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Still, perhaps you don't really know who Bob is. Honestly, I didn't realize he had been inducted into the Ironman Hall of Fame in 2001 until I saw the list in his book. I understood his mantra and I have always been happy to digest his publication whenever I stumble upon it. But, I never really assimilated what was so unique about Bob Babbitt until the night I spent with my nose glued to the pages of his book. I read every word, cover to cover. This was the night before a relatively important half Ironman race. I should have been sleeping, but I was transfixed.
I had always wondered why so many have said that Bob Babbitt has given back more to the sport than anyone else. The answer to my confusion lies entirely in the perspective that this humble and humourous man so graciously shares with anyone and everyone. Yes, you can get all of the factual history from Tinley's voluminous musings. And you get get the buzz of Kona from reading Mike Plant's Iron Will. You can be an armchair pro by reading about Brad Kearns' adventures. You can obsess about every detail of each workout in your schedule with Joel Friel's guidance. But none of these experiences give you the cumulative clarity and insight you get from Babbitt.
Babbitt's true gift to all of us is his understanding of how we view the giants and dwarfs of our sport, how we obsess about the great battles all the way from the front to the back. Babbitt can see exactly how we respect the grueling journey, the brutal conditions and obscene distances that make Kona so much more than just another race. Sure, Phil Liggett can bark through the leaderboard with his charming accent and amusing wit. Mike Riley can keep a crowd dancing for hours. Both of them are legends of our sport and without them it just wouldn't feel authentic. But neither of them can bring the experience home to your coffee table after the fact the way Babbitt has. While it may be impossible to dislike Babbitt and his clearly selfless ambitions, it is even more difficult to put on his glasses and not see Kona more clearly than you ever did before. You simply cannot read his words and not feel the excitement and drama he wants to share with you.
There are only two pages of the book that really don't belong, 48 and 49. They exist as a sad testament to the reality that nothing about triathlon seems to make any financial sense. Those two pages, however, are overwhelmingly offset by 126 and 127. Relive those 80's haircuts, see Jurgen in his Zorro shot, and revel in the cheesy humor that Babbitt has gotten all too good at through the years. If you want one reason to convince you of Babbitt's greatness, flip to this pair of pages and stay a while. In a sense, it's a mild spatterring of his life's work. It's also an extremely abbreviated list of the major players in Kona. But look beyond the faces, hair, gear, and race attire and you'll see Bob Babbitt waving at you from the pages of his book. He is inviting you to share his vision for a moment, making you feel like the most honored guest he has ever known as he serves up heaping portions of grit, determination, courage, and desire.
I put together the best multisport race of my life the day after reading this book. Thanks Bob!
In one book, the author manages to capture the characters and color that define the Ironman Triathlon-this will become the quintessential history on the event and it earns the 25th anniversary title.
From the historical race figures such as Dave Scott and Mark Allen to the Judy Molnars, this book reaches the common reader and fanatic. The pictures are great, I am going to take mine with me all season and have people autograph their pages...Enjoy it!
Leave this book on your coffee table and you will be touched again and again by the memorable images and inspirational stories. The people who have finished this race are truly amazing individuals and they are colorfully profiled in this book. A must have for anyone who dreams of calling themselves an "Ironman."
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One day, Dad comes home with a slave, a young black man named Tobias who seems eternally morose, because they need help on their farm. Soon, Dad decides to give Tobias his freedom; thereafter, Tobias is a much happier fellow. He puts his bill of sale (proof of freedom) in a leather pouch and wears it around his neck.
Later, Dad gets involved in the war for Texas independence, and readers are treated to a BRIEF recap of the Battle of San Jacinto, wherein Sam Houston routed the Mexican army and captured Santa Anna.
This is a good book for seven-year-old Texans because they will, if they have been properly educated, recognize much of the Texas history -- plus, it's a simple story organized into chapters, and serves as an excellent introduction to the world of literature.
I recommend this book to kids throughout the United States. Texas history is more interesting than the history of any other state, and everyone should learn about it.
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1) A reference to Cecil B. DeMille's "Sunset Boulevard".
It's Billy Wilder's and Leigh Brackett's picture. DeMille had
a cameo in it.
2) Donna Douglas (of "Beverly Hillbillies" fame) is referred to
in a caption as "Donna Dixon" and in the accompanying text as
"Joey Heatherton".
3) Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, in English riding clothes,
are described as wearing "Western gear".
4) Sammy Davis Jr's ex-wife, Mai Britt, is twice referred to as
"May Britt".
Did anybody edit this book, or were Garrett's reminiscences taken
on faith because he, of all people, should know?
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This anthology contains more than 180 poems by the best known Imagists: James Joyce, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Ezra Pound, D.H. Lawrence, Richard Aldington, among about a dozen others. The reader experiences the full range of Imagist poetry.
Imagism, which had it's emergence in the 1910s, is distinct in that each poet is permitted to find his/her own rhythm without constraint, subjects are treated directly, the language is precise, adjectives are used sparingly, and there is little rhyming. In effect, Imagism, which was considered radical at the time, ultimately widened the definition of poetry written in English.
I found in reading this collection, that there were rhythms that I distinctly did and did not respond to. Thus, I found poets that I discovered I liked and responded to and others that clearly did not do the same for me. I always found the topics of each poem worthy, however. Few seemed frivilous, but rather centered on topics of love, religious worship, nature, death, among others that emphasized meaning that far transcended mere words. Particularly, if you enjoy original, detailed descriptions of our natural world, I think you'll respond to many of the poems contained in this anthology.
The one item I felt was lacking was that there was no bio for each poet. I would have liked a brief (paragraph or two) intro to each poet, particularly because several of the names were new to me. Otherwise, I'd have given the collection five stars.
W.C. Williams's poem "To a Solitary Disciple" (page 137 of the collection) offers a good poetic summation of imagist practice. It begins:
"Rather notice, mon cher,
that the moon is
tilted above
the point of the steeple
than that its color
is shell-pink.
Rather observe
that it is early morning
than that the sky
is smooth
as a turquoise"
The collection includes 180 poems by 17 poets. The selections were culled from the pages of the "little magazines" of poetry that presented works of the new movement between 1913 and 1922. The poets receiving the most space are, understandably enough, D.H. Lawrence, Ezra Pound, Wallace Stevens, and W.C. Williams.
It will be a joy to a reader coming to these poets for the first time. The book also includes many lesser known but important writers such as Richard Aldington, H.D. Amy Lowell, and others. Thus the book, short and accessible as it is, does not constitute simply a collection of favorites. It is a fine introduction to imagism and to the spirit of our modern age including both well-known and lesser-known figures.
This book can be enjoyed and savored simply for what it is -- an inexpensive collection of many of the poems illustrating the modernist temprament. As such, the book will offer many hours of reading and rereading. Equally important, the book could also serve as an introduction for those who want to learn more, to explore further the development of American or English poetry in the Twentieth Century.
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Thanks be to God, who pruned the voice from one fine Pastor to make an even bigger impact through his gifted writing!!!