A Kaleidoscopia Coloring Book: Abstract Adventure (Kaleidoscopia Coloring Book)

The Age of Invention is Still Alive: Catapults, Air Cannons, and Skycars

Punkin' Chunk Catapult

Taser Air Cannon

Skycar

Watch Adventures from the Technology Underground Slideshow (requires Flash).

Book Description

The technology underground is a thriving, humming, and often literally scintillating subculture of amateur inventors and scientific envelope-pushers who dream up, design, and build machines that whoosh, rumble, fly—and occasionally hurl pumpkins across enormous distances. In the process they astonish us with what is possible when human imagination and ingenuity meet nature’s forces and materials. William Gurstelle spent two years exploring the most fascinating outposts of this world of wonders: meeting and talking to the men and women who care far more for the laws of physics than they do for mundane matters like government regulations and their own personal safety.

Adventures from the Technology Underground is Gurstelle’s lively and weirdly compelling report of his travels. In these pages we meet Frank Kosdon and others who draw the scrutiny of the FAA, ATF, and other federal agencies in their pursuit of high-power amateur rocketry, which they demonstrate to impressive—and sometimes explosive—effect at the annual LDRS gathering held in various remote and unpopulated areas (a necessary consideration since that acronym stands for Large Dangerous Rocket Ships). Here also are the underground technologists who turn up at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada high desert, including Lucy Hosking, “the engineer from Hell” and the creator of Satan’s Calliope, aka the World’s Loudest Thing, a pipe organ made from jet engines. Also at Burning Man is Austin “Dr. MegaVolt” Richard, who braves the arcing, sputtering, six-digit voltages of a giant Tesla coil in his protective metal suit. Add in a trip to see medieval-style catapults, air cannons, and supersized slingshots in action at the World Championship Punkin Chunkin competition in Sussex County, Delaware, and forays to the postapocalyptic enclaves of the flamethrower builders and the future-noir pits of the fighting robots, and you have proof positive that the age of invention is still going strong.

In the world of science and engineering, despite its buttoned-down image, there’s plenty of fun, humor, and sheer wonder to be found at the fringes. Adventures from the Technology Underground takes you there.

• Launch homemade high-power rockets.

• Catapult pumpkins the better part of a mile.

• Watch robot gladiators saw, flip, and pound one another into high-tech junk heaps.

• Dazzle the eye with electrical discharges measured in the hundreds of thousands of volts.

• Play with flamethrowers, potato guns, and other decidedly unsafe toys . . .

If this is your idea of fun, you’ll have a major good time on this wild ride through today’s Technology Underground.

From the Burning Man festival in Nevada’s high desert to the latest gathering of Large Dangerous Rocket Ship builders to Delaware’s annual Punkin Chunkin competition (a celebration of “science, radical self-expression, and beer”), you’ll meet the inspired, government-unregulated, and corporately unfettered men and women who operate at the furthest fringes of science, engineering, and wild-eyed arc welding, building the catapults, ultra-high-voltage electrical devices, incendiary artworks, fighting robots, and other machines that demonstrate what’s possible when physics meets human ingenuity.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Great Intro to Alternative Science Projects!.......2007-09-18

Bill Gurtelle's latest book is a great intro to several fringe science & engineering contests & hobbies. It's a good read, without getting into too much technical detail (the Further Reading section @ the end leads you to sources for more details on the topics you liked reading about). Pick it up if you're a tinkerer, a hacker, or want to find something non-frumpy to do with your engineering degree! :]

Misleading web page.......2007-07-27

I must admit I was disappointed with one aspect of the book: the web page from which I ordered it showed a number of color photos of items that I expected to be in the book - leading me to believe these photos were excerpted from the book: but the book had no photos - only a few drawings. A large part of my motivation for purchasing the book was to see pictures of some of the items discussed.

The book was fairly interesting, but there are no photos in it.

A RATHER DISAPPOINTING PUBLICATION........2007-05-13

Nothing technical in this book. More about the development and use of different items made by others. Lacking pictures, plans, etc.
Okay reading but not much to be learned about tinkering or making your own projects come to life.

