Book Description
Where the Wild Things Are
The 100 sites included in this guide offer some of the most magnificent wildlife watching in the United States. Among the creatures:
* Alligators in Florida's Everglades
* Elk and pronghorn in Colorado's Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
* Horseshoe crabs by the thousands at Delaware's Port Mahon Preserve
* Bald eagles in Missouri's Sandy Island Eagle Sanctuary
* Millions of Mexican free-tailed bats at Texas' Eckert James River Bat Cave
* Exotic forest birds in Hawaii's Waikamoi Preserve
* Orcas off Washington's San Juan Island
* Black bears in New Hampshire's Green Hills Preserve
Lavishly illustrated and easy-to-use, National Geographic's Guide to Wildlife Watching is perfect for planning a day trip, weekend jaunt, or holiday adventure to a place where the animals roam.
Customer Reviews:
Highly Recommended.......2002-04-04
The title says it all: Compact articles about 100 places to see wildlife. There are some decent photos, but the focus of the book is on information rather than art. Each article gives the key information on what is to be seen at each site, and advises on the best time of year to visit. The focus is on the natural history here, there is little information on where to stay or dine. But those topics can be left to more "ordinary" guides! Incidentally, the 100 sites are well-distributed across the country, and I even learned of one in my own state that I didn't know about .
If the topic excites you, I predict you will find the book valuable.
National Geographic's Guide to Wildlife Watching.......2000-04-24
For the nature lover and wildlife enthusiast, this little book is a must-have! It's informative, interesting, full of fabulous photos, and makes finding wildlife in any state easy. Includes best times to go, contact information, and directions for getting to the sites, as well as other tips.
Book Description
"An invaluable resource. [Vigor's] practical wisdom gives you the know-how and confidence to prepare your boat for the sea."--Cruising World. Here is the book that answer the sailor's fundamental question--"Can my boat take me offshore safely?"--then shows how to make it happen.
Customer Reviews:
Alll of what you need to know.......2005-10-06
This book is well written and covers everything you need to know for an off shore voyager. I believe it is a must read for before a first time offshore journey.
Buy This Book.......2003-06-18
Even if you do not plan to sail shorthanded thousands of miles offshore it's a very good idea to understand in detail what makes your boat seaworthy in difficult circumstances and to make it so.
This book is a very thorough and very readable treatment of the subject of everything you need to know about a sailboat (except how to sail; that part is assumed). These sorts of things distinguish good sailors from the mass of recreational sailors and I, for one, have an ambition to become the former. If you do, too, then this is a great book to read several times.
The Black Box theory of why some people are lucky and others aren't relates to preparedness and if only once in your life you need it, then it's worth it to you and your companions to have taken the trouble.
Good Advice.......2002-01-23
You can easily pick up three books on offshore sailing and get three separate opinions of what type of boat you need. A fast boat will get across the pond faster. A big boat adds stability and can carry lots of accessories like auxiliary generators and water makers. John's theory is that you should get a boat that can be handled well by a small crew and tough enough to handle any weather that you are likely to run into. Since his opinion parallels my own, I can only assume that he is obviously a sailing genius. This book is highly recommended for anyone contemplating a voyage over the horizon.
Have some doubts.......2002-01-09
I'm not 100% sure of the value of the book, most of the concepts are well known and of little importance for my point of view. In some arguments it lacks of depht...
The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat.......2001-12-28
This book presents the detail descriptions of what makes a boat seaworthy. This is immediately followed by suggestions on what to improve and methods to go about doing so. The author does not just turn you over to the yard but rather recommends the procedure to be done. A welcomed addition to my library and a recommended read for anyone considering going offshore.
Average customer rating:
- Pearson hits it out of the park--again.
- A "C"-worthy second-hand adventure tale
- So-So
- Delightfully Engrossing
- five stars may be a stretch- but I really liked it
|
Seaworthy: Adrift with William Willis in the Golden Age of Rafting
T. R. Pearson
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Adventurers & Explorers
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ships
| Transportation
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Adventure
| Specialty Travel
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Travel Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0307335941
Release Date: 2006-06-27 |
Book Description
Welcome to the daring, thrilling, and downright strange adventures of William Willis, one of the world’s original extreme sportsmen. Driven by an unfettered appetite for personal challenge and a yen for the path of most resistance, Willis mounted a single-handed and wholly unlikely rescue in the jungles of French Guiana and then twice crossed the broad Pacific on rafts of his own design, with only housecats and a parrot for companionship. His first voyage, atop a ten-ton balsa monstrosity, was undertaken in 1954 when Willis was sixty. His second raft, having crossed eleven thousand miles from Peru, found the north shore of Australia shortly after Willis’s seventieth birthday. A marvel of vigor and fitness, William Willis was a connoisseur of ordeal, all but orchestrating short rations, ship-wreck conditions, and crushing solitude on his trans-Pacific voyages.
