Compiled by Jeff Wallach, Driven To Extremes: Uncommon Tales From Golf's Unmanicured Terrain is an impressive and memorable collection of personal anecdotes about golfing in unusual and unique courses. From teeing off atop a 2,000-foot granite wall in British Columbia, to battling for tee-time at St. Andrews, to encountering Chuck Hogan (perhaps golfing's most mercurial instructor), to experiencing the "spiritual path" of golf at the Esalen Institute, Driven To Extremes is an extraordinary journey of mind and spirit, as well as feet, golf clubs and small white balls. An enjoyable memoir, Driven To Extremes is especially recommended reading for dedicated golf enthusiasts.

Let's start with the notion that there are an awful lot of golf books out there these days--many of them a lot alike. Thankfully, Jeff Wallach's new book stands out from the pack. It is a totally fun, quick, yet absorbing read about out-of-the-ordinary places, people and events in the game we all love. The tone is perfect--smirky, but never condescending. It's clear that Wallach is enamored with his topic, yet he manages to avoid being overly reverential, something that plagues so many modern golf books. Yes, there's a place for philosophy and introspection in golf, but hey, ultimately, it's still just a game--to be played! Wallach skillfully taps into exactly how we ourselves might react if given the same opportunity to design an actual golf hole on a real course, or in trying to sneak onto a super-private club. He makes us smile with some of his measured descriptions of kooky characters and funky golf holes. We pause to reflect on--and enjoy--his good-natured tweaking of some of golf's most hallowed shrines--a refreshing take on ground that's well trod. Wallach's writing style is light, but authoritative. I really enjoyed the journey.

Wallach's latest is wonderful collection of profiles, insights and observations. He uses golf as a prism for gleaning the hidden parameters of life -- from why we need wilderness to why we travel to why we play "inner" games. This book is will be relished by anyone who seeks to understand how and why golf has such a strong hold on so many. A great read!

Echoes if the Sixties is not only interesting, but entertaining. I was impressed with the way it was organized into a "Time Capsule," summary, "Hit Singles," and interviews. What a wonderful reference vehicle. After reading it from cover-to-cover, I enjoyed reviewing sections again.

This book was so great. I espically liked the Gary Puckett and the Union Gap section. I am from San Diego, CA and it is cool to hear where they are now, and what their lives have been like. For the music lover this is a great selection!

This is an honest, truthful, profile of 43 of the most popular Rock Stars from the 60's. Written after in depth interviews with the stars themselves, it tells their histories and what they are doing now. How their Rock fame affected their lives. It is fun to read and really brings back memories. Highly recommended!

"Fast Play" is the best D&D tutorial series I've ever played. Knocking down the learning curve, EotW is a module adventure, with "as needed" instructions on playing D&D. Not only are game mechanics presented this way, but also gaming and roleplaying tips, and information on mundane basic things, like armor and weapons. The module also has ample opportunities for roleplaying NPC's (non-player characters, who interact with the players), as well as standard combat. The only drawback is that the special dice you need to play are not included, but even so, the module comes with alternatives using six-sided dice!

This is an Awesome Adventure for starting DM's

This adventure for starting DM's gives you all you need to run an adventure!!!

After reading this book I decided to get a checkup. Although I work out and passed my treadmill test there was an area of ischemia. A catheter procedure found a torn LMC, a partially blocked RCA, and a partially blocked PDA. Two AVE stents and an angioplasty behind me I am now much better informed. I have read this book from cover to cover more than once and I have incorporated its recommendations into my daily life. This book made me aware of changes within my body I had not noticed and in essence saved my life by motivating me to see my doctor for a checkup. Glad I did. I lived to see 56.

This book is fantastic!It is full of information that is really helpful to wives, who have husbands that do not like to talk about their health! It covers a broad range of topics from heart disease, blood pressure,prostate,sexual issues and male menopause! My husband has started reading it now and is learning all kinds of useful information! This was a lucky find! Very well written!

Finally, a book written for men doing just what the title says;"Facing the Fifties" written by a couple of guys who obviously don't subscribe to the "if you have fabulous abs everything must be just fine" school of health. Incredible it took this long for someone to realize with all us "boomers" out there that the need for this kind of book was huge. I like how straight forward, simple and easy this book is. No BS, just clear information and a nice sense of humor about it as well. This was clearly written by men who understand what we're up against physically and emotionally and I recommend it to anyone in the neighborhood of their fifties.

I bought this book when it first came out (which was about 1978) which was also about the time I started playing the flute in an efort to emulate my musical hero, Ian Anderson. The fact that it is still available is testimony to it's value.

