My name is Scott Livingston and I am the Assistant Director of Baltimore's Downtown Sailing Center.

We have been instructing adults to sail since 1993, and we currently put more than 300 students through our programs every year.

We have been using Basic Keelboat since day 1, and all of our students have given this book high ranks.

This book breaks down the fundamentals of sailing, into digestible bits and pieces, with fantastic illustrations which help people to learn.

There is no better way to learn then actually being on the water, but by thoroughly reading this book, you will gain the academics towards sailing, and this will help the on the water experience significantly.

This is also a good book to come back time and time again, and really solidify your sailing abilities.

SML

This book is the US Sailing textbook for the introductory course--Basic Keelboat. Instead of getting bogged down with too much material, this textbook gives you what you need to know when you first start sailing, and nothing else. I've taught sailing for 16 years at five different sailing schools. I have used this book for teaching and strongly reccomend this book for those who are just beginning to sail. As you advance in skills, more advanced textbooks are available to take you from beginner to advanced in meticulously planned stages. Even if you already of strong sailing skills, you can find and fill in the holes of your knowledge with this series of books. The fastest way to learn is to learn from the pro's.

This is an outstanding text. It is easy to read and understand. Sailing is like chess: easy to learn and difficult to master. We advise that you have a copy of the book before starting the course. Amazon does a great job of getting the book to you.

Benedict's Dharma is a rare find--a book on spirituality that is lovingly burnished by practice. Benedict's Rule was above all a work for practical application; what few understand is how well the Rule translates into Eastern practice.

Rarely have I enjoyed a book as thoroughly as this one; I regretted reaching its final page, for the journey it provided was such a delight. Yet the greater truth is that this book is meant to be a passageway, pointing the way to greater spiritual understanding and greater self-knowledge. The truths it uncovers are applicable to anyone who is serious about leading an authentic spiritual life.

This book is an exceptional treasure, offering significant and practical insights on every page.

Benedict's Dharma is a rare find--a book on spirituality that is lovingly burnished by practice. Benedict's Rule was above all a work for practical application; what few understand is how well the Rule translates into Eastern practice. Rarely have I enjoyed a book as thoroughly as this one; I regretted reaching its final page, for the journey it provided was such a delight. Yet the greater truth is that this book is meant to be a passageway, pointing the way to greater spiritual understanding and greater self-knowledge. The truths it uncovers are applicable to anyone who is serious about leading an authentic spiritual life. This book is an exceptional treasure, offering significant and practical insights on every page.

"There is fire in the Rule of Saint Benedict" (p. 121) David Steindl-Rast, OSB, writes in the Afterward to this collection of Buddhist reflections on that Rule. Written in the sixth century, Saint Benedict's Rule is a set of guidelines governing Christian monastic life. This 137-page book is the result of a two-week "Encounter" between Buddhists and Christians, in which Norman Fischer, Joseph Goldstein, Judith Simmer-Brown, and Yifa were participants. Their "fresh take" (p. xiv) on Saint Benedict's Rule is followed by a new, 80-page translation of that Rule by Patrick Henry, OSB.

The Rule was written to practice "Christ's way." Christ said, "Whoever perseveres to the very end will be saved" (p. 97). For Buddhists, Benedict's Rule is about "walking the path to spiritual awakening" (p. 105). That is, both the Rule and Buddhist dharma offer "general guidelines for an inner journey" (p. 1). Judith Simmer-Brown notes that the Rule offers us insight into living a contemplative life amidst the demands of everyday life, or "anyplace you find yourself" (p. 3). From a Buddhist perspective, Benedict's Rule is about learning to live life "so it gets into your bones, under your skin" (p. 34), and about living with "a love of true life and a longing for days of real fulfillment" (p. 36), for this was "Christ's way."

It is evident from this book that "the monastery wall is always permeable" (p. 81). Benedictine monasticism is designed to lead one to spiritual riches on the path of humility (p. 95). It is possible, we're told, to practice a contemplative life outside the monastery walls. "The world is vast and wide," Norman Fischer writes. "Why put on your robe and go to the meditation hall when the bell rings?" (p. 89). Daily practice is "the common ground" for monastics of East and West (p. 124), and in his excellent Afterward, David Steindl-Rast, OSB, concludes that "lay practitioners are running away with the monastic ball" (p. 126). "Step out into the dark night," he writes, "raise your eyes to the starry sky, and you will experience what contemplation was before it had a name" (p. 126).

