Sam Walton was always competitive. Before building his retail empire he worked at a JC Penney store and then worked at a Ben Franklin Store. He wanted to become the largest retailer in the nation instead his retail store became the largest in the world. At first his store was named Walton 5-10 but he changed it to Wal-Mart. He did have another store as well called Sams wholesale club but was shortened to Sams Club. Sams Club is the largest warehouse store while Wal-Mart is the largest retail store. I wont say anymore about his stores but he had a dream and his dream came true. There is also a Wal-Mart cheer and he has rules for following a business. He followed those rules and it worked for him. The point is he had a dream and it came true. I mean not anyone can build the largest retial opperation in the world. If you really believe in yourself it just might come true. There are eighteen chapters in this book. Here are the chapters in order.
*Contents
*Acknowledgements
*Forward

1 Learning to Value a Dollar
2 Starting on a Dime
3 Bouncing Back
4 Swimming Upstream
5 Raising a Family
6 Recuiting the Team
7 Taking the Company Public
8 Rolling Out the Formula
9 Building the Partnership
10 Stepping Back
11 Creating a Culture
12 Making the Costumer Number One
13 Meeting the Competition
14 Expanding the Circles
15 Thinking Small
16 Giving Something Back
17 Running a Successful Company:Ten Rules That Worked for Me
18 Wanting to Leave a Legacy
* A Prostscript

* Co-Author's Note
* Index
Well those are the 18 chapters that Sam Walton himself and John Huey wrote. Its pretty much all about Sam Waltons life and his success behind it. Its a great book even if you don't like the guy or his stores. It also gives you good advice on making a business. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Wal-Mart and/or wants to know more about business.

Absolutly a wonderful story! Hard to believe something that started over fifty years ago as a dime store in small town Arkansas has become the world's largest company today. Mr. Walton's down to earth approach in telling his story makes it an easy read. From his humble beginnings in rural Arkansas, Sam was a go "getter" from early childhood.
The sucess of Wal-Mart is actually based a few simple principles. Offering value to the customers, shareholders and associates and managing the business in a common sense way. Are you an entreperneur or want to be one? Invest in this book today! Not only will you gain valuable insight, but Mr. Walton is open about the hardships and obsticles he faced, especially in the early days. After reading this, I don't feel alone in my challenges as a small business man.

The late Sam Walton was one of the shrewdest and richest merchants in America. Centered on the building of his Wal-Mart empire, his book, like fellow magnate Sandra Kurtzig's CEO: Building a $400 Million Company from Ground Up ( LJ 5/1/91), is light on biography. However, readers will enjoy the folksy narrative of the small-town millionaire who revolutionized retail distribution. Walton also addresses accusations against him, such as running the competition out of town. Coauthor Huey does a fine job of incorporating candid testimonials from family members and associates, who thought Walton's ideas were sometimes silly. Shortly after Walton's death, the book was given an overly sentimental postscript (a minor detraction) and rushed into print. Highly recommended for public and academic business collections.

One of the last of the original Bond Books, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is also one of the best. Picking up a year after the end of Thunderball, this book finds James Bond again battling the nefarious schemes of Ernest Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE and, most importantly, falling in love with the beautiful, resourceful, and ultimately tragic Tracy. Though the usual intrigue is well-presented by Fleming, he also makes it clear that Blofeld's plan is hardly meant to be taken all that seriously. (Without ruining it for those who might never have read the book or seen the surprisingly faithful film adaption, it all comes down to Blofeld hidden away in Switzerland, pretending to be an allergist, and brainwashing English farm girls. No, it doesn't make a lot of sense but Fleming obviously had so much fun presenting it that most readers won't take offense.) The heart of this book -- and this Fleming treats with an admirable seriousness that should take his critics by surprise -- is the love story between Bond and Tracy. In Tracy, Fleming has created perhaps his most fully realized "Bond girl." Vulnerable yet resourseful and more than capable of taking care of herself (and, at times, perhaps even more so than Bond himself), its hard not to fall in love with this character and when Bond finally does decide to reject all others for her, its impossible to disagree with his logic. Its a compelling, rather touching love story and, even though most Bond films know how its going to end, the ending still packs a heavy impact.