This book contains some brief instructions on how to do some of the special techniques Ian uses. It also decodes how those special techniques are indicated in the sheet music. Since this came out in 1978, there are no pieces in it that were produced later than that date. This means the most recent material in it comes from Songs From the Woods. This includes the easy Fire at Midnight, the somewhat more difficult Cup of Wonder and the more difficult Whistler (which is actually easier to play on a tin whistle, except you can't switch from the D whistle to the G whistle fast enough to play it live, so Ian doesn't). That touches on the real value of this book. Even a beginner can get through modest renditions of Living in the Past and Fire at Midnight and perhaps even Look into the Sun, while the extract from A Passion Play is extremely difficult. There is material here for all levels of players, along with motivation to get better so that things like My God can be attempted.
Contents:
Baker St. Muse (Nice Little Tune/Crash Barrier Waltzer), Big Dipper, Bouree (of course), Bungle in the Jungle, The Chequered Flag, Cross=eyed Mary, Cup of Wonder, Fire at Midnight, For Later, Living in the Past, Look into the Sun, My God, Nothing is Easy (including playing this solo the way it is written), Passion play edit., Thick as a Brick edit. (instrumental from "I've come down from the upper class..." section), The Third Hoorah, The Whistler, The Witch's Promise.

Now if only somebody would put out sheet music for Divinities!

Congratulations to the author and editors of this book for attempting to capture Ian Anderson's most wild solo passages! Granted, with some determination and lots of listening, Ians solos could be figured out... the hard part is finding out all of the other odd things he does... The author of this book has done a wonderful job of accurately notating this book, (including noting Ian's frequent use of harmonics, dark tones, and singing/playing simultaneously.)

I found a few notes/rhythms that are different from the actual sound recordings, but since most of Ian's work in this area is improv, it can be interpreted many different ways.

All of these solos are from the late 60's/early 70's... I would like to eventually see a book of some newer songs as well. Overall, this is a very entertaining book, with some very challenging passages... just make sure you have your favorite Tull CD's handy so that you can play along!

If you play flute, you *need* this book. Hours of entertainment, trust me on this.

If you have ever met the author, as I have been astronomically lucky to do, you would agree that it it Jeff Berman's force of personality which brings his book such vitality.

Jeff's truest colors leap off the page during his descriptions of his hope, his curiosity, and his dogged drive to learn something right or to do something right or to help someone else feel something right. His book is infused with the careful urgency couched in the goofy and lovable persona that is Jeff.

His path is fascinating, and his counsel is sound, most notably the admonition that cancer care must zero in on the patient, the human being, and not just on the cancer itself. I knew of Jeff's road running and triathloning, and I've seen him sweat buckets of hope and fortitude. A decade ago, I observed the Fred Lebow Jeff describes, the famous Romanian character who ran his way through a surprising few extra years, away - temporarily - from brain cancer.

Good humor and hard physical work seem to work. Jeff's book provides superb examples of both.

As a Registered Dietitian who worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and who has been intimately invovled with The Force Program (since its inception), I highly recommend this book. It is jam packed with great information, easy to read and what's better, the information is easy to apply to your life now, today. If you have cancer or care for someone who has, get them this text, being physically active, mentally strong and eating well will only help to gain a lease on a longer lasting, quality filled life.

This is a book that needs to be read.

For the first time ever in print, The FORCE PPROGRAM puts the battle plan in cancer patients hands for defeating the disease and overcoming the side-effects of treatment.

Over and over again, cancer patients hear that they should exercise or be active, to improve their nutrition and eat better and to reduce their stress and not worry so much. They are told this all the time; they are never shown how to do this. The FORCE PROGRAM takes them by the hand, in a simple step by step method, and shows them how to incorporate exercise, improve their nutrition and reduce their stress in their every day lives. The book is intended to assist patients currently battling the disease and those who have been in remission for years. The program has helped children as young as 4 and as old as 86.

In simple terms, if you follow the recommendations the FORCE PROGRAM offers, you will be stronger, fitter and mentally prepared to defeat cancer and be even healthier than you were before being diagnosed.

The author Jeff Berman, uses his 11 year experience battling chronic leukemia with his own "FORCE" program. He developed this plan in combination with hundreds of cancer patients he's been involved with and professionals from the worlds of exercise, nutrition and psychology. You don't need a gym to perform many of the exercises the book recommends, most homes will have everything you will need.

With graduates as living proof and a rapidly growing body of evidence, doctors are starting to see the positive effects of exercise and are working in tandom with patients who will work toward full recovery. The FORCE Program helps you get there.

For the eight most common forms of cancer, especially breast and prostate, the FORCE Program will take you through a step by step plan, specifically by your treatment regime, for aerobic and strength training exercises and nutritional recommendations. The program shows you how to workout, when to workout, and the duration and frequency. This is in conjunction with nutritional modifications incorporated into the program.