We find Buddhists and Christians travelling the same "ladders and bridges" in this harmonious book. Buddhist or Christian, this book will appeal to to that monk or nun cloistered in each of us, who is interested in "a life spent seeking the truth."

G. Merritt

Don't let Smokey's style of storytelling stop you. When you finish all three volumes you will have probed the mind of a true hero. I wish Smokey had written this book sooner. I met Smokey, at Indy, in the early 90's. Today I would have much more to talk to him about. Smokey was the example of "Thinking outside the box"

When Smoke said he'd tell like it is, he didn't lie! The history lesson he gives you is worth its weight in gold.There is so much to learn and appreciate from his book. He was a unique man, with a colorful history and not just in racing. I have attended numerous lectures and roundtable discussions he held at the annual PRI shows, they were always one of my favorite things to go to. Only way to desribe Smokey in my book is, he was one smart cat! Whether some of his "Associates" will admit it or not, they will definetly miss his insight,his wisdom, and his courage to step over the line. Thank You Smokey for All That You Have Done.

I couldn't believe that one man could do so much in one lifetime. He was a B-17 pilot in WWII, raced in the early days of NASCAR, won at Indy, served as a consultant to the big car companies and drilled for oil and mined for gold in Ecuador. There is not much he didn't do and he is such a great storyteller that it is impossible to put down.

His style is very much stream of consciousness and his language is straight out of the garage, but these stories would not be believable if the text was polished and cleaned up. When I first read these books, I didn't know anything about Smokey, but by the time I was finished, I felt like I knew how his mind worked on everything from engineering to chasing women.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in cars, racing, war history or just learning more about a great time in the history of this country through a set of eyes that saw much more than their share. By the way, the chapters on his wife and his dogs will take you competely by surprise.

Elizabeth( Betsey ) Zane has lived with her great aunt since her parents died. She longs for her home in Virginia where she can ride her horse freely instead of being told to act like a lady in crowded Philedelphia. When her great aunt dies Betsey makes the daring journey back to Virgina and her home. However she didn't get the welcome she wanted. Her oldest brother is strict and wants her to act like a lady. The story livens as she starts a budding romance with a soldier from nearby Fort Henry. Her world crashes down though when the Indians decide to attack Fort Henry and Besty and her family must flee to Fort Henry for safety. Everything holds up until Fort Henry runs out of gun powder. It looks like Besty is the only one who can get it. Can Besty prove to herself and her brothers that ladies are brave too and can do anything a man can? This was a great book and I highly recommend it. If you like the Dear America Series you will love this book!

This books shows how independent Betsy Zane was. If you are a Dear America fan then you will like this book a lot. It's mostly the same as the diaries only not in diary form. Betsy Zane was a young woman who moved from a city onto the Ohio River. She meets new people and her brothers prize their possessions at first more than Betsy herself who took the long journey to her homestead with a family who used to be slaves. Betsy has embarrasing moments on the way to the Zane homestead when she accidently brings up the subject of slaves to the former slaves! Betsy also gets to meet a boy named Johnny whom she likes. The author really put effort in this book!

As she did in her previous book, The Beaded Moccasins, Lynda Durrant tells the exciting story of a real 18th century girl. This time her heroine is Elizabeth "Betsy" Zane, whose courageous actions saved an American fort during the final battle of the Revolution in 1782. Thirteen-year-old Betsy has lived in Philadelphia ever since her parents died six years ago, and she longs to return to her Virginia frontier home. She gets the chance when her only relative in Philadelphia, her great aunt, dies. Betsy packs a few possessions and returns to her childhood home. But everything is different. One of her brothers lives among the Indians. Her oldest brother has strict ideas about how a young lady should behave. At times, life seems almost as boring as it did back in Philadelphia! A romance with a young soldier livens things up. But when the Indians and British come to attack, Betsy and her family must flee to nearby Fort Henry. And it will be Betsy's own heroic actions that change the tide of battle. I highly reccomend this to historical fiction fans, particuarly girls. It's a great read for fans of the Dear America series.

