Book Description
Even with digital cameras and automatic exposure, lighting and exposure remain the most difficult element to master in the quest for quality photography. This book, written by a professional photographer for photographers, provides real-world advice to help you achieve true creative control over lighting and exposure. Discover how to take your digital photos to the next level with the scores of lighting diagrams, techniques, and stunning full-color photographs. Order your copy today!
Customer Reviews:
Good general photography book, misleading title, horrible layout.......2007-08-31
While the author makes mention of the word "digital" throughout the book, the majority of the information contained within does not deal exclusively with digital photography. The author himself even admits in his own preface of the book that most of his friends didn't understand why the book title states "For Digital Photographers Only". If you're a photographer who already have a good grasp of general photography concepts and are looking to gain digital-specific knowledge, this is NOT the book for you. You will find maybe 2 pages worth of useful information on digital photography. Maybe. But if you're looking for a general photography book that covers everything, this is not a bad start. The page layout of the book is worse than average. You often have to turn the page to find a reference or comparison photo, making the reading slow and unpleasant. I would've given it one more star if the title had read "Exposure and Lighting For ALL Photographers".
A "must have".......2007-07-28
I have been using digital point & shoots for several years, and finally decided that it was time to invest in a digital SLR. Among other issues, I was frustrated with the shutter lag. So I made the plunge and my shutter lag problem went away. However, everything comes with some baggage. Now I had all these other capabilities and controls that I didn't really know what to do with. The camera manual was pretty basic; it told you how to control the camera functions, but not what their purpose was or why you would want to do that. So I got a supplement book (Magic Lantern) that did a pretty good job of explaining the functions, ie, what they did and had a little bit of the why you might want to do it.
Nonetheless, I was still primarily using the auto functions and I didn't think I was getting anywhere close to the value that my new camera could deliver. What to do next?
Looking through the photo instruction books, I saw some good reviews for this one. I didn't know if it would be particularly helpful, but it did sound interesting. It turns out that was a good, and very lucky, decision. From the first page through the end, the book was helpful instruction. More than anything, it explained the "why" of things in digital photography. The other books mainly told me about the camera; this one told me about photographs. All through it were "aha" moments when the authors pointed out problems that I experienced all the time and didn't know what to do about; then they showed how to handle it. For example, I prefer pictures in outdoor settings but peoples faces seldom come out as I want them. Simple fixes like moving into shade, changing white balance, adding a simple reflector, changing camera position or head position; no fuss kinds of stuff, made big differences in the photos.
Speaking of photos, the pictures in the book are great. They do a wonderful job of demonstrating the effects of the various elements.
I suppose that more experienced photographers would not get a lot out of the book. But for someone like me, it was perfect. It showed me how to really get more value out of the digital SLR capabilities. I no longer use the auto setting and my photos are much more appealing. Plus it's fun to experiment and learn how to apply the principles from the book.
Highly recommend it for people that want to move past "point & shoot".
Great Book! Full of useful information, very well written........2007-05-08
I have read alot of photography books lately, and I would have to say that this is one of the most useful and well written. If you are just starting out in photography or are at the intermediate level of photography, this book is a must have. It covers all the bases, and explains each topic in a way that you can understand. Several other books have covered the same topics and still left me as confused as before I read them. Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers Only explained the topics in a very concise and easily understood way, and left me walking away from the book with the confidence and knowledge I was looking for. I highly reccomend this book for anyone looking to learn and understand photography.
Great practical book for intermediate level.......2007-03-31
This is an excellent book for developing the practical skills of exposure and lighting. It is readable, clear, well-presented, wide-ranging, succinct, and full of well-chosen example images to illustrate the techniques described in the text.
Although I have read many books on photography, this book really increased my awareness of light and my skill in handling exposure. My photographs have improved, my photography is more confident and enjoyable, and I find myself looking at the world in a new way.
I found this book much more helpful than books like Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) which I found too vague to be instructive. Compared with my favorite general reference on photography, The New Manual of Photography, this book naturally has much more detailed coverage of lighting and exposure, but also has more relevant information about exposure in digital photography.
There are some very minor errors in technical detail. For example flash power is measured in watt-seconds, not watts per second. And surely it is not so hard to explain that f/8 means one-eighth of the focal length! These are minor quibbles in an otherwise excellent book.
Info You Need for Better Photos.......2007-03-30
I have been a semi photographer for years (Canon, Pentax, Contax SLR's) and moved up to a Fuji S2 digital SLR for work (engineering, construction, etc.) Lighting is the most important factor and this book works for film or digital. Very good overview and the best practical, usable tips and instructions I've seen. Lots of good examples in every type of lighting, setting, and condition. Even I can understand it.
Book Description
Finally-a book that never forgets photography is an art form
Sure, the technology matters. But you're a photographer first. If the technology doesn't enhance the art, what's the point? Rob Sheppard knows what you want to know about using Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop(r) CS and CS2, because he uses it in creating his own highly acclaimed photographs. In this book, he shares the information you need in a language and context you understand, illustrated in full color with his own images.