As for Bond himself, after being a rather predictable presence in Thunderball, he's back in full form as a full realized, interesting character in this novel. On Her Majesty's Secret Service was written after the release of Dr. No (Ursula Andress even makes a cameo appearance at the time) and one can sense that, with this book, Fleming is reestablishing his claim on the character. From the intentionally ludicrous evil scheme to the frequent excursions into Bond's head (revealing him hardly to be the ruthless, unflappable killer that filmgoers though him to be), Fleming comes across as a reenergized writer in this book -- determind to let all the new Bond fans out there know who is really in charge of their favorite secret agent's destiny. The result is one of the best of the original Bond books and one of the best spy thrillers I've read in a long time.

Without a doubt, Ian Fleming's finest James Bond Novel. Mr. Fleming neatly round out the character of James Bond as the reader sees the complete person behind our favorite government operator. The book begins with Bond begining to becomed bored with his assignment and meeting the love of his life. Due to the nature of his work and the emotional scars from previous relationships, Bond is always reluctant to engage in a serious romance with a woman. However, this time, Bond is willing to take his chances to find someone to fill the void in his life. Aside from the romance, Bond also has a job to do. Reinvigorated by progress in his once moribund assignment, Bond tackles his arch enemy Ernst Stavro Blofled through Fleming's engaing narrative. References to Bond's childhood memories, past assignments, and his dreams are particularly effective. Fleming's rich imagination transports the reader from Bond's old haunts on the Northern French coast to the Swiss Alps, where 007 once again takes his licks for "Queen and Country." Hats off to Fleming for his gutsy ending, which unfortunately for Bond, underlines the fact that 007 will always belong to "Her Majesty's Secret Service."

Fleming adds the detail and the smashing debonaire of oo7 together and comes up with the incredible novel: On Her Majestey's Secret Service. The high adventure, the beautiful Bond girls, and James Bond's "save the day" attitude make On Her Majestey's Secret Service a must read! I've written several books myself but none compare to this. I stayed up late until one in the morning reading the wonderful descriptions of the exploits of Bond, James Bond. It, along with Casino Royale, The man with the Golden Gun, Goldfinger, and You Only live Twice, are ranked high on my favorite novels list and should be yours. The head of SPECTRE and his Number Two man torment the spy but as always, Bond defeats the evil plans of Ernst Stravo Blofeld but for him to only fight another day!This book is so good it should come with popcorn!

By far the most realistic of the Bond books. Fleming's description of the MGB (later KGB) headquarters in Moscow's Dzherzinsky Square, where the plot to lure British agent James Bond to his death is first revealed, is reputedly based on information to which he was privy in his capacity as a WWII officer in British Naval Intelligence -- likewise the recruitment and training of the psychopathic killer Red Grant, one of the most formidable of Bond's enemies (and the only one in the films who looked for a while about to kill Bond for sure! 007 meets his match in Grant!) This is the book behind what in my opinion is the best of the Bond movies, steeped in the atmosphere of the Cold War into which the Bond series was born. 007 travels to Istanbul in pursuit of the bait, a Lektor decoder which can read top secret Soviet military and intelligence signal traffic. Another form of bait is the beautiful Tatiana Romanova, an MGB cipher clerk allegedly in love with Bond, willing to defect with the Lektor if only 007 will come and fetch her. (Fleming takes yet another jab at the Reds by choosing this name for Bond's love interest -- Romanov was the family name of the last Czar of old imperial Russia, the family doomed to extinction by the Russian revolution.) Kerim Bey adds a bit of panache, mischief and mystery as "Our man in Istanbul," Head of Station T (for Turkey). A truly great and suspenseful plot!

Fleming seemed to have used his first four novels (Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, and Diamonds are Forever) to warm us up to the Bond character and used the same plot style for the first four novels. In From Russia, With Love, Fleming takes Bond and his writing style to a higher, more intellectual level. Fleming is masterful in setting the scenes without being too boring. Bond doesn't appear until the second part of the book (Part II-The Plan) and you hardly even notice. Another interesting note is that of the James Bond movies, From Russia, With Love the movie follows the novel pretty well, even in lesser scenes such as the gypsy fight. This, perhaps, is due to the fact that Fleming was alive only for the filming and release of Dr. No and From Russia, With Love. This book is clearly Fleming at the top of his game and an outstanding entry to the series.

