★ Reviews for Johns,_Claude_J.,

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Book reviews for "Johns,_Claude_J.,_Jr." sorted by average review score:

Butch Harmon's Playing Lessons

Published in Hardcover by Simon & Schuster (1998)

Authors: Claude Harmon, John Andrisani, and Butch Harmon

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junk

the most useless piece of junk i have ever wasted my money on!

Playing Lesson from Tiger's Coach

Harmon takes eighteen of golf's best holes and then proceeds to play them from the reference point of the mind of three levels of player --- A shot a 76, B a 84 and C a 89. He replays their shots and gives suggestions on what they might have did differently.

Only way likely most of us will play these holes. Excellent advice given by one of the best. This with Watson's "Strategic Golf" are the two best in this neglected category.

The best course management book out there

When I first started golfing I didn't realize how important course management was. I was really just interested in hitting the ball far and straight. And to be honest, that is what a beginner should concentrate on. But after hitting that first plateau, this book was really a breakthrough. Not only does it teach you how to manage a course to lower your score, it adds a very intriguing dynamic to the game itself. It is much like watching a football game without knowing the rules and strategies - laborious and dull. But once you know the rules and the intricate strategies developed to acheive your best score, you are infinitely more pleased with what you see.

Though I love that we get a guided tour of America's most storied golf holes, the fact that Harmon read my mind half of the time is what impressed me most. He lays out three separate strategies for three different levels of players. It is astonishing how he contrasts the different thought patterns of the lower v. higher handicappers. There are times where he makes high handicappers feel like idiots, but if you want to get better, hearing the truth about your game is the best way. I recommend this book very highly for all those tired of "reading" golf books with nothing but pictures and tips in them. While Butch does give a few tips, it is his golf mentality that is so fresh. And while the book is graphically impeccable, it isn't overcrowded with a bunch of confusing graphics and diagrams. Not your run-of-the-mill golf instruction book.

Forming: The Early Days of L.A. Punk

Published in Paperback by Smart Art Press (1900)

Authors: Claude Bessy, Exene Cervenka, Chris Morris, Sean Carillo, and John Doe

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I'm not a big X fan, so...

A collection of essays, photos, album covers, and assorted flotsam; Forming doesn't know what it wants to be. For every insightful look at the state of performance art at the dawn of the Punk Rock scene in Los Angeles, there's a glamour shot of Exene Cervenska. The apparent Queen of Punk Rock, Cervenska dominates the book in content. When other writers aren't tossing about her name, pictures of her dominate the page. Meanwhile, she and John Doe basically interview themselves for the fifth and final essay of the book.

For those who are unimpressed with X and all things Cervenska, there are still a few fun facts to know and tell provided in this book. However, Forming is not the documentation of this crucial musical/cultural "scene" that it pretends to be. (ISBN: 1889195448)

LA Punk: The Glory Days!!!

Great Document of the LA punk Glory Days! Great Pictures, Anecdotes and Attitude about this Scene of the true spirit Rock'n'Roll. Only Four Stars, because it leaves you Hungry for More. It was originally a book to accompany a Gallery show of the Scene. The Bands and characters are all here. X, Screamers, The Germs, etc. I actually have yet to find a book about LA punk that I haven't loved. Keep 'em coming!

Put this one on the top of your list!

One of my personal favorite punk books. There are great photos of the Screamers, Go-go's, Germs, Weirdos, and X, just to name a few. The old flyers will make you wish you were at those legendary shows. The time line of L.A. punk facts is very informative. This single book is more important to any punk book collection than all the hundreds of Sex Pistols' books combined. A definate must.

Sierra Classics: 100 Best Climbs in the High Sierra

Published in Paperback by Chockstone Pr (1993)

Authors: John Moynier and Claude Fiddler

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Sierra Classics - 100 Best Climbs in the High Sierra

This is a pretty good guidebook. The publisher (Chockstone Press) is the best I have used, and the durability of construction is second to none. The book contains a nice history, as well as some other essentials for the climber interested in visiting this area. I was disappointed with the topographic climbing maps (some routes have them, some do not), as they are not very detailed or easy to read, however, they are adequate and there is nothing better on this area out there (that I have seen). The text route descriptions are good enough to use with the topo's to find your way up and down. Overall, I think this is a good guidebook, yet it needs to be updated perhaps to include better climbing topo maps as well as one for each route listed. azdz@mindspring.com

This one belongs on every Sierra climber's bookshelf.

The excellence of this book is due to three things, in addition to the fine quality of the writing.

First, by concentrating on an arguably "100 best climbs", not only does the reader learn useful route information but the authors have distilled here some of the best climbs the Sierra has to offer. Second, the format of a single page of route description and history, faced with a (usually outstanding) photograph of the mountain, really whets one's appetite for the climb! Third, most route descriptions are obviously left a little vague on purpose, leaving you some thrill of discovery if you attempt the climb.

I am familiar with a number of the routes described in the book, and the authors have done a fine job of selection. There are many excellent ones to choose from, no matter what your taste.

Return to Vietnam

Published in Hardcover by Verso Books (1994)

Authors: Jean-Claude Guillebaud, Raymond Depardon, Jean-Claude Guillebaid, and John Simmons

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New style. Old Content.

Depardon's style in this book is quite different from that exhibitted in previous works by him. Earlier works resemble HCB or Erwitt. This books style is closer to De Kryzer.

Cutdown: A Claude McCutcheon Novel

Published in Hardcover by Pocket Star (1997)

Author: John A. Miller

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Stereotypical Characters Make "Cutdown" less than fulfilling

Miller populates his novel with a cast of caricatures, not characters. Additionally, the "anti-hero" seems to dismiss the murders committed during the course of the novel as business as usual, something you can't really have in a mystery novel. There are some interesting plot twists (the WW2 part), but all in all, a disappointing effort, especially given the favorable press reviews.

A rough - gem of a first novel.

John A. Miller has created a very interesting character in Claude McCutcheon, the almost anti-hero of Cutdown.
I liked the characters in the book and the prerequisite violent scenes were different in that Claude is not the typical "superhero" type who never bleeds.
The violence is at times excessive, but Miller also makes Claude a likeable guy you wouldn't mind having a beer with.

The conclusion is very satisfying and true to the development of the plot.

This novel is a promising start to what I hope will be an extended series.Brian Sage (sagebrian@hotmail.com),Woodstock,Ontario,Canada.