He’d been inspired by Kon-Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl’s bid to prove that a primitive raft could negotiate the open ocean. Willis’s trips confirmed that a primitive man could as well. Willis survived on rye flour and seawater, sang to keep his spirits up, communicated with his wife via telepathy, suffered from bouts of temporary blindness, and eased the intermittent pain of a double hernia by looping a halyard around his ankles and dangling upside-down from his mast.
Rich with vivid detail and wry humor, Seaworthy is the story of a sailor you’ve probably never heard of but need to know. In an age when countless rafts were adrift on the waters of the world, their crews out to shore up one theory of ethno-migration or tear down another, Willis’s challenges remained refreshingly personal. His methods were eccentric, his accomplishments little short of remarkable. Don’t miss the chance to meet this singular monk of the sea.
Customer Reviews:
Pearson hits it out of the park--again........2007-06-05
Anyone familiar with the works of T.R. Pearson will recognize Pearson's distinctive voice in what is, in many respects, not much of a departure from his usual idiom. The only element missing here is dialogue; the storytelling is as compelling, eccentric, and tender as any in his fiction. Clearly Pearson understands that Willis was, shall we say, a man of many demons and compulsions, but never do we get the sense that Pearson really judges the man poorly. Interwoven into Willis's tale is a cast of marginal characters who provide shape and form to a state of mind most of us can only imagine--in our nightmares. No one succeeds at peeling away and gently exposing the foibles of humanity with the same thoughtful precision as T.R. Pearson. One can just never get enough.
A "C"-worthy second-hand adventure tale.......2007-04-04
The presumed subject of this book is William Willis, a quixotic figure who became obsessed with crossing oceans alone in barely seaworthy craft and eventually died during his third attempt at the Atlantic. All the more remarkably, he began this quest when he was sixty-four years old. Based on the title, I expected this to book to focus exclusively on his exploits and provide an in-depth perspective based on original research. Both assumptions proved unfounded.
As if crossing the Pacific Ocean alone, twice, is not interesting enough, a large part of the book consists of retelling other transoceanic raft adventures. These include the famous Kon-Tiki voyage and Alain Bombard's crossing of the Atlantic. As for Willis, Pearson does little more than retell the eccentric voyager's own published accounts, now out of print. Instead of character insights from surviving relatives or witnesses, the only annotations are catty remarks about the adventurer's possible state of mind and lack of preparation, made in retrospect after each of many mishaps. One would think that the subject of being adrift alone in the world's great oceans would lend itself to some reflective prose, or at least some expansive details of life in and on the sea. Instead, the narrative often reads like a nautical log. There are frequent and detailed descriptions of rigging and sail arrangements that I found inaccessible as a non-sailor, and which could have easily been explained or omitted.
The reader is left with the worst of two worlds: neither the authentic voice of the adventurer nor a compelling narrator. Nevertheless, the sheer adventure of the undertakings described here are enough to make the stories interesting reading, even in the retelling.
So-So.......2007-04-03
This book is alright. It is very interesting in some parts, but is also slow and boring in other parts. What bugged me most about the book is that the main character never had any purpose or reason for making his rafting trips. No scientific purpose. No educational purpose. He just wanted to suffer and be alone. I guess he got his wish. I would't really call him a hero as some people do. Just an eccentric man who like to build crappy rafts and sail accross the ocean. I also don't appreciate the authors bashing of a Mormon rafter, who although I'm sure was very eccentric, not really any more so than the main character.
