Best Sports Encyclopedias
1 The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised
From elite bodybuilding competitors to gymnasts, from golfers to fitness gurus, anyone who works out with weights must own this book—a book that only Arnold Schwarzenegger could write, a book that has earned its reputation as “the bible of bodybuilding.”. Inside, Arnold covers the very latest advances in both weight training and bodybuilding competition, with new sections on diet and nutrition, sports psychology, the treatment and prevention of injuries, and methods of training, each illustrated with detailed photos of some of bodybuilding's newest stars. -Arnold's tried-and-true tips for sculpting, strengthening, and defining each and every muscle to create the ultimate buff physique. From elite bodybuilding competitors to gymnasts, from golfers to fitness gurus, anyone who works out with weights must own this book -- a book that only Arnold Schwarzenegger could write, a book that has earned its reputation as "the bible of bodybuilding".
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The book itself has a lot of good info, this is the revised and updated version."
"Seriously amazing resource."
"Whether you're new or not to weightlifting, fitness, bodybuilding, etc, this book is a worthy addition to anyone's arsenal."
"The original encyclopedia and this upgrade are basic tenants of priceless information."
"Just a must have on principle."
"It's a pretty good read... you can devour most of the informational chapters in just a few hours... and then the rest is pictorial displays of exercises by muscle group."
"The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised, simply put, is a great book for the average weight-lifter to the serious competitive body-builder."
"A solid reference and tool for the beginner to the experienced bodybuilder."
A timeless classic with nearly one million copies in print, Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons outlines the building blocks of winning golf from one of the all-time masters of the sport—fully illustrated with drawings and diagrams to improve your game instantly. Jim Fogerty Professional, Sunset Country Club, St. Louis Most articles on golf deal only in theory, but Ben is to be congratulated on probably the most practical series on golf instruction ever written.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My main gripe is Hogan seems to minimize the challenge many golfers have with their short game; pitching, chipping, and putting are basically ignored in the book. He should have devoted at least a chapter to putting, where a golfer could better understand nuances like reading greens and putting consistently."
"Wish I read this 20 years ago when I first started playing the game."
"There were notes in the margins of the library copy (an ignorant thing to do to a book not belonging to you) so I got him a brand new edition so that he may make his own notes."
"He has tuned every aspect of the golf swing and has shared his learning with the reader."
"It shows the basic swing thoughts of one of the greatest player in all time."
"Anyone dedicated to becoming a better golfer should read this book and review it often."
"I told him, and I truly believe, that if he reads this book before he starts playing he will be miles ahead of the average beginner."
"Excerpts from the book along with the accompanying famous drawings by Anthony Ravelli are considered a classic baseline and turn up several times a year in golf periodicals."
Written by survivalist expert Dave Canterbury, Bushcraft 101 gets you ready for your next backcountry trip with advice on making the most of your time outdoors. With Canterbury's guidance, you'll not only prepare yourself for any climate and situation, you'll also learn how to use the art of bushcraft to reconnect with nature in ways you've never imagined. "Canterbury covers everything: building out your kit, manufacturing tools and supplies, food collection, cooking and protection from the elements. Dave gets you ready for your next backcountry trip with easy-to-digest advice and practices on how to build the most critical survival skills. Penned by survivalist expert Dave Canterbury, Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival aims to make sure you know your craft.... Even if you're not escaping the apocalypse, but instead heading out into the backcountry to escape modern life for a few days, this is an indispensable guide for your outdoor travels." "With Canterbury's guidance, you'll prepare yourself for any climate and situation and you'll learn how to use the art of bushcraft to reconnect with nature." Written by famous outdoorsman Dave Canterbury, the volume covers everything from the proper knots to know to scavenging edible food in the wilderness. "Get ready for whatever nature could throw your way with this guide on bushcraft, the art of surviving in the woods with as little modern gear as possible.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The book is easy to read and full of useful information."
"If you have been camping more that twice you may find this just refresher reading or helpful for future outings."
"I find this book fun and easy to read while it gives good information that prepares you for bushcraft activities. It is a really good book and is full of good information."
"Great book."
"I got this for my husband for Christmas, and he loves it."
"The info is good, but I would like more visual examples as a novice."
"This was a Christmas gift for my grandsons, and they love it!"
"This publisher (Adams Media) let Dave Canterbury down, and Dave admits that in his review of his own book."
