Reviews (3)

A compendium of invaluable statistics and sports references which libraries will find useful and popular
ESPN is the acknowledged leader in sports reporting and that's why its reference ESPN SPORTS ALMANAC 2006 is so important: it covers the biggest personalities and events of the year, offering access to statistics, individual award-winners, teams, and critical overviews by ESPN expert reporters. From college sports to football, basketball, baseball and more, ESPN SPORTS ALMANAC is a compendium of invaluable statistics and sports references which libraries will find useful and popular.
A PERFECT GIFT FOR THE SPORTS FAN
I should know, I own it!!! I have grabbed these books since 1998, and they are superb. The only thing I do not like about the ESPN Sports Almanac, is that sometimes, there is a misprint, but it is rare. This is a superb book for anyone who wants to know the all time and previous year records in baseball, football, hockey, nascar racing, formula racing, golf, tennis, and basketball. But these sports are not the only ones covered in this extra thick publication. You will get info on Olympic sports including gymnastics, bobsledding, skiing, track & field, etc. The book covers the previous year in sports headlines, It has tons of information on off the wall sports like badminton and rugby, and it comes from the favorite sports people of America, ESPN. Enough said!!!

This is it! Statistics are the mother's milk of sports
And here it all is, in one handy, well organized alamanac. Football, Baseball, Basketball, Racing and more!
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Subjects:  1. Almanacs    2. Reference    3. Reference And Information Services    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Sports (General)    7. Sports records    8. Reference / Almanacs    9. Sports & Outdoor Recreation    10. Yearbooks, annuals, almanacs   

Reviews (27)

A must read if considering cruising
Beth Leonard made the cruising lifestyle come alive for me from
An Excellent Book
Just finished reading this excellent book on voyaging. The last few reviews left me wondering if the author would really have the experience to write about cruising. SHE DOES!!!
Worth reading
This author has copped criticism for being an inexperienced "yuppie" whose early lifestyle - a lifestyle she now decries as meanginless - helped pay for some easy cruising. This opinion is small minded. The simple fact the book is written by an honest woman gives it a rare and compelling resonance. Any man trying to honestly sell the cruising dream and any woman seeking a fair appraisal of what to expect from that dream will benefit from Bluewater Cruising. Does this book cover its topic exhaustively leaving no stone unturned? Not always - but none truly do. Does the book present our favourite subject in a different and useful way? Yes, I believe it does. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Boating - General    2. Boating And Sailing    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Ocean travel    5. Reference - Guides (General)    6. Sailing    7. Sailing - General    8. Sports    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Motor / power boating & cruising    11. Ships & shipping: general interest    12. Sports & Recreation / Boating   

Reviews (1)

Add this book to your collection!
I just got the book and in short, was very impressed.The book fills in the gap in the taxonomic order not covered in the famous Birds of South America Vol. I & II by Ridgely and Tudor.The book is small and compact (5" X 7.5").The illustrations are great...a bit crowded on some pages (as can be expected with the size), but overall are visually appealing and birds are identifiable (unlike other Princeton Illustrated Checklists I've seen recently).The book is just that though, an illustrated checklist.Each bird is illustrated on one side with a corresponding paragraph describing the bird and habitat on the opposite side. Each species has a small range map next to the text block as well.
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Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Nature    3. Nature/Ecology    4. South America    5. Biological Sciences    6. Birds & birdwatching    7. Birds and Natural History    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (4)

A must-have
This beautifully presented large hardback is actually a series of essays covering the story of the search for Longitude from the 16th century to the 19th. The essays deal with a range of subjects from the mathematical to the absurd, from astronomy to cartography and has 4 excellent appendices. The book is well laid out with both black&white and color photography in a manner that means you don't need to be a student of the sea of chronology to understand it. A good book to have on the shelf.

review
Excellent book focused on the Longitude act's of the 1700's.The primary emphasis is on the two technologies Lunar-distance and chonometer for determining longitude with a precision under 1 degree. The relative percentages are: 50% chonometer, 30% lunar distance, 10% Jupiter's moons, 10% general history pre-1600's.I gave it four stars instead of 5 because I thought the book was going to be a balanced discussion ( i.e. equal time)encompassing all methods of determining longitude irrespective of a 1 degree precision. All that said, I would still recommend the book to anyone interested in the topic.