Adventures from the Techno;ogy Underground: Catapults, Pulsejets, Rail Guns, Flamethrowers,Tesla Coils, Air Cannons, and the Gar.......2007-03-08

I did not like this book at all. It just was not what I expected. I found it very "Verbose" and way to boring. I wished I had not bought it.

A little mad scientist in all of us..........2007-01-16

Did you ever get the urge to go pick up some scrap metal and bang together a fighting combat robot, flamethrower or a gigantic pumpkin-chucker? This book is full of tales of backyard builders and basement scientists who have built just these machines and more. The builders are motivated by a desire to compete against other builders and the satisfaction of making something unique rather than any monetary reward. The competition gets fierce when pride is on the like at the World Championships of pumpkin chucking in Delaware where massive air cannons battle middle-ages catapults to see who can hurl a pumpkin the farthest. Homemade combat robots battle to the mechanical deaths in improvised arenas carved out of scrap metal yards. Wild performance artists use flamethrowers and mega-volt electrical generators to create wild spectacles for the audiences at the Burning Man alternative culture festival. Part Mad Max, part mad scientist, this book proves that the only limit to our creations is our imagination.

Average customer rating:

A Great Book With a New Twist in Quilting
A quick and easy way to showcase art fabric.

Quilts With a View: A Fabric Adventure
Faye Labanaris
Manufacturer: American Quilter's Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Quilts & Quilting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Textile Arts | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1574327135

Book Description

From the author of Blossoms by the Sea comes a wholecloth technique for creating fabulous quilts with a view. The method is so simple that beginners or advanced quilters can spend their lives (and fabric stashes) exploring the unlimited design possibilities of combining applique, embellishments, and quilting to best enhance the fabric. AUTHORBIO: A professional quilt teacher since 1990, Faye has taught at major quilt conferences. Her specialities are Baltimore album applique, Hawaiian quilting, and dimensional French ribbon flowers. After being introduced to French ribbon work in Elly Sienkiewicz's "Dimensional Applique", Faye began intensely working with this new material. "I enjoy the freedom of creativity and spontaneity that the French ribbon flower technique provides," Faye says. REVIEW: Over forty beautiful album block designs showcase floral fabric backgrounds embellished with three-dimensional flowers and buds in a garden applique guide which will appeal to all levels, but especially those with some quilting experience. Full-page applique patterns blend with color photos of finished quilts in this basic guide.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Book With a New Twist in Quilting.......2000-12-22

I love traditional quilting but, for me, I needed more. This book released all my wild ideas and I felt free to be more expressive with my quilting!

I also love collecting unusual fabrics but hated to cut them into traditional pieces for traditional quilts. After buying this book and making the projects, I now have room to buy more fabric. This book has many different techniques and with the detailed instructions all projects turn out fantastic. The author included a gallery at the back of the book that is filled with inspiring "windows".

A quick and easy way to showcase art fabric........1999-07-05

Do you have a piece of fabric that's too great to cut, and just sits on your shelf? Cut a fabric frame for it -- oval, heart shaped, free-form -- and showcase it as a wall hanging or full-sized quilt. No patterns needed; just a sharp pair of scissors and simple quilting and applique skills. Author Labanaris shows you how to do it, and presents a gallery of view quilts for inspiration. These make great fast-and-easy projects!

Good House Cheap House: Adventures in Creating an Extraordinary Home at an Everyday Price

Average customer rating:

Great Examples
ideas are free
Should add to title "And Owners who did a lot of work themselves"
ideas for the house
Disappointing

Good House Cheap House: Adventures in Creating an Extraordinary Home at an Everyday Price
Kira Obolensky
Manufacturer: Taunton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1561587524
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Book Description

The 27 homes in Good House Cheap House prove that good design doesn't have to cost a fortune. What goes into making a good, cheap house? As writer Kira Obolensky discovers, there are three main ingredients: adventuresome homeowners who are actively involved; cutting-edge architects and designers who can solve tough design challenges; and an array of innovative uses of materials. Industrial bridge washers make for gorgeous mantelpiece rosettes, old concrete subflooring is given new life with rich-hued stain, and glass sliding doors make for windows that are oversized and affordable.
From a Texas farmhouse to a loft in St. Paul, to a prefab cabin on the Wisconsin prairie, these houses, in which anyone would feel at home, display a wonderful mix of design smarts and budget savvy. "Good House Cheap House is chock full of great ideas and creative solutions for those of us on a budget-but even the less financially-challenged can learn a thing or two about stylish and innovative design."
--Charles Burbridge, designer, HGTV's Design on a Dime "The cookie-cutter house trend has been around long enough. With its outside-the-box ideas and great resources, Good House Cheap House proves you can build a unique space without emptying your bank account."
--Amber Jones, Editor, do! Magazine