Best Sports Reference
From elite bodybuilding competitors to gymnasts, from golfers to fitness gurus, anyone who works out with weights must own this book—a book that only Arnold Schwarzenegger could write, a book that has earned its reputation as “the bible of bodybuilding.”. Inside, Arnold covers the very latest advances in both weight training and bodybuilding competition, with new sections on diet and nutrition, sports psychology, the treatment and prevention of injuries, and methods of training, each illustrated with detailed photos of some of bodybuilding's newest stars. -Arnold's tried-and-true tips for sculpting, strengthening, and defining each and every muscle to create the ultimate buff physique. From elite bodybuilding competitors to gymnasts, from golfers to fitness gurus, anyone who works out with weights must own this book -- a book that only Arnold Schwarzenegger could write, a book that has earned its reputation as "the bible of bodybuilding".
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The book itself has a lot of good info, this is the revised and updated version."
"Seriously amazing resource."
"Whether you're new or not to weightlifting, fitness, bodybuilding, etc, this book is a worthy addition to anyone's arsenal."
"The original encyclopedia and this upgrade are basic tenants of priceless information."
"Just a must have on principle."
"It's a pretty good read... you can devour most of the informational chapters in just a few hours... and then the rest is pictorial displays of exercises by muscle group."
"The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised, simply put, is a great book for the average weight-lifter to the serious competitive body-builder."
"A solid reference and tool for the beginner to the experienced bodybuilder."
Best Horse Racing
Smith urged Howard to buy Seabiscuit for a bargain-basement price, then hired as his jockey Red Pollard, a failed boxer who was blind in one eye, half-crippled, and prone to quoting passages from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Because her subject left behind few interesting interviews, the author fills out her portrait with people who helped guide Seabiscuit to glory: his owner, Charles Howard; his trainer, Tom Smith; and a hard-luck jockey named Red Pollard.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"There were numerous times throughout the book when the author was describing a race...I found may heart pounding as if I was actually watching a real horse race. Please read this book...it's a feel good story, and will bring a tear to your eye."
"This is history not fiction, but it is comprised of dozens of fascinating stories about the lives of those who brought us Seabisquit, perhaps the greatest racehorse of all time and surely the most improbable of all the great winners."
"After viewing my DVD film copy many times and enjoying it immensely, I decided to go to the actual source material."
"For example, Hillenbrand's stories of Smith's attempts to thwart the media and racing timers from reporting Seabiscuit's workouts (because Smith feared the weights assigned by the track would be so great as to hamper the horse's considerable ability) are hilarious. Hillenbrand slowly but very entertainingly works the Seabiscuit story to the legendary 1938 match race with yet another descendent of Man O' War, 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral. There are constant difficulties in getting the two great horses together on the same track on the same day, including jockey Pollard's injuries (vividly described by Hillenbrand), Seabiscuit's injuries, and other delays. When the horses finally do get together (with the underdog Seabiscuit clobbering the Admiral), Hillenbrand writes with such vividness that you feel you are right there at the track witnessing the race."
"Well written narrative of the horse Seabiscuit."
"In this age riddled with discount of time and immediate entertainment, its so rare to find a writer and book that can hold us."
"An amazing piece of reported research where Hillenbrand's love for horses blossoms on the page."
"It is well-written and exciting, contains pictures, notes, an index, Seabiscuit's official career racing chart, an interview with the author and discussion group questions."
Best Wrestling
The most expansive, all-encompassing chronicle unleashed on the WWE Universe, this New York Times bestseller includes over 400 full-color pages and over 1,200 Superstar and event profiles. Plus, the future of WWE collides with the past, as Finn Bálor and the exciting stars of NXT stake their claim alongside the legends of WWE's past and present.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I could not think of any wrestler in WWE history that was not included in book."
"This book literally has just about everything WWE & the fans can think of."
"I'd like to see a mainly insider version with their real names and greater accomplishments but understand WWE would never attempt to hinder the "suspensuon of disbelief" that except booking Roman Reigns to no-sell every finisher done to him."
"Everything was okay with one exception one of the pages wasn't completely cut all the way because one page has the part where the edges are uneven with the other pages."
"Every Single Wrestler They Have Probably Ever Had In History!"
"This is a beautifully produced volume covering a huge number of wrestlers from the last sixty years."