Most comprehensive coverage
This review is top notch and comprehensive.It's the book of choice to cover the background and the technology.I'm not a watch or clock fanatic, but I slam dunked this whole book in just a couple days; a 15 hour Qantasflight kept me captive.I wish there was more discussion on the nature ofastronomy and how the clocks were calibrated.I want to read up onoctants, sextants and basic navigation now.This book deserves five stars. The A&E four hour documentary, "Longitude", this month alsodeserves high marks.If someone knows of a good read on navigating withastronomy that's more layman oriented, please email me (thanks). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1693-1776    2. Astronomy - General    3. Congresses    4. Harrison, John,    5. History    6. Horology    7. Longitude    8. Measurement    9. Navigation    10. Practical And Spherical Astronomy    11. Science    12. Science/Mathematics    13. Harrison, John    14. Maritime history    15. Time (chronology)    16. World history: c 1500 to c 1750    17. World history: c 1750 to c 1900    18. c 1500 to c 1600    19. c 1600 to c 1700    20. c 1700 to c 1800   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (3)

Praise for Cowtails and Cobras
I think this is the definitive book for "adventure ed". It is well laid out and easy to use.All the activities list not only instructions but when and how you might use them in a curriculum. It also has innovative ideas about how to use metaphors that can be adapted to a variety of situations. Karl Rohnke is, in my opinion, on the cutting edge of experential education and his first book is staple in any experiental ed library.

Praise for Cowtails and Cobras
I think this is the definitive book for "adventure ed". It is well laid out and easy to use.All the activities list not only instructions but when and how you might use them in a curriculum. It also has innovative ideas about how to use metaphors that can be adapted to a variety of situations. Karl Ronche is, in my opinion, on the cutting edge of experential education and his first book is staple in any experiental ed library.

a versatile and comprehensive toolbox of activities
I have used this book at outdoor education centres, camps and in a variety of classroom applications.It provides lots of neat ideas that integrate easily into traditional curricula. I especially appreciate the philosophy and clear instructions.Definitely a staple on my reference shelf. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Grades 4-6    2. Curricula    3. Education / Teaching    4. EDUCATIONAL INNOVATIONS    5. Education / Educational Reform    6. OUTDOOR EDUCATION    7. PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING_CURRICULA    8. Sports & Outdoor Recreation   

Reviews (21)

EXCELLENT ADDITION TO YOUR COLLECTION
Having been a birder for quite a number of years, I of course have quite a number of bird identification books.This was a very nice addition to my collection.I do carry it on field trips along with a couple of others (Sibley's and Peterson's being the primary ones).I have found that not one bird guide is suitable for everyone.Being from the "old school" I tend to turn to Peterson's more often, but that is probably from pure habit.Some hard to identify birds though do take some work and really more than one reference.This particular work is quite good.The pictures are very helpful and when I use this work with others I find most of my needs meet.I highly recommend this particular book.

The Best Bird Guide
This is the bird guide you should buy. Superior illustrations, easy to read text, thoughtful organization. Best of all-all the species (plus tons or accidentals and casuals)of North America in one handy volume! No worrying if a bird crosses "the border" between the East/West field guide boundary.
Bird Lady of Woodinville
I am very pleased with the book! The pictures & descriptions are excellant,better than anything else I've seen so far through the years. It's very easy to find the species, good size for travel, and just handy to have by the patio! This guide is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks!---Jeannice------ ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Reference    9. Birds & birdwatching    10. Humour    11. Nature / General    12. The Americas    13. USA   

Reviews (8)

The Surfer's Guide to Costa Rica by Mike Parise
Simpy a must have for anyone traveling to Costa Rica. Don't think too much about it, it would be foolish not to buy. It will definitly pay for itself many times over.