Delightfully Engrossing.......2007-02-15
This is a marvelous read. Adventure, humor & intriguing eccentricity. Don't miss this one.
five stars may be a stretch- but I really liked it.......2007-02-13
I've read another Pearson book or two, and actually didn't even realize this was by him until I'd bought it. I like him a lot and this book was no exception. It is the story of several open ocean, open boat rafting voyages in the 50s and 60s, predominantly, including a little background on Kon-Tiki. Mostly the book centers on William Willis, about as eccentric a fellow as one ever runs across. He'd probably be a base jumper or some kind of adrenalin junkie were he alive today- he was ahead of his time in many ways. Extremely fit and health conscious, and most amazingly to me able to survive for weeks at a time drinking sea water and eating handfuls of grain. He didn't start rafting until he was 60, and made it to Australia from Peru when he was 63. He was also a bit of a contradiction, able to plan and be extremely disciplined, then suddenly making the most monumental decisions on a wing and a prayer, if that.
The stories might seem to tell themselves, but some tell them better than others, and Pearson tells them better than most. He has a nice turn of phrase and is able to inject humor in his observations without disparaging his subjects- unless in the case of one Mormon guy with an issue or two he really intends to. Even in that case he probably cuts the guy more slack than not.
Adventurous, humorous, informative. A quick read and very enjoyable. Highly recommend.
Book Description
You're safest on the water when you and your boat are seaworthy
BoatU.S. provides marine insurance coverage to 250,000 American powerboaters and sailors, which makes its collection of claims reports one of the world’s largest archives of boating accidents. For more than 20 years, as writer and editor of BoatU.S.’s quarterly publication Seaworthy, Bob Adriance has sifted and analyzed this rich trove to discover and highlight the profound lessons it contains.
Here is the ultimate boater’s guide to preventing, responding to, and surviving accidents under power or sail, including hurricane damage, lightning strikes, collisions, fires, groundings, sinkings, crew overboard, dismastings, and more.
Experience may be the best teacher, but the lessons are a lot less painful when the experience is someone else’s. Here is a unique opportunity to use other skippers’ misfortunes to make your own boat and seamanship safer.
“A boaters’ guide as important and practical as any I’ve read. And if you can ignore the occasional frisson of guilty pleasure, one that’s as engrossing to read as The Perfect Storm.”–Tony Gibbs, yachting writer, editor, and novelist
“Hair-raising disasters, hard facts, and helpful advice; Seaworthy is a compendium of no-nonsense information on avoiding problems that only a marine insurer could provide. Invaluable for the boater, builder, designer, and surveyor.”–Dave Gerr, director, Westlawn Institute of Tecnology; author of The Nature of Boats and The Elements of Boat Strength
Customer Reviews:
Handy Seaworthy Book.......2007-01-16
Covers all aspects of boating risk elements with real world examples of what happens when maintenance and common sense are ignored.
Seaworthy book rating.......2006-11-10
My husband is reading the book and comments about the useful information it contains. Overall, he is very happy with the book.
Worth every penny!.......2006-06-03
This is a rather inexpensive book for the value it provides to everyone who operates a vessel. It is more directed towards owners of mid to larger size power or sail boats and maybe less towards the bass fisherman and occasional recreational sport boater, but nevertheless valuable information for everyone in boating.
As a BoatUS member, one of the best organizations I am a member of and recommended to every boater, I have seen the ship wreck reports in their monthly publication and on their web site.
I wanted this book to help me avoid getting into situations that would cause me, my crew and my boat harm. This book has done a number of important things for me. First, it has renewed my respect for the responsibility of operating a vessel. Next, it has shown me that a responsible operator must consider the lack of ability or responsibility of other boaters. It also has given me many valuable hints how to react in situations or tips how best avoid getting into trouble.
If you are a boater there are a number of books you absolutely should read to educate yourself with how to run and dock a boat. THis book must be in your library to educate yourself with the potential perils of boating and how to not make the mistake others have already made.
Gain from Others Loss.......2006-01-29
Seaworthy, the book, is a compliation of the quarterly magazine articles published through BoatUS insurance affiliates. If you own a power or sailboat and (or)dock or trailer it, this book is worth the money spent.
The book describes common mistakes that have resulted in damage or the loss of their boat. Usually photographs show the results of the mistakes. The text descibes what happened, why, and how to avoid the cause.
The lessons learned from these mistakes will save you money, frustation, and at the minimum, a bad day.