Considered by many to the be the best James Bond 007 book of all time, From Russia With Love delivers the perfect formula for a James Bond novel. Originally, Ian Fleming's tales of 007 were not going so good, so he intended with this book to kill off James Bond once and for all. The end of this novel is quite a surprise to a first time reader.

The book begins by telling of the commanding rule of SMERSH. The leader of this organization is General Grubozaboyschikov. Also working is Colonel Rosa Klebb and director of planning Kronsteen, who treats real people as if they were chess pieces. The muscle of the group is a homicidal madman, who follows orders, and is in practically perfect physical shape, Donovan "Red" Grant. These evil minds have planned the perfect way to destroy the life and reputation of James Bond. Their plan is to lure 007 with the beatiful Tatiana Romanova and a Spektor cipher decoding machine as bait. Then Grant will meet up with them eventually and kill them both. However, SMERSH will take it a step further to lie to the public that Bond and Tatiana were in an affair, and that Bond commits suicide. It's a perfect plan.
Bond indeed does travel to Istanbul, believing that this girl wants to defect, and will give him the Spektor machine only if he personally helps her. 007 meets Darko Kerim, and a wonderful gypsy fight adds to the fun of the story. Bond and Tatiana travel on a train back to Europe, where he meets Red Grant and is told of the plan to kill him. An extremely bvrutal gun and fist fight breakes out between the men with 007 shooting Grant. 007 goes to Paris with Tatiana to catch Rosa Klebb in a meeting. However, Klebb releases a poison knife from her shoe and kicks 007 in the leg, before being taken away by the police. The story ends with 007 lying on the floor of the hotel room...

Perhaps the finest story of Ian Fleming, filled with the excitement and adventure to give this book it's reputation as on of the best 007 novels ever!

In preparing our list of Christmas books to share with others, we had to search far and wide on amazon to find this particular book, a paperback edition of the classic Night Before Christmas.

This is the book I've used for years when reading this story to my own children, passing on Tasha Tudor and other illustrators. Why?

Although we can find the same poem and pay a lot more, with award winning illustrators, the illustrations provided by Douglas Gorsline are surely the best. They are quite colorful, and offer details little children love looking into...cats lie sleepily on the window sill, we see an overview of the town, the presents spilling from the open sack are intriguing and plentiful, and Jolly St. Nick is -- well, quite Jolly (as you can see by looking at the cover!)

The story is an "abridged version" - I'm not sure about other parents, but we read this on Christmas Eve, and we only have so much time and energy. Everything we remember from the classic poem by Clement Clarke Moore is in this version.

(From "'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse" to "He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!" In between we have everything, from the names of the eight tiny reindeer, to a belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly, including dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky".

In other words, don't be scared off by 'abridged'!)

Perhaps a hardcover edition might be more appropriate if you're giving a gift (unless you're giving to more than one child), but this book is one of the best offers we've found!

A classic done simply and inexpensively!

I discovered this book 31 years ago, for my daughter and it is still loved by all the family. The illustrations are wonderful, warm, charming and delightful and bring a special meaning to the story. We still read it to all the young children on Christmas Eve and for adults we read the story and pass a grab bag gift every time the word THE is mentioned. It would not be Christmas without this book. It is magical.

This beautiful book was in my family as a hard cover edition for many years and was a Christmas Eve tradition for my four sons when they were growing up. It's poor battered body disappeared some time after the last of my little ones went off into the adult world. I am so delighted to see it back again, though this time as a nicely affordable soft cover. Clement C. Moore's enchanting story poem already provides an atmosphere filled with warmth and joyful expectation and with the addition of Tasha Tudor's quaint, nostalgic water-colors from an antique New England the Christmas magic is complete!
The winter landscapes fill our senses and Tasha's own gray tabby cat and Welsh Corgi welcome us into this charming world.
Tasha's Santa that you will meet in this book has been portrayed as the poem describes him...a right jolly old elf. He's not that much larger than the corgi and his team really consists of eight "tiny" reindeer. His pointy ears and his Eskimo mukluks add to the delightful ambiance of the book. He dances with the toys and with the happy animals and we can truly believe it will be a happy Christmas for all.
I hope this book becomes a Christmas Eve tradition for many, many more families.

