Sports Books

This book is perfect for the little ones into baseball!! My sons both wanted to keep reading chapter after chapter! It is such a warm, loving story with great values!

I bought this for my seven year old grandson. His parents read it to him over a few nights. He truly got into the story and the suspense and the feelings of the characters. My daughter-in-law said she wished modern books were so engaging for children. No wonder it is still selling.

Good book to use as first chapter book with boys reading (instructionally) at early third grade level. The names are kind of outdated, but it's hard to find a real book at lower reading levels. This one fills the bill.

After reading the first couple of chapters of THE LUCKY BASEBALL BAT, I had to go back to the copyright page to see just when this book was written. After all, the hero of the story, a young boy named Martin and his younger sister Jeannie are invited into the house of Barry Welton, a teenager they had just met after Martin had an unfortunate incident on the ball field that left him sad and disillusioned.

Can you imagine something like this being written in 2004, without sinister consequences? But a brief look indicated that this engaging story was written in 1954; it has been re-released by Little, Brown to celebrate the Golden Anniversary of the first offering of the prolific children's author Matt Christopher.

Indeed, reading THE LUCKY BASEBALL BAT is like stepping into a time warp, similar to viewing an episode of "Leave it to Beaver" or "Father Knows Best." If only we could enjoy those simpler days again, when parents didn't have to worry (as much) about the intentions of strangers; when kids were grateful for small pleasures, such as succeeding in sports, without the distractions of television, computers, or other impediments to childhood. Martin's depiction, as well as the exposition of his family's relationship, is so foreign to modern sensibilities (unfortunately so) that Christopher could well have written his debut book in 1854.

Even the simple illustrations by Robert Henneberger denote an era long gone, before manga became the dominant expression artwork directed at young people.

Martin is the new kid in town, anxious to prove himself on the diamond. First impressions get him off to a poor start until Barry, a star athlete, gives him one of his old bats, which transforms the youngster into a hitting machine and helps change the minds of his formerly ambivalent teammates.

When the bat is broken during a game, Martin, with the help of some other newfound friends, learns that the power lies within him, not in a piece of wood. The lesson seems obvious in today's know-it-all world, but it still has a certain charm, at least to people of a certain age. Indeed, parents (and grandparents) might find this tale more enjoyable than their offspring.

Progress has offered kids and their families vast opportunities. Still, there's something to be said for the simple pleasures of a less hectic period.

--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan (ronk23@aol.com)

I can't believe I missed out on this one as a child... but it's just as good coming to it as an adult. The perfect lazy Sunday afternoon book to read. Adults can also escape to the wilds of Lake Windemere (Lake District), to sail up the Amazon, do battle with pirates and search for buried treasure on Cormorant Island.

The year is 1929 and story is about four children - John, Susan, Titty and Roger (in age order) - who are holidaying on the shores of Lake Windemere with their mum and baby sister, Vicky. The children are an adventurous lot and love sailing in their boat, the Swallow. Towards the end of their holiday they persuade their mum to allow them on an adventure for a week. They're allowed to sail across to the island not far away and make camp there by themselves.

This is a great adventure for these intrepid explorers. They discover a retired pirate, camp, bathe in the lake, fish and cook for themselves, and are threatened by a rival group of bandits, the Amazons (otherwise known as Nancy and Peggy). All in all a great week of fun and adventure is had by all - brilliant to read about, although there are very few children who'd be allowed to do this now! Inspired by the author's own childhood holidays at the south end of Coniston in the Lake District.

This wonderful book was written about 75 years ago, but is still extremely popular today. It is ageless. I first read it as a nine or ten year old and have read it several times since then. The last time I read it I was in my late 50s or early 60s. Every young person should enjoy it immensely as a fictional story. But there are many moral and ethical issues that are slyly inserted into this novel. The biography of the author and how he came to write this book, which was the first in a series of 9 or 10 novels, is a fascinating story in itself.

The Swallows and Amazons series was one of my favorites when I was a child. The story, set in the Lake District of England where Wordsworth and other great poets grew up, is a gentle adventure tale about children camping out on an island and rigging a little sailboat. It is slower paced than children are used to today. But I think a sensitive boy or girl would find it reassuring that the children solve their own problems of navigation etc.