Customer Reviews:

Great Examples.......2007-10-12

I thought this book gave great examples of exactly what the book description led it to be. I'm surprised by some of the more negative reviews such as "this book features only modern style houses." It seems you could have figured that out from the photo on the front. It obviously is not a traditional house. Besides that fact, you shouldn't give it a bad review because of the style of the houses in the book. You could apply the ideas with any style you would prefer.

I will agree it would have been nice to see some floor plans though, to see what the people were working with. Overall, I think this is a great book though.

ideas are free.......2007-01-06

How many times have my notions of my dream house been dismissed with "Who could afford that?" Start with a concept and figure out a way to make it work affordably.With willingness to spend time, research effort, and exploration, many dream concepts can become reality. I can't wait.

Should add to title "And Owners who did a lot of work themselves".......2006-07-12

Lovely book, love the idea, got some great ideas for my remodel. However, the author makes clear that one of the most cost-savings measures the owners took, house after house, was to do the work, or some of it, themselves. That's great, if you already work with concrete or metal or can use autoCAD, but for the rest of us, it makes some of the ideas as expensive as before. In addition, the author relied on pictures in the book, which is always great, but the text didn't really cover all of the cost-savings ideas seen in the pictures. Going through the book, I kept wanting more and more detail.

Also, the plywood, IKEA cabinets and concrete are used over and over. Now, I love and plan to use all three, but it's not like the author shows us new ideas with each house.

ideas for the house.......2006-03-17

The book has some very good, inexpensive ways to update your home.definately worth the price !

Disappointing.......2006-03-15

Most of the book dealt with improving existing construction, not building new .... & most of it was very modern & brightly coloured.

747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation

Average customer rating:

Great lessons on aircraft manufacturing and project management
Great, Fast Read
...or how to navigate your dream
Father of the Queen of the Skies
Joe Sutter IS " one of the great ones "

747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation
Joe Sutter , and Jay Spenser
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Scientists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0060882417
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Book Description

747 is the thrilling story behind "the Queen of the Skies" -- the Boeing 747 -- as told by Joe Sutter, one of the most celebrated engineers of the twentieth century, who spearheaded its design and construction.

Born in 1921 in Seattle, Sutter grew up on a hilltop overlooking the Boeing plant and flying field. It was a thrilling era of open cockpits, silk scarves, leather helmets, and goggles. After serving in World War II, Sutter joined Boeing, then a small company, eager to build airplanes.

In July 1965, he was asked to lead the large Boeing team designing the new 747. Pan Am wanted a new airliner as quickly as possible. This all-new transport had to be far bigger than anything in service or even on anybody's drawing board. To make it fly, Sutter and his team would have to push far beyond the technological boundaries of the late 1960s. Could it be done?

Almost everything about the 747 would be unprecedented. Its cabin would be so wide that it would need two aisles. Its horizontal tail would be bigger than the wings of most airliners ever built. Jet engines big enough to lift it off the ground didn't yet exist. Runways at the world's airports couldn't handle it, and neither could Boeing's factories. They had to erect the world's largest building just to produce it. A truly mammoth undertaking, the 747 became one of the most successful airplane models ever.

Sutter's vivid narrative takes us back to a time when American technology was cutting-edge -- the 747 came on the market the same year that men first set foot on the moon -- and jet travel was still glamorous and new. With wit and warmth, he gives an insider's sense of the larger-than-life-size personalities -- and the tensions -- in the aeronautical world. Ultimately, 747 is an inspiring story of grit and glory.

