This wonderful resource on contemporary sailing vessels is published annually by ASTA, the American Sail Training Association. You can also get a copy free if you join ASTA (a worthy organization, if you are interested in sail training or traditional sailing ships). ...

The ASTA directory provides a comprehensive listing of traditional sailing ships in the US and abroad. Many of the ships listed offer sail training programs; others carry passengers for hire. It is a valuable resource for anyone interested in going to sea as a sail training student, or looking for work in traditional sail.

This is an excellent book. Everyone who is interested in sail training or tall ships should own a copy. It helped me find my way around and I am very gratefull to the author for spending the time to put together such a complete and comprehensive listing of sail training vessels. The contact information for the vessels is really what sets this book apart, because it really wouldn't be very helpfull if I read about a sail training ship that I wanted more information on, and then couldn't get in touch with them.

I purchased this book as I sought to more fully understand the issues behind Calvinism, and the specific doctrines generally held by those of that dispensation.

I was very pleased to find a thorough, Biblically backed up presentation of those very issues I had questions about. Not only was each chapter clearly presented in an easy to follow format, but the technical format of the book made it easy on the eyes. The vocabulary used in the text may cause you to keep a dictionary handy during your reading sessions, but other than this I found the book easy to follow.

Those of you seeking to understand what the 'five points of Calvinism' are and the manner in which they apply in a practical fashion to your life would do well to read this text.

No one should mistake this volume for a biography of one of jazz's most influential, enigmatic figures. It's a 200-page appreciation of Monk's music, but it's a mediocre one at best.

It's obvious the author has done a lot of listening to and dissecting of Monk's music, and he writes of it knowledgeably. But his over-the-top prose and Monk-can-do-no-wrong attitude becomes burdensome after the first 100 pages, and by the end of the book, I questioned whether the author had put any of the distance between him and his subject that would allow a thoughtful, valid critique of Monk's music and his place in jazz.

Adding to the flatness of the portrait of Monk is the fact that there is virtually no biographical information of note in the book. We learn nothing of his life, his bouts with mental illness, his drug use, his devotion to his family, his modest lifestyle or his wit and intelligence. The author alludes to these occurrences and qualities throughout the book, but never provides any detail. I came away frustrated and in search of a better book on this most interesting giant of jazz.

DeWilde is French, so the translation may have failed him, but the writing is rather scattershot and too dependent on "hipster" conversational asides. Biographical information is presented out of sequence and often without context. Where this book shines is in DeWilde's explications of Monk as a composer and technician. Those interested in a full-blown biography of Monk will probably have to wait until Peter Keepnews forthcoming book appears.

For an academic dissection look elsewhere but stop here for sheer enthusiasm and insight into Monk from an obvious admirer. I coulnd't put the book down and learned much from the numerous insights into the music business and cultural/social environment in which Monk lived. I recommend the book to anyone who wants to better understand appreciate Monk's music.