First published in 1859, "Forty-Four Years of the Life of a Hunte"r records life in early America, hunting in the wilderness, and descriptions of game and plants of the time. Part backwoods history, part heroic adventure story, the book recounts Meshach Browning's hunts for white-tailed deer through the Appalachian wilderness of Maryland and West Virginia.

This early work is an absorbing read for any fishing enthusiast or historian, but also contains much information that is still useful and practical today. Illustrated with numerous text drawings and diagrams. Contents Include: Fundamentals of Fly Casting; Equipment and its Care; Bait; Methods of Fly Fishing; Tips on Fishing; Fresh Water Game Fish; The Sport of Fly Casting and Fishing; Index. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Baseballs, Basketballs and Matzah Balls offers a sweeping exploration of sports: of contests and heroes, of triumph and adversity, and how they relate to the festivals that Jews have celebrated for thousands of years. Among the chapters: Remembering Simpler Times: What central message of Sukkot is enthusiastically espoused by winning college coaches? Kindling the Light of Confidence: What Hanukkah teaches us about the kind of confidence that builds champions? A Purim Perspective on Competitive Anger: Why so many athletes lose their cool, just like the villainous Haman did, becoming their own worst enemies? Coach K and the Meaning of Passover: How Mike Krzyzewski's success explains the Exodus? "A compelling, entertaining, illuminating work that will stir the hearts and intellect of Jews and non-Jews alike." - Seth Davis, Sports Illustrated/CBS Sports "Rabbi Mitch Smith has written a book that gives all sports fans occasion to think about the meaning of sacrifice, teamwork, leadership and other virtues in a different light. - Bud Selig, Commissioner, Major League Baseball "This book is a great read It offers all of us a roadmap to becoming more fulfilled human beings - Lenny Krayzelburg, 4-time Olympic Gold Medalist "Informative, insightful, inspirational... Mitch Smith scores on every level with this tonic for the soul." - Tim Green, former defensive end, Atlanta Falcons, Fox Sports NFL analyst "A MUST-READ Mitch Smith brings age-old texts to life, and conveys how concepts like team work, resilience, and refusing to succumb to defeat -- mainstays in sports -- not only allowed the Jewish people to weather history's storms, but to constantly engage in self-renewal. To paraphrase the old Levy's Rye Bread ad, you don't have to be Jewish to love this book." - Dr. Richard Lapchick, Director, Institute for Diversityand Ethics in Sport

Head basketball coach of Notre Dame at age 29, a position he held for more than two decades with a 100 percent graduation rate, an attention-getting figure in President George H. W. Bush's anti-drug program, part-time ambassador, a nationally adored ESPN commentator, and a possible Presidential candidate, Richard "Digger" Phelps has done it all. Undertaker's Son is an eminently readable, inspirational, account of how he rose from an unmotivated student in small-town Beacon, New York, to a nationally known figure who attracts attention wherever he goes. One lesson: Do it today, for tomorrow might not come--a hard lesson he learned while apprenticing at his father's funeral home. In Undertaker's Son, the irrepressible Phelps gives advice that really matters, whether it's how to get getting ahead in business, make the right decision, or plan for the future. Here also is Phelps's plan for a better America in these contentious times. Brutally honest, inspirational and often humorous, Phelps's message will appeal to anyone seeking an edge in business or life.
This is the perfect gift for anyone who loves a turnaround story.

Randolph Marcy wrote this guide for fellow travelers wanting to brave the wilderness of North America, at a time when the western reaches of the continent were barely settled. A captain in the U.S. military, Marcy wrote this guide partly to allay the many myths and fears of the Western frontier, and partly to offer guidance to the dangers which were actually manifest. The information within takes readers across two popular trails - northerly, ending in Oregon, and southerly, ending in Santa Fe. Written in 1859, this book is both a guidebook and an authentic history of the Wild West era. Various anecdotes are interspersed through the text - Marcy is careful to differentiate between friendly Indian tribes such as the Delawares and Shawnees, whom he admires. The Plains Indians however are considered to have hostile tendencies; Marcy instructs on how to sign, and gives a detailed account of how to safely sleep with a gun cocked and loaded.

Porter has produced a well-conceived, informative reference book that effectively combines breadth and depth of coverage. Recommended for academic and public libraries. "Choice"

The second of four volumes devoted to American sports, this volume presents comprehensive information on college and professional football players, coaches, club executives, league administrators, rule developers, and promoters active in the sport since 1869. Consisting of more than 500 alphabetically arranged biographical entries, it provides detailed profiles of the men who have shaped the game. Profiles describe those honored during their careers for high achievement and those whose contributions made a lasting impact on the history and development of the sport. All entries include a concise bibliography listing additional sources of information.