I don't know about the book, but the author brings an entire new meaning to the term, "head up".

Call me Ishmal......

Simply put, I love this book. I like the fact that it summarizes the lives of so many African Americans including the famous and the still unknown. I highly recommend this book to any reader seeking information about the lives and consequent impact of some of our heroes.

kareem is not only one of the greatest players of all-time but a very intelligent man.this book is a must for all.it's history that needed to be told.and i couldn't and wouldn't put it down.i recommend it for all.

With a name like Henry Steele Commanger one would expect him to be a writer of history. And boy is he!! A whole section in my library is filled with his amazing works.

This one is a two Volume Set - with Volume 1 starting with the nomination of Abraham Lincoln as President of the US and follows the events to the bloody three-day battle of Gettysburg, the highwater mark of the Confederacy. Volume 2 takes us from the aftermath of Gettysburg and follows the war to Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

The works are surprisingly slim considering what it covers, so this is not an in-depth look at the War Between the States. It does however give a gold mine of details. For someone looking to understand the war, its causes and the people that fought it, this is a wonderful place to start.

Highly recommended for the beginning or intermediate Civil War Buff.

There are over 400 articles and over two-dozen illustrations reproduced in this notable collection which is subtitled "The Story of the Civil War as Told By Participants." These words are taken from speeches, letters, editorials, diaries, memoirs, poems, articles, reports, orders, and even the sheet music of the day. Henry Steele Commager, the legendary American historian, covers every aspect of the war in his chapters: the events and issues leading up to the war, the great battles and campaigns, life on the home front as well as on the front lines and in the prisons, even the songs of the soldiers on both sides. You will find not only Lincoln and Lee in their own words, but ordinary soldiers and former slaves, along with ambassadors to foreign nations and women trying to keep the home fires burning. As a collection of excerpts of primary documents this is first-rate volume that will surely add to your knowledge about the Civil War, bringing a more personal touch than you get even with the historical narratives of Catton and Foote.

Just the notes connecting the first person peices of these volumes make for a good history of the Civil War! They're short but good. But that is not the point. The accounts themselves are by soldiers (and sometimes civilians) written as they lived the adventure and tragedy of the Civil War. Cavalry raids come to life. Battles materialize before your eyes. Even the "dull" days of waiting are filled with a vibrance. All this is done, not by "authors" but by folks like you and me. And it is true from the begining to end. The descriptions of the very first shot of the war at Fort Sumpter are absolutely paralyzing! They are from Mary Boykin Chesnut. And there is the Indiana farm boy who got the news that the war had begun while husking corn with his father. His surprise and sense of excitment riveted me almost as though I hadn't known of the war myself before I read his account. From these beginnings to Appomatox, this two volume series is a ripping good read. Buy these books! --- Scott Brundage

De Witt Henry's "Breaking Into Print" is truly revelatory. This latest book of Henry's is an anthology of Ploughshares short fiction. It contains the early stories of contemporary luminaries of short (and long) fiction. Represented writers include, Tim O'Brien, Edward P. Jones, Mona Simpson, Howard Norman, David Wong Louie, Christopher Tilghman, and Gina Berriault. Breaking Into Print demystifies the process of publishing short fiction. There are 15 stories in the collection and each is preceded by a biography that tells the story of how its author came to have the story published in Ploughshares. These biographies also show how the authors went on to publish more work and receive other literary accolades.

Beginning writers will find the appendices of Breaking Into Print especially helpful. The first appendix, Resources for Writers, lists: (1) books that discuss editing, publishing, and marketing, (2) books by writers on writing, (3) handbooks on the craft of writing fiction, (4) websites for writers, and (5) books about the dark side of the literary life. The second appendix, Recommended Literary Magazines for Short Fiction, opens with general advice about submitting short fiction and is followed by sub-sections that identify the agendas of certain venues for publishing short stories (i.e. Mainstream, Feminist, Avant-Garde, etc.).