* Understand what Raw is and know when to shoot Raw and when to shoot JPEG
* See the benefits of higher bit depth when processing a photo
* Demystify the different Raw formats
* Discover what Raw can fix, and what it can't
* Learn to read a histogram and use it to improve tonality and contrast
* Follow a step-by-step outline to develop an efficient Camera Raw workflow
* See how double processing can actually save you time and frustration
* Learn to achieve maximum quality when processing Raw images
Customer Reviews:
A must for the RAW shooters and those who don't know if they should.......2007-08-12
I loved this book so much had to purchase Landscape and Nature Photography with Photoshop CS2 by Rob Sheppard also. The way he explains and shows you what he is talking about in a very un bias way . He shares and explains many if not all of the things you experiences in digital photography shooting and working with RAW or RAW-JPEG.
Rob Sheppard Writes "I have a passion for helping Photographers use new digital technologies to the potographer's benefit." That is what I want and need to help me fill my thirst for the knowledge I need to better myself as a photographer from capture to processing . I don't see how you could go wrong with this book . All color illustrations .Don't just look at it, frame it . Happy Shooting!
Photography Magic.......2007-08-04
This was a great book. Gave me lots of good information. Wish I was as smart as this man.
Not much for portraits/skin tone, ok for nature.......2007-06-17
Lots of expamles from nature While I did learn about the raw editing from this book, there was very little about skin tone. The only example they gave was 2 kids watching sharks at the aquarium. The scene had bad mixed lighting and showed ways to fix it. But the faces were turned away from the camera and not much help. I am still looking for a way to get good skin tone out of ACR. The click white balance is not the answer - it's too cool for me. More discussion of portrait color was needed.
For PS Intermediates.......2007-04-10
This book seems extremely informative as most reviewers have noted. I would emphasize, however, that Photoshop is an extremely complex application and the book covers a limited aspect of it. I am still learning how to get in and out of the program, and how to set up a workflow even for the one-off types of work in which I am interested - completing a couple images every month about which I feel good. I have also purchased the LAB color space book, Canyon Conundrum, and would say the same for that. Admittedly, I have not done the tutorials that came with the program, but I think the beginning user probably needs something that simplifies the entire process. If anyone has seen something like this let me know at [...]or maybe put it here. Even PS2 for Dummies does not seem to give one an overall schema into which one fits things like color management and working in RAW. I'm sure I'm not simple minded nor do I have low aspirations, but these books are definitely aimed at the person who is already pretty familiar with the application.
Camera Raw for Tecnical Professionals Only.......2007-03-25
An excellent book but only for phtographers who practice on a technical profesional level. Anyone above the level of rank amateur should get at least a few good ideas from it.
Customer Reviews:
a lotto bible.......2007-05-25
Incredible complete book.It's a must for a professional lotto player.A lot of wheels.Perhaps the most biggest collection de wheels that I've seen in one book.Methods of choose numbers,etc.
Average customer rating:
- a history book?
- three probability books in one!
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Probability and Finance: It's Only a Game!
Glenn Shafer , and
Vladimir Vovk
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
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ASIN: 0471402265 |
Book Description
Provides a foundation for probability based on game theory rather than measure theory.
- A strong philosophical approach with practical applications.
- Presents in-depth coverage of classical probability theory as well as new theory.
Download Description
Provides a foundation for probability based on game theory rather than measure theory.
- A strong philosophical approach with practical applications.
- Presents in-depth coverage of classical probability theory as well as new theory.
Customer Reviews:
a history book?.......2003-01-24
The idea of this book is a superb one: to teach probability from a "gambling" point of view, recovering in this way the origins and development of this area. But the authors have decided to go over a complete account on the historical evolution of the subjacent concepts. It turns out that it is neither a book on the history of probability, nor a clear and well written textbook.
three probability books in one!.......2002-09-05
Glenn Shafer wrote a very thought provoking book on the mathematical theory of evidence many years ago. Vladimir Vovk was a student of Kolmogorov. At first I thought this would be a book that tries to replace the measure theoretic approach to probability with a game theory (gambling) approach and I was skeptical about it being successful. But these authors are serious and first rate probabilists who understand the theory, foundations and history of probability from all the angles.
The authors sell the book as two books. The first half presents probability theory and the classic probability results in the framework of a game between two opponents that they call Skeptic and the World. If we replaced Skeptic by Investor and World by Market we see it naturally as an investment problem in finance. They see their methodology as natural for a course in the probabilist approach to financial problems. The special topics in finance and important models such as Black-Scholes is then the subject of the second part of the book.
On the other hand if you replace Skeptic with Gambler and World with the House we see this as the natural gambling problem that really goes back to the origin of probability and the days of Fermat and Pascal. It is this third aspect of the book that I enjoy the most. In this first part, their approach is mixed in with the history of probability. The famous probabilists and their theories come to life in photographs and sketches. We get the introduction of Martingales as developed by Jean Ville in his 1939 book. The subjective approach of de Finetti, von Mises approach through collectives, Kolmogorov's establishment of mathematical rigor through the measure theoretic approach, Kolmogorov's later development of complexity theory and the various debates on probability by the great 20th century probabilists including J. L. Doob. We are even introduced to lesser knowns such as the UCLA mathematician Tony Martin (picture in the appendix with his theorem)who in 1990 provided an important advanced mathematical result in game theory that is important in these authors' approach. Curiously, we also see a picture of D. R. Cox a famous statistician (but not known for fundamental contributions to probability).