A board, towel and this book
are the only things you need for Costa Rica.I saw this on Cutback.com, bought it and it told me everything I needed to know.
Excellent book
this is a great book if you are going to costa rica, it has great detail and maps, nothing to detailed but it tells you what maps to buy, would reccomend ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Sports    2. Sports & Recreation / Water Sports    3. Travel / Central America    4. Central America    5. Costa Rica    6. Guidebooks    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Surfing    9. Travel    10. Water Sports   

Reviews (6)

Not just for boat building!
I bought this book because I wanted to prepare myself for building a boat in 2007, next year.In reading through it, I learned that what is covered is not just how to build a boat, but really more about how to finish a boat.
A useful lecture
I found in the book a useful collection of practical information. It is an usefull lecture before starting the construction of a boat and even before selecting a design plan.

New to boat building
Great reading. This book answered all of my questions and then some. I would recommend this book to new boat builders. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Boatbuilding    2. Boating - Boatbuilding    3. Design and construction    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Sailing - General    6. Ships & Shipbuilding - Repair & Maintenance    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Transportation    9. Wooden boats    10. Boating    11. Marine engineering    12. Ships & shipping: general interest    13. Sports & Recreation / Boating   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Calendar    3. Calendars & Diaries    4. Non-Classifiable    5. NATURE / Birds & Birdwatching    6. Photography / Nature & Wildlife   

Reviews (5)

Las Vegas history: from mob to corporate
The complete saga of Las Vegas from its early roots with the mob to modern corporate times is presented in a lively history of the city's real rulers in SHARKS IN THE DESERT: THE FOUNDING FATHERS AND CURRENT KINGS OF LAS VEGAS. Many made their fortunes developing the casino business the city is most famous for today - but many myths have surrounded their activities - myths which columnist Smith dispels in an investigative history which tracked mobsters and their connections to the city's rich and monied.
Great book and great shipping time
I received this book almost right away.It's a very good summary of the people of Las Vegas written by someone who knows, John Smith.

An excellent read and a superb history lesson
With "Sharks in the Desert" John L. Smith wrote one of the best books about Las Vegas ever. This book has a lot of substance and it is full of information. Although it's nonfiction, it reads like a novel. Lots of valuable quality research are packed into the 400 pages. Although we have seen the TV specials about Las Vegas history, it was so refreshing to read John's book -- this is a great read from the first page to the last. The reader learns about today's casino moguls and the harsh but real techniques to separate casino patrons from their money. It also tells the story how like a gigantic masterplan Las Vegas rose from the barren desert into today's Sodom and Gomorrah. Smith is excellent in telling it like it is and this book is a great educational tool for anyone who wants learn more about the meadows, i.e. Las Vegas, and the people who developed this desert oasis in the past and who run this town like clockwork presently. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Business    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business Ethics    6. Casinos    7. Gambling    8. Gambling - General    9. Las Vegas    10. Nevada    11. Organized crime    12. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    13. Biography: general    14. Entrepreneurship    15. Sports & Outdoor Recreation    16. The Americas    17. True Crime / General   

Reviews (1)

Get Off Your Couch!
Armchair movie aficionados beware! Leave your remote control behind and visit hundreds of famous movie locations in person! This one-of-a-kind travel guide (very few authors can claim that) is the result of exhaustive research covering hundreds of film shooting sites and is a must have for anyone who loves movies and the great outdoors. I liked this book so much, I bought TWO copies - one to keep clean and one whose margins are already filling up with notes as I visit the places featured. Get this book and go touch Hollywood history in person! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. California, Southern    2. Guidebooks    3. Motion picture locations    4. Television program locations    5. Travel    6. Travel - United States    7. United States - Pacific - California    8. United States - West - Pacific (General)    9. Walking    10. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Reviews (4)

Extremely useful and helpful
This is a book that every cyclist should have.It is very simply written and set up to be easy to access timely information.It is especially helpful in setting up your bike to avoid injuries that you may not even know you are causing. It is now my goal to go to Colorado and be set up and evaluated on the bike.I am an aging cyclist (almost 60!!!) and this book has increased my hope that this injury prone body will push my bike for years to come.

Expert Advice
Andy's advice has helped me successfully recover from pulled muscles, a strained knee, and more recently the cleat position of my bike shoes.His advice will well proven and since I personally know Andy, he 'practices what he preaches' which gives even more credibility to his expert instruction.

