This is the first book on the internet I read that did not confuse me with terms I do not understand.

I like this book because it is easy to read. There are lots of examples.

What I like about this book is that the specific software that the authors talk about are included in the cd-rom that comes with the book. I do not have to search for these utilities on the internet.

In the 1937 preface to the first edition of this book, Leni Riefenstahl remarked 'it is the timeless document of a great idea -- a hymn to beauty and competetive endeavour.' Sixty-five years later, the graceful images of athletes competing in the 1936 Berlin games has more than withstood the test of time and validated Riefenstahl's original estimation of this work's ground-breaking importance, not only as a document, but as an exercise in the aesthetics of the idealised beauty of the human body in movement.

Leni Riefenstahl was something of a Renaissance woman: Photographer, motion picture director, editor, dancer, skier, and all-around athlete, no one could have been a better match for documenting the 1936 Olympics on film, from which stills were culled to create this volume. True to the spirit of Ancient Greece, it is fitting that it was captured on silver nitrate by this gifted cinematographer christened Helene (her birth name, for which 'Leni' is a German nickname).

Actually, the term 'stills' does injustice to the photographs contained with -- so alive are they, capturing the essence of athleticism and motive power.

The beginning of the book is devoted to Ancient Greece, and documenting the ruins which monumentalise her greatness: The Parthenon, Myron's discus thrower, the gods, such as Apollo and Achilles. Riefenstahl has brought many of the famous statues of athletes alive, as she photographs naked men and women engaged in the ancient sports, such as the javelin throw, the shot put, eurythmics, dance and the discus throw. Her athletes epitomise the grace, sensuousness and taut, muscular efficiency of the male and female bodies.

Another striking sequence is of the young Greek torch bearer, who ignites the torch at Athens and delivers it on his long route through Thermopaylae, the Grecian shore, Delphi and Corinth. The poise and determination in the runner's body and eyes convey the Olympic spirit with the same glowing certitude as the eternal flame, which the runner holds aloft like a beacon in the night.

Once in Berlin, the bulk of this volume is dedicated to the athletes themselves. Leni's cameramen captured all the events, and some of the images are just astounding for their sense of motion and eloquent simplicity of composition. Among my favourites are: p. 60, the Flame from Greece, which shows a German youth standing before the crowd of athletes, holding the flame erect before lighting the stadium torch; p.62, Start of the 80 meter hurdles, as seen from the timekeeper's point-of-view, the lines demarcating the oval track's lanes sweep into a bird's eye view of the pensive hurdlers as they await the starter's gun; p. 68, Jesse Owens in the starting blocks, the great athlete is the very embodiment of concentration; pp. 98, 99, German Gisela Mauermayer, discus thrower, shows the female athlete in motion, and in joyous release on her way to the gold medal; p. 137, shadows of marathon runners, which convey the fleeting rush of the events; p. 247, finale, which shows the Berlin Olympicstadion encircled by pillars of searchlights just before the flame is extinguished.

'Olympia' is, to me, the greatest expression of graceful motion ever captured by a photographer. A tone poem for camera, these images better convey the concept of motion than 99% of the movies today, which are motion pictures in name only.

The glorious work of Leni Riefenstahl (admit it: love her or hate her, she is incredibly gifted as a photographic artist!!) is shown off on the printed pages of this impressive edition. Fans of her films will love it...sports fans will love it...anyone impressed by the beauty of the human form will love it. You must fall into at least one of those categories, eh? A treasure for your library!

I read "Olympia", so to speak, with greatest pleasure--for this is really a picture-book of the most exquisite kind and, like the best of them, one that can be enjoyed by adults as well as children. It is made of stills from the film "Olympia" directed by the German woman Helene (Leni) Riefenstahl, which is of course about the 1936 Berlin Olympiad. As well as being a filmaker, Leni was a dancer, mountaineer, skier, and actress, all of which gave her a great understanding of the primary subject-matter shown in "Olympia"--the art of the moving human body. Though this artist has been much slandered by many a critic, her film is a festival of beauty and nations, lauding the aesthetics, athletics, and daring of mankind no matter the race, religion, or creed. I have seen the film, and can attest that this book gives a fine and thorough overview thereof, doing justice not only to one of the finest films ever made, but also to art, life, and humanity

After 10 years of cruising and teaching sailing/cruising skills in this area, and this is the best guide to all of the US waters of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. Should be on all charter boats, but often is not, so if you are chartering inquire.

Add a "BBA Chart Kit" for detailed charts, and for the Canadian Gulf Islands "The Dreamspeaker Guide," and you are set!

Finally, adding this season's "Waggoners" guide will give you the latest contact information for marinas, etc.

This was the first book my wife and I purchased when we started boating in the Puget Sound 5 years ago. We have bought dozens of boating books since. This is still our favorite. We have worn it out and are now buying another copy to keep at the house. The descriptions of harbor entrances are more complete than other books we use - we always use Scherer's descriptions for new approaches. The book is fun to read - includes sidebars of historical or social interest. Nice photography and an eye-pleasing layout. (Tidal current charts are included in the appendix.)

Mike Layton has written the most honest autobiography I have ever read. The friend is himself and he tells his story frankly without embelishment or sentimentality. The book is a stark contrast to most autobiographies because it is written without an agenda, this is the world as Mike Layton perceives it. By the end of this book you know what the writer feels, what he believes in and what he cares about.

For a baby boomer like myself this book is a great window on what the years before, during and after World II and Korea were like. Mike Layton tells about what it was like to grow up so hard that the army was the promised land. What it was like to be in the company of men and how men react when their lives are on the line. Of particular interest is Mike Layton own political awareness and growth. The book contains a few of the newspaper columns that Mike Layton wrote and they are very powerful. I regret that more of the columns were not included. Mr. Layton if you read this please consider a issuing a collection.