This book is long on historical perspective, philosophy and clear writing. But don't think that it is a probability for dummies book. The probability theory is deep and the mathematics is not necessarily simple. I think the authors find their approach more appealing than the usual measure theoretic approach that requires the formality of the holy triple (sample space, sigma algebra and probability measure).
This book is good for learning the history of probability from the Bernoulli's and DeMoivre and Laplace through to the 21st century. It is also good for learning the fundamentals of stochastic finance. A great book for probablists and statisticians to have.
Bayes is the only historical character missing from the book and it is a mystery to me that they would leave him out especially since they do spend time covering deFinetti and subjective probability and they also say that their approach borrows from both the subjective and the frequentist schools. Bayesian methods are mentioned only briefly on page 59 where the "neosubjectivist" movement is discussed and we see a picture of Bruno de Finetti (the first one that I have seen).
If you want to see a different approach to finance that relies heavily on the Ito Calculus, Mike Steele's book published by Princeton University Press offers it to you. That book is one of the few references on the subject that is not in the authors' bibliography. The bibliography is nice and fairly extensive.
This book could be used for a graduate level course in probability from a non-traditional framework. It is good also for business school students with a serious interest in probability and the second half of the book could be used for a course in stochastic finance.
Book Description
Gems of wisdom about golf and life—and a spirited call for a return to the game's core values—from one of the game's most respected elder statesmen and former champions
Legendary player and teacher Jackie Burke is the preeminent elder statesman of American golf. A PGA Champion, a Masters Champion, a Vardon Trophy winner, and a PGA Player of the Year, he won four consecutive tournaments in 1952; and is a winner of seventeen events on the PGA Tour, a five-time Ryder Cup member (twice as captain), and a member of the PGA, Texas Golf, and World Golf Halls of Fame. Before leaving the PGA Tour he cofounded (with Jimmy Demaret) the world-famous Champions Golf Club (host of the Ryder Cup, U.S. Amateur, and five PGA Tour Championships) and has instructed students including Phil Mickelson, Hal Sutton, Steve Elkington, Ben Crenshaw, and many other PGA Tour pros in a career that has spanned seven decades.
Reverberating with the straight-talking Texas wisdom that could only come from Jackie Burke, It's Only a Game will bring the words of this venerable sage to everyone who loves the links. Spiced with anecdotes from a long and illustrious career, this stirring book features pithy insights on the nature of competition and the erosion of amateur play. Burke goes on the record about profit-minded equipment manufacturers and self-promoting golf gurus. His provocative topics include insight into why the 2004 U.S. Ryder Cup team suffered its worst defeat ever (Burke was a cocaptain), the alarmingly high cost of playing public and resort courses, country clubs that stress cosmetic appearances over the playing of the game, and a host of other topics. He also provides no-nonsense, time-tested secrets for improving anyone's golf game, based not on shallow “tips” but on a well-rounded, sensible approach to the game that he began developing before the Great Depression.
Acclaim for It's Only a Game:
“Easily the best golf instructional-type book since Harvey Penick's Little Red Book. . . . This book is a classic.”
—Bud Shrake, coauthor Harvey Penick's Little Red Book “Jackie is a warrior. He is a born competitor who meets every challenge head on, on and off the golf course. His values and integrity are unassailable, as pure as those of any man I've known.”
—Ben Crenshaw
“This book is pure Jackie, and I hope that from reading it you get some of the fulfillment and enjoyment he's given to me and others over the years.”
—Steve Elkington
Customer Reviews:
Pure Jackie..........2007-06-01
Now I am going to be somewhat bias in my review simply because I know Mr. Burke and his family from my years as a cart boy at Champions during the mid-80s'.
I would, and have, recommended this book to my friends who golf and my non-golf friends.
One of my favorite parts in the book is when he talks about being an Assistant Captain on the Ryder Cup Team with Chris Riley.
A must read for the true golfer.......2007-04-19
The title of can be a bit misleading but not in the way one might assume. The title seems to convey the diea that Burke doesn't take golf as seriously as others; the exact opposite is true. He views the game through a different viewpoint where instead of the game being involved within every aspect of your life, life is involved throughout the game of golf. He at the same time views golf not as a game to be taken lightly but instead one that falls back on the basic human instincts of competition. I've had the personal luxury of growing up and maturing as a golfer at the club he and Jimmy Demaret founded, Champions Golf Club, and because of Jack Burke I see the game differently from my peers. This book comes as close as possible to discovering who he is and the way he believes the game of golf should be played. He hasn't been caught up by who he is and what he has accomplished; he instead continues to try to teach others what golf is, what it used to be, and what it should continue to be.
Review of "It's Only a Game".......2007-03-25
Great book, full of the wit and wisdom of Jackie Burke. Fun to read and a combination of personal reflections, advice and a few tips along the way.
Burke Fan Club.......2007-01-11
Jackie Burke is a breath of fresh air amidst the hype of modern golf writing. His clear and concise commentary on all aspects of the game leaves little to conjecture. A great read...