Video swing analysis revolutionized the way golf is taught, but players have had to rely on teaching professionals to analyze their swing videos -- until now. "The Picture-Perfect Golf Swing" is the first-ever complete guide to using a digital video camera to develop the perfect golf swing, on your own.
One of "Golf Magazine"'s Top 100 Teachers, Michael Breed has long used video analysis to correct the swings of his students. At the core of Breed's teaching approach is the idea that seeing is believing: when you actually see the flaws of your swing, you can truly understand what you are doing wrong, and you can fix the problem more quickly and effectively. By using this book, golfers won't have to rely on professionals to tell them what they're doing wrong -- they can see it for themselves. "The Picture-Perfect Golf Swing" offers practical guidance for analyzing, assessing, and correcting your mistakes just like a professional -- but without paying a professional rate.
Whether as a complement to swing analysis software or on its own, "The Picture-Perfect Golf Swing" is a must-have tool for everyone using digital video to master their swing. Fully illustrated with photographs showing fundamentally sound swing mechanics, the book also includes instructions on setting up a camera, choosing the best accessories for filming, selecting the correct shutter speed, using a remote control, and much, much more.

Contemporary life in the United States would be difficult to understand withouth examining the pivotal role sports have played in it. "Controversies of the Sports World" is designed to take readers of all ages into the heart of the tensions and conflicts that arise from the wide-ranging enterprise that now dominates the lives of millions of people. The controversies explored include such issues in sports as recruitment procedures, steroid and other drug use, discrimination against women, discrimination against African Americans, and violence.

Each of sixteen chapters analyzes the background and current status of a specific controversy illuminating how the games we play and watch affect, and are affected by, the world beyond the playing fields. Putnam presents opposing arguments on the sources and nature of each controversy, providing readers with an understanding of the causes and effects of sports controversies. He also presents a picture of how the people who inhabit the sports world--athletes, coaches, parents, agents, fans, team owners, corporate sponsors, and public officials--pursue their often clashing agendas in a manner that makes conflict inevitable and ongoing. References and Resources sections at the end of each chapter provide readers with annotated cites that will lead them to the sources they need to further explore particular aspects of each topic. The detailed index includes names, places, and teams, as well as concepts which students, teachers, and interested readers can use and explore.

This wide-ranging analysis of the key themes and developments in sports history provides an accessible introduction to the topic. The book examines sports history on a global scale, exploring the relationship between sports history and topics such as modernisation, globalisation, identity, gender and the media.

Here is the first reference guide to the major sources for the study of recreational vehicles, boats, and aircraft in the context of American history and popular culture. It provides brief histories of the various types of vehicles and bibliographic essays on published and unpublished sources for further study. Reference works, histories, fiction, and specialized journals relating to the topic of recreational travel are described and analyzed. Appendixes list numerous museums, trade associations, and specialized organizations concerned with leisure travel, as well as films and video tapes.

Originally published in 1854 this early work on Fish and Fishing in the Lone Glens of Scotland is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. This is a fascinating illustrated read for any angler. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original artwork and text.

To be a skateboarder today is a much different experience than it was for much of the 1990s. The photographs, quotes, and anecdotal text in '93 til captures a time in skateboarding when making a liveable income as a professional skater was a luxury and public understanding of skateboarding was at an all-time low. It was a time when skateboarding was searching for an identity, a time before Instagram and big corporate influences. Street skating was coming of age, testing its limitations and aligning itself with a new and innovative style of hip-hop culture that was emerging. Looking back, many skaters today feel as though the '90s were the golden years of skateboarding. '93 til is a captivating portal into a decade and a culture that is remembered with warmth and nostalgia. Much of the photography that Pete has unearthed for '93 til was buried in boxes for close to two decades and has never been seen or published before. The 250-page book also contains several timeless images from his years shooting for SLAP and Transworld Skateboarding Magazine that will be familiar to the initiated. In addition to his stunning action shots are plenty of portraits and unguarded, candid moments that span from the late '80s up through 2004. The book reveals a raw, unapologetic perspective of a world that no longer exists. Also included in the book alongside Pete's imagery are quotes and anecdotes from legends like Tony Hawk, Arto Saari, Jamie Thomas, Guy Mariano, Nyjah Huston, Geoff Rowley, Stevie Williams and others.

A moving, lyrical, eye-opening look at the true nature of intimacy among men.

The L.A. riots had an indelible effect upon the city of Los Angeles, upon the wider debate in this country about race, and especially -- in the pages of this wonderful memoir -- on ten weekend basketball players. After the riots, and once he'd fled his mid-city home for the relative safety of suburban Santa Monica, Alan Eisenstock at last found himself with a driveway that was big enough for a weekly basketball game. For years he'd yearned for this; now all that stood between him and the zone defense was the fruits of the carob tree that fell on the driveway and threatened to ruin the game. Once the surface was clear, however, Sundays were given over to a raucous, competitive, and hilarious series of ball games. But what began as a recreation soon became a chance to shatter the Boy Code once and for all.

