Essential CG Lighting Techniques with 3ds Max

Book Description

Lighting is the one thing that makes or breaks any CG environment. This inspirational book and DVD give you everything you need to create convincing CG lightin; from the concepts and theoretical aspects to the techniques and tricks that are essential in a production environment. The stunning color illustrations throughout the book illustrate just what can be done, while the tutorials show you exactly how to do it.

Every ounce of theory is backed up with practical tutorials, using the free trial versions of 3ds Max and Combustion supplied on the companion DVD. The tutorials take you from the fundamentals of lighting, right through to advanced techniques with many new sections, including ones that cover radiosity techniques, rendering with mental ray, and compositing.

Certified by Autodesk, Darren Brooker's new edition teaches the real methods behind real-world work. If you want a one-stop master class in CG lighting, or if you just want to brush up on your existing skills - then this book contains everything you need.

* Everything you need to learn the art of CG lighting in one easy-to-use volume
* Free trial software and detailed tutorials take you through every step of the CG lighting process
* Learn the art and science of lighting CG environments the Autodesk-certified way

Customer Reviews:

Solid intro to lighting, but not for advanced users.......2007-08-01

Advanced user aren't going to learn anything revolutionary, but over all this is a good beginner/intermediate level guide to CG lighting. As with many other Focal Press titles, much of this book's contents are covered in Max 9's own tutorials and user reference.

Lights..camera...?.......2007-04-30

This is a good looking book with full color prints. One of the tutorials was highlighted in 3D Magazine as an example of 3 point lighting. I experienced some difficulty with some files when I tried to use the radiosity plugin. Also, one tutorial has missing files. The instructions kind of jumble together in think prose. Not easy to follow. The material, however, touches on light theory, shadows, HDI, and renderers. The HDI tutorial is a good one to introduce you to the concept and yes, HDI maps are included. I think this is a good cocktail table book. Nice discussions and great graphics. Can't take learning specifics about Max lights seriously. But good discussion and some good examples.

Good book.......2007-04-10

It is a good book. It really helps to understand different notions about the cg lighting. Well structured and uses everyday language.
Tutorials are good, sometimes maybe to long, but they help to structure and have an overview of the matter.
I recommend the book to everyone who want to have an understanding of how to set up lights in 3dsmax with maximum efficiency.

50/50.......2006-12-26

Now some of the information was extremely useful, especially if you know nothing at all about lighting. But there is nothing in this book that you couldnt find from a training DVD from Gnomon or something like that. Another thing is, I had to request 2 brand new DVDs because each one was missing a lot of models and textures. 3rd DVD yielded a flawless one and I was able to complete all of the tutorials. If you know nothing about CG Lighting, its worth a look at, if you have a minor understanding, you may want to look into Gnomon or something along those lines.

A little weak..........2006-11-18

I've been reviewing several books on lighting and rendering, in both Max and Maya, and from the reviews here I was expecting something a little better in this book.

The content about Max was slim pickings. It said almost nothing about most of the optional renderers like Vray and Brazil, just about a page each on those. Apart from that, there was general info from the manual.

The sections about how to actually light a scene were weak. It goes over basics of approaches like three point lighting, but I didn't find much in this book that deepened my understanding of how to actually light, it just looked like generalizations that could have been copied from older books.

Essential CG Lighting Techniques (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation)

Average customer rating:

Not as useful or accurate as you'd hope
A good one
Ok for rank beginners
Content didn't meet in any way my expectations
Essential

Essential CG Lighting Techniques (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation)
Darren Brooker
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Lighting | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Equipment | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Digital Lighting & Rendering
Digital Texturing & Painting
Digital Cinematography & Directing
Texturing: Concepts and Techniques (Graphics Series)
The Focal Easy Guide to Combustion 4: For New Users and Professionals (The Focal Easy Guide)

ASIN: 0240516893

Book Description

Illustrated in color throughout, this comprehensive text not only looks at the technical and theoretical aspects of becoming skilled at using the light tools available in 3D software, but also provides invaluable tutorials so you can explore these techniques in-depth.

Lighting is a core CG skill that makes or breaks a 3D environment. Providing all you need to master this vital aspect of CG, this comprehensive guide looks at the key concepts that can be applied in any 3D package.

