Tournaments Books

Ordered item with no hassel and it arrived on time. Amazon does a great job and when ever there is a problem they are right there to assist.

This is a good introduction to the history of African Americans and their quest to enter the professional ranks / PGA. It needs to be read with Charlie Sifford's book which tells you the real deal. Kennedy really can't express the pain of black golfers, he gets close but the book is more of an overview. Key and critical details are left out of the book. I can't over emphasize how important it is for you to read Charlie Sifford's, Just Let Me Play as well as Calvin Sinnette's, Forbidden Fairways.

This is truly a long-overdue book. This was received as a birthday gift to my husband and I could not resist. Very well written and is a wonderful and tragic chronicle of America's history in human relations. Yes, we are better today. We are reminded of the wonders of all people and how much we have to learn from eachother. When will we have the ability to evaluate skill and talent beyond skin color or accent? This book reminds us to appreciate eachother. This should be required reading in our junior high schools as part of American history/social studies.

After you read this book you may be angry or you may be happy, but you will definitely be inspired. The author has written a long overdue book about the lives and struggles of the many African American professional golfers who toiled and struggled--largely in obscurity--under the thumb of racism before cracking golf's color barrier. Just about every sports fan in America knows about Jackie Robinson and his heroic deeds, but few know names such as Bill Spiller and Teddy Rhodes. Pity. This book may finally engender the respect and compassion long denied the black golfers who paved the way for Tiger Woods, who today is the world's most popular athlete. A hearty thumbs up for this one!

Good intordutory book on medieval tournaments.
Covers William Marshal to Henry VIII, with good detail.

Has excellent art, as folks have come to expect from Ospery. The book also has pleanty of pictuers of original items.

Excellent for re-enactors to get an idea of what the look of the tourney should be.

A very good volume in the Osprey Elite series. The author, Christopher Gravett, describes the development of the medieval tournament from 12th to the 16th century. The drawings by Angus McBride are beautiful.

As with all his books of medieval interest, Christopher Gravett demonstrates a refreshing balance of knowledge and insight, accented with simplicity and clarity. In other words, his readers will get all of the substance they want without the obligatory and laborious academia-speak. Add this to the brilliant graphics provided by Angus McBride, and you will have an unforgettable journey back in time that you will not want to miss.

Knights at Tournament is a "must" for anyone interested in what was often referred to as "The Sport of Kings". This book traces the evolution of Tournament, from it's inception as a deadly, politically controversial, excommunicated exercise in medieval warfare, to it's apogee as a safer, magnificently popular public spectacle. In addition to learning about the major developmental aspects of Tournament, the reader will discover much about the rules and customs associated with it. While defining the various events of a typical Tournament (including the melee, feats of equestrian skill and ground combat competitions), particular attention is paid to the art of jousting. Discussed from an international perspective, Mr. Gravett highlights some of the different jousting styles made popular in England, France, Italy and Germany, along with backgrounds on many of the knightly champions who made it exciting. Interesting and detailed information on such relevant sub-topics as the lances, shields, specialized armor, ancillary weapons, and horses used in this sport is also provided.

Please note that, for some reason, there are two books offered by Amazon called "Knights at Tournament". They are exactly the same book by the same author, and the only difference between the two is the cover. So, whichever cover you choose, I recommend that you add this book to your library. You will not be disappointed.

As with all his books of medieval interest, Christopher Gravett demonstrates a refreshing balance of knowledge and insight, accented with simplicity and clarity. In other words, his readers will get all of the substance they want without the obligatory and laborious academia-speak. Add this to the brilliant graphics provided by Angus McBride, and you will have an unforgettable journey back in time that you will not want to miss.

Knights at Tournament is a "must" for anyone interested in what was often referred to as "The Sport of Kings". This book traces the evolution of Tournament, from it's inception as a deadly, politically controversial, excommunicated exercise in medieval warfare, to it's apogee as a safer, magnificently popular public spectacle. In addition to learning about the major developmental aspects of Tournament, the reader will discover much about the rules and customs associated with it. While defining the various events of a typical Tournament (including the melee, feats of equestrian skill and ground combat competitions), particular attention is paid to the art of jousting. Discussed from an international perspective, Mr. Gravett highlights some of the different jousting styles made popular in England, France, Italy and Germany, along with backgrounds on many of the knightly champions who made it exciting. Interesting and detailed information on such relevant sub-topics as the lances, shields, specialized armor, ancillary weapons, and horses used in this sport is also provided.