So here they are: doctors, lawyers, writers, construction guys -- some single, some married -- all, however, committed to the game they're playing, and to the deepening of friendships the time together engenders. Along the way there's a fight and a falling-out; the tragic death of one of the guys' wives; a trip to Mexico that's right out of a buddy movie, except that these early-middle-aged men end up in bed by 9:30 P.M.; a laugh-out-loud karaoke session that has to be read to be believed; and more bagels than any book should ever be able to bear.

Holding it all together is Alan Eisenstock himself. His own personal journey from unhappy, stressed-out screenwriter to full-fledged, fulfilled book writer is the story of a man risking his financial and emotional life in order to follow his heart. And what begins as a weekly ritual of game-playing becomes, over five years, a meaningful exchange on marital issues, money worries, and the onset of various midlife crises. The result is a lovely, whimsical, and hilarious book about guys and what they talk about when their better halves are not around.

Why sports? What is their function in society, how are they organized, and why do people participate? This groundbreaking volume is filled with descriptive data relating to these questions and many others, and it does what none has done previously, by bringing together an edited collection of essays that describe and compare sport in twelve Asian and African nations from a social science perspective. Written by an international team of anthropologists, sociologists, political scientists, and physical educators, these chapters are not accounts by scholars viewing sport from afar; each writer is either a native of the country or has spent extensive time there teaching and/or conducting research. For ease of comparison, each chapter adheres to a common format, beginning with an historical overview of the development of sport in that country that focuses on indigenous traditional sports, the development of modern sports, and the place of contemporary sports. A description of the way sports are organized follows and includes discussions of the role of schools and government involvement. Next, where data were available, the authors evaluated levels of sports participation, including such variables as age, gender, social class, and urban or rural residence. An account is also presented of the nature of participation and success of the country in international sports competitions. Each chapter closes with an insightful appraisal of the future of sport in that country.

Seven figures and more than 25 tables facilitate comparisons, as does the editor's introductory essay that provides an overview of the following chapters. In the second introductory essay, Ruud Stokvis examines the process of international diffusion of sport, arguing that changes in sport participation patterns in countries over time reflect changes both in the world system and in the class structure of modernizing societies. Sport in Asia and Africa makes its substantial contribution to social science literature by enhancing cross-cultural understanding of sport as a vital social institution, and its voluminous descriptive data will surely be a catalyst in the evolution of further theories about the interrelationship of sport and society. A source of up-to-date sociological data, Wagner's superb reference will be an important resource for libraries, international studies programs, programs dealing with Asia and Africa, and physical education and sociology courses that examine sport in a comparative perspective.

This charming magazine is an absorbing read for any sportsman or historian. Its diverse articles are a wealth of information and anecdote extensively illustrated with text photographs. Contents Include: Secondary Education in Golf, A Winter in Sweden, Sport for a Prince, Trouting in North Devon, The Englishman's Bet, Hind Shooting in Winter, Winter Bicycling, Stalking in the Pamirs, The Goalkeeper, Reminiscences of Sport in Aberdeenshire, Prize Competition and Notes. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This edition was originally published in 1898. The well illustrated contents include detailed chapters on: - The Shotgun - Choice and Fit - Handling the Gun - Chokes - Loads and Loading - Shooting Positions - Game Shooting - Pigeons and Trap Shooting - Rifles of Past and Present - The Sporting Rifle and All About It - Rifle Shooting - Long Shots - Bores etc. Many of the earliest shooting books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwor

Short-listed for the North American Society for Sport History Book Award 2003Alcohol is never far from sporting events. Although popular thinking on the effects of drinking has changed considerably over time, throughout history sport and alcohol have been intimately linked. The Victorians, for example, believed that beer helped to build stamina, whereas today any serious athlete must abstain from the 'demon drink'. Yet despite current prohibitions and the widespread acceptance of alcohol's deleterious effects, the uneasy alliance of sport with alcohol remains culturally entrenched. It is common for sporting celebrities to struggle with alcoholism, and teams are often encouraged to 'bond' by drinking together. Indeed, many of today's major sporting sponsors are breweries and manufacturers of alcoholic drinks.From hooliganism to commerce, from advertising and sponsorship to health and fitness, if there is one thing that brings athletes, fans and financial backers together it must be beer. This cultural history of drinking and sport examines the roles masculinity, class and regional identity play in alcohol consumption at a broad range of matches, races, courses and competitions. Offering a fresh perspective on the culture and commerce of sporting events, this book will be essential reading for cultural historians, anthropologists and sociologists, and anyone interested in sport.

This early work on dancing is a fascinating read for any dance enthusiast or historian, and contains much information that is still useful and practical today. Extensively illustrated with 51 diagrams and drawings forming a complete how-to guide. The A.B.C. of Ballroom dancing from the Square Dances to the Swing Waltz. Contents Include: Section I. The Waltz; Section II. The Foxtrot; Section III. The Tango; Section IV. Round Dances; Section V. The Quadrilles; Section VI. Etiquette. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.