For anyone currently battling cancer, finished with treatment or just about to start, if it's a loved one, someone you barely know, a child or grandparent the FORCE PROGRAM can make this difficult experience of having cancer a lot easier. I urge you to buy this book today; we all are touched by cancer.

Gods and Generals: The Paintings of Mort Kunstler rivals its previous companion book to Gettysburg. Kunstler tells the story leading up to the battle of Gettysburg using his masterful brush to translate history into color paintings. The text and the paintings weave the tale of how America eventually tore itself asunder in the Civil War. Its an excellent collector's piece and great introduction into the Civil War.
I also found Kunstler did not paint as many movie scenes in this book, instead capturing the actual historical looks of these "Gods and Generals" of the Civil War. Any lover of history or military art will appreciate his attention to detail and riviting scenes. Enjoy!

Mr. Kunstler has provided us with another book of his arrestingly beautiful paintings. Art, of course, is largely a matter of taste and proverbially in the eye of the beholder. Mr. Kunstler, however, even from as objective a standpoint as possible, has no peer as a chronicler of the Civil War. I have been interested in that period of history for about half a century, but it has been Mr. Kunstler's paintings over the past dozen or more years that have brought that war to life for me, and, I am sure, for many others. Although he is a prolific artist, he never compromises with quality, and the quality of his work is unsurpassed.

The subjects of Mr. Kunstler's paintings are invariably interesting, and he does not like to paint scenes or events that have been done previously by other artists. This book is the companion to, and illustrative of, the events and people of the novel "Gods and Generals" by Jeff Shaara, soon to be made into a motion picture of the same name. It follows four exceptional soldiers through the first two years of the war: Robert E. Lee, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Winfield S. Hancock, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

In this book, there are many new paintings not yet published elsewhere, but whether you are an old Kunstler aficionado or newly introduced to his work, you will find this book unequaled. The reproductions of the paintings are eye-catching, displaying each painting in vibrant, striking colors, true to Mr. Kunstler's originals. I say above that his paintings are educational, and so they are. I urge you to look closely at every work of art. If you do, you will not only see an astonishing amount of detail, but also learn much about the people, the times, the objects people used, and the war. Again, we have Mr. Kunstler's constant striving for perfection to thank for paintings which are correct in every detail. He is the quintessential perfectionist, who painstakingly researches every detail, no matter how small, to provide his audience with true, as well as beautiful, depictions of people, places, and things. He consults with knowledgeable historians, such as Professor Robertson, who wrote the text for this book, on even such matters as the weather on the particular day that he wants to depict in a painting. All of the accouterments are true, as well as the animals, the uniforms, the weapons, the landscapes, the battlefield situations, the lighting -- everything. Rarely does one find, in one individual such as Mr. Kunstler, artistry to the point of genius coupled with an unceasing demand for perfection in all of the details of his art.

I admit that I am no connoisseur of art and that I can claim no expertise or experience in art. Even someone such as I, however, can at least partially appreciate the artistic techniques used by Mr. Kunstler. His positioning of people, animals, buildings, and other objects to lead the observer's eye to the main subject of the painting, his extraordinary use of light to play on this or that subject in the picture in greater or lesser brilliance in order to accentuate or subordinate that subject, and his use of color, always precise, to delineate bright sunshine or dark shadow, or to emphasize or minimize, are all techniques that even such as I can note and admire. His paintings are so life-like as to defy the observer to differentiate them from photographs. But no photographs could depict such wonderful color and the precise instants in time which Mr. Kunstler so deftly chooses to picture.

Mr. Kunstler has, with every book he has introduced, been able to obtain the very best in historians/commentators to draft the texts. He has obtained the services of, for example, Henry Steele Commager (for the book "The American Spirit: The Paintings of Mort Kunstler"), James I. Robertson, Jr. (for "Jackson and Lee: Legends in Gray," "The Confederate Spirit: Valor, Sacrifice and Honor," and the current work), James M. McPherson (for "Gettysburg"), and Dee Brown (for "Images of the Old West"). Dr. Robertson's text in "Gods and Generals: The Paintings of Mort Kunstler" is, as always, the perfect complement to the paintings. As with Mr. Kunstler's art, so also with Dr. Robertson's narrative, one can learn much, whether one is a novice or an experienced hand.

Thus, whether you are a "Civil War buff" or simply interested in exceptional art and edifying prose, you will enjoy this book (and you would do well to consider obtaining Mr. Kunstler's previous books, named parenthetically above). You cannot go wrong with the team of Kunstler and Robertson.