Please note that, for some reason, there are two books offered by Amazon called "Knights at Tournament". They are exactly the same book by the same author, and the only difference between the two is the cover. So, whichever cover you choose, I recommend that you add this book to your library. You will not be disappointed.

This review is combined in my other reviews and writing and can be found on my web site www.gabrielfalco.com
This book gives a chess player detailed information on how computer chess programing can be applied to ones personal game and thrilling account of the matches between Gary Kasparov and Deep Blue

Academia Made Magically Intuitive Real Time Review
By Gabriel Falco Copyright 2008 www.gabrielfalco.com
This review is written in the first person and will be updated bi-weekly.
I was delighted to begin reading this book but disturbed that some the ideas memorialized in the pages were ones that I have begun writing a white paper on titled "Fly by Wire Economy".
Obviously the book is great and this is more of a narrative and "slight of internet" to get you, the reader of this review to take a look at me; a self declared Black Swan (there is also a video of a black swan on my web site)
Nassim Nichols Teleb has an extraordinary ability to reinforce the meaning of academia-speak by context. The process seems to be magically intuitive. By the time I finished the prologue I was delighted.
Set forth in the prologue is a hint a brilliant crystallization of concepts and theories that will be accessible to a layperson like me. They include precision verse theorization and the impact of television.
I read very few books. The authors who I have chosen to read have all dramatically shaped my thinking. Most of them I know so I recon I am a bit biased.
They include: Michael Khodarkovsky, Gary Kasparov, Bart Kosko, Holly Peterson, Douglas r Hofstadter, Steven Gaines, Fritjof Capra, G. V. Chernov, Ron Chernow,D.T Suzuki and Shunryu Suzuki
Both this review and "Fly by Wire Economy" will be updated on my website, www.gabrielfalco.com

Is the "wire " strong enough to support our faith in financial systems. This article will is in progress as of Feb 20, 2008 and will be added to bi- weekly.

For chess players it's a very useful account of Kasparov's matches with Anand and against Deep Blue. However, the style is very dull and, although fluent, it is obvious that the author's first language is not English. Some analysis is presented in this book but not in any useful way - neither in depth for the expert nor descriptive explanation for the novice.

In stark contrast to the quality of writing, Dominic Lawson's book on the Kasparov-Short match, End Game, is a much more enjoyably read as an account of a world championship match, although it lacks any chess analysis.

Khodarkovsky also seems unable to have his own opinions on the matches and appears only to present Kasparov's point of view. He often drones on how intelligent and wonderful Kasparov is, without there being any relevance to the story. There is also a lot of criticism of IBM's behavior in the second Deep Blue match but no attempt to get a perspective from outside the Kasparov team. This is understandable if he wants to remain as a trusted aide for future matches, but it doesn't make for enjoyable reading.

These criticisms of style and approach aside, the book is very worthwhile to the chess player as it gives the world champion's perspective on one of his title matches and also on the most important man-versus-machine games ever played.

A New Era was a very interesting book! This book provides coverage of Kasparov's championship defense against Vishy Anand, as well as his two matches against Deep Blue. The difference between this book and other books on the matches is that it is written by one of Kasparov's team, master Mikhail Khodarkovsky. This means that it includes much inside information about how Garry was feeling through the matches as well as fascinating insights into how their team prepared for each game and the general strategy of match play.

Kasparov is a very common hero for chess players not just because he is perhaps the greatest player ever but also because he often shows his emotions both on and off the board. He is a passionate person, as exhibited by his play as well as his views on politics and other topics. This book illustrates this aspect as he goes through the emotional ups and downs that comes from playing at the pinnacle of the game.