Excellent Book
I was evaluated by Andy in the early 90s for IT Band Syndrome. There is no more knowledgable person on the practicalities of cycling biomechanics than Andy. This book contains a huge amount of information on bike fit, injury prevention, and injury treatment. I recommend this book for every cyclist of any caliber who has questions about fit or injury.
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Subjects:  1. Cycling    2. Cycling - General    3. Cycling accidents    4. Health aspects    5. Physiological aspects    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Sports Medicine    9. Sports & Recreation / Cycling    10. Sports injuries & medicine   

Reviews (2)

Over priced and less than expected quality
After reading "Safari Rifles", and even the older "African Rifles and Cartridges" this book was quite disappointing. excellant read with great pictures
Author spent most of his life hunting the very best of Africa.His experiences are full of facts, action, with wonderful photography and neat sketches.Since I cannot hunt Africa, this books gives me a full account what hunting was like in Africa at its best.You will be glad you boughtthis one, the splendid photos justify the price. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa, Eastern    2. Big game hunting    3. Biography    4. Hunters    5. Hunting - General    6. Hunting Sports    7. Kingsley-Heath, John    8. Sports    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Africa    11. Hunting or shooting animals & game    12. Sports & Recreation / Hunting   

Reviews (28)

The Best Birding Guidebook for Costa Rica!
This is by far the best birding guide book for Costa Rica.Most of the guides working in the country use this one!If you're planning a trip and don't want to take the whole heavy book, you can take it to a copy center like Kinkos and have the color photo pages cut out and bound with a waterproof cover and a few extra blank pages for notes.This makes an excellent field guide!

Fabulous
This book is a bird lover's God send. On our trip to Costa Rica, it was extremely useful, given its full illustrations of thousands of exotic species to be found in that glorious tropical climate. We were especially delighted to experience sightings of the rare Quetzel and Toucan. A fabulous guide for anyone visiting Costa Rica, or who simply wants to live vicariously.

good but not great
I spent 3 weeks in Costa Rica birding with this guide.There was only one bird in adult plumage that the illustration did not match the bird very well--peg billed finch. The finch is much much darker above than the illustration.
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Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Costa Rica    5. Identification    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Birds (ornithology)   

Reviews (7)

This is still the Galápagos guide you want - this 2nd edition is even better than the 1st!
Original review of 1st Edition, November 9, 2005
One of the best books we bought for our trip
We bought this book as one of 5 guides to the Galapagos which we took with us on our trip in Oct 05. It was really excellent, so good in fact, that our wonderful naturalist guide asked if we could send him a copy. I just gave him ours and now I have to order it again for us!It's organized by type of animal and bird, which makes it easier for novices to experienced wildlife observers alike to identify animals and birds. It has a nice sturdy format also, which is good for taking along onto the islands.
An Identification Guide to the Birds,mammals, and Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands
It is very informative for visitors to the islands and probably be able to recognize some of the birds etc when you see them.Yet to proof it during my next visit to the island in December 2005. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Reptiles & Amphibians    6. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    7. Nature / General   

Reviews (5)

"Front, Bow! Back, Stern!"
CHAPMAN'S PILOTING AND SEAMANSHIP is one of the half-dozen or so "essential" technical texts that any sailor should own. Coming into it's 65th edition in September 2006, CHAPMAN'S is the only book that offers serious competition to THE ANNAPOLIS BOOK OF SEAMANSHIP as an overall guide to sailing fundamentals.
a new look at chapmans
still one of the best books available, on small craft handling.
Chapman's a Bible for Boaters
Chapman's Piloting and Seamanship is required reading for anyone
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Subjects:  1. Boating - General    2. Boating And Sailing    3. Sports    4. Sports & Recreation    5. BG-KITS - BG-MIND & BODY KITS    6. Sailing    7. Sports & Recreation / Boating    8. Sale Books   

Reviews (28)

The Classic Guide
My 1966 Golden Field Guide($3.95) is coming unglued.We've used this reference for 40 years from homes in the Northeast, East, Southwest and Southeast U.S.Our life bird list is impressive due to this guide.
An all right book
This book is not bad. It thankfully has been updated since the 80s, as I had heard that it was horridly out of date. The illustrations are a tad fuzzy,and they used one illustration to depict two species in a few instances, which is very frustrating, but overall it is a pretty good guide. I use it as a reference book. It has a few extras, like silhouettes of the birds, and sonograms of songs, and pages showing all the sparrows/ warblers on one page, for at-a-glance comparisons. If you are a new birder, skip this and buy the National Geographic guide or the Stokes guide. If you are an intermediate to advanced birder, get this. It's a good book to have around, just in case.