A definite pleaser for any golf fan!!.......2007-01-05
When growing up, you always need an older mentor. Mr. Burke has been just that to Steve Elkington and Hal Sutton and shares alot of the wisdom he gave to them for the price of a book! I highly recommend getting this as it will really shape you as a player and in alot of other ways as well.
Average customer rating:
- Not Discworld, but an excellent Pratchett story
- Who else indeed?
- Thoughtful and enjoyable--a good one
- A novel containing all the elements of an AMAZING read
- powerful condemnation of war
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Only You Can Save Mankind (Johnny Maxwell Trilogy)
Terry Pratchett
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ASIN: 0060541873
Release Date: 2006-07-25 |
Book Description
It's just a game . . . isn't it?
The alien spaceship is in his sights. His finger is on the Fire button. Johnny Maxwell is about to set the new high score on the computer game Only You Can Save Mankind.
Suddenly, a message appears:
We wish to talk. We surrender.
But the aliens aren't supposed to surrender—they're supposed to die!
Customer Reviews:
Not Discworld, but an excellent Pratchett story.......2007-05-14
The Johnny Maxwell trilogy is a great deal of fun. Pratchett's different perspective of the way the world works is thoroughly entertaining. It's not part of the Discworld series, but the same sense of humor pervades it. If you like Pratchett's other works, give it a read.
Who else indeed?.......2006-01-31
That's really the question, isn't it? The old saw says that one person can make a difference, but no one ever thinks that it's them so no one does anything. And no difference is ever made. That's what the question on the cover of the book points out, if not you, then who else will?
In this case, Johnny is that one person, one out of thousands, but the only one who listens and takes on the responsibility of trying to do something. He has no power in the "real" world; his parents are on the verge of splitting up and he feels like he's just drifting through life. But now he has both power and responsibility, as little as he thinks he wants either.
It's always been just a game to him; kill the aliens and advance to the next level. But what happens when the aliens surrender? When they place their lives in his hands, ask for his protection? They just want to go home, to escape the strange humans who attack them without provocation. Johnny has the challenge of not just helping them, but learning to see them as people instead of just "things." Because it's all too easy to kill a thing. When you let that "thing" become a person to you, become real instead of an object, then it's not easy anymore.
And that's the lesson here, in a story where the first Gulf War is always on the TVs and being discussed in the background. It's all too easy to wage war when you see your opponents as less than human. When they're nothing more than a target on a screen. It's a lesson that Johnny initially fights against learning, but one that he comes to accept, just as he accepts that he's the only one both willing and able to help these aliens who are becoming people to him.
Eventually he does have help in the form of a genius with the nickname of "Sigourney" (good ode to the "Aliens" franchise). A girl who despite her intelligence, is caught in the mindset of having to win at everything, even if it means killing everything. It's the hardest on her to learn that the ScreeWee are people, and the lesson doesn't drive home until it's nearly too late. Her character is a good commentary on the entire "kill 'em all!" mindset and the way high intelligence doesn't always negate prejudice or massive blind spots in morality.
As always with Terry Pratchett, I have the distinct feeling that a great deal of the humor is going far over my head in that British way that, as an American, I just can't grasp. However, the story itself is so solid, as are the characters and the messages, that it doesn't matter much. There are plenty of jokes that I did get and I enjoyed the rest of it for what it was. I'll be looking forward to seeing the other two books published here in the states.
Thoughtful and enjoyable--a good one.......2005-11-06
What would you do if you were set to win a space simulation shooter and the enemy starship suddenly surrender? At first, Johnny Maxwell figures he'll shoot them anyway. He wants the end of game screen, wants to know that he, in the last experimental spaceship, actually did save mankind. But the alien starships have stopped shooting--and really seem ready to surrender to him. Accepting their surrender isn't easy--as Johnny discovers when he learns that he's abruptly become responsible for the safety of a huge fleet of starships--torn by internal dissention but needing food, protection from other starfighters, and hoping for a distant dream of safety and a homeworld of their own.
Johnny has a lot going on in his life--he's a 12-year-old kid, after all, so he's got school, friends, and 'The Troubles' at home (as his parents' gradually break up). The last thing he needs is a bunch of aligator-shaped space aliens depending on him. Still, he's given his promise--and other computer gamers keep hunting down the fleeing fleet and hammering away at it.
Author Terry Pratchett sets his book during the Gulf War and very real smart-bombs, joystick-launched killing, and anti-different propaganda form a highly serious backdrop for a story that manages to be simultaneously funny and thought-provoking. Shattered remains of ancient and extinct 'Space Invaders' add a poignant touch. Johnny's relationships with the alien captain, his friends, and especially Kirsty/Sigourney seem real and troubled, further adding to the story.
ONLY YOU CAN SAVE MANKIND is targetted at the grade 5-8 market and the writing is certainly accessible to that group. I wonder, though, whether Pratchett's concepts are a bit subtle for that age group. Older and adult readers will find a lot to like in this thoughtful story.
A novel containing all the elements of an AMAZING read.......2005-08-12
Johnny Maxwell is playing a video game called "Only You Can Save Mankind" when a strange message flashes on the screen: "We wish to talk." HUH? There's nothing in the manual about messages. The player is just supposed to shoot down the ScreeWee ships. When Johnny fires again, another message appears: "We surrender! PLEASE!" Johnny quits playing for the evening.