The games themselves were fascinating. I also have read Patrick Wolff's account of the 1995 World Championship match as well as Pandolfini's book on the second match against Deep Blue, so I had some background on the games. It is interesting to compare the feelings of Anand in Patrick Wolff's book (he was one of Anand's seconds) with that of Kasparov's during the same match.

My only criticism of the book is with regards to the analysis. It is detailed and includes Kasparov's own preparation and analysis. However, at times I feel it could be over the heads of less than advanced chess players because there is little commentary. However, I felt I could enjoy the games overall anyway. However, I don't think this detracts too much from the book overall as I felt the strength of the book was Khodarkovsky's perspective as an inside person in Kasparov's life.

If you are a fan of Kasparov's, you would do well to read this book. If you are a fan of chess, I also highly recommend it.

A great book about the greatest player ever, and how he changed the world.

This book contains 91 games, 38 of which are annotated by Kasparov himself. Kasparov's games are some of the most exciting in chess. It's hard to find much to criticize in a book by and about the man who is probably the greatest player of all time. My only beef is that it's a little on the pricey side (almost 27 Yankee dollars, including tax). But I've spent more money on worse books, so I shouldn't complain. I am surprised that the book is out of print.

gary kasparov, one of the best descriptive annotators of all time, dazzles us with brilliant combinations of wit and chess moves. A great collection of games from a great chess player! This book also comes with crosstables of tournaments which add even more character.

Kasparov's great works of chess literature: The Test of Time, New World Chess Champion, London-Leningrad Championship, tower above this watered down career summary, Fighting Chess. Much of the book is taken verbatim from those other works. There are many additional annotated games here, but there is nothing to recommend this book if you have the other mentioned works. Those other books are still available through various sources on the 'net. Certainly, Fighting Chess is essential for hardcore Kasparov fans; but The Test of Time alone can keep you occupied for probably a year, so I see little need for this book. Plus, it is a physically smaller book, unlike the previous Pergamon works, which were the large softcover, double-column format that was so attractive. In sum, this is a nice summary work of Kasparov's career to '95, but get the other books instead!

This is a very fine book. It covers the well known and unknown courses that have hosted our Open. Very comphrehensive, with some wonderful vintage photos. Highly recommended and a must for the collector.

This book is a must for golf historians. It's a great reference and easy reading for just the average golfer. The chronological format is terrific as we all follow golf based upon our own age and era of interest.Its size and quality make it a great gift for any golfing household.

GOLF COURSES OF THE U.S. OPEN is a good book there is just not enough in it about the courses themselves. The book is focused on more of what happend during the tournaments at a certain venue. The captions are well written but hardly ever is the hole mentioned. You turn the page wondering what hole you have just gazed upon. The chapters are not long enough and lack detail. The book could be 50 pages longer. GRAND SLAM GOLF is a much better opption.

I have most every book every written about Bob Jones, Augusta, The Masters including several by Mr. Price. I believe the author was trying to show the flowing and the "behind the brain scenes" of events. It rambles. There is no doubt that Mr. Price loved, respected, admired Bob Jones--remember he really played tournament golf from 1924-1930 and won 13 majors including The Grand Slam in 1930 AS AN AMATEUR where any sort of payment clubs, balls, transportation, clothes, etc. was strickly against the USGA rules for Amateur Golfers so in 1930 when he retired, he was flat broke: with a degree in Engineering from Georgia Tech, Literature Degree from Harvard and a Law degree from Emory (but never finished because he passed the bar 2 years before graduating.
I did especially enjoy his last chapter: tender, sad, filled with loss and yet, to quote Bob's caddie on his last round of golf at St Andrews in 1936, when nobody knew he was coming yet the town shutdown when they knew "our Bobby"is back; the caddie said the only time they spoke to each other: You are a wonder Sir; Aye a true wonder! And so he was. The book is good to have but not the best and I would expect more from Price.

This book is a gem, the best ever written on Bobby, Roberts, and Augusta National. Price's account of Bobby is "priceless", if you've ever wanted to know about this amazing man and the origins of Augusta National/the Masters, buy this book.

