From the warmth of your bedroom to the clarity of a foothill on a February morning, Leaning on the Wind takes you to places you didn't think existed. Like going on a trip with a serene uncle and reading his life like a carpet slowly unrolling in front of you. You are there with him and above it looking at his memories. This novel is neither myth and only cousin to fact; it is a folk story of the every day. In the middle east, Persian weavers insert a flaw in the pattern of their rugs, because only God is perfect. Marty, too, puts some extra stitches in his weaving and occasionally waxes tedious in his comment on the every day. But every insight requires a little bit of time and energy. It is a picture of both the beauty and sorrow in Canada.

An enjoyable tale of adventure in one of the most beautiful areas on the planet. Readable and enjoyable.

Mr. Marty's first book should be required reading for anyone venturing into the resplendent Rocky Mountains of Canada. His vivid style and humourous, at times startling, observations are in themselves worth the effort. Mr. Marty's book will leave you with fond memories of places few of us have visited. As a result the reader may begin craving a visit to this superlative domain. Bravo! It is worth mentioning that his second book, "Leaning on the Wind", is marvelous and insightful as well. He is a true Albertan treasure...

I read this book on a camping trip in the Kananaskis. I looked forward to my lunch breaks on a rock by a lake or at the top of a rock scree so that I could continue my reading.

Marty takes you with him as he explores and cares for his territory. He teaches you what he can, but the lessons only sneak up on you...like the time I rounded a corner on a narrow trail and found myself face to face with a moose and her calf...'never get between a grizzly and her cub, that's when you're in trouble'...the lesson seemed applicable in this case, so I slowly made my way past rather than reaching for my camera.

I find I value the parks much more after reading Marty's book and hope for their future.

The catalog of North Carolina publishers McFarland and Company is a veritable goldmine of works on often neglected corners of history and popular culture. Despite their no-frills design and the sometimes variable quality of the writing therein, the characteristic thoroughness, ambition and enthusiasm of McFarland's publications typically makes them worth their understandably (for a small publisher printing small editions of highly specialized texts) steep prices. Hal Erickson's Sid and Marty Krofft: A Critical Study of Saturday Morning Children's Television, 1969-1993 is no exception. While Erickson's subtitle rather oversteps the actual content of the book--it is strictly limited to "Saturday Morning Children's Televison" Krofft style, and a truly "critical study" of the Krofft oeuvre wouldn't skip so gingerly over the relationship of "H.R. Pufnstuf" to Vietnam-era drug culture, or ignore entirely, say, the peculiar sexual politics of "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" (Sigmund being seduced by his brother in drag? A camp genie shacking up with a runaway sea monster and a half-naked "nephew," both underage?) or the Kroffts' general subversion of the mythic American nuclear family (aunts, babysitters, robots, even, but where are the parents? Marshall disappeared after a season of "Land of the Lost," Big Daddy and Sweet Mama were just plain abusive)--it is nonetheless an invaluable source of information and insight for any Krofft fan. David Martindale's Pufnstuff and Other Stuff: The Weird and Wonderful World of Sid and Marty Krofft (q.v.) may be less pretentious (Erickson hasn't quite mastered the academic pop culture studies style he attempts to mimic, and is prone to annoying Britishisms), and, certainly, better-illustrated (apparently, McFarland either couldn't or wouldn't print even a single llustration in its offering), but Erickson's book more than complements it in its attention to the details, contexts, and significance of the Wonderful World of Sid and Marty Krofft. An extra star for effort ...

I haven't finished reading it yet, but so far it's a good little coffee table book. Why I think the author sounds like a jerk: when he describes the Bugaloos, he says she's pretty and the blonde and brunette ones are handsome. What does he say about the the only Bugaloo you can tell what he is supposed to BEE? That he was black and that it's obvious by his brown and yellow stripes, he must be a bee. It was very disappointing for he deserved to be described as handsome too. So, if you can get by Martindale's biased descriptions, then you'll enjoy the non-descriminating facts.

My sisters and I grew up watching Puf, Sigmund, Land of the Lost, and I could not contain my excitement when I found out there was a book about these shows. I read it in record time, and want to read it again, but I have to fight my sisters to get my copy back! I'm impressed by all the Krofft actors (and even behind-the-scenes people) who were interviewed for this book. Chuck McCann and Bob Denver talk about "Far Out Space Nuts", Ruth Buzzi on "The Lost Saucer," Bradys, Osmonds, Dr. Shrinker, ... I can't even count the number of times I laughed out loud. If you grew up on these shows like I did, this book will bring back lots of great and wacky memories!

As a life long devoted fan to the works of Sid & Marty Krofft and creator of the "Unofficial Sid & Marty Krofft Web Site, I cannot image a more entertaining and in-depth book on their lives and their work. I was truly amazed at the amount of great information that I found in this book. The interviews with Sid Krofft are some of the best reading I have done in a long time. Quotes from Sid are found throughout the book and are always enlightening and fun to read. The behind-the-scenes insight that author David Martindale was able to achieve could not have been better. The list of Krofft-show alumni that David Martindale was able to interview while writing this book is an impressive list to say the least.

David Martindale has taken on the very ambitious task of detailing the colorful works of these '70s Saturday morning icons and has exceeded my wildest expectations. This is a *must read* for anyone who watched kids TV shows in the '70s! For even the casual Krofft fan I cannot recommend this book more highly. You absolutely will not be disappointed in this one!