A Review
Was bought as a gift for a friend. They seem pleased with it.
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Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Boxing    3. General    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Sports - General    7. Sports & Outdoor Recreation    8. Sports & Recreation / General   

Reviews (2)

camping & wilderness survival
IF YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST IN LEARNING AND/OR INTEREST IN THE OUTDOORS. YOU WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK.IT IS LIKE AN ENCYLOPEDIA FOR THE OUTDOORS, EXCEPT IT IS WRITTEN LIKE EVERY PAGE IS A FULL ON TOPIC SYNOPSIS.YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.
Most complete nature/survival book I've ever seen.
This is my first book review. I'm trully amazed by what all is contained in this fairly compact book, yet each page contains a massive amount of information. It is quite thick, over 1,000 pages,LOTS of really sharp color photos.Covers so many subjects in addition to survival and camping. It's as though it could be 10 different books in one. I'm really impressed by this book and feel it truly is one of the best books I've ever bought.I'm actually thinking of getting two of them... One to keep in the truck and one to read in my spare time at the house.. SO MUCH information is in this book, it's like a small nature encyclopedia..It covers all possible terrains, types of plants, animals, cloud formations, many maps showing insect distribution, etc.. climates, etc.. reptiles, most all of the usual survival/camping info.. but SO much more..how to survive practically any imagineable scenario. So many color photos.For nature-lovers and campers this is really a must-have book as well. I've bought several other survival books and this seems to contain just about all that is in the others..shelters,first aid, mental preparedness, kits, backbacks, fish preperation, game hunting, etc..Although, there are some survival books that are quite unique as well in their own right and may go into much more detail on say, shelter-building for instance, this book shows with pictures, quite easy-to-understand basic construction techniques, for emergency situations. No SINGLE book can have everything, but I must say, this book sure does come close to it!I don't think you will regret this purchase.Just one warning though, because there is so much information on each page, the print is quite small. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Camping    2. Hiking    3. Mountaineering    4. Sports & Recreation   

Reviews (12)

Good book but missing key information
This book has LOTS of really good information.But it is missing some significant stuff, Brion.PLEASE PLEASE do another addition and include SOME information about the following:
The Thoughts of a REAL RIGGER
As a rigger myself, i thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it most informative and useful for my trade. However, there was little or no mention of brews OR 3 leets - surely this is an integral part of being a RIGGER? Also, there is only one rigger. The only thing like it for traditional craft
Brion Toss has become "da man" in modern rigging in many ways, and a lot of that is attributable to this great book.It's a big, thick thing, loaded with information, not all of it easily absorbed on the first read.It's meant to give you a firm grounding in what rigging is, what it does, and how to inspect and maintain your own rig, how to adjust it, how to replace worn sections.Will it tell you everything you need to know to design a rig from the ground up on a serious racing yacht?Heck, no.It isn't meant to.What this book does is give you the tools you need to approach your own rig without fear and trembling - to realize that, after all, it's just a bunch of parts, and that you can comprehend and work with those parts, understand their roles, and get the most from your boat.Will you be forever independant of professional riggers?Probably not.But it goes a long way toward making that a realizable goal, if you apply yourself.And it should be known that this book is especially strong on traditional rigs, the more traditional the better.You'll learn how to worm, parcel, and serve, how to lace deadeyes, and why galvanized is great and stainless isn't stainless. And if that last sentence frightens you, you're probably not in the intended demographic.Rod rigging and carbon fiber masts are mentioned, at best, in passing, and largely for comic relief.Keep that in mind.Makes an absolutely perfect companion to Marino's "Sailmaker's Apprentice." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Boating - General    2. Sailing - General    3. Ship Maintenance And Repair    4. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    5. Ships & Shipbuilding - Repair & Maintenance    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Transportation    9. Boating    10. Marine engineering    11. Sports & Recreation / Boating