Average customer rating:
|
Colin Archer and the seaworthy double-ender
John Leather
Manufacturer: International Marine Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Norway
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Naval
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Military Engineering
| Special Topics
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0877420866 |
Average customer rating:
- "A Love Story That's Right On Course"
- A Great Beach Read!
|
Off Course: A Seaworthy Romance
Joyce Marie Taylor
Manufacturer: Outskirts Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Contemporary
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1598006045 |
Book Description
Will Lauren's dream stay the course? Lauren Callahan is about to discover love in all its many disguises. She will learn the subtle differences between lustful, animal attraction, dependent love, familial love, and love of the truest kind, while on her way to realizing a childhood dream. As the story unfolds, she will emerge through each phase into a stronger, more confident woman, despite the physical and emotional hardships that seem to be haunting her. Sally and Pierre, her two most loyal friends and quirky characters indeed will manage to keep her entertained during the toughest moments. Will Lauren follow her grandfather's advice? Will she find happiness with Bryan, the wealthy, Dallas businessman, Dean, the rising star bank president, or Michael, the Key West sailor? Will an impending hurricane dash her dream to smithereens? And, finally, do true friends really make the best lovers? All these questions will be answered as you read this oftentimes-humorous tale of a young woman and her dream. A special thank you to Tom Schaefer of www.miamiandthebeaches.com for the cover design and photo, and to Bob Hemmis of Dania Beach, FL for the author photo.
Customer Reviews:
"A Love Story That's Right On Course".......2006-09-27
Joyce Marie Taylor's newest romance novel, Off Course- A Seaworthy Romance, is an absolute gem! This book has everything! It's a love story and a mystery, as well as a tragicomic adventure on the high seas. You find yourself falling in love with every one of the crazy, goofy characters she has created in this book. She knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what's going to happen next, up until the very end! She'll also have you itching to visit South Florida and the Keys with her descriptions of the scenery and the events in this thoroughly enjoyable tale. This is a must-read for any devout romantic or anyone who just wants to read a darned good book!
A Great Beach Read!.......2006-07-27
As the author of this novel, I can assure you it really is a great book to take to the beach, since that's where a lot of the story takes place, and it's also where much of it was written. If you like romance, with a little mystery, then Off Course - A Seaworthy Romance, is the book for you. If you're also a dreamer like me, you'll identify with the heroine, and if you like humor, well, there's plenty to go around. For more Hollywood Beach stories, check out my other novel, The Ruby Con, and figure out the mystery of the Johns!
Average customer rating:
|
Port Side Pirates
Oscar Seaworthy
Manufacturer: Barefoot Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Nursery Rhymes
| Baby-3
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Action & Adventure
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Picture Books
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1846860628 |
Product Description
Ahoy Matey! Jump aboard and set sail with an adventurous group of pirates. With fun facts about ships and notorious pirates from around the world, along with a catchy singalong, this vibrantly illustrated story will become a beloved treasure of your child!
Average customer rating:
|
SEAWORTHY SONGS
Manufacturer: HAL LEONARD CORPORATION
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Instruments & Performers
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Songbooks
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Popular
| Songbooks
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Instruction & Study
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1423426096 |
Book Description
Set sail on a musical adventure with these 43 wonderful, watery songs: Beyond the Sea * Blue Bayou * Cry Me a River * Kokomo * Lazy River * Moon River * My Heart Will Go On * On a Slow Boat to China * Sailing * The Tide Is High * more.
Average customer rating:
|
The voyages of Brian Seaworthy
Ralph Nading Hill
Manufacturer: Vermont life magazine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
| Baby-3
| Ages 4-8
| Ages 9-12
| Animals
| Arts & Music
| Books on Cassette
| Books on CD
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Computers
| Educational
| History & Historical Fiction
| Issues
| Literature
| Obsessions
| People & Places
| Popular Characters
| Reference & Nonfiction
| Religions
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Series
| Sports & Activities
| Audiobooks
ASIN: B0006CKIEU |
Average customer rating:
|
Plotting a course for seaworthy security.: An article from: Security Management
David E. Henrickson
Manufacturer: American Society for Industrial Security
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Audiobooks
| Automotive
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Crime & Criminals
| Current Events
| Economics
| Education
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Government
| Holidays
| Law
| Philosophy
| Politics
| Social Sciences
| Transportation
| True Accounts
| Urban Planning & Development
| Women's Studies
North America
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Travel
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
North America
| Travel
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
General
| Nonfiction
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
Travel
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: B00092WQ2E
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Security Management, published by American Society for Industrial Security on June 1, 1994. The length of the article is 2129 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
From the supplier: The US Coast Guard's Notice of Proposed Rule Making for passenger vessel security is a long-overdue measure to counteract terrorism at sea. The guidelines, which may be enacted into law by the summer of 1995, provides for the planning of a security program. Such a program would specifically target the prevention of on-board entry of weapons and unauthorized access to ships as well as the use of security systems and procedures.