Every ounce of theory is backed up with practical tutorials, using the free demo version of 3ds max supplied on the accompanying CD-ROM. The tutorials deal with the fundamentals of lighting and as such are easily transferable to any other major 3D software package. The free CD also includes all the files needed to complete the tutorials step-by-step, as well as demo versions of Dark Tree Textures, Deep Paint 3D and Cinelook, acclaimed applications that every lighting artist should be aware of.

If you are new to CG lighting, are thinking of specializing in this area, or want to brush up on your existing lighting skills, then this book will provide you with a one-stop master class so you too can achieve professional looking results.

* Get all you need to know about CG lighting from one easy to use volume
* Put into practice the theories learned with the detailed tutorials and free demo software provided
* Learn both the art and the science of lighting CG environments

Customer Reviews:

Not as useful or accurate as you'd hope.......2006-06-25

I was hoping for more from "Essential CG Lighting Techniques", especially after hearing one reviewer compare it to "Digital Lighting & Rendering". Instead, I found coverage of theory which seemed to be paraphrased almost line by line from the aformentioned source, spruced up with generalizations that sometimes ranged from unhelpful to downright wrong. I don't know where the author got the idea that no light should ever have an intensity higher than 1, and that it's better to add multiple lights than turn up the brightness of any single source, but that kind of misleading generalization appears in the book without any qualification or justification. I cannot recommend this book as a first choice to anyone.

A good one.......2005-10-09

This book is really good. I was looking for the kind of tips included in it. It is a bit old but good to learn from that we think already know about lighting.

Ok for rank beginners.......2005-04-27

I have always struggled with lighting. I hoped this book would help me, but it didn't. I'm very frustrated by the lack of good lighting books out there.

If you know nothing of MAX or lighting, then this book will probably be of some use to you, but if you want to learn advanced lighting techniques, this book isn't for you.

Content didn't meet in any way my expectations.......2004-09-02

The reviews and the cover made me buy this book,
and i didn't take notice of the 'Another Magician'
reviewer. And now i wish i had and hadn't get the grip?
This book is like a total teaser.

The quality of the book is perfect i have never bought
a book with that quality. If you turn pages paper feels
really expensive, but??? although quality is nice i buy
a book for their contens. And here comes the problem.

The examples from the beginning and middle part of this book
make you walk away from the computer to make some
caffee or whatever. Now skipping 2/3 of the book. You enter
the last chapters. And here your heart starts to beat very wild.
By now you really need to go to the little room but no way first
you want to load that scene and let it render while you're off
doing some important stuff. Well to bad an accident just happen
and on top of that you'll find totalmente nada.

My advice to you is buy this book fill up those bookshelves, use
it to watch what scenes can be made with 3DS Max. But dont expect
to learn how to make them yourselfs.

Essential.......2004-02-27

This book deserves a much higher ranking. It should be at the top of the list with Jeremy Birn's "Digital Lighting & Rendering". In fact, I now recommend this book over the former for my 3d students as it has more technical information. Good lighting techniques are paramount to good CG work - you can never know enough. This is a great book - don't think twice - buy it.

Essential CG Lighting Techniques With 3DS Max With DVD

Average customer rating:

Essential CG Lighting Techniques With 3DS Max With DVD
Darren Brooker
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N5ZSFY

The Art of Jewelry Design: Principles of Design, Rings and Earrings
Average customer rating:

Great for Artists, not so great for jewelers

The Art of Jewelry Design: Principles of Design, Rings and Earrings
Maurice P. Galli , Nina Giambelli , Dominique Riviere , and Fanfan Li
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Sculpture | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Jewelry | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Designing Jewelry: Brooches, Bracelets, Necklaces and Accessories

Creative Variations in Jewelry Design (Schiffer Design Book)

Theory and Practice of Goldsmithing (Jewelry Crafts)

Jewelry: From Antiquity to the Present (World of Art)

Bedazzled: 5000 Years of Jewelry--The Walters Art Museum

ASIN: 0887405622

Book Description

The process of designing jewelry has never before been explored in a book. It has taken the combined talents of three top jewelry designers, including a profess who teaches the skill to jewelry students, to create this beautiful and practical step-by-step format. Starting with a fully illustrated discussion of design principles and metal and stone rendering techniques, this volume then presents progressive detailed sketches and finished drawings of many varieties of ring and earring designs. From such drawings the manufacturing jeweler can assemble the objects themselves. This book teaches one how to create those drawings. "It is a book that I have searched for, in vain, for many years. It is both the first and undoubtedly the best, and will remain the best for many years. This book is destined to become the bible of the designer, the guide of the artisan, and the companion of the jewelry lover." Samuel Beizer, Chairman, Jewelry Design, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.