Customer Reviews:

Great lessons on aircraft manufacturing and project management.......2007-08-06

As a project manager/engineer and aviation enthusiast, I knew I had to read this book. It did not disappoint. Joe Sutter seemed at first like a typical engineer thrust (no pun intended) into a dream job--designing and building a new aircraft that most couldn't even imagine. By the end of this book, however, he'd discussed not only the technical challenges he faced, but the political roadblocks he encountered along the way. The story is compelling and interesting and taught me a few lessons on dealing with angry higher-ups and demanding customers.

I especially liked how Joe weaved in a few details about his personal life and his background, without detracting from the story of designing the 747.

This was a fascinating read and one that I may have to revisit. Thank you, Mr. Sutter, for sharing this story with the newest generation of engineers.

Great, Fast Read.......2007-07-22

This book is a quick read because it is well-written and fascinating. Not only is it an account of the creation of the 747, but it is also an interesting autobiography of a man who has been deeply involved in commercial aeronautical engineering for sixty years. I found it to be a truly rewarding read.

...or how to navigate your dream.......2007-01-15

This book is an inspiring, informational and well written account of how Joe Sutter's dream came to be. An excellent read for anyone interested in aviation, commercial aircraft, management and start-up growth. While his was focused on aviation and the birthing pains of the 747, it is analogous to many of our own dreams and trials as we strive to do what we 'know' in our gut to be our contribution to our businesses, organizations, or environment. His lessons in leadership, perseverance and a healthy dose of 'independence of thought' are great reminders not to follow the crowd, but carve your own path through them. Joe sounds a little arrogant at times, which you can easily ignore. He does give plenty of credit to legion members of the team, including those he didn't particularly get along with. An excellent read.

Father of the Queen of the Skies.......2006-09-14

There have been many books written about the 747, but none of them tell the human side of taking one of the largest aircraft off the drawing board and into the skies in two years time. Joe Sutter is the consumate engineer, he engages you in a voice that keeps you interested all of the way through the book. He does it in such a way that makes you feel that maybe you where there. Boeing bet the company on the 747, if it had been a failure the company would probably be a footnote in history. The company put their trust in one single man, who claims he and Boeing grew up together. Joe also includes the stories of many others along the way, he never takes credit for himself but always makes you aware that it was a team effort. In fact he leads off with a disclaimer that if he remembered it wrong he was sorry.

The book arrived just in time for the bi-annual Farnborough airshow in England, he was asked by several reporters to critique the A380. Being ever the gentleman he declined to take the bait. But he is straight forward on his views of NASA and the Challenger accident, still just as analytical when he was half his age. His love of the 747 is evident, he is excited to see it exist today and hopes with newer technology that it will be around 50 years from now.

If you love big airplanes, or want to know what it took to build something that changed the World. This book will capture you for every page. Straight from the man who's shoulders carried a company and probably most of livelyhoods of the Pacific Northwest. It is a joy to still have Joe around to tell his story. To me the 747 will always be the greatest airplane ever built and Joe will always be the greatest airplane engineer that ever lived.

Joe Sutter IS " one of the great ones " .......2006-06-19

The above partial quote is plagerized from Joes book as he quotes Charles Linderbergh comments about the 747 which in its entirety was " This is one of the great ones "
I'm a retired Boeing Engineer, and while never meeting or dealing with Joe since I was working in other areas [supersonic transport, etc ] I did hear and work in later years with several who did have personal knowledge. Joe pretty much tells it like it WAS/IS.

I especially appreciated his efforts to avoid highly technical terms, and in few simple words explaining some of the basics of flight, powerplants, design criteria, safety concerns, etc. In some ways, it could be considered ' high school' level courses on flight and design criteria- but without ' talking' down to the reader.

It is an 'easy read' and does lift the curtain on a few, but not all the insider political games typical of Boeing and most other aerospace companies. [ I've also worked at Rockwell and Ling Temco Vought ]

Joe is definitely from the 'old school' as far as ethics and integrity, and his comments about serving on the Challenger Shuttle disaster commission and the NASA attitude re safety and risk in the last chapter seem as if they were written this week [ June 16,2006- see news items about safety concerns re the impending Shuttle flight in July 2006 ]. Hopefully, his comments and concerns will NOT be proven to be " deja vue all over AGAIN."

In my opinion - a keeper, and readable from Junior high up.