This book is worth 5 stars!! My 8 year old son is just beginning to discover what it means to be born in the south. I want him to have an accurate picture of what the civil war was all about. It is hard to find civil war books with enough pictures to keep him interested. This book has plenty of high quality art for him to see and includes text that we can read together! I highly reccomend it based on those gorgeous paintings.

A great fast read! I couldn't put it down. The story draws you in immediately. George Thomas is a source of inspiration. Not only does his story impact those afflicted with epilepsy, it gives us regular folks reason to get off our couches.

This is a book that anyone can get into, athletic or not. It's about setting goals, gaining strength from within, and going for guts over glory. You'll want to get off your duff and not only cheer but participate.

Makes a great gift.

A sensitively told story of loss and growth. It definitely has a message. A superb story about the persistance of desire and the perils of commitment. I give it a 5 star rating.

I recently finished reading "The George Thomas Story: Going the Distance" by G. Thomas and J. Welsch. I feel, unequivocally, that this book merits a 5-star rating! The story entails the many moments of personal agony and anguish of a determined and courageous bicyclist by the name of George Thomas. The drama of this story, so eloquently and vividly expressed by the authors (Welsch and Thomas), took place during a 9 to 11 day, 2911 mile long bicycle race named the Race Across America (RAAM). This bicyle race, which started in Irvine CA and terminated in Savannah GA, is recognized by exercise physiologists as the most grueling athletic event in the world, far more strenuous then, e.g., the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon and requiring considerably more exertion then, e.g., the Tour de France. To add substantially to this incredible story is the recognition that George Thomas suffers from a relatively common but seriously debilitating disease known as epilepsy! The Forward of this book is written by renown Harvard Medical School neurologist and epilepsy expert Steven Schachter, M.D. who states...."At least once in a lifetime, you may be fortunate enough to meet someone truly inspirational, someone whose influence becomes a change in your life. I know this to be true, because I have met and been inspired by George Thomas." I would be remiss to share with you, in advance of your reading this book, the ultimate success/failures of George Thomas in this incredibly arduous solist bicycle race. I will say, however, that this is a book that I could not "set down", a book whose drama will remain in my memory forever. In essence, I enthusiastically and whole-heartedly recommend this superb and riveting book to you.

A Bicyclist in Michigan

Thank goodness -- a golf book that doesn't try to cure my slice or promise me I'll hit longer. I found the stories in this anthology aimed, instead, for the head and the heart, and that's where the best part of the game is generally played. It's a perfect gift for any golfer.

There is much to recommend here -- wonderful writing and wonderful stories throughout -- but there's one alone that's worth the entire green fee. It's a breathtaking account, written by a POW who became a noted golf writer, of a group of British and American flyers shot down and captured by the Nazis in World War II who actually set up a golf course and played the game in a German POW camp. It's an unbelievably stirring testament either to the sturdiness of the human spirit or the obsessive mania of us golfers. You'll want to read it again and again.

I don't know what it is about golf, but the sport has certainly teed off on some terrific writing, and this book has found alot of it -- some old friends and some real surprises. Its contents range from the past to the present and includes journalism, memoirs and fiction. Who knew that Rube Goldberg and AA Milne wrote about golf? The selections by them are priceless. There are hilarious stories from Dan Jenkins, Bud Shrake, Gary McCord (he actually writes as funny as he comments on the air), and P.G. Wodehouse, plus the best golf short story I've ever read -- "Mr. Frisbie" by Ring Lardner. There's a lyrical essay by John Updike, and a bittersweet selection about how much other than golf a woman has to think about on the course by the great '20s champion Glenna Collett Vare. There are also stories about memorable tournaments (including an unforgettable look at the satellite tours), great golfers (Nicklaus, Palmer, etc.), and great golfing rascals (Titanic Thompson). And, my favorite of all, there's a terriffic piece -- from the 1800s -- that shows how little the crazy mind of the golfer has changed, and the guy who wrote it later became prime minister of England. That's the kind of unexpected treat that makes every story in this book worth savoring. Unless, of course, you're lucky enough to be out on the course actually playing the game.

This book is a good insight into SRV and his life. It is not full of intimate details, but it does have a lot of information. And, what is really nice about it is that it is information that comes from direct interviews with SRV, himself, and very close friends, band members, musicians and family. There are guitar tips about how SRV played and some guitar "mini" lesson pages. It also contains some great B & W pictures. An over-all great book for the SRV fan! He was the greatest guitarist to ever walk this earth and is sorely missed...the book proves it.

This is a great book. It's not like others where you have to wonder about the accuracy of the information, this one is direct from the man's mouth! Required reading for every fan.

Not only is this book full of interviews with Stevie, it also gives you insight in to his personal battles with alcohol and drugs. Stevie Ray was a true innovator and this book not only helps you understand his thoughts,it also feature's his guitar transcriptions. READ IT!!!!!