Citation Details
Title: Plotting a course for seaworthy security.
Author: David E. Henrickson
Publication:
Security Management (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 1994
Publisher: American Society for Industrial Security
Volume: v38
Issue: n6
Page: p43(3)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
|
TOO SEAWORTHY?(boating experiences)(Brief Article): An article from: Trailer Boats
Ken Hankinson
Manufacturer: Ehlert Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
Sports
| Subjects
| Books
| Audiobooks
| Baseball
| Basketball
| Biographies
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Coaching
| Extreme Sports
| Football (American)
| General
| Golf
| Hiking & Camping
| Hockey
| Hunting & Fishing
| Individual Sports
| Miscellaneous
| Mountaineering
| Other Team Sports
| Racket Sports
| Rodeos
| Soccer
| Softball
| Training
| Water Sports
| Winter Sports
Sports
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
Sports
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: B00099LHI6
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Trailer Boats, published by Ehlert Publishing Group on June 1, 1999. The length of the article is 866 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: TOO SEAWORTHY?(boating experiences)(Brief Article)
Author: Ken Hankinson
Publication:
Trailer Boats (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 1999
Publisher: Ehlert Publishing Group
Volume: 28
Issue: 6
Page: 30
Article Type: Brief Article
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Amazon.com
The difference between The First Five Pages and most books on writing is that the others are written by teachers and writers. This one comes from a literary agent--one whose clients include Pulitzer Prize nominees, New York Times bestselling authors, Pushcart Prize recipients, and American Book Award winners. Noah Lukeman is not trying to impart the finer points of writing well. He wants to teach you "how to identify and avoid bad writing," so that your manuscript doesn't come boomeranging back to you in that self-addressed, stamped envelope. Surprise: Agents and editors don't read manuscripts for fun; they are looking for reasons to reject them. Lukeman has arranged his book "in the order of what I look for when trying to dismiss a manuscript," starting with presentation and concluding with pacing and progression. Each chapter addresses a pitfall of poor writing--overabundance of adjectives and adverbs, tedious or unrealistic dialogue, and lack of subtlety to name just a few--by identifying the problem, presenting solutions, giving examples (one wishes these weren't quite so obvious), and offering writing exercises. It's a little bizarre to think about approaching your work as would an agent, but if you are serious about getting published, you may as well get used to it. Plus, Lukeman has plenty of solid advice worth listening to. Particularly fine are his exercises for removing and spicing up modifiers and his remedies for all kinds of faulty dialogue. --Jane Steinberg
Book Description
IF YOU'RE TIRED OF REJECTION, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.
Whether you are a novice writer or a veteran who has already had your work published, rejection is often a frustrating reality. Literary agents and editors receive and reject hundreds of manuscripts each month. While it's the job of these publishing professionals to be discriminating, it's the job of the writer to produce a manuscript that immediately stands out among the vast competition. And those outstanding qualities, says New York literary agent Noah Lukeman, have to be apparent from the first five pages.
The First Five Pages reveals the necessary elements of good writing, whether it be fiction, nonfiction, journalism, or poetry, and points out errors to be avoided, such as
* A weak opening hook
* Overuse of adjectives and adverbs
* Flat or forced metaphors or similes
* Melodramatic, commonplace or confusing dialogue
* Undeveloped characterizations and lifeless settings
* Uneven pacing and lack of progression
With exercises at the end of each chapter, this invaluable reference will allow novelists, journalists, poets and screenwriters alike to improve their technique as they learn to eliminate even the most subtle mistakes that are cause for rejection. The First Five Pages will help writers at every stage take their art to a higher -- and more successful -- level.
Customer Reviews:
Essential.......2007-10-10
Perhaps the most valuable part of this book is its opening: the actual physical manuscript you send, and how it needs to look. Never before had I read that its impeccable state is essential to its success.