The next day, the ScreeWee captain appears on the screen and tells Johnny that they surrender. The ScreeWees want to go home, and they ask Johnny for safe conduct. He agrees even though he's not sure what he's complying with.
Meanwhile, Johnny's family is going through a very difficult time. His parents may be splitting up; they're certainly unhappy. Johnny mostly fends for himself and watches tons of television, especially news coverage of the war in progress in the Middle East.
Johnny starts waking up in the middle of the game --- actually sitting at the star fighter controls. It's just a dream. Or is it? It doesn't feel like one, or smell like one, either.
The ScreeWees vanish, leaving only space in all "Only You Can Save Mankind" computer games and in Johnny's nighttime adventures. Where are they? When he sees the ScreeWees again, other human players are attacking them. The humans die and they return to play again, but when the ScreeWees die, their lives are over.
The war images on TV are not all that different from what Johnny sees in the game. Which is reality? Which is a game?
This first book in the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy has literally everything to make it an amazing read: breathless adventure, humor that causes the reader to laugh out loud, a main character who anyone can relate to, unexpected friendships, plus huge dead-serious ideas to sink one's teeth into. It just doesn't get any better than this!
powerful condemnation of war .......2005-07-05
Twelve years old Johnny Maxwell loves to play computer games especially those with alien battles. His favorite game at the moment is ONLY YOU CAN SAVE MANKIND in which he battles the ScreeWee.
However, something weird out of virtual reality happens when a ScreeWee Captain announces to him that she and her troop surrender and ask for safe passage back to their sector of space. She explains that this is no game for when a ScreeWee dies they really are dead. A stunned Johnny does not know what to do with all these prisoners of war as he is only a preadolescent. Adding to his burden is when he sleeps he seems to enter the computer world in which he can only wake when he dies as the Americans bomb Baghdad in Gulf War I.
Written during the first Gulf War, ONLY YOU CAN SAVE MANKIND is a powerful condemnation of war as a means to solve disputes. The story line targets the preadolescent crowd, but adults will enjoy the action-packed tale as the bewildered hero makes a plea for peace. Making no apology with his in your face claim that we are all humans whether we live in America, Darfur, Iraq, North Korea or ScreeWee, Terry Pratchett argue we need to live together in peace and harmony instead of sending our young (that is someone else's children) to fight when we ought to seek respectful peaceful solutions to a crisis.
Harriet Klausner
Book Description
Let the teacher who works with Tiger Woods, the world's best player, help you cure the yips—the frustrating problem that can cause even the greatest players to miss short putts, jab chip shots over the green, or miss fairways by eighty yards off the tee.
“The yips can make you feel like you want to quit golf and take up fishing full time. I know. I've been there. But Hank's experience and sensitivity to the problem make him unique in the world of golf instructors. If you have the yips, you couldn't be in any better hands than Hank Haney's.”
—Mark O'Meara, from the Foreword to Fix the Yips Forever
Most golfers think of the “yips” as a psychological affliction, a confidence problem that causes them to lose control of their game because of a split-second glitch. But scientists are now starting to unlock the true root of the problem: focal dystonia, a motor-neural malfunction that causes a player's brain to distort the message being sent to the muscles. Acclaimed golf instructor Hank Haney used these discoveries to overcome his twenty-year battle with the yips, and now he shares his breakthrough regimen that can “rewire” any golfer who struggles with the yips.
Showcasing dozens of practical, hands-on techniques for eliminating the yips from putting, chipping, and the full swing, Fix the Yips Forever delivers the brand of prescriptive advice and drills that have made Haney one of the most sought after golf instructors in the world. This groundbreaking handbook features more than 100 black-and-white photographs, including reproductions of diagnostic screens and Haney's ultrasound “yips measurement System” for hands-on yip-free training. If you can't make it to Haney's Golf Ranch for a personal diagnosis, Fix the Yips Forever is the next best thing.
Book Description
Part sports star, part antihero, part hip-hop icon, Allen Iverson has managed to cross over into the mainstream of American culture -- without compromise. Defiantly tattooed, with his hair in cornrows, the six-foot Philadelphia 76ers point guard is one of the most recognizable and controversial stars of the sports world. His meteoric rise from a troubled childhood in the ghetto to NBA superstardom has been marked by five straight playoff appearances, including a finals berth in 2001 and an MVP award. From his rap sheet to his rap album, fans and journalists alike hound his every move. But never before has a biographer presented a full portrait of this complicated and intensely private star -- a man whose loyalty to his family, the streets, and his friends trumps any other concern. Filled with exclusive interview material and unprecedented access to many of Iverson's inner circle, Only the Strong Survive is the first in-depth look at the truth behind this newly minted legend.
Customer Reviews:
only this book survives .......2007-02-05
This book is about allen iverson and his life growing up in newport, virgina. It talks about his hardships and his life. Larry Platt describes him as 4 people: a raper, basketball player, a hero, and a father. It also talks about his accomplishments and goals in life. This book surpases any other sports biography I've ever read.