The author was born on the western High Plains, received his first horse on his fifth birthday, his first rifle at ten. At 18 he fled a 40-below Wyoming sheep ranch into the Army. An infantry scout, first ashore at Kiska, he led paratroopers across Europe. A carousing veteran, he was civilized by the GI bill. and became a newspaper reporter and was called back into the Army for the Korean War. Later, a political reporter and columnist, he helped unseat a governor and tried to explain how government works to his fellow citizens. He also covered wars in Central America and politics from Europe and Asia.

i hv gone thru the 34 pages of this book
and blv the contents are benefitial... hence i would like to place this order...

thanks
Regards

As a life-long jazz musician and New Orleans culture enthusiast, it was with some trepidation that I approached this book. I have often found similar accounts dissapointing and lacking in evoking the true spirit of the Harold Dejan and the band. However, within pages, I was hooked. British born (though evidently extremely insightful into New Orleans culture) author Burns clearly knows his stuff, and a combination of what is obviously dedicated passion on his part, along with accurate research finally stand to do the subject justice. This book comes highly recommended to anyone wanting a truly personal, alive and evocative account of this great jazz institution.

This book gives detailed maps of all marine areas from Olympia to Malcom Island. If you are boating these courses...these maps are a must! The book reports any dangerous obstacles that may lie in your path, as well as shows you the best course for your destination.

A collection of substantial literary material from one of the best voices of dissidence & nonconformism;gems that howl,speak & whisper from the side of literatures remorseless tongue.Personal faves here are the excerpt from Alexander Trocchi's novel "Cains Book";Octavio Paz's essay;Robert Coover's "The Square Shooter & The Saint";Ginsberg's "Howl" of course;Kerouac's "October In The Railroad Earth",the interview on Louis-Ferdinand Celine;& many more.Not only is this good reading material to ingest differentiating one from the usual academic blah that turn a lot off to literature;it also familiarizes oneself to a lot of talented & great authors that one may not be aware of if not for this impressive book.

"The Olympia Reader" provides not only beautiful and arousing stories by such classic writers as Nabokov, Beckett, Bataille and Miller but also an insight into the history of The Olympia Press, the publishing house, founded by Maurice Girodias, which published the first edition of "Lolita". I found the book appealing both to my literary taste and my curiosity, as well as my innermost senses. I would recommend this selection of short stories to anyone who is eager to enjoy a good sample of serious erotic literature. Share the reading with your mate, you will not regret it.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up the debut novel by new author Olympia Vernon. The title suggested to me that I was beginning a story about the concept of Eden, a place where old age ceases, evil is nonexistent, and a place of abundance. Quite the opposite was true.

Maddy Dangerfield, a fourteen-year old with the weight of the world on her shoulders, lives in a place that defies Eden and all of its niceties. Maddy's mother, Faye, sends her to care for her Aunt Pip, Mama Faye's outcast sister. Pip suffers from breast cancer and the loss of her breast. Maddy learns much from Pip, and this stop in her journey to adulthood takes on an important role.

There was a strong theme of missing pieces in the novel, beginning with Maddy's father Chevrolet, who was missing his arm, and ending with Maddy herself, and all of the losses she incurred. The writing spoke to me in hushed voices, Vernon allowing her words and lyricism to come to the forefront. You won't find a largely plot-driven novel in Eden, as the author allows focus to remain on her characters and their losses. A symbolic tale of coming of age and coming to grips, this was a fantastic debut...

While reading Eden, I could hear Olympia Vernon's voice through her style, tuning every word like an instrument. I see strength in these characters. It is what they find their strength in that is different; this is a place that haunts them, hurts them or may heal them. Each character needs to find strength just to get by in their life walk. We can spy on them through Maddy; she is in the midst of adolescence, finding her own areas of strength to get by. She is growing up by visualizing and feeling the gut revelations that we all learn from family. Through watching the lives of those around her, Maddy sees that love, strength and truth do not always exist together in the same places. It is such a real to life revelation how family teaches us disappointment. There is also a strong sense of longing throughout Eden. Pip displays this longing. I love her name; it is like a flashback to how she used to be lively and exciting. She was once a free spirited beauty who found her strength in men. This caused her to betray her own sister Faye, and so she must live and die as an outcast from her family. What was once strength in her life cheated her by giving her loneliness. Mama Faye finds her strength in Jesus. This helps her function as a savior to her family. She needs His strength to overcome her husband's ways and heal the past hurt of betrayal. Chevrolet seems to find his strength in avoiding mama's Jesus. He gets messed up in the Jesus of the world, who seems to always be after him. He gambles with Jesus so much that his life is always on the line. Eden is a peek into rural southern living, filled with mystery and anticipation.

Olympia Vernon has certainly marked her space on the map with Eden. The entire book sings like music. Every line, every chapter is indelible--like an ongoing paean that praises and celebrates life, love, loss, forgiveness, death, God, pain, nature, disease and the awe of body--the physical journeys it takes. I found the language as bare-boned as Hemingway. Quick, clean, sharp and vivid. Even cancer resonates as a "character" in the novel. I was enamored with the simplest "sharing" in the book and that was Maddy. Though a rift eases in between two sisters, Faye and Aunt Pip, the child is still allowed to go to her aunt. Could that in some manner be a gesture of forgiveness? The one and only frail part about the novel is plot. However, the characters, structure, language, magical-realism and overall theme of the work deems it all the more rich. I hope this young author continues to contribute good, qualified, "seriously imaginative" literature to the African-American canon. I think she will keep the map strong. Highly recommended!!