Some of it is not so essential, like showing examples between cliche and original texts. If you really do write cliche and you don't know it, then not owning this book is the least of your problems.
Buy A Copy for Yourself and One to Loan.......2007-09-26
Noah Lukeman's The First Five Pages is the best book I've read about writing. Period. (Oops! Stephen King's is the best, as well.)
As a writer, I've read at least two dozen books on the art and techniques of writing. The depth and breadth of Lukeman's knowledge is unsurpassed. That the material is so well organized is important because there is so much packed into this book.
Really, it's not so much about getting published as writing a superior book. Publishable because it is a REALLY REALLY GOOD book.
He asks the right questions, those that guide you to dig deeper and then deeper still, to create the elements in plotting and characterization, and a lot of other things (which I can't tell you right now because someone else has borrowed my copy again and I can't refer to it), that make a book meaningful. A work that can affect a change in the reader.
Lukeman inspires me to tell the stories that rattle in my brain or beat to escape my heart, because they need to be told. And heard.
One of the better writing books I've come upon recently........2007-09-17
Noah Lukeman, The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile (Fireside, 2005)
I've read a lot of writing books over the years; I think I read my first one almost thirty years ago now. (Fat lot of good it's done me. You see my name on the spine of a novel? Nope, Jack, not yours truly.) Some have been excellent, some have been crap, most have been mediocre, just like any genre. I wasn't expecting much different when I picked up The First Five Pages. But different is what I got; Lukeman's book will go on the short shelf of writing guides that really have something to say.
The difference between this and the last ten writing books you read is that Lukeman's book isn't focused on teaching you how to write, it's focused on teaching you how to revise. That's the part where most writing guides stop; at most, they give you a quick overview chapter on the process. What good will that do you? None. Trust me. I know. Lukeman assumes you already have a finished manuscript, and you're trying to hook an agent into representing you. Every chapter in this book is devoted to fixing one of the big mistakes that will keep you and your manuscript out of the slush pile. And these chapters, rife with illustrations, are great, great stuff.
My only problem with the book (and, I'll admit, it was enough of a problem that I docked him half a star) is that Lukeman uses some sleight-of-hand here. If you're the kind of person who reads one book at a time, you might not notice it, but I was concurrently reading William Diehl's potboiler Primal Fear at the same time. A lot of the stuff Lukeman tells you will get you automatically rejected (if not get your manuscript subjected to the loving attentions of a strike-anywhere match) get published. They get published a lot. Now, while I understand what Lukeman was trying to do, and I do believe tough love has its place, it's pretty easy to undermine a number of his assertions just by going out and picking up five random fiction books by midlist writers published by major houses. (Forget the minor presses. Unless you get the absolute cream of the crop, very little of what Lukeman says here will apply, and that is to the great detriment of those small presses.) Not adopting a more realistic approach leads to the possibility of someone who hasn't read as much, or isn't as in love with the language, saying "okay, this guy obviously doesn't know what he's talking about." And that's a crime, because Noah Lukeman does, very much, know what he's talking about. This is not just a literary agent trying to keep you off the slush pile-- this is a guy who has a love affair with the English language, and who (I'm extrapolating here, but it seemed pretty obvious between the lines) gets positively offended when a manuscript comes in that chews up the English language and spits it out all over the floor in bloody, saliva-covered clumps. That's a good thing, both in a literary agent and a guy telling you how to write-- no, strike that, revise-- your work of genius. And I will personally guarantee you that everything else he says in this book is absolutely rock-solid, and will help you make your manuscript that best it can be. If you're a writer, you want to read this. *** ½
I needed this book!.......2007-09-03
I used to be a writer and artist who defied the rules without understanding them, believing defiance to be the sign of a "true artist." How embarrassing for me. Painful lessons over the years have taught me the value of understanding the purpose behind the rules before I set about breaking them.
This book is not about stifling creativity in Big-Brother-esque fashion. It is about giving oneself a firm foundation from which to soar. What good is deathless prose if no one ever reads it?
The introduction alone was enough to give me a valuable new perspective on writing. And on the subject of writing, Mr. Lukeman is no mean writer in his own right. There is nothing pompous or authoritarian about The First Five Pages; there is instead an air of friendly advice. In Mr. Lukeman's own words, ". . . all I can say is that if you walk away from these pages with even one idea that helps you with even one word of your writing, then it's been worth it."