"Includes full lineage of championship reigns for every existing WWE belt, multiple factions/tag-teams, & illustraions for almost every single wrestler in the history of American professional wrestling."
"It has sections for each belt showing when it changed hands, ecw, divas, etc."
Best Golf
A timeless classic with nearly one million copies in print, Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons outlines the building blocks of winning golf from one of the all-time masters of the sport—fully illustrated with drawings and diagrams to improve your game instantly. Jim Fogerty Professional, Sunset Country Club, St. Louis Most articles on golf deal only in theory, but Ben is to be congratulated on probably the most practical series on golf instruction ever written.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Wish I read this 20 years ago when I first started playing the game."
"There were notes in the margins of the library copy (an ignorant thing to do to a book not belonging to you) so I got him a brand new edition so that he may make his own notes."
"He has tuned every aspect of the golf swing and has shared his learning with the reader."
"Excellent book on fundamentals of finding the ever allusive perfect golf swing (a new project for 2016)."
"It shows the basic swing thoughts of one of the greatest player in all time."
"Anyone dedicated to becoming a better golfer should read this book and review it often."
"I had the pleasure of watching Ben Hogan practice at Lost Tree Country Cllub in North Palm Beach, Florida for 48 minutes in 1969....."
"I told him, and I truly believe, that if he reads this book before he starts playing he will be miles ahead of the average beginner."
Best Professional Basketball
Then he takes it further by completely reevaluating not only how NBA Hall of Fame inductees should be chosen but how the institution must be reshaped from the ground up, the result being the Pyramid: Simmons’s one-of-a-kind, five-level shrine to the ninety-six greatest players in the history of pro basketball. Simmons summarizes the history of the league, discusses his personal fandom, includes a great “what if?” chapter (what if Michael Jordan had been drafted second by Portland instead of third by Chicago? The true NBA fan will dive into this hefty volume and won’t resurface for about a week, emerging from the man cave unshaven, smelling of beer and pizza, grinning, and armed with NBA history, insight, anecdotes, statistics, and a dozen new examples of Simmons’ Unintentional Comedy Scale.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's a great mix of stats and "I just feel" analysis that forms the basis of all great sport's debates."
"The focus here beyond his dad's Celtics season tickets sealing his fate as a kid fan, is on pyramid pantheon best ever debates, what ifs, secret knowledge, team comparison compendiums and various other scenario incidentals. Simmons, master of the between the lines scoop, says what's on his mind, is quick to offend and may be off the cuff with tactless fan boy antics, but he thinks like a genius GM and really should be considered as part of an NBA team brain trust someday. Via a coach sharp humanist link tying cults of personality to levels of performance, we learn that selfish players hit a ceiling and greats must share the ball to be transcendent. Twas ironically originated by an adult cinema historian who mixed pop, news and sports trivia intros with his movie reviews in an erotic film bible from the early 1980s. With so much info on elite players and teams, this needed a tongue-in-cheek chapter on footnote characters of the game like Darryl Dawkins, aka Chocolate Thunder, a rushed high school prospect who never reached his full potential but was memorable for destroying backboards on slam dunks."
"Last year I purchased Bill Simmons' The Book of Basketball for my birthday. If you aren't a fan who loves reading about the past in great detail this book may not be for you. And while it may make you wrinkle your nose at some of his thoughts he is still pretty centered and doesn't go too far left. His perspective is a great easy read and he loves having fun with his words. My brother-in-law Curtis got me into playing an NBA board game (Statis Pro Basketball) in the 70's and I was hooked. I wish there had been a little more love for my favorite Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks but I was still very happy with his thoughts on both. To quote Paul Harvey this book gave me "the rest of the story". Nowadays every move is over analyzed instantly on TV and on the web allowing us to make a better informed analysis of what we are seeing in a game and around the league. Again it may be a bit much for the casual fan but if you think there is any possibility you might like this book I suggest you spend the $11.11 on Amazon or at some other retailer and I don't think you'll be disappointed."
"The passion yields some diversion that I think even the most NBA wonk might get a bit overwhelmed by."
