. The book is extremely well organized.

It does not assume any prior knowledge of ODBC though it assumes you know how to program C.

C is the only language used in the book. The use of ODBC in other languages such as Visual Basic is not discussed.

Though this book is old; I cannot recommend it too highly. I've used it before and I'll use it again.

I am the author of "On Jim Street" and I want to comment on the age group rating that has been given the book by Amazon.com. Though the book has been placed in the 9-12 year category, make no mistake; the book is meant for any age. Though the language in "On Jim Street" is simple enough for most children to understand, the book was not written as a book for children, but for those who would like to teach their children about the age when life was simple and sweet, or to merely reminisce about their own childhood. It is my hope that many different age groups will read and enjoy my work.

I loved this book for taking me back to my childhood and remembering the games my cousins and I played. Even though this book is set in a time period 50 years ago, the reader will recognize himself. For the younger generation, it is a great history lesson about what kids did for fun in the 1950s. I also loved the relationship between Janey Lynn and her brother. A well-written book and a must read!

On Jim Street is a wonderful read. I laughed; I cried, and felt like a child again. It was so refreshing to read a book that didn't need cursing or adult situations in order to be entertaining. I recommend the book for young and old alike. I can't wait for a sequel so that I can continue following the life of Janey and her friends and family.

I really enjoyed reading this book; it brought back some wonderful memories of my own childhood. The description of Janie's first encounter with a television is priceless. While the whole book was a really good read, the last two chapters are especially well written and exciting. I am looking forward to a sequel.

For baby boomers, who grew up when the author did, this is a great way to reminisce. It recalls days of innocence, security, and a whole way of playing that has long since been
forgotten. It has warmth and charm, as well as a light-hearted look back in time. Young readers will learn about the good old days, how children enjoyed entertaining themselves without electronics, and what it was like to feel safe in your own neighborhood.

No wonder Mr. Greene won Japan's highest award for Haiku written in English. He is a most original thinker.

The pages of this original book are filled with very simple, yet very profound insights. You will want to read and reread The Open Gate.
It is a valuable road map to life's many ups and downs. A very thoughtful gift for people going through different stages of life -- from graduation to retirement.

Wonderful, inspiring book, which you'll want to read and reread. I bought it at San Francisco's Japanese Tea Gardens and am recommending it to friends of all ages and backgrounds.

If you're interested in philosophy, poetry, history and revealing insights into culture, The Open Gate is for you. This gem of simplicity contains some of the deepest observations into life and death, war and peace that you'll ever read. Everyone with a loved one in the army, and every veteran should read it.

The smallest literary form--haiku -- is at its best in this powerful book. If you've ever wanted to improve your writing or understanding of life, read The Open Gate. This haiku journal presents amazing imagery drawn from intensely careful observations. The poems evoke an enormous range of moods and emotions -- from compassion to awareness of temporality. Some reveal a sense of mystery, others reflect a Zen Buddhist influence. Some are witty or sarcastic, others, achingly sad. Haiku of this quality in English are very rare. J. C. Greene is a modern master. Reading his poems is like Basho's famous leaping frog, plunging into water, each brief poem expanding in ever-widening ripples.

The haiku in this wonderful book are profound. They made me think, cry, laugh and above all, feel. They go right to the heart. it is packed with brilliant, original observations about life.

The author is a wise philosopher. He sees and thinks clearly and feels a lot. Just 3 lines of his haiku contain observations that could take a 300 page book.

I'm going give The Open Gate to my friends and relatives. I haven't felt so touched by words since I first read Walden Pond or poems of Frost and Emily Dickinson.

Whether or not you've heard of haiku -- this witty little book is loaded with wisdom. It's spiritual, uplifting and timeless. Should be on every bookshelf.

I read this haiku to my yoga teacher:

"While each mind
Hosts a universe
Each soul waits alone."

When I answer my rebellious teenager, I think of this haiku:

"Saying no
By describing the limitations
On Yes."

Whenever I visit my ill friend, I remember this:

"Pain is the screen
Through which truth
Can be seen."

I enjoyed "The Open Plot" very much. I have always been intrigued by Matthew 27:52,53 myself and wondered what happened next. The fictional premise described in "The Open Plot" made me think. I enjoyed the very real characterizations and "getting to know" Lucas Newman as a person. Beyond that, there was a real challenge to unity among the various expressions of the Church. I look forward expectantly to future novels by Caz Taylor.

Fascinating subject! The text from scripture on which this book is based has always intrigued me - Matthew 27:52. The story line captivates ones imagination and challenges their spirit. The fictional description of how church COULD be is nothing short of visionary and inspiring.

I enjoyed reading The Open Plot very much; in fact, I could not put it down. I found the characters intriguing and the story quite fascinating. This book was well written, easy to follow and kept my interest throughout. I highly recommend The Open Plot and am looking forward to more books from this author.

"Trully brilliant! Absolutely a level above Clancy and Grisham and all the others. What a page turner. I've had to employ extreme discipline to be able to slow down as I wanted to really savor it and make it last."