Average customer rating:

Great Golf without the Hordes

Golf's Best New Destinations
Brian McCallen
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Golf | Sports | Subjects | Books

Courses | Golf | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Travel | Blowout Books | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0810957450

Book Description

As golf has exploded in popularity over the last 15 years, new public and resort courses have been built all over the U.S. and around the world. GolfÂ's Best New Destinations is a highly informative and lavishly illustrated guide to the newest and hottest clusters of coursesÂ—places as varied as Kohler, Wisconsin; Prince Edward Island; and New Zealand. Author Brian McCallen, one of the worldÂ's foremost experts on golf travel, provides invaluable information about the courses and resort accommodations for both new and recently renovated destinations.

Filled with local sightseeing tips and spectacular photographs by some of the worldÂ's top photographers, here is a book that will appeal to anyone who dreams of teeing off in far-flung destinations.

Customer Reviews:

Great Golf without the Hordes.......2007-01-07

Brian McCallen has given us all a new set of golf destinations to put on our "lists." Rather than send us off to the usual places, we can look foward to visits to New Zealand, PEI, and the "other Ireland."

Anyone can write about what everyone has seen. It takes a special writer to entice you to new places. Brian has done a great job. Nice pics, too.

Collecting Houses: 17th Century Houses - 20th Century Adventure

Average customer rating:

Very enjoyable

Collecting Houses: 17th Century Houses - 20th Century Adventure
Anne W Baker
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1413417523

Book Description

Collecting Houses is a story about houses-their cellars, attics, and everything in between. It's about houses the author has moved, dismantled, reclaimed, recorded. It's about houses Baker found hidden in the woods, houses she rescued from ignorance, greed or bureaucracy, and houses she discovered masquerading behind all sorts of disguises.

It's about how a house feels to be, abandoned, condemned, moved, tinkered with, ripped apart, modernized, put on The National Registry or sent to Alaska.

These are not just any houses, but very old ones, old for this country anyway. Not that Baker feels that our later houses aren't interesting, but what she loves the most is the freshness of the very beginning: the distinctive, intangible quality that surrounds 17th and early 18th century houses. And that's where she become rooted. Rooted in the adventure, the thrill of discovery and the tantalizing mysteries that reside behind the walls of our early American structures.

Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, always instructive, Collecting Houses teaches the reader how to know an old house, how to hear its voice, how to understand its language, recognize its personalities and take care of its needs.

Customer Reviews:

Very enjoyable.......2003-11-30

a combination of funny, sad and reflective. It makes you dig deeper into the past and what we all cast away without a thought.

Do-It-Yourself Designs: Casual Chic (Do It Yourself Designs)

Average customer rating:

One word: Fun!
Poor, Not Worth it.

Do-It-Yourself Designs: Casual Chic (Do It Yourself Designs)
Jayne Miller
Manufacturer: Silver Dolphin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1592234372

Product Description

Know a girl who's a designing diva with a passion for fashion? The Do-It-Yourself Designs Casual Chic kit is what every young fashionista needs--whether she's walking the red carpet, strutting the catwalk, or even cruising the hallways at school. Filled with fresh inspiration and lots of ideas, this all-inclusive kit comes with everything kids need--from stencils, patterned papers, fabric swatches, stickers, and models--to create lots of chic outfits for all kinds of casual occasions. Using the 32-page illustrated book as a guide, they can design the perfect pajamas for a slumber party, get babed-out for the beach, and create a really cool back-to-school collection. Young designers learn how to combine function with fashion, use color for impact, and how to select accessories. Lots of superstar style for kids ages 7 and up!

Customer Reviews:

One word: Fun!.......2007-09-23

This is funner and teaches better then Klutz Papper Fashions! The only way to have fun with this kit is if you read the book and do it's step to step projects in order.This amazing kit includes:

#1: A 32 page book with 9 step to step projects that let you add lots of creativity. Also, one page is full of accesory ideas!

#2: 8 cool mix and match clothes stencils, 1 accesory stencil, and 3 model pose stencils.

#3 Thick high-quality pages for you to jot down your designs

#4 Stickers like belts, sunglasses, and jewerly to help you with your designs

#5 Papers with flowers, jeans, and other patterns to add to your designs

#6 Some sequins and pieces of cloth to put on your cool designs

Later, create a cat walk for your paper doll's fashions!(It shows you how to create a cat walk in the 32 page book.) I suggest this product for ages 10 to 16.