While it didn't bother me as a child that the language was distinctly British, as I'd been prepared by the Winnie the Pooh stories, and Wind in the Willows, I would recommend Swallows and Amazons as a bedtime story to be read aloud by an adult reader. The reader could then explain the language. A map of the UK would help too, as the story is set in the Lake District.

An adult storyteller might be interested in a biography of the series author, Arthur Ransome, who led an adventurous life - including work in the Soviet Union and marriage to a Russian woman.

Enchanting
It's hard to explain what makes this book so charming: The writing, the way the children and their relationships with each other are shown so clearly and believably, the very real adventures they have, the sense of place....but listing those traits doesn't do the book justice. It's also really funny in places! Ransome creates a world that is clearer and lighter and more enchanting than the one most of us live in -- but he's also written a realistic book. The Lake District DOES look the way he describes it, and there could be children like the Swallows and their friends the Amazon pirates.

The books are for all ages, and I think they are also inspiring and a good influence! They make me want to have adventures -- and they encourage parents by example to let their children have them. The parents in the books are responsible, teach their children well -- and allow them to adventure on their own. They can do that because they've taught the children to have good judgment and be responsible.

Arthur Ransome's own favorite in the series was WINTER HOLIDAY, which I also loved. Once the original characters leave the series, it loses its interest (for me, anyway) -- children who enjoyed the first books will also probably like Blow Out the Moon by Libby Koponen and all the E.Nesbit books.

About 60 years ago I read as many books from this series that I could find in my local public library. I had passed through a phase of devouring the Dr. Doolittle fantasy series (so damaged by the motion pictures using that title - how could they cast tall lanky Rex Harrison in the role of a short cuddly grandfather-like figure?) Another series in which, as an American boy fascinated by warplanes during the Worl War II era - I went on to become an aerospace engineer - I was enthralled, was "A Yank in the RAF", which I don't think would translate to the 21st Century very well. But the series that made the most impact on me was Ransome's Swallow family. As with Hugh Lofting's Doolittle, the author's drawings enhanced the books.

I have not visited there yet but I plan on touring Britain's Lake District (I don't think I was cognizant of where the tales took place, except I knew the children were British. They liked to drink ginger beer; in the US we had a ginger ale drink, but not ginger beer and I was curious to have some.) I have long wanted to live somewhere that would allow me to experience the thrill of mastering the small sailing boats of the story. The closest I came was living near the Pacific in California and near the Potomac River. But the boats in those regions were larger and not terribly accessible. I did go sailing with friends and tried to sail on my own in a marina with a rented boat (a too narrow and crowded venue for a novice just learning to tack and unfamiliar with how to dump wind from the sail when being carried in the wrong direction.) I have gotten to taste ginger beer. I have also used the children's means of including coded messages in their letters in the form of dancing stick figures around the page's margin (the secret was to ignore other parts of the figures and concentrate on the positions of the arms, which were standard semaphore code.) I introduced the code to one of my daughters when we were in the "Indian Princesses" organization. (Is the name and programs of that organization offensive to American Indians? I'm sure its founders weren't sensitive to the fact that American Indians still existed.)

I will introduce this series to my precocius 6 year old grand daughter when I think she is ready.

My boyfriend checked this out from the library (to learn knots for his sailboat ropes) and loved it so much that I got him his own copy :-) He says it is the best knot book ever made! The photos are amazing and super easy to understand, and this book is so useful! It shows ALL types of knots and even shows how to make a net (using a bunch of knots). **This book also came JUST in time for our fishing trip out out on his sailboat - I had never fished before and didn't know how to knot the fishing line onto the hook. This knot book had super easy illustrations for me to understand, and it shows maybe 3-4 handy fishing knots. :-) Very helpful for both me and my boyfriend.

When I got this book, I was looking for a book that covered a good variety of knots, had easy, understandable instructions, and had very clear pictures - not drawings, and this book is exactly that. Not only was I impressed, but my entire family was extremely impressed with how easy it is to understand this book! The pictures are very, very clear, and the instructions are very easy to understand. I honestly don't think you could "out-do" this book in how the instructions are presented.

This book is sturdy and will last many years. This book has good illustrations and has really helped me to learn several knots easily.

This guide to knots makes a great reference book for scoutmasters or anyone needing to know more about knots. This also makes great recreational material.