Excellent book, especially considering it's based on the Good Book. I particularly liked the way the author picked up on unexplained Biblical miracles, like Ellis walking through walls as Jesus did after His resurrection, or Ellis and Theo moving around the world, like Stephen was whisked out of the eunuch's presence to anotherlocation. Also, I enjoyed the way Mr. Taylor portrayed the Anitchrist as a most popullar minister and the True Church as the underground church, allways in existlance since the early days of IXOTE. And then there is the tracking of current events, as they coincide with Scripture. I praise God for the author's ability to create an exciting and timely 21st century story from the timeless Word of God. Bring on the sequel!

If you've come from the Oracle mainstream like me, you're probably not even aware of the breadth of open source apps and tools that can be used with the database. You may have had an inkling from the porting of Oracle to Linux, and Oracle's adoption of Apache and modules such as mod_perl, but that's only the surface.

When I first spied "Oracle and Open Source" by Andy Duncan and Sean Hull, I was so intrigued that I had to buy it. I couldn't believe that there was enough out there to write a book on. How wrong I was.

The two authors have done an excellent job of collecting information on:

* Programming environments, tools, languages (Python, Perl, Tcl, Tk)
* Database maintenance tools - including Orac, Oddis (Tk);
* Web-based monitoring tools for Oracle (such as Karma, Oracletool) and the network too (Big Brother)
* Plus Open Source Java apps (even the Java isn't open source itself), Gnome/GTK+ and more.

The book's aim is to introduce you to the rich range of technologies rather than being the definitive reference. It provides enough to get the tools installed and to set you on your way. And once you're up and running, the authors list the web pages and books that will take you to the next level. I never knew so much was available, but with the groundswell of support from the Open Source community as evidenced on the Internet and in this excellent book, I'm learning fast.

I find the content exciting and very educational. I am a developer in the corporate enviroenment and mainly use mainstreem software. But this book opens a new world of knowledge and experties. The URL's are up to date and you can learn and explore what ever you like in the book extensively. It is useful stuff and can bring new skills to your CV.

Found this book very useful and a real eye opener for those who like myself believed that all your Oracle goodies coming from Oracle Corp. A set of Open Source tools and applications described in this book is amazing. In particular, DB Prism/Cocoon is something that I jumped in right away. Whether you are DBA, developer or just a plain user of Oracle databases, you will find something that will benefit you/your business. Money well spent.

Oracle for quite some time now has embraced Open Source technology and as a result there are a number of Open Source tools that can be used with Oracle databases. This book takes a look at all of them. Starting off with a brief "history" of how Oracle and Open Source software have combined to build a number of Oracle applications, how Tcl, Perl, and Python have played a part and how to install them, building web-based Oracle apps, how Java, GNOME, and GTK+ also are involved with Oracle software, even a brief mention of how Linux & Oracle work together.

There is a wealth of good open source programs around for use with Oracle and this book gives a detailed explanation of how to install and use all of them to your advantage.

Hardly, and after taking a look at this book you will agree.

This book is perfect for anyone that wants to investigate the use of Open Source tools with their Oracle databases.

Finding out what is available, what is useful, what is available, where to get it and how to install it can take a great deal of time.

There is a lot of useful Open Source software available for use with your Oracle database, and though I am a proponent of Open Source software, I will readily admit that it is not all good.

I've given up in exasperation with more than one Open Source tool that would not compile, promised more than it delivered, or simply did not work.

There is though a large collection of Open Source tools that do work, and work well.

What Andy Duncan and Sean Hull have done is compiled an encyclopedia of Open Source tools that do work, and work with the Oracle database.

This book is much more than just a list of Open Source software. Sean and Andy tell you where to find each application, how to install and configure it, and how to use it.

Need to know the different connection methods for Oracle and JDBC? You'll find it here.

How about using Oracle, Apache and JServ? It's in this book.

I thought myself fairly well versed in what Open Source tools were available for Oracle, that is prior to seeing this book.

Some excellent Oracle specific tools are here that I was not aware of previously. In fairness to me though, I know of at least one not in the book. :)

Oracle & Open Source is a well thought out and well executed guide that belongs on the desk of every Oracle DBA, Architect and developer that wants to get a jump start on using Open Source software with Oracle.

In this volume you can tell that Jeff Doyle is getting better and better at conveying complex concepts in an entertaining and informative way. This book is a main stay in my CCIE preparation regarding the link state protocols. I've advised this book to several people, all of which have been very pleased.

I very much enjoy the granular detail of both protocols. Such detail into the functions of each protocol truly allows the engineer to select the right protocol for the job.

After thoroughly reading the OSPF chapter of Jeff Doyle's Cisco Press title, I scored 100% on the OSPF section of my CCNP Routing exam. This great books gives you the same great information, but presented in a different manner teaching you OSPF/IS-IS on both Cisco and JUNOS side by side. After reading this book, I am confident I could score 100% again.

If you're a hardcore OSPF fan, you will love this book.