Poor, Not Worth it........2007-06-27

This book seems like a lot of fun because it is so big and bulky, but it is not worth it. The stencils are very complicated to use for kids, not many fabrics, and not many ideas in the idea book. A good thing is that it comes with two small fragments of real fabric material. Overall, not very good at all, I would much more reccomend Paper Fashions by Klutz.

Singlehanded Sailing: The Experiences and Techniques of the Lone Voyagers

Average customer rating:

One of Everything
Extensive current & historical information for Singlehanders
Extensive current & historical information for Singlehanders
basically a thesis, written from published works

Singlehanded Sailing: The Experiences and Techniques of the Lone Voyagers
Richard Henderson
Manufacturer: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Boating | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0070281645

Book Description

Singlehanded Sailing offers an account of the experiences and techniques of the lone voyagers, and penetrating insights into the psychology of singlehanders, their vessels, gear, strategies, and techniques, plus vivid accounts of emergency experiences alone against the elements. The information is absorbing in its own right, but also of obvious value to a larger audience of cruising sailors who occasionally find themselves sailing singlehanded or shorthanded. Combined with a wealth of practical information is an overriding sense of the camaraderie of the sea, and Henderson's steadying hand as a master sailor and teacher.

The growing popularity of singlehanded racing has spawned a wealth of technological breakthroughs: voyagers can now avail themselves of reliable autopilots, much lighter and more efficient rigs, microprocessor navigation, and satellite weather forecasting. Boats are bigger, lighter, and faster--and the costs and stakes are higher. Singlehanded sailing is at the leading edge of sailing technology.

These innovations are of major import for the larger audience of cruising and shorthanded sailors, and Henderson explores these connections thoroughly. A chapter on "Singlehanding for Everyone," and a thoughtful and provocative conclusion, assess the contributions and possible future of singlehanding. Even more than in the first edition, Henderson achieves a remarkable combination--a practical how-to book that is also an eloquent contribution to the sailing literature.

No better survey of singlehanded skills, boats, and hardware exists."--from the Foreword by John Rousmaniere

What reviewers said about the first edition of Singlehanded Sailing:

"This is more than just the most authoritative work to date on solo sailing. Because it deals with people who've had to be expert seamen to survive, the book becomes, perforce, a manual of great usefulness to any yachtsman contemplating a shorthanded voyage. Read it through once for perspective. Then put it with your navigation tables for ready reference when planning your next transatlantic."--Philip S. Weld

"It is a distillation of the experience gained by hundreds of sailors during a century of singlehanded sailing, and a critical and technically detailed discussion of the equipment and techniques available today. Henderson writes not only for the prospective singlehander who plans to sail offshore alone, but for every cruising sailor who might find himself effectively alone, through accident, illness or the inexperience or other incapacity of his crew--and that, to me, means every cruising sailor."--John S. Letcher, Jr.

"It is an excellent book, and I would consider it a disgrace for any Society member not to have a copy. Do not tell me you already have Borden, and Klein, and Merrien, and Holm, and Clarke, and etc., etc., so why should you buy another book on singlehanded sailing? Because reading maketh a full man."--Richard Gordon McCloskey, Slocum Society founder

Customer Reviews:

One of Everything.......2000-07-19

Henderson covers all the bases, and the book is full of helpful hints. But book is a synopsis of all he's read (not complete) and is presented in a dry style. Though solid at core, information is now dated. Good for brief history of single-handing, and lots of helpful hints and illustrations. Well worth the purchace, well worth the read, but keep reading. Does anyone know what boat is on the cover?

Extensive current & historical information for Singlehanders.......2000-05-03

This is a reference book. A "must" for anyone persueing the reality of offsore singlehanded sailing. This is not a basic how-to, but rather assumes the reader has some relevant experience.

The writer delves into yacht and rigging design from the historical perspective all the way through to modern day Vendee' and Around Alone (ex BOC) type purpose built (solo) racing machines. None or very limited coverage of Mini Transat(s) or 6.5m class boats.

Chapters also include psycological motivation, sleep deprivation, steering, stores, etc.