About Allen Iverson.......2006-05-17
This book is about Allen Iverson and his life and how it was like to grow up where he lived. Iverson lived in NYC where people that he hated would try to start a fight with him. His friends would have to keep an eye on him. Allen Iverson then tried out for a team to keep him out of trouble. Then he started to play basketball and that worked because they weren't able to mess with him. Then Iverson grew up to be a professional basketball player. Iverson then played for the Sixers and became MVP. His life was really hard because his mom would stay on top of him but his mom was nice. Iverson then met a girl and she became his girlfriend and then they had a baby. Iverson just kept playing basketball and his wife was proud of him because he played so well and that's all about Allen Iverson.
Not a bad read, BUT ..........2006-03-18
This book on Allen Iverson just came far too soon.
Allen Iverson is my favorite current NBA player partially b/c he shakes up the status quo -- not necessarily because he wants to make that his objective, but quite poetically, he's doing it just by being true to who he is.
This book is a tale about a kid from the wrong side of the tracks, that basically struck it rich but admirably remains "the same" as opposed to "assimilating" just to make his economic & financial counterparts feel comfortable around him.
No true criticism of Larry Platt's writing style. If he wanted to go deep into Allen Iverson's undocumented youth and youth exploits, that's fine too.
Bottom line is this book, while it has several defining moments, just isn't a compelling enough read because it was written still TOO SOON.
A.I., love him or hate him, totally revolutionized the NBA and the image it projected to Middle America.
I'd love to read a book about his life when he's 50, 60 or 85.
I'm sure he'll be on "60 Minutes" doing a "My Life & times" segment.
Whoever writes the book about his life just before that interview will surely have a No. #1 best-seller.
The Answer.......2006-01-15
This book delivers the confidence needed to endure any obstacle set before you. Larry Platt digs deep into Iverson's history to give you the experience no else has. Excellent read on the life of Allen Iverson.
Solid biography, but has a few shortcomings.......2005-12-31
One of the things I look for in a basketball biography is a person with an interesting story. Allen Iverson certainly qualifies.
This biography is written by Larry Platt, the unofficial hip-hop hoops biographer and author of Keepin' It Real. Platt tells Iverson's story, starting with his mother's upbringing through Iverson's - starting with his life in the rough Newport News, Virginia ghetto, through his 2-year college stint at Georgetown and through first six seasons in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The best part about the book is that it goes into detail on many of the controversial events of Iverson's life: the bowling alley incident in high school, his "practice" rant to the media, his arrest for allegedly throwing his naked wife out of his house, his rap album, his "disrespect" of Michael Jordan, and his relationship with Larry Brown. The media worked overtime to paint him as a 1-dimensional thug, but it never seemed to add up when you saw him dote over his children in interviews: this doesn't jibe for a guy who wants to be a thug at all costs. I mean, seriously, a warm spot for kids? Platt paints a more complete picture of Iverson, adding depth to the media characture. He exposes where the media screwed up by not correcting their own mistakes, and on occasion why they would hold a grudge. He explains Iverson's problems with Larry Brown (as well as Brown's with Iverson, which was mentioned numerously by the press). He also explains Iverson's close relationships with his friends and mentors.
Platt is one of the best authors at explaining the hip hop generation. His writing is quick, easy, and entertaining. He goes into detail about the problems white middle class America has with embracing a hip hop superstar. However, his weakness is, just as it was with Keepin' it Real , is that he goes overboard in rationalizing his subject material. He adds depth to their character, but never paints a complete 3-dimensional picture. It appears he is too attached to his subjects to be objective. Once again, true to form, you find him reaching for straws at points - working a little too hard at canonizing Iverson. He mentions, but doesn't dwell on Iverson's unreliability to meet commitments, such as the aforementioned practice, or his skipping school, tutoring sessions, or even Magic Johnson's charity game. One of the worst sidestepping jobs dealt with Iverson's rap album. One of the excerpts from the song 40 Bars was "Come to me with faggot tendencies, you be sleeping where the maggots be." Platt does explain that rappers tell stories about life in the hood as 3rd person accounts as fictionalized characters and shouldn't be taken any more seriously than an author telling a story. Platt goes on to explain that Iverson was upset to think he offended people by his use of the word "faggot" which he says was a hip-hop synonym for "weak" without regard to sex, and he leaves it at that. I told this to a gay friend I know who likes hip hop and basketball and she said it is offense and if she used the "N" word and told Iverson, "Don't be offended by it. I use it to mean a stupid person, without regard to race" it would be equally as absurd, as Iverson's stereotype-based slurs supposedly surprised him. I believe Platt should have looked at the the gripes people had with the record, rather than just telling Iverson's rationalization and leaving it at that. This type of one-sided reporting pops up on more than one occasion.