This is one great book both to own and to give to someone just because you want to.
Easy to follow instructions and some great knots to show off your skill. I keep it on the coffee table for all to see.
Is anyone bored? Tie a knot...

I have Sports Illustrated's 50th Anniversary Book and The Football Book, so I decided to get this spectacular celebration of baseball. If you enjoy watching baseball, seeing how the game has changed over the years and reading about the players' lives, you'll love Sports Illustrated's Baseball Book. Great sportswriting from past eras are reproduced here with plenty of lose-ups that bring back memories, charts and trivia. Whenever company comes over, this is the book everyone seems to pick up and can't put down. If you love a team--any team--you'll love this!

I got this as a birthday gift for my boyfriend last October (he's 22 and loves baseball). He loved it and still uses it for reference all the time.

This book is great! I loved the Football book and decided to get the Baseball book and we love it!

I am 100% baseball fan. Since being a kid I was moved by the great players achievements. I enjoyed this bokk throughly. It's a work very well done and a prize for sports book's collectors. The only thing I regret is that, for unknown reasons, some of baseball hall of fame players pictures were not included, namely Harmon Killebrew.

My son loved this book from Sports Illustrated. He's keeping it away from other baseball players on his college baseball team.

I originally bought this book for my boyfriend, but I love fishing and know very little about the tricks of catching a fish. I have learned so much about lures and fish and how they think in order to catch fish better. This book is awesome! I totally recommend this book to any "family fisherman" if they want to know more.

Wow! When they say "mini", they mean Mini. This book is tiny. The content however, is actually fairly good. It's a very quick read. The print is actually not too bad for the physical size of the book. It had mostly fairly basic information, but the size would allow for it to be thrown in a tackle box or fishing vest if you wanted. Again, just the basics, but worth the price. My wife thinks it's very "cute" too.

Terrible. Will not help you begin to fish. Poor content, organization, and editing. Bookbuying for Dummies. Dont waste your money.

I feel that it is my duty to help bring down the review score that this book is getting. some people are obviously mistaking this book for another. The mini is a waste of paper. A book like this is an abuse of freedom of speech. How should a book about "how to fish" not give any information on how to fish. Robbery is against the law; and that's what this is. The best part of this book is the advice of bringing a sandwich with you. You'll need it when you catch no fish. I suggest getting any other book on the subject if you wish to learn about tying knots, casting, bait, etc. The purchaser of this book is sure to be dissatisfied at any cost. I guess there is a lot to be said in the title "Fishing for DUMMIES (MINI)".. Maybe I was a "little stupid" to buy it.

I recommend this book for the beginning angler. Well written and very informative. The book covers all elements needed to enjoy fishing and to catch fish. Love the book!!!

This book starts with a brief history and background on Helio and Royce, as well as their fight philosophy. There is a brief section on what makes someone a good BJJ practitioner and how to train techniques.

It then moves into what this book is all about BJJ submission essentials. It starts with Helio demonstrating a number of his favourite submissions before Royler takes up the rest of the book demonstrating a plethora of other submissions.

The book covers submissions from all situations and positions whether standing, mounted (top and side), guard, from the back or fighting from the bottom. All techniques are explained in great detail to ensure that the technique you're executing is correct. This is enhanced greatly by Kid Peligro's large, clear photos, which includes close ups of grips and multiple angles etc when necessary.

Basically, this book is exactly what it says on the cover - an explanation of BJJ submission techniques.

What this book is not - while it may be a useful reference book for a newer student it doesn't go into fundamentals of wrestling such as basic positioning, transitions between positions, or wrestling theory. Applying these techniques without any of those basics in a fight situation is almost impossible. These are however, covered in other Gracie BJJ books. As such this book is most useful for those who already have wrestling experience, though this doesn't necessarily have to be in BJJ.

Once you have a good understanding of the basic of BJJ, this book takes your game to another level offering you many options in term of submission. To get the most out of this book, it is recommended that you master one technique at a time, then try to combine it with other techiques. For example, I found that the bent arm lock works really well with Kimura as a second attack option.

This is a great book by the Gracie's. But as you go along in the book you can see it wouldn't benefit a beginner much. It is for those already with brazilian jiu- jitsu experience.

A solid addition to the series - good fundamentals from the Grand Master Helio Gracie. Simple, yet effective techniques that are the foundation for any Brazilian Jiu Jitsu student. Royler takes it further with some great chokes. Good ideas to take to the mat.