Some pictures & sketches mostly b/w

Extensive current & historical information for Singlehanders.......2000-05-03

This is a reference book. A "must" for anyone persueing the reality of offsore singlehanded sailing. This is not a basic how-to, but rather assumes the reader has some relevant experience.

Chapters also include psycological motivation, sleep deprivation, steering, stores, etc.

Some pictures & sketches mostly b/w

basically a thesis, written from published works.......1999-01-30

Save your money. Buy a book from one who has the expertise to write on this subject. Bernard Moitessier can say more in a few pages than this book has to offer.

Average customer rating:

Adventures with Old Houses
Great read...gorgous book
Appreciate Classic American Interiors? This book may be your new friend.
A Beautiful Book Of One Man's Exceptional Residences
More reviews available

Adventures With Old Houses
Richard Hampton Jenrette
Manufacturer: Wyrick and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0941711463

Book Description

This is the story of one man's quest to breathe life back into some of America's most historically significant dwellings. Richard Jenrette's affinity for endangered historic sites has led to the restoration of such historic houses as Edgewater on the Hudson River; Millford Plantation and the Roper House, both in South Carolina; Ayr Mount in North Carolina; and Cane Garden in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This uniquely personal account of the quest, acquisition, restoration, and furnishing of each property is instructive and entertaining. Along the way, the author introduces the artisans, curators, furniture specialists, designers, antiquarians, preservationists, and collectors who have played a part in his adventures.

Customer Reviews:

Adventures with Old Houses.......2007-07-19

I have been a fan of Richard Jenrette ever since I first saw the Roper House in Charleston. This year I had the opportunity to visit it and see all of the public spaces and admire the many changes since my first visit. Next spring I will be with a small group invited for coffee and a tour of Edgewater. I suspect that this may be the only other one of his houses that I get to see, but I feel as though I have been to all of them after reading his book. It is lively, amusing and quite informative, and the photographs are wonderful. Thanks Richard Jenrette for preserving these wonderful properties!

Great read...gorgous book.......2006-11-22

I highly recommend this to anyone fascinated w/ old houses. I enjoyed reading about Mr Jenrette's life and homes...this book is stunning.

Appreciate Classic American Interiors? This book may be your new friend........2006-06-14

I bought this book for my wife who is interested in classical American design and is a student of heritage preservation. The book is generously illustrated with large colour photographs of the exteriors and interiors of Mr. Jenrette's restored historic houses. The interior designs are neither museum-like nor a snobbish show of wealth, but impeccably tasteful, eminently liveable and absolutely applicable.

The text not only explains the history of the houses, their restoration and their decoration; it conveys the love and respect with which Mr. Jenrette undertook each project. This is among my wife's favourite books, and it never stays long on the bookshelf. (As a result of reading this book, my wife has put Mr. Jenrette at the top of her "person I most want to meet" list). Highlighting American furniture styles of the early 19th century in situ at six of America's most beautiful homes, there is a strong East coast and Southern flavour reminiscent of some of the rooms at the White House.

In these days of reduced heritage funding, many irreplaceable examples of fine American architecture are being lost. Mr. Jenrette has used his personal wealth to preserve endangered American architecture and antiques for future public enjoyment. Many thanks to him for sharing them in this excellent book.

-- Erik Pedersen, Victoria, B.C.

A Beautiful Book Of One Man's Exceptional Residences.......2003-01-13

If you believe in reincarnation and love old houses, you would surely want to "come back" as Richard Hampton Jenrette! (Who knows, maybe HE is the reinarnation of Alva Erskine Smith Vanderbilt Belmont, a peer, certainly, in the collection of wonderful houses.)

This man has the most exquisite taste, a passion for historic houses and the decorative arts, and the means to indulge a lifestyle that can simply be described as sublime.

This book is NOT a "how to" manual. It is an elegant recollection of a number of houses he has owned and obviously loved over the course of many years.

More reviews available.......2000-10-31

You can read glowing priase for this book and profiles of Mr. Jenrette's in House Beautiful (May 2000); Architectural Digest (March 2000); Southern Accents (July/August 2000); Old House Interiors (March 2000); Antiques Magazine, Preservation Magazine and Veranda (April 2000).

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