This insightful book by John O'Donohue is a moving and irrevocably inspiring view on living, dying, loving and becoming closer to your own soul with the companionship of your Anam Cara, or soul-friend. It speaks of the incredible beauty of the Celtic tradition and views on such ethereal subjects as religion, our own divinity, and the power of transforming your life. It is truly a book to learn from.

To all questions, there are answers...My 'personal' journey started a few years ago by reading Johnathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach - Jonathan set me off on a flight of freedom. That book opened doors in my mind which led me to the shelves of many bookshops. It has been a somewhat 'pain to pleasure' journey leading me to some incredible experiences and coincidences. 'Knowing' now they were not coincidences, they all had meaning. My journey brought me to 'Mother Ireland' where (although at the time I did not know why) I felt like I was HOME (in the spiritual sense). I have learned not just to look but to 'see', not just to listen but to 'hear'. Many times I felt bereft, confused and lonely. I battled with logic trying to make sense of it all. Ego is the hardest battle. Had I lost the plot as some friends said. No - I listened to my heart. I have read many many books that have helped and inspired me along the journey. Then then this book came to me from a friend with the inscription "With thanks for the gift of your uplifting friendship". I thank my friend for the gift of this beautiful book and the Author, John O'Donohue for sharing his gift in writing about the most uplifting friend you will ever find - ANAM CARA.

I am half way through this book as I write. It is giving me clarity - I am touched, I understand now why I listened to my heart - Echoes in clay. . .

The magic about this book is that it centers completely on the definition of the human experience and all the emotions that it entails. In addition it gives us guidelines usually through poetic pieces and beautifully scripted prose on dealing with many of life's issues.

I read most of this book on a flight back home to Ireland. I just couldn't put it down. As cynical and routine that life sometimes appears each of us has a yearning to break the mold, break the routine and deep down find our way, our reason for being on this earth. O'Donohue reminds us regardless of who we are and what the material world values us at - our soul has a yearning to belong and live life spontaneously and to avoid the clutter of routine and the depression of complacency.

There are important lessons in this book on the areas of love, death, belonging, depression etc. Finding your significant other for example is something that happens through fate. Death should be celebrated for the life that it gave an individual and the journey it now presents to the soul. Depression should be addressed not through constant interactions with pyschologists, who yes help, but confronting that which caused the depression in the first place and absorbing it as a strength rather than a weakness.

I was in Ireland for a funeral, which though a sad event, i left feeling happy - This book reminded me of what a great gift life really is.

This century has seen two comic novels rejected by publishers when they were first written, only to be hailed as masterpieces decades later. These are are 'A Confederacy of Dunces' by Kennedy O'Toole and 'The Third Policeman' by Flann O'Brien. Sadly, rejection led to their author's (respective) suicide and alcoholism, and recognition came only after both writers had died. There isn't room here to explain why I love 'The Third Policeman' so much. It is by far the funniest book I have ever read, yet it is also one of the most chilling, and ultimately one of the most mind-bending. 'Is it about a bicycle?'............ read it and find out!

This is the funniest book I've read in a decade. First of all, it's the sombre yet academical tone of the narrator (the main character has no name for he has forgot his own name) --- who would have expected to find footnotes in a novel? Second, the weird things described in the novel and the way people argued make perfect logical sense although we all know it's all nonsense. Third, the creation of De Selby shows that Flann O'Brien is a story-telling genius, so much so that the first time I read this book I thought that De Selby actually existed!! And only thanks to my university library which boasts a big hoard of books, COPAC, and the British Library, I'm finally convinced that De Selby have never ever lived. Oh how I wish to find a book written by De Selby --- because it'd be great fun to read his books!