Customer Reviews:

Great for Artists, not so great for jewelers.......2004-09-16

The good: This book has absolutely drop dead gorgeous illustrations of fine jewelry created using precious metals and precious stones.

The bad: The book is targeted primarily to those who have excellent drafting or drawing skills, with very little to no instruction provided in developing the skills needed to execute the concepts in the book.

The "artistic values" are presented as matter of fact axioms, with no support or explanation. In other words, this is not a "how to do it" book at all. It's a lovely presentation of jewelry design illustration, but there is no teaching here, and no hints on how the illustrations might be actually rendered in metal and stone.

Nice "idea book" for manufacturing fine jewelers who render metal from drawings, but of little to no value for small scale artist jewelers with no drawing skills who render pieces via improvisitory skills and spontaneous arrangement of physical objects.

A Century Under Sail
Average customer rating:

GREAT!

A Century Under Sail

Manufacturer: Mystic Seaport Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Sleek: Classic Sailboat Photography from the Rosenfeld Collection at Mystic Seaport

Sails and Sailing

Temple to the Wind: The Story of America's Greatest Naval Architect and His Masterpiece, Reliance

Herreshoff Sailboats

Wind and Water: Boating Photographs From Around The World

ASIN: 0939510715

Customer Reviews:

GREAT!.......2002-12-27

Great photos and text from the Rosenfelds, photographers extrordinaire of the 20th century! Awesome in every way. Classic wooden boats, both large and small. Long live the Dorade!

A Bride's Passage: Susan Hathorn's Year Under Sail

Average customer rating:

A Diary of the Year 1855

A Bride's Passage: Susan Hathorn's Year Under Sail
Catherine Petroski
Manufacturer: Northeastern University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1555532977

Amazon.com

In 1855, Susan Hathorn set sail with her new husband Jode, captain of a three-masted cargo ship. She recorded their trip from Philadelphia to Savannah, Georgia, and on to Cuba and London in a diary. En route, the beauties of a moon rising over Cuban mountains, shipboard duties, and the pleasures of socializing with other seafarers are interspersed with reports of sea squalls, bedbugs, and a too-lively crew. "Strange doings in the galley," she notes amusingly. "Stewardess drunk as a beast--thinks her husband so--had a regular fight." Her diary entries are knit together by Catherine Petroski's sometimes dry, but often enriching comments on sea life, shipping, and Hathorn's background.

Book Description

Excerpts from Susan Hathorn's journal, combined with contextualizing commentary by Catherine Petroski, create a vivid picture of daily life and social mores in the age of sail.

Customer Reviews:

A Diary of the Year 1855.......1998-06-15

Susan Hathorn speaks for herself through her diary, but Ms. Petroski provides background and insightful comments that explain some of Susan's more obscure references. Newly married, Susan accompanied her husband on his ship to England and the West Indies. She kept this diary for the whole year of 1855 while she was on the ship and then when she was left behind in their hometown in Maine because she was expecting a baby. I found it absolutely fascinating although a lot of Susan's time was spent at mundane tasks. Susan sure had a thing for sewing! I recommend this book highly to anyone who is interested in the lives of women in the 19th century.

The Bard Brothers: Painting America Under Steam and Sail

Average customer rating:

The Bard Brothers: Painting America Under Steam and Sail

Manufacturer: Harry N Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Working for owners, captains, and boatbuilders, the Bards turned out thousands of stunning paintings in the folk art tradition, works that have long been treasured by museums, collectors, and steamboat fanciers. This well-illustrated book depicts the lives and work of John and James Bard, the greatest chroniclers of the steamboat era.

The book also offers delightful details about the steamboats themselves, their colorful and competitive owners (including Cornelius Vanderbilt and Jay Gould), and the river and harbor traffic of the Hudson River and Long Island Sound.