A tremendous story about arguably the greatest golfer of all time, the most meticulously groomed golf course of all time and the best run golf tournament of all time.
The author has a thorough and scholarly approach to his writing. What makes it great though is the fact that the nearly mythical Bob Jones befriended this young writer so the book is filled with many first hand views. If you love golf and you want to know more about the origins of the modern game this is the book for you.

I have copies of two books by John Feinstein...Hard Courts and A Season Inside. Both are fantastic. A fascinating look at a year (1990) on the professional tennis circuit. A must read for any follower of the game.

John Feinstein is such a fascinating writer and sports critic that someone should recognize his work in some way, shape or form. "Hard Courts" is a microscopic scrutiny of the men's and women's tennis tour throughout the entire 1990 calendar year. Though a bit outdated, it is a book for all ages and all sports fans. Feinstein's writing message is as effective as his many inteview appearances on National Public Radio. He is blunt, obsessed and even subjective, but also well-informed, uncontradictory and fair, and most definitely, never arrogant. Enjoyable reading!

Read the book in 2 sittings, even though I've never picked up a racquet in my life! Feinstein brings characters to life and provides great insight into the Pro Tennis circuit. Good read for any sports fan.

Tim is the best golf reviewer in the WORLD! This is seriously a MUST READ book! I promise that you will love anything that Tim writes!

Tim does a great job in reporting this account, although maybe he takes too much out on Captain's choices. Golfers understand momentum and what kind of game you have on a particular day. To say that this exciting account which particularly focuses on the singles matches and those final nervewracking shots is "mundane" does not resound to a golfer reading this book.

I have just recently finished the book Heartbreak Hill and I found it to be entertaining but also interesting at the same time. I must disagree with the Kirkus Review. This book clearly states all the information that you need in a clear form. There is not confusion. I find the analogies in this book good due to the fact that it adds some unexpected humor to this book. Although I am a golfer, I did not clearly understand the Rider Cup until I read this book. It explained a brief history of the golfers and how they fared that year. It also explains how this is the single most important golf tournament of the year and also gives a brief history on that. Whether you are a huge golfing fan or a person who just wants to read an entertaining book, I recommend that you read Heartbreak Hill.

This promises to be THE book on the NCAA college basketball tournament - all the stats, matchups, insights and interviews we've been craving since March Madness became 'The Spring Superbowl.'

You can't put this book down. Interview after interview, you are amazed at the stories behind each legend. The best part is that this is basically a compliation of mini-autobiographies, but narrated as a conversation between good friends. The book starts with an interview with Rey Meyer - it reminds you how lucky the author was to have interviewed him before his passing away. You are also amazed at the hard work, passion and perseverance of Eddie Einhorn. If you love basketball (or even just "like" sports), this is the book for you.

Fans of college basketball will enjoy the information and stories provided in this book. The book is a collection of interviews, set forth in story format, in which the author met and interviewed with a number of significant figures in college basketball, including coaches, media, and players.

There are many great stories here, and the book is divided up into different stories on the different personalities, so it makes for an accessible read. You can pick up the book, read one article, then put it down. I found the stories by the coaches to be among the most entertaining: Coach K, Roy Williams, Rick Pitino, Dean Smith, Guy Lewis and others all provide insightful stories.

Also, the book puts college basketball in its historical context, with a focus on the first televised basketball game, UCLA vs. Houston, played in the Astrodome. Overall a very informative and entertaining book, I would strongly recommend it to any college basketball fan.

I know these people! McCown's characters, while seemingly absurd, reflect familiar traits that you will associate with the local country club swells. The base motivations are all here - greed, love and lust - framed by a sense of quiet desperation. A pinch of Pynchon, a touch of Crews and a dash of McGuane, we need to hear more from this author.

Entertaining and witty. McCown's characters are well-developed, and however absurd and comical, they are also real.

This novel is a joy: perceptive, witty, slightly off-kilter. McCown's character-centered fiction will evoke a wry smile of satisfaction from all readers capable of appreciating its sly sense of humor, its subtly tinted satiric method. McCown's humor is never at the expense of compassion. And, once you have marvelled at this novel, try McCown's poetry as well; it offers the same graceful, taut language which we have come to expect from this author.