Gracie Submission Essentials is 240+ pages of full color photos that explain how to do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu submissions from almost any position. The photographs for each submission are large, clear, and plentiful - usually four or more for each technique. While those reading it will not be able to master the techniques without a partner, this book is an incredible starting point for those new to the sport and also a great reference for more advanced students. Kimuras, chokes, gogoplatas, omoplatas, locks, triangles, etc... they're all inside.

While there is an introduction section with brief biographies, interviews, and training tips, the primary sections of the book break down as follows:

- Grandmaster's Favorites. Helio Gracie dons a gi and demonstrates the basic (but devastating) submissions of BJJ. These include the standing kimura, choke from the mount, americana, various arm-locks, and the legendary rear-naked choke. 13 techniqus, 29 pages.
- Stand Up Submissions. Royler grapples with Megaton (I though that was MegaTRON the first time I read it) for the rest of the chapters. The standing techniques include standing chokes, wrist/arm locks, knee locks, the guillotine, and pretty much everything you'd ever want to know from the standing position. Since a lot of new BJJ practitioners don't learn these techniques in class (a lot of schools start rolling from the knees), this is an important section for any new student heading to a tournament to read. 26 techniques, 51 pages.
- Guard Pass Submissions. These are some pretty intense techniques that will take a lot of practice and timing to do properly and safely (most of them involve flipping your opponent over). 3 techniques, 7 pages.
- Side Control Submissions. A lot of newer students see side control as just a transition stage, and it is not. Leg-locks, knee-on-the-stomach attacks, chokes, americanas, spine-locks, arm-locks, and arm-crushers are covered. 19 techniques, 46 pages.
- Mount Submissions. Submissions from the mount are some of the most common, but can always be practiced. Chokes, triangles, nutcracker chokes, arm-locks, and the knee-split are shown. 9 techniques. 20 pages.
- Back Control Submissions. The submissions in this section are interesting because "the back" is a broad definition; these techniques tend to be defined according to situation and include "opponent bridges" and "opponent stands up." 5 techniques, 14 pages.
- Turtle and Half Guard submissions. This is a sort of a short "miscellaneous" chapter. The bananna split, chokes, calf-lock, and kimura are covered. 5 techniques, 12 pages.
- Guard Submissions. Are you comfortable fighting from your back? If not, this chapter is a MUST. Chokes, arm-bars, triangles, wrist-lock, omoplata, shoulder locks, crucifix chokes, reverse americanas, gogoplatas, and more. 25 techniques, 63 pages.

While this is one of the best books on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu submissions on the market, it is not the ONLY book you will ever need. It is VERY specific to gi (uniform) submissions, so not every technique will work in a no-gi environment (UFC, etc...). As well, this book does not cover movement - something that is critical to getting into proper position for submissions. Other books (including Royce Gracie's excellent Ultimate Fighting Techniques Volumes I & II - Volume I being a great reference for movement) are necessary to truly understand Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The right cover was bent but other than that the book is in great condition. I like this textbook because it is interesting and full of pictures. This is one of the best textbooks I have had to buy. I suggest this book for anyone who wants to learn some psych (like me)or needs it for class. :O

This book is well written and clearly explains all of the major concepts of psychology in a way which is both interesting and easy to understand. It covers all of the major perspectives and specialties in the field of psychology, and gives real-life scenarios and examples to illustrate the different ideas and concepts. The book encourages critical thinking and has a scientific/academic approach to the subject material, which is something I like to see in any textbook.

My Book arrived in excellent shape and was received in less than a week of purchase. I am very satisfied and would purchase a book again through this source.

Joe wrote two really good books. YOur health and return to life. He espouses the greeks and athenians. A sane mind in a sound body, not too much and not too little and know thy self were all high points in his books. I highly recccomend this book.

Sinverely,

E.sill

Joseph Pilates was a genius. it is great that he is starting to get the recognition he deserves. It is great to know that there is a book in print with his photos of his original mat exercises.

This book is overpriced and of poor quality. The paper and printing are well below current standards even though it was published in 2000. I really wasted my money on this. I did find his ranting about society in general somewhat interesting. Seems people complained about the same things in 1934 that they do now: Society is in a mess and the media is mainly at fault for this. What is the cure for all these ills? The Pilates Method.