BTW, there're even more De Selby in "The Dalkey Archive"!!! And don't read "The Poor Mouth" unless you're ready to read 100-odd pages about the boiled potato diet of an Irish family.

There can be few more chilling discoveries in life than to be rambling around Amazon.com and find that there are 311 reviews of The Celestine Prophecy and only one, ONE!, of Flann O'Brien's The Third Policeman.

This book, along with Gravity's Rainbow, The Recognitions, Auto da Fe, The Burn, and a small handful of others, is a masterpiece of the 20th century - a book people will be reading while they pilot their spaceships toward a hard day's work on Venus or some such thing a kajillion years into the future. It is also one of the few satire's that doesn't succeed by denigrating us and one of the few post-modern works that does succeed by making us howl with laughter.

I dare anyone to read the first line and then put this book down. Undoubtedly the best first line in English literature (though Garcia Marquez's first line in 100 Years of Solitude is probably the best first line in all of literature).

I won't go on about plot twists - only urge fans of literature that expands understanding while entertaining to pick up this book by the greatest of Irish writers (you read right, THE greatest).

I am an AGR/SSG, Organizer of the Headquarters Special Reaction Team, and RVN Vet: 11B/71L/92Y. I aquired this book in early 1997, read it from cover to cover twice and referred back to seperate chapters more often than I can calculate. Currently I can recommend no other manual with such a wide variety of accurate information on most aspects of precission shooting and tactics. I can make only a few minor criticisms. (1) I found only one error in the text- i.e.: "...do not..." vs "...do...". The error however should be obvious to even a neophite shooter so I have ignored it - but it does rattel me a bit every time I run across it. (2) Some of the Photos seem a bit pretentious - like they came out of an old issue of SOF. (3) Point of contention: MAJ Plaster opens the door to calibers such as 223, and 243, and provides fine tables for their accurate engagement. He may have been rushed to reach a publishing date, but I was hoping to find complete tables on all current match grade (high accuracy/long range)factory munitions. Especially windage tables. I hope the author will produce a supplement later. I reciently entered my first paper target state level competition which reinstilled my confidence in my abilities. With the help of his fine machinery, this manual provided my SRT team member and I valuable information leading to our ability to quickly and consistantly place comfortable hits in the x ring and engage moving targets at 600yds with a 5-7mph wind. I have given up my allegiance to "The Accurate Rifle" for "The Ultimate Sniper". Other than philosophical or theological treatises this is my favorite reading. I only need to convince my commanders of the importance of QRT and SRT programs.

This book is a valuable resource for the novice to intermediate level rifleman or sniper. I found a credible amount of useful information within it. The ballistics tables are real-world--unlike the dry, theoretical tables found in reloading manuals. Major Plaster sticks to the heart of the subject matter; he doesn't go off on those lame, sorry "soldier of 'fiction'" tangents that many authors do. He even authorizes the reader to photocopy range cards, practice targets, etc..., as long as the credit line is not removed. You can't get much fairer than that. If I mentioned every good thing about this book, I would exceed the 1,000 word maximum that Amazon has limited me to.

Robert, 11B/EIB, U.S. Army, 1981-1984

I really enjoyed this book. I pick it up and at least glance at it every other day. Many aspects of sniping is covered. I spoke to a United States Marine Sniper about this book and he really emphasized that this book is very basic. I happen to agree for many reasons. The ghillie suit instructions could have been done much better. Even a civilian like me know that ghillie suits can be much better than what is written in the book.

This book covers BASIC marksmanship very well. Even the stuff that is labelled "advanced" is still very basic. There are many helpful bits in this book. I thought that the camouflage section was covered in not enough depth. The counter-sniper section was a pretty good introduction.

Major Plaster has done a very good job at presenting the world of the sniper through this book. Though this book won't make the "Ultimate Sniper" it will educate people pretty well. Let's face it, if you aren't an active military/police sniper this book won't be very practical for you.

Keep in mind that snipercraft is a very deadly art where people can get killed. This book give many bits of information about how police and military snipers are trained. This book will not give you enough training to be a sniper, as no book on the market will. Make sure you know the laws and regulations about wearing ghillie suits and weapons because you can break the law by using some of the techniques that this book teaches. Remember that this book is for information purposes or at the most a helful guide at the shooting range (though that is not authorized by the author).