Believe me, it's worth it.
why did you say you didn't buy this?.......2007-09-03
A good writer will spend a year writing a book and two years editing it. Knowing that, I wonder why we are so quick to dismiss spending a pittance on a book that will show us 90% of our errors in two easy days of reading. You can read an entire shelf of grammar books and not read one of the critical hints in this book. Our English teachers are milking us.
Great writers need this book. Average writers need this book. Buying it will save you a lot of time and money, regardless of how well you write. The book is actually titled incorrectly. It's about the whole book, using the first five pages as an example, exactly as the publisher will do while deciding to buy it or send it home.
What struck me right off was how it might improve a writer's group. Imagine everybody in the group actually taking about the things that matter.
Sure, you might know some of what is in it, and you might not be ready for some of what you read, but a good editor costs you five cent a word and they're usually useless in the macro-world of style and form. Do the math.
I have actually advised a few friends to buy the book, and I'll get right to the criticism I got back from a couple. There are a lot of writers who think that the world is trying to box them in and taking away their artistry by setting up a bunch of rules that will crucify their talent. That's a big load of rubbish. If you think that way, don't buy this book (although this book does no such thing). After all, there is plenty of competition among the adults in the writing world, and those of us who are serious need the manuscripts on the publisher's desk that are tossed into the round file after perusing the first paragraph. How else will they identify those worth keeping?
Average customer rating:
- The War of Jenkins' Ear
- Really Thought Provoking
- It may just change your life, it did mine!
- Will change your life! It did mine.
|
War of Jenkins' Ear
Michael Morpurgo
Manufacturer: Rebound by Sagebrush
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Issues
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Teen Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0613017560 |
Customer Reviews:
The War of Jenkins' Ear.......2004-03-05
The War of Jenkins' Ear
By Michael Morpurgo
Summary:
There are lots of wars in this world, but one is very special. It all began in Toby's second year in the school of Redlands. He was a regular student, until a strange kid called Christopher came along. He wasn't really scared of anything not even of the headmaster. He then shared a humongous secret with Toby, Hunter, and the littleSwann. They were of coursevery suspicious of course, and were wondering if it was really true. They then truly believed him, and wonders began to happen. The four of then swore to never reveal the secret, but something unexpected came. It turned everybody's life upside down except Christopher's who had all along predited it.
Why I liked it:
It is an interesting book where you really wonder if it could be truly like that back in time. It really makes me feel like I was in the school of Reedlands when the author started telling about the school, Toby, and Christopher. One example could be, "Beside Rudolph, stiff in her graygreen suit with a butterfly brooch, stood Mrs. Stagg." What made me like this book the most was that it makes me wonder if it could be true when Christopher revealed the secret, "It's Jesus, I know it is." Normally I would be bored to death, but it really made it so it was not like a bible book. That's why this book was interesting to me in the first place when I was choosing a book to read.
What part of the story was my favorite:
My favorite part of the story was the ending. It had a great turn in which I never expected. It was the time when nobody had faith in Christoopher anymore, but then proved to everyone even the mean Rudolph that what he said was true. As a result, it strengthened the beliefs of Toby, Hunter, and Swann even more.
Really Thought Provoking.......2001-07-01
The War of Jenkins' Ear is one of the most amazing novels I have ever read. This novel is considered young adult fiction, but the themes expressed here are for people of any age. The plot focuses on Toby. Toby attends a boarding school in England in the 1950's which he detests. But one year, everything changes because of a new boy in school, Christopher. Christopher is certainly different from the other boys at school, and he soon reveals to Toby that he has visions which tell him that he is the second coming of Jesus. Toby is picked as his first deciple.
Michael Morpurgo uses his unique premise perfectly to comment on life on different levels. First off, he captures the life around the boarding school extremely well. The element of class warfare between the oiks (village children) and the toffs (boarding school children) is present. Morpurgo also captures the intensity of the relationships between the students and between the students and their teachers at the isolated school. The element of first love is also introduced, and the characters in the novel are all fully developed. Morpurgo is most successful at studying the nature of faith, though. He presents how difficult it is to believe in the face of convention, and he also shows the extraordinary powers that faith in something can bring. The novel is also very successful at commenting on what peoples' lives around the Jesus Christ must have been like.