A Century Under Sail: Selected Photographs
Average customer rating:
A Century Under Sail: Selected Photographs
Morris Rosenfeld , and Stanley Rosenfeld
Manufacturer: Mystic Seaport Museum Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Criticism | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Photography | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books
Boating | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sailing | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0201079631

A CENTURY UNDER SAIL
Average customer rating:
A CENTURY UNDER SAIL
Illustrated by Morris Rosenfeld and Stanley Rosenfeld Stanley Rosenfeld
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley Longman Publishing Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OOK3CC

A Century Under Sail: Selected Photographs
Average customer rating:
A Century Under Sail: Selected Photographs
Stanley Rosenfeld
Manufacturer: Mystic Seaport Museum Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OLBL7Q

American Roulette: How I Turned the Odds Upside Down---My Wild Twenty-Five-Year Ride Ripping Off the World's Casinos (Thomas Dunne Books)
Average customer rating:

If you don't how to read, then read this book

Great book, hard to put down

Cool Under Pressure? These Guys Are Icebergs!

entertaining autobiography of a casino cheater

A great book if you are interested in casinos

American Roulette: How I Turned the Odds Upside Down---My Wild Twenty-Five-Year Ride Ripping Off the World's Casinos (Thomas Dunne Books)
Richard Marcus
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Roulette | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Dirty Poker: The Poker Underworld Exposed

Get the Edge at Roulette (Scoblete, Frank. Get-the-Edge Guide.)

Spin Roulette Gold

The Roulette Formula: How to Predict the Exact Number

Gamble To Win Roulette

ASIN: 0312336012
Release Date: 2004-10-28

Book Description

In American Roulette, Richard Marcus tells his never-before-heard story, of ripping off casinos. The book follows Marcus, along with several of the world's great professional casino cheaters, as he travels from Las Vegas to London and Monte Carlo, pilfering large sums of money from casinos by performing sleight of hand magic tricks with gaming chips. As skilled cheaters, they back up their moves with psychological setups to convince pit bosses that they're watching legitimate high rollers getting lucky, while in fact they're being ripped off blind. With the exploding growth of casino gambling, heightened by Indian reservation and riverboat expansion, more and more elaborate casino cheaters are illegally assaulting the green-felt, getting rich off of novice casino personnel. Richard Marcus's insider story is a window into the hidden world of intriguing personalities and tense situations he encounters as a member of expert casino-cheating teams who use their wits to turn the odds upside down and "earn" millions. American Roulette is a fascinating story not only for those who occasionally casino-gamble, but for everyone with a little larceny in their heart.

Customer Reviews:

If you don't how to read, then read this book.......2007-04-12

I can see how this book got five stars across the board. I could not pout this book down. It was a fast paced read. I never heard of past posting until this book came out. It is interested to read the authors progression into the cheating schemes and how the schemes are improved over time. I highly recommend this book, especially for those who don't like to read or don't know how to read.

Great book, hard to put down.......2007-01-24

Very entertaining book. Just reading it, I could feel my adrenaline level rise. It felt like I was there in the casinos, trying to avoid the watchful eye of the security cameras. If you liked Bringing Down the House, I think you'll like this book too.

Cool Under Pressure? These Guys Are Icebergs!.......2005-06-20

As a big fan of caper movies and con stories (Ocean's 11, The Thomas Crown Affair, Catch Me if You Can), I can enthusiastically recommend American Roulette.

Richard Marcus (most likely not his real name, in fact, the name is the same as that of the actor in a TV series called The Pretender) tells of his successful career as a casino cheat. He started as a garden-variety gambler, lost all his money, found himself homeless in Las Vegas, and became a blackjack dealer.

Marcus was recruited by a well-to-do casino rip-off gang and rose to the top over the years. He tells great stories about which casinos the gang hit, how they engineered the con, the trouble they ran into, and how they were nearly caught several times. The gang even made their way to casinos in Europe and Australia, although their base was in Las Vegas. The opening of casinos in Atlantic City and across the U.S. made for some easy pickings as well.

American Roulette is not an instructional manual on how to scam the casinos. In fact, as Marcus points out, even if you were to learn the mechanics and technicalities of the scam, there is something more basic to the success of the con game and that is being cool under pressure. These characters are glaciers.