The strength of book is Platt explaining how Iverson's rough and hard background shaped him into the player that he became in the NBA. The other strength is his explanation of Iverson's marketing appeal. Since Jordan had broke into the league, the sponsors had been looking for the next Jordan: polite, non-threatening, and photogenic - the kind of African-American athlete who transcends race and makes middle class white America feel comfortable. The search had turned up empty, as Anfernee Hardaway, Grant Hill, and Shaquille O'Neal were unable to completely fill the Jordan mold. Iverson refused to go along with this. He viewed the Nike-type opinion-less and harmless character like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods to be phony people who read what was handed to them and pretended to be somebody else in order to make money. Iverson insisted on "keeping it real." He was who he was and if you didn't like him, he didn't care, because making you happy isn't his priority. Reebok (his shoe sponsor) respected his wishes, and rather than find the next Jordan/Dr. J who would bridge the middle-class white America gap, they burned the bridge, but created a bigger bridge: to the youth of America, who liked the Anti-hero and could relate to Iverson, as their parents and authority figures didn't approve of their friends and their haircuts and/or tattoos. Reebok had done the unthinkable: they threw out the conventional wisdom of sports marketing and re-wrote the laws, and created the next big thing.
If you are a fan of Iverson, definitely read it. If you aren't a big fan of his, but find him interesting or intriguing, and would like to learn more about him - because believe me, everything you thought you knew was wrong - then read it. If you have made up your mind that he is a hooligan and represents all that is wrong in basketball and nothing is going to change your mind, then don't waste your time. I'm not saying you have to think the guy is a pure saint, because he isn't, but there is more to him than meets the eye.
Product Description
You will receive pages of crayon-and-paper play, including hidden pictures, unfinished drawings, mazes, fold-ups, games, giggles and goofy stuff. No page is complete until it has been folded along the dotted lines, cut around, poked through, colored in or scribbled out. Since this is no ordinary coloring book, we couldn't attach any ordinary crayons. These five twist-up colors (brilliant red, orange, yellow, green and blue) are extra-long soft wax pencils housed in plastic tubes. With these babies, you can color outside the lines in style. Written by the editors of Klutz. For ages 4 and up.
Customer Reviews:
Niece Just Loved It.......2007-02-04
I gave this book to my niece for Christmas and she just loved it. She was drawing and playing the games immediately after we had openned all the presents.
Does NOT live up to it's title........2005-12-16
The contents of this activity book do not live up to the title. Many are not "on the go" activities, let alone easy for little kids to follow without supervision. As a teacher, this proved to be a poor investment of my time and money. You would be best to not make the same mistake.
A great grab-and-go time filler.......2005-12-09
My 7- and 8-year-old daughters frequently choose their copies of this book to bring along on outings where they know they'll need to fill 'down time.' It has been very helpful while waiting at doctors' offices, between races at long swim meets, or for when we've arrived too early at an event. It is compact enough (the size of a thin binder) to bring along in a backpack or keep tucked in the storage compartments in our car. The colored pencils are very durable, as are the sturdy cover and pages of the book. (We've had ours for over a year, and nothing has ripped or broken!) The protective case attached to the book in which the colored pencils come holds them very securely, so they don't get lost or separated from the book. Now our kids like giving them to friends as gifts, then they work on the pages together!
Book Description
In this delightful book that every baseball fan will cherish, ten outstanding ballplayers remember the heyday of the game in the 1930s and 1940s. It was the era of Gehrig and DiMaggio; of Foxx, Greenberg, and Williams; of Grove and Feller. Elden Auker, Tommy Henrich, Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky, and Bob Feller recall some great rivalries: Auker pitched to Ruth and Gehrig, then faced Dizzy Dean in an unforgettable World Series; Henrich was a clutch player for the Yankees who alertly turned a passed-ball third strike into a World Series victory; Dom DiMaggio was a superb center fielder who batted .298 lifetime and nearly ended his brother Joe's hitting streak; Pesky, a Red Sox mainstay, was blamed for Enos Slaughter's dash home that was the most memorable play of the 1946 Red Sox-Cardinals World Series; and Feller was a teenager when he faced -- among others -- Foxx, Greenberg, and Joe DiMaggio.
But this was also the era of great Negro Leagues stars who never had the opportunity to play in the major leagues. Buck O'Neil remembers the outstanding players of his day who never got their chance or whose turn came too late -- Oscar Charleston, Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, and Satchel Paige among them.
Two great events happened in the 1940s, and one of them would change the game forever. World War II took some of these great players off the diamond and put them into a different kind of uniform. Warren Spahn pitched his first game in 1942 and didn't pitch again until the war ended, getting his first victory in 1946 (nonetheless he won more games than any other left-hander in history). As he recalls here, he served his country memorably in the war. Then in 1947 Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, followed only a few months later by Larry Doby, the first African-American in the American League, who vividly describes what it felt like to be the only black ballplayer in the clubhouse -- and the league. The game began to change after integration, and home run king Ralph Kiner remembers how some clubs were quick to sign African-American players and thrive. Meanwhile, some Negro Leagues stars, such as Monte Irvin, itched for the opportunity to face the major leaguers and prove that, like Robinson and Doby, they could compete with the best.
All of these ballplayers recall their favorite memories: the games that mattered most, the players they all admired, the childhood experiences that shaped their lives, and the deep affection for the game that has always remained with them.
Illustrated throughout, The Only Game in Town is a fascinating trip through two decades when baseball changed profoundly. Like The Glory of Their Times, it is a book that will find a permanent place on every fan's bookshelf.