The War of Jenkins' Ear is a fascinating novel. Everything about it makes you think. Even the title can have a symbolic meaning. I think The War of Jenkins' Ear should easily go down as one of the great young adult reads of the century.
It may just change your life, it did mine!.......1998-02-11
"If a grain of wheat does not fall unto the earth and die, it is but a single seed. But if the seed dies, it will produce many seeds." (Jn 12:24) A seed must fall to the ground and die if it is to give new life. This is what this book did for me, it was the seed that once possesed life and fell into the dirt (Me) and gave new life to me enabling me to realize my own lack of faith, detestive prejudces, enormus doubt, lack of humility, servanthood, trust, obedience, vulnerability, the realization to a calling greater than myself, the reponsibility I have in life, and the purpose for living. Since I have read this book I have seen myself relate so much to Toby Jenkins and his experiences, and its only been one day since I have read it. This book is a great way to relating Christ in the 20th Century to the young adult as well as the eldest adult. I believe this book is awsome for everyone no matter what the age. It is full of principles we all can use, not only in our lives with God, but also in our daily lives with people. I give this book an ASTOUNDING 10 because it not only told a story but changed my life. I would love to read more books like this. Matt Casper, Georgia Southern University
Will change your life! It did mine........1998-02-11
"If a grain of wheat does not fall unto the earth and die, it is but a single seed. But if the seed dies, it will produce many seeds." (Jn 12:24) A seed must fall to the ground and die if it is to give new life. This is what this book did for me, it was the seed that once possesed life and fell into the dirt (Me) and gave new life to me enabling me to realize my own lack of faith, detestive prejudces, enormus doubt, lack of humility, servanthood, trust, obedience, vulnerability, the realization to a calling greater than myself, the reponsibility I have in life, and the purpose for living. Since I have read this book I have seen myself relate so much to Toby Jenkins and his experiences, and its only been one day since I have read it. This book is a great way to relating Christ in the 20th Century to the young adult as well as the eldest adult. I believe this book is awsome for everyone no matter what the age. It is full of principles we all can use, not only in our lives with God, but also in our daily lives with people. I give this book an ASTOUNDING 10 because it not only told a story but changed my life. I would love to read more books like this. Matt Casper, Georgia Southern University
Average customer rating:
|
Publications of the University of Georgia
John Tate Lanning
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Spain
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| England
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Georgia
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Southeast
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B00085OWGA |
Book Description
One of the very few studies ever undertaken of the contest for supremacy among Spain, England, and France for the North American southeast. "In eleven well-written chapters, replete with precise footnote references to the recognized sources, Spanish as well as British, Dr. Lanning here presents a needed historical revision of the Anglo-Spanish struggle for Georgia in the eighteenth century." American Historical Review. Reprint of the original 1936 edition by the University of North Carolina Press. 2006: Index. 2 maps. 289 pages, softcover.
Books:
- North of Reliance: A Personal Story of Living Beyond the Wilderness
- Past into Present: Effective Techniques for First-Person Historical Interpretation
- People, Land and Time: An Historical Introduction to the Relations between Landscape, Culture and Environment
- Physical Geography of the Global Environment, 2nd Edition
- Pioneer Naturalists: The Discovery and Naming of North American Plants and Animals
- Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before
- Plant Physiological Ecology: Field methods and instrumentation
- Plant Technology of First Peoples in British Columbia (Royal British Columbia Museum Handbook)
- Pond Lake River Sea (Maryjo Koch Series)
- Poodlena
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Patent It Yourself
- Paintings in the Musee d'Orsay
- International Bibliography of the Social Sciences: Economics 1980
- Imperial Crusades: Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yugoslavia
- On Chesil Beach
- Sign Babies ASL Flash Cards, Set Four: Family Life
- Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species
- Americaªs Insurance Industry: Keeping the Promise: Hearing Before the Committee on Financial Se
- Introduction to Accounting, Business Processes and ERP
- Y2K and Your Money
Nature Photography Hot Spots: Where To Find Them, When They're At Their Best and How To Approach Them
AAA's National Park Photography
National Audubon Guide to Nature Photography (National Audubon Society Guide)
Photographing the Southwest: Volume 1--Southern Utah (2nd Ed.) (Photographing the Southwest)