Perhaps most impressive of all of John Barth's picaresque classic is the fact that it succeeds on many levels. It is quite difficult to imagine anyone taking this novel completely seriously, however it can be read as an epic. Most likely it will be enjoyed as a brilliant satire providing most readers with innumerable passages that will have them laughing out loud. However one senses many philosophical statements and themes communicated through the characters' preposterous actions and attitudes. It was the characters, in fact, that impressed me the most about "The Sot-Weed Factor," while appearing at times ridiculous to the point of being hilarious, most readers will likely find a little bit of themselves in characters like Ebenezer Cooke, Henry Burlingame, etc. My favorite character was Ebenezer's servant whose name eludes me at this time. Barth has coined himself a "smiling nihilist" and this book is a fine example of this sentiment, though most readers will likely spend less time smiling and more time doubled over in laughter. A must-read!

If you've read the book, then you know exactly what I'm talking about and are probably doubled over in laughter just at the mention of it . . . if you haven't, well there's just one more reason to start reading this. Widely considered Barth's best novel (I'm very much a novice with him, this being only my second book so I'm no man to judge) I can easily see why it deserves such a status. A parody of historical novels, Barth writes the story in the style of that time so it seems like all those books your teachers made you read in high school, but better. The book is massive and concerns the various adventures of would-be poet Ebenezer Cooke, writer of the poem "The Sot-Weed Factor" as he becomes involved, willingly or otherwise, in more situations than any man should reasonably have to undertake. An attempts to summarize the plot are useless, it's too sprawling, people who want instant gratification will be at a loss here, this is a book you have to absorb over the course of a few days and get used to the style before it sinks in just how much fun it is. The characters play everything seriously, making the jokes (and there are plenty, with the funniest of a vulgar nature and often involving the story of Captain John Smith of Pocohantus fame) come off as utterly hilarious, but at the same time Barth manages to make you care just a little bit about them, as quirky as they are, they still come across as typically flawed human beings. Probably the best thing about the book is its sheer unpredictability, not shackled by the morals of the 16th century, anything and everything does happen, nobody is what they seem and situations shift gears so rapidly that it'll make your head spin even as you can't stop laughing. A truimph on nearly every level, this is something a lesser writer would have only managed to turn into a stale stylistic genre exercise, something to wow the kids in the creative writing workshop . . . what Barth creates here is something lasting and no matter what century it was written in or evokes, will probably wind up being timeless.

I know it's supposed to spoof historical novels, but I didn't read "The Sot-Weed Factor" that way at all. To me it read like a darkly comic epic, reminiscent of "Water Music" by T. Coraghessan Boyle. I loved the characters, especially the main protagonist, Ebeneezer Cooke, the wannabe Poet Laureate of colonial Maryland. He starts out as a prim, officious twit, but his character is befouled almost continuously from the outset, so that by the end of the book he is a resigned (if not wholly self ironic) and nearly sympathetic character. And I guess that is what makes this book work for me: it follows all the rules for successful story telling. There is a central conflict (and a thousand hilarious ancillary conflicts), a crisis of spectacular proportion, believable resolution, and character transformation. The story is riddled with deception, fraud, betrayal, mistaken identity, errant bravado, sex, scatalogical humor, and enough action and adventure to hold the attention of almost any reader. At 750+ pages, it took me a month to read it (if you travel cross-country, it's perfect for those four-hour plane trips), and now that I'm finished, I'd have to say it was one of the finest months I've ever spent reading. I wish I was starting it all over again for the first time. Haply I'll read it again.

John Ortberg opens this book by stating that he has drawn heavily from Dallas Willard writings. Having read two of Willard's books I must agree that there is nothing in Ortberg's book that could not be gleaned from Willard; however, that is not the end of the story. Ortberg is a better communicator for non-academics; he is a gifted teacher. His anecdotes and illustrations are well done and on a couple of occasions I actually laughed out loud (look for his story about the pick-up truck). He makes himself vulnerable throughout this book and you cannot help but let your guard down as you read.