The stories and specials features (the biographies, editorial keynotes, and appendices) in this anthology make it an excellent buy for those interested in learning how to break into print, and it is also an ideal reader for undergraduate and graduate Creative Writing courses.

I found this book doing a search on the editor who released another anthology I enjoyed very much (Fathering Daughters). You're bound to recognize the names in this collection as award winning, fresh and vital authors. The stories are no less than provoking, satisfying, and beautiful.

Breaking Into Print: Early Stories And Insights Into Getting Published presents an informative collection of famous authors' first or very early fiction as it appeared in the prizewinning journal "Ploughshares". Here presented are some of the freshest and most satisfying fiction of the past thirty years including Going After Cacciato (Tim O'Brian); Gemcrack (Jayne Anne Phillips); Expensive Gifts (Sue Miller); Ollie, Oh... (Carolyn Chute); In the Dark (Edward P. Jones); After Rosa Parks (Janet Desaulniers); Approximations (Mona Simpson); Unicycle (Howard Norman); Little White Sister (Melanie Rae Thon); Displacement (David Wong Louie); Back (Susan Straight); Mary in the Mountains (Christopher Tilghman); A Wronged Husband (David Gates); Proper Library (Carolyn Ferrell); and The Infinite Passion of Expectation (Gina Berriault). Breaking Into Print is enhanced for the reader with invaluable resources for writers aspiring to become published; an introduction describing the "discovery" process for new writers; headnotes revealing how the authors launched their writing careers; lists of websites and links for new writers (including MFA programs and writers' conferences); books about careers in writing; excerpts from literary luminaries reflecting on the writing life; and extensive lists of literary magazines and prize anthologies, with advice on submissions. Breaking Into Print is recommended reading for students of contemporary literature, as well as anyone seeking to have their own work successfully published and presented to the reading public.

For some odd reason, this has to be one of my favorite editions of Andrew Lang's collection. I'm not sure why. But as always, we get a good, varying dose of excellent fairy tales from different countries, bettered by the fact that these tales are little known. So, yep, I recommend this for all collectors and those who just plain love a good fairy tale.

A Beautifully illustrated collection of fairy tales from different cultures, its refreshing to read tales that aren't just european. When I first bought it I was very disappointed that they weren't the traditional French, German, and English fairy tales but after reading them I found them to be compelling and beautiful. These tales are imaginative, strange, beautiful, wistful, and gorgous. The illustrations are wonderful, they stand in a class of their own. Modern illustrators should use them as inspiration.

It is hard to write reviews for Lang's fairy tale books which are as unique as each collection. The Brown Fairy Book once again has tales from many cultures. Included tales are: How Some Wild Animals Became Tame Ones, Story of the King Who Would Be Stronger Than Fate, The Mermaid and the Boy, The Sister of the Sun, Which Was The Foolishest?, and many others. I always enjoy the illustrations, too, although some children are disappointed they are black and white drawings.

We used this textbook in our MBA level Business Law course. This book is an excellent resource for understanding business law from a corporate finance angle. The book is well organized and very useful as reference to any corporate manager or executive. I highly recommend it.

I had to purchase this text for a class...it is phenominal! I actually like reading all the cases and examples that bring the law back down to earth. It isn't hard to complete reading assignments and actually understand what you should be retaining as concepts.

C

Dr. Cheesemen's thorough and direct explanations into the world of business law is phenomenal. He breaks down the wall and makes the law a whole lot easier to understand.

I found the book to be a complete, concise reference that was easy to read and an excellent resource. A small book but well worth the money.

The Cancer Chemotherapy Handbook has been extremely useful to me in doing preclinical laboratory work, which requires a working knowledge of current clinical practice. Sections include an alphabetically arranged section of chemotherapy drugs and biological response modifiers with detailed descriptions, a section of current treatment protocols arranged by cancer type, and sections on pain, toxicity, etc. in addition to useful tables. All of this information comes in a small paperback making it very convenient to carry with you.

This continues to be the premiere source for chemotherapy information. It is very well organized and easy to navigate. All the information is current and timely. The compact size makes it easy to take with you for use whenever it is needed.