Any advanced computer library collection specializing in programmer guides for network designers will want OSPF and IS-IS: Choosing an IGP for Large-Scale Networks: it covers large-scale systems operating in the real world and is organized to help network engineers and architects compare OSPF and IS-IS. From understanding message types and improving scalability to designing large-scale networks for maximum security, OSPF AND IS-IS is a top pick for any in-depth computer library seeking lasting references.

OSPF and IS-IS : Choosing an IGP for Large-Scale Networks is an excellent source for understanding the similarities and differences of IS-IS and OSPF all in one book. It is the only book available with such complete coverage comparing these two IGP routing protocols.

There have been many official and unofficial debates over which protocol is better. Finally, the common problem of choosing one IGP routing protocol over the other or the second guessing of an IGP deployment choice can now be put to rest thanks to this definitive source of information on the subject. The book does a fair and deep comparison of the two protocols down to the packet structures and usage scenarios. It answers lingering questions and corrects common misconceptions about how these protocols operate. The author shows no bias towards either protocol without good justification. Jeff presents the information in such a way that the reader can draw his/her own conclusions.

Doyle's book does not assume the reader has strong knowledge of OSPF and IS-IS. It teaches the theory of each protocol in addition to comparing and contrasting in Doyle's easy to follow style. For those who are experts at IS-IS and OSPF with regards to IPv4 and understand the differences, IS-IS and OSPF for IPv6 are covered/compared in the same fashion.

Thanks for a great reference book, Jeff!

Doyle gives us a very understandable discourse on the OSPF and IS-IS routing methods. These are implemented by Cisco and Juniper routers. Cisco dominates the networking arena, while Juniper is one of the larger secondary players. So understanding OSPF and IS-IS is vital if your duties involve administering networks using those companies' devices.

The link state nature of the OSPF and IS-IS protocols is shown to scale much more easily to large networks, as compared to vector protocols. The latter are slower to converge and are susceptible to looping.

Interestingly, the book starts off with a detailed chapter on the rise of the Internet. It mentions luminaries like Vinton Cerf, Licklider, Kleinrock, Postel and others. And how the ARPANET was the predecessor of the Internet. However, I do take issue with the claim that the Internet began in 1983, when the ARPANET transitioned to TCP/IP. The chapter itself says that "almost all the internetworking technologies we use to this day had their start with the ARPANET." Thus, others who were involved in establishing the ARPANET take the Internet's true beginning to be that of the ARPANET. For example, Kleinrock considers the birth date to be in October 1969, when his group made the first connection between two nodes on the ARPANET, at UCLA and Stanford Research Institute. He and UCLA consider this date to be definitive. (Kleinrock has been at UCLA since the 60s.) Granted, there is an element of hometown boosterism here, but I recently heard him give a seminar with a strong technical description of the 1969 event, and it seemed very plausible.

I should add that even if you consider Doyle's assertion about the Internet's start to be wrong, it does not detract from his first chapter or the rest of the book. The objective events in that chapter are correctly recounted, and the chapter is useful in showing how all this Internet "thing" came about. Read it as good cultural background.

Bill Mason and son Paul really get down to basics in canoe and paddling technique in this revised soft-cover paddling manual. This book is geared to those who want to learn everything there is about flat-water and white-water travelling. It's the most definitive guidebook on the market.

This is an almost perfect book - Bill Mason's love of the craft shines through homey but well-written prose, while his descriptions of canoe technique and rivercraft are generally clear and easy to follow. He obviously writes from a wealth of experience, which translates into solid advice without becoming needlessly dogmatic. As a technique book, I much prefer this to Jacobson's series of canoe texts (although those are reasonable in their own right); I especially appreciated his series of river scenarios and discussions of how to handle them.

I would really liked to have rated this 5-stars. However, the production could have been much improved. The b/w pictures accompanying the text are often poorly reproduced, with insufficient greyscale to allow them to be clearly interpretted. Additionally, a bit more editting might have spotted some inconsistent terms as well as other undefined terms. But all in all, this is one of my favorite canoe books. It certainly should have a place on the shelf of every serious paddler.

Path of the Paddle provides more than an instructional text, it introduces the reader to the art of canoeing. Mason infuses the practicality of the subject with a respectful dose of philosophic underpinnings that anyone who has ever slid a canoe onto the water's surface and experienced the joyful dance of boat, paddle and water will appreciate. There are many "how to" canoe books, covering the basic stokes and safety concerns, but this book conveys that information in a form that demonstrates the author's love for his craft.
If you want to become a canoeist, not only do I recommend this book, I recommend finding and getting the video of the same title.

Best canoeing book on the market. Not only is it a great how to guide on canoe handling, it is an excellent read for those long winter nights for the canoe enthusiast. The book imparts Bill Mason's love of the canoe. Written by a true legend in canoeing and wilderness film making.

I own both "Path of the Paddle" and "Song of the Paddle". These are the best books I have seen on canoeing, written by one of the best canoeists ever. They cover all facets of the canoe and how to use them properly. The "step-by-step" photos and the diagrams help teach proper techniques and the text is both informative and entertaining without becoming confusing or boring. Bill Mason and his son Paul have done a splendid piece of work and these books are a cherished addition to my personal library.