Best Instructional Sailing
Evaluate the condition of your boat or one you’re about to purchase Repair structural damage to your fiberglass sailboat Improve or repair your sailboat’s electrical system Troubleshoot, maintain, and repair your boat’s diesel engine Put a professional-looking finish on your boat’s hull, deck, spars, wood, and trim Make and repair sails, sail covers, dodgers, awnings, sailbags, and bimini tops. Don Casey’s Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual combines six core volumes into a single, utterly dependable resource that answers every frequent question, explains every major system, and helps you keep your boat and its components shipshape. Evaluate the condition of your boat or one you’re about to purchase Repair structural damage to your fiberglass sailboat Improve or repair your sailboat’s electrical system Troubleshoot, maintain, and repair your boat’s diesel engine Put a professional-looking finish on your boat’s hull, deck, spars, wood, and trim Make and repair sails, sail covers, dodgers, awnings, sailbags, and bimini tops.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Casey certainly explains and shows through copious illustrations, how fiberglass repairs - even "major" ones - can be done by the DIYer with some degree of aptitude."
"This is a very good book on how to maintain, repair and assess the various systems on a sailboat."
"Oh I love this book, so many different project ideas it gives me and ways I can check on stuff, currently having a problem with the tach and this at least shows me how one works which I never quite paid attention to so hopefully I'll be able to fix it."
"Excellent and has a great amount of variety and much needed information."
"Fantastic book for anyone, in this case my son, who has a sailboat and is doing the maintenance himself."
"This book is a reference book and doesn't spend a lot of time on any one subject. Update (2 weeks later): I've had a chance to look closer at this book and I just reduced my opinion of this book from 5 Stars to 4 Stars. But if you need to know exact numbers on how much electricity that you are pulling and how much you need (And you have been out of school as long as I have been), I would suggest ordering an additional book on boat electronics."
"Please this before you buy a used sailboat."
"I can see how you can use these articles to fix things that Don points out that you may have missed previously, but I wish I would have read this book before I bought my boat, not after."
Best Billiards & Pool
A transformative journey of physical and ancestral healing from a renowned herbalist, natural health expert, and dedicated healer of women’s bodies and women’s souls. “Just when I thought I was all alone, I found myself walking with a group of conscious women who were taking sacred steps and speaking sacred words. Through Sacred Woman , she has given us the sacred tools we need to live our lives in this new century.” —Hazelle Goodman, actress “ Sacred Woman offers profound wisdom to all who seek healing and transformation. Priestess of Neb-Het, an ancient Afrakan order, and a holistic healer, Queen Afua here guides women to spiritual and physical health.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The suggestions would just get filed in the back of my mind like, “yeah, I should add Epsom salts to my bath or drops of lavender oil”. I understand that everyone comes from differing educational backgrounds and lifestyles but I found it surprising for women to lack knowledge of their monthly menstrual cycle. Queen Afua’s higher power has multiple parts- Maat, Het-Hru, Nefer Atum, Heru, and Tehuti. It doesn’t bother me because I recognize that religion is a choice and the assumption of Christian belief that many American’s have is often just blind acceptance of a forced culture. I respect Queen Afua’s examination and explanation of how the tenets of her faith can lead to a womens’ self-healing. Many in the United States, as it is a supposed Christian nation, could benefit from such an examination instead of blind dependence on medical doctors, pills, and the health care system as our gods. I understand that this book is meant to be an all inclusive guide but… I just don’t think I am on a path to becoming a sacred woman as laid out by Queen Afua."
"Great Book, Very informative, highly recommend."
"Wonderful book, very useful information."
"beautiful book with a good concept."
"Loving this book!!"
Best Oahu Hawaii Travel Books
Written by the author of the best-selling guides, Maui Revealed, Hawaii The Big Island Revealed and The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook. "Wizard continues to produce information, maps and photographs that are all first-rate, and--even better!"
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"These are the best guide books for Hawaii."
"Plenty of shopping, snorkeling, sightseeing, and water sports. Most of the people are nice in Hawaii, but we did run into a druggie or two."
"However, without breaking the law or running past security guards, you can actually legally hike to the top another route.. but you'll have to open page 212, once your book arrives in a day or two..."
"bought a used book..and the person before me had interesting comments everywhere... which i like."
"Everyone has told me how much they enjoy reading the book. I leave this book on the bedside table in our guest room and all our guests have enjoyed looking at the really nice pictures and reading it."
"It was the perfect thing to read prior to the trip and gave us some really great ideas."
"This book is a great guide to Oahu written by people who now live on the Island and know what the locals know."
"This is the best book."