If you are looking to get started with Pilates excercises don't buy this book. You can buy two or three of the others for the same price.

This is the original Pilates (or Contrology) "manual". In succint (if not always fluid) text, Joseph Pilates outlines the intentions of the legendary exercise system he designed as well as how each exercise should be performed.

This is a simple, short manual. It's surprising that a system that has ended up being shrouded in so many mysteries and rules, particularly by those who are in his direct "lineage", started out relatively humbly. Many, many Pilates instructors will tell you that if you can't take a class in Pilates (and usually in an expensive studio), you're probably doing it wrong (and then maybe it's not worth doing). Also, many instructors have argued that most people aren't ready to do the matwork and that they should almost always begin with sessions on the equipment (again, under the watchful and expensive eye of an instructor). Pilates, however, writes that his system should help you "Return to Life" at a minimum of cost and time. The tone of his writing is inclusive- his system should be readily available to everyone. While he does insist that the instructions he sets out should be followed and that one shouldn't move on until all previous exercises are mastered, I'm not sure that the man who wrote this book in 1945 would approve of the elitist tone that some of his modern-day disciples have adopted.

It's interesting to note some of the exercises that are not included in the book. For example, the five-part Stomach Series is one of the most famous sequences in the modern Pilates matwork. Here, however, Pilates only includes the first two exercises (the One Leg Stretch and the Double Leg Stretch). Also, the matwork system is also well-known for the Side Kick Series. Here, Pilates only includes the Side Kick- none of the other now-common five, six, seven, etc. variations. Were these not included because they hadn't been invented yet or because they were deemed too difficult? Not sure, but he does include the more difficult variations for exercises like the Corkscrew.

The instructions for each exercise are simple and (for the most part) easy to understand. That said, it is easy to understand why many Pilates instructors could get overly wordy on some of the movements. Many of the exercises he demonstrates put a lot of pressure on the neck. I wouldn't necessarily advise that this be the only Pilates reference or manual someone uses to learn the movements.

In addition to the instructions for the Contrology matwork, Pilates also shares his thoughts on the importance of proper diet, sleep and relaxation. After reading this twice, I would say that his primary concern was a lack of good circulation. He explains that his system was designed to promote just that (and that's part of the reason almost none of the movements are done standing), and he even has suggestions for the proper way to clean the body such that the skin can breathe (answer: dry-brushing).

While some of Pilates writing style may be off-putting to modern readers, he comes across as a man who would like to make the world a better place, one body at a time. If perhaps a little too strident at times, his motivation seems both benevolent and sincere.

Pilates work differs little from Delsarte theory and its decomposition exercises. The writings of Joseph Pilates is stunningly similar to the late 19th and early 20th century works of such physical culture luminaries as Bess Mensendieck, Alice Bloch, Genevieve Stebbins, Professor Attila (the trainer of Sandow and Klein) the coursework of Henry Titus, and many more examples could be found in works by Charles MacMahon, Bernarr MacFadden, Charles Atlas and Tilney.

While it is good that this information is out there, readers should be aware that Pilates is not revolutionary in any way. Time and motion photographic studies of the human body date to the 1880's and Taylor's principles of optimal body movement were evident in early 20th century physical culture exercise training found all over the Western world.

Scuba Diving magazine has run all of these stories. Was hoping for something I had not seen before. Did not research this before I bought it, did not realize it was just same stories. If you read Scuba Diving magazine, Lessons for Life you don't need this book unless you are looking to have them at your fingertips in one volume. Wish I had not spent the money on this.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. As someone looking to get recertified in scuba, I learned a great deal on how NOT to be a statistic.

Diver Down is an easy to read book that appeals to all divers, expert or novice. The book focuses on mistakes made by divers at all experience, levels which in some cases cost them their lives. Reading this book will enable you to learn valuable lessons without making the same mistakes these unfortunate divers made.

I think among divers it is generally known, that the majority of dive accidents could easily have been prevented with better planning or better reactions to occuring problems.
Newer divers, and even some experienced ones, however lack certain experiences, that make dives safe while still being enjoyable.
This book gets you thinking...
I myself came away from reading it with one or two things that I will do differently in the future...
I can recommend this book to any diver.

One of the best diving books I have read. Makes you re-think how you dive.