Download Description
In this delightful book that every baseball fan will cherish, ten outstanding ballplayers remember the heyday of the game in the 1930s and 1940s. It was the era of Gehrig and DiMaggio; of Foxx, Greenberg, and Williams; of Grove and Feller. Elden Auker, Tommy Henrich, Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky, and Bob Feller recall some great rivalries: Auker pitched to Ruth and Gehrig, then faced Dizzy Dean in an unforgettable World Series; Henrich was a clutch player for the Yankees who alertly turned a passed-ball third strike into a World Series victory; Dom DiMaggio was a superb center fielder who batted .298 lifetime and nearly ended his brother Joe's hitting streak; Pesky, a Red Sox mainstay, was blamed for Enos Slaughter's dash home that was the most memorable play of the 1946 Red Sox-Cardinals World Series; and Feller was a teenager when he faced -- among others -- Foxx, Greenberg, and Joe DiMaggio. But this was also the era of great Negro Leagues stars who never had the opportunity to play in the major leagues. Buck O'Neil remembers the outstanding players of his day who never got their chance or whose turn came too late -- Oscar Charleston, Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, and Satchel Paige among them. Two great events happened in the 1940s, and one of them would change the game forever. World War II took some of these great players off the diamond and put them into a different kind of uniform. Warren Spahn pitched his first game in 1942 and didn't pitch again until the war ended, getting his first victory in 1946 (nonetheless he won more games than any other left-hander in history). As he recalls here, he served his country memorably in the war. Then in 1947 Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, followed only a few months later by Larry Doby, the first African-American in the American League, who vividly describes what it felt like to be the only black ballplayer in the clubhouse -- and the league. The game began to change after integration, and home run king Ralph Kiner remembers how some clubs were quick to sign African-American players and thrive. Meanwhile, some Negro Leagues stars, such as Monte Irvin, itched for the opportunity to face the major leaguers and prove that, like Robinson and Doby, they could compete with the best. All of these ballplayers recall their favorite memories: the games that mattered most, the players they all admired, the childhood experiences that shaped their lives, and the deep affection for the game that has always remained with them. Illustrated throughout, The Only Game in Town is a fascinating trip through two decades when baseball changed profoundly. Like The Glory of Their Times, it is a book that will find a permanent place on every fan's bookshelf.
Customer Reviews:
For the serious fan.......2007-03-24
An oral history that catches the ethos of an earlier time in a most wonderful and unspoiled manner. Vincent's editing never disrupts the beauty or the simplicity of memories that flow from the passions of the men who played in the 30's and 40's. This is a work that ranks with those of Honig and Ritter. Easy read. An essential for the baseball library. An absolute delight.
For all baseball fans.......2006-10-20
This is a book that any baseball fan needs to read. It makes us appreciate the game back when it was pure. When the game was truly the national pasttime, and the players such as Monte Irvin, Ralph Kiner, and so many others played a game they loved. Yes, it was a business, but it was also a game, which it's not anymore. It's a sport, no more, no less.
The stories of Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Satchel Paige, Jimmie Foxx, Casey Stengel, and the ones we love reading about are there, along with Warren Spahn and Tommy Heinrich, Bob Feller, and Larry Doby. The discuss their lives, teammates, and what made baseball great.
I wish I could give this more than five stars.
Not the "the glory of their times"........2006-07-19
Interesting players in an interesting era, but not very tightly edited.
Interesting memories by old-time players.......2006-05-01
Former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent provides an interesting oral history of baseball by recording the words of ten of the game's top players. The players include stars of the big leagues (Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky, Bob Feller, etc) one Negro Leaguer (Buck O'Neill), and two that played in both venues (Larry Doby, Monte Irvin). Each player spoke into a tape recorder, and their words are printed here, apparently verbatim. I liked the memories and insights from this diverse group of stars, not all of whom were educated or articulate. One wonders how many of today's pitchers follow Warren Spahn's method of stretching his arm between starts. I'm glad these interviews were conducted; Doby and Spahn both passed away in 2003, while at this writing the others range in age from 83 (Ralph Kiner) to 95 (Eldon Auker).
Some note that Lawrence Ritter (GLORY OF THEIR TIMES) and Donald Honig (IMAGE OF THEIR GREATNESS) wrote similar books about baseball's past, and perhaps in better fashion. Still, this version is a readable and interesting first-person look at baseball.
Revealing.......2006-04-24
I loved this book. The players seemed more self-revealing, more confessional than usual. Maybe there's something about sitting in front of a former Commissioner that encourages full disclosure. Some examples: Bob Feller:"Josh Gibson couldn't hit a curve ball if he had an ironing board"; "Tommy Henrich could hit me if he had his eyes closed." Warren Spahn: "(Teammate Sam Jethroe) couldn't see, ran on his heels. He'd run by fly balls so hard it took him ten minutes to retrieve the ball..." Dom DiMaggio speaks of his dread of making eye contact with his brother right after he robbed Joe of a hit to put The Clipper's historic streak in jeopardy. And Larry Doby movingly tells of his gratitude to Joe Gordon for inviting him, a rookie and the AL's first black, to a pre-game catch. It was a public show of acceptance and Doby never forgot the kindness. Vincent has a knack for poking around in crannies that others ignore and that's why I gave the book four stars.
Ed Vane, Los Angeles, CA.
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