This is one of those "easy-read" books that can have a very heavy impact on real life if one allows. It is not so much a book about spiritual disciplines as a guide book to a life of joy and transformation. My wife and I both have appreciated this book (which is quite something I might add). I will be reading it again.

. . .The Bible and Mere Christianity were #1 and #2, by the way:) Once you get past the Baby-Boom-marketing-gimmick title, there's good stuff here. There is a time and place for retreat and contemplation--which he discusses in Chapter 5--but John Ortberg doesn't live in a monastery, and he realizes the average person reading this book isn't, either. His message is that we can live a deeper, more spiritual life right where we are, even with mortgages and kids and dogs and laundry. (He even says that, approached in the right way, our everyday responsibilities are spiritual training ground. That may not be revolutionary to some of you--but it is for me:) This work is immensely readable and laugh-out-loud funny in places--but I've had it two months and am still not finished studying it. It's deep:) What he says about studying Scripture--that our goal is not to get through the Scriptures, rather to get them through US--is also true of his book. My Christian walk is never going to be the same again. I'm giving this to every believer--new and mature--on my Christmas list this year.

John Ortberg is truly a gifted communicator. In his typical heartfelt, honest, and gentle style, John lets the world know that the spiritual disciplines are not those hard to attain goals that are only for spiritual giants. Rather, the disciplines of the Christian faith can and should be viewed as transformational tools for any person who desires to grow in dedication to God and to see the results of that dedication enhance all of their relationships. Reader beware, if you read this book, you will be changed. This is the goal of the Christian faith and it is not only possible, it is also required if we are to seek a life that is rooted firmly in Christ. A very touching and powerful book. John's strength comes from the depth of his own soul, which is transparent and very tuned in to Christ. His influence is very strong because he does not "try to hard" but rather he simply shares his heart which is a marvelous gift to all of us.

This book is one of four indispensable basic, general texts on the subject of survival that anyone interested in the subject should have for reference. The others are Janowsky and Janowsky, the US Army FM 21-76, US Air Force Reg 64-4. My version is the 1986 Survive Safely Anywhere: The SAS Survival Manual. The most important characteristic of a really useful book on this subject is not just the kind and quantity of information available, but the real usefulness and authenticity of the information. Wiseman's book has that, and it's greatest asset beyond that sine qua non is the generally excellent quality of illustration. It covers much of the same ground as other texts, expands nicely on some areas, and has some discussion that is generally not discussed in other books. It has quite a bit in the areas of camp craft/improvised equipment, plants, first aid, and natural disasters. The bit on vehicle operation is not the same old information, and benefits from military experience such as that of SAS Mobility Troop. This book, with the other three, is a superb general reference and a starting point for further investigations for those interested in the subject.

The British Special Air Service (SAS) is an elite military unit trained for long range patrols,sabatoge and covert operations far behind enemy lines. The U.S. Navy SEAL teams are trained on principles developed by the SAS nearly fifty years ago. SAS troops are deployed to some of the most remote regions on the planet and for this reason, must be experts in outdoor survival. John Wiseman is a former SAS survival instructor, so you can rest assured that you are receiving the best available information. The techniques desribed in this book are simple, functional and extremely clever, all hallmarks of SAS operations. The section on traps and snares is spectacular! All drawings are clear and easy to understand and the book is organized into specific geographic regions according to climate(i.e. deserts, jungles, etc.). I have spent most of my professional career in the woods (I'm a biologist by trade)and I use the information in this book on a daily basis, including training fellow employees in the basics of land navigation, improvised direction finding, and basic "woodsmanship". Additionally, I apply the SAS mindset to daily problem solving and find that it serves me well. The book comes in two sizes and I can highly recommend the pocket sized version for your pack or field bag. I can not say enough good things about this book. I have over fifty survival books in my personal library and this is the one I use as my bible. I can also highly recommend the SAS Escape,Evasion and Survival Manual by Barry Davies. It contains the same high quality info. as this book plus some additional goodies!

I teach hunter education for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and base many parts of my lecture dealing with survival on parts of this book. I find it to the point, with great illustrations and directions. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the outdoors.