American Roulette is a terrific read, and would make a fantastic movie.

entertaining autobiography of a casino cheater.......2005-01-19

This book tells the author's story of how he lost everything he had gambling, took a crappy job as shill--promoted to baccarat dealer--at the Four Queens in Las Vegas, and then had the opportunity to join a group of gambling cheaters and thieves. The cheating moves described in the book are mostly "pastposting"--placing high bets after the outcome is known by swapping in a new stack of chips for the ones previously bet. The trick is that high-value chips are concealed underneath low-value chips, and the cheater often has to issue a "claim" by pointing out to the dealer that he's been underpaid for the bet. The book begins and ends with a move he calls the "Savannah" which is an opposite maneuver--a high bet is placed, with the high-value chips concealed by lower-value chips, and if the bet loses, the high-value chips are pulled off. With that move, the winning bets are legitimate and surveillance tapes show that the high-value chips were there all along.

The group also would occasionally make money with other scams, like "railing"--stealing directly out of the chip racks of their fellow players. They also narrowly avoid getting involved in a card-marking scheme, violating their own rules of not using any specialized equipment that could be incriminating.

The book is most interesting for the characters involved and how they dealt with "steam" from the casinos when they caught on to what was happening.

The author appears to have no guilt or remorse for his actions on the grounds that casinos are regularly "stealing" from people every day (though that certainly doesn't justify the thefts directly from other gamblers, and ignores that gamblers are willing participants who know the odds are stacked against them).

I read _Bringing Down the House_ about the MIT Blackjack Team about a year and a half ago, and the comparison between the teams is interesting--the MIT team's methodology was far more sophisticated (and wasn't technically cheating), but both had to use similar psychological techniques.

It's surprising that the casinos didn't come up with better countermeasures quickly (a rule that there are no payouts for high-value chips not announced in advance, for example), but I find Marcus' overall tale quite plausible, in part because of the factors he points out in the last few pages of the book--"practically all casino jobs are monotonous" (p. 369). The boredom results in lack of attention and the jobs' high turnover results in inexperienced people up against very experienced cheaters.

A great book if you are interested in casinos.......2005-01-09

While I am not sure how much of the book is poetic license, the author does a great job of describing his career as a casino cheat - down to the exact moves. What makes the book great is that you begin to really get a feel for what this life was like. While on the surface his life appeared glamorous, the work seemed to be constant stress. (you'll have to read the book to see why)
This book was almost as good as "Bringing Down the House" - just as well written, but the schemes themselves were slightly less interesting. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that has an interest in gambling and/or casinos. For those that don't, I would not suggest this book.

Undefeated
<i>how Father And Son Triumphed Over Unbelievable Odds Both On And Off The Field</i>

Average customer rating:

truly undefeated
Football and Life
These Gentlemen Can't Be Beaten.....Literally
Undefeated---

Undefeated how Father And Son Triumphed Over Unbelievable Odds Both On And Off The Field
Bob Griese , Brian Griese , and Jim Denney
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Religious | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Football | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books

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Look Inside Sports Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0785270213

Book Description

Both Bob and Brian Griese have led their teams through an undefeated season. But this biography explores a more significant meaning to living in victory. Both father and son have emerged bruised and battered but undefeated from some of life's toughest battles. In 1988, Bob Griese lost his wife and Brian lost his mother, Judi, after a five-year battle with cancer. When Bob made a decision to be a full-time dad to 12-year-old Brian, their shared grief, values, and commitment became the cornerstone of a very special father-son bond. Undefeated has all the makings of a dramatic, inspirational sports bestseller in the tradition of Dave Dravecky's Comeback.

Customer Reviews:

truly undefeated.......2002-02-23

Bob was my childhood hero, and so seeing that he had written an autobiography was like a dream that I never thought would come true for this private man in the public setting. However, he and his recently famous son Brian felt compelled to write a book that doesn't brag about their on-field exploits, but as a beautiful tribute to the person that appears to be their hero, Bob's first wife and Brian's mother Judi.

From this book's pages I learned a lot about a beautiful woman, someone who graced the earth with her presence, and about the devoted love that her family members had for her. A wonderful, and funny, and touching book about love within a family. First, the Griese's and friends love for Judi, and then, the love that Bob and Brian had for each other as they tried to support one another.

I can truly say that this book had a positive impact on my life.

Football and Life.......2001-01-26

This book is a heartwarming story of how a family survived the tough times and came out on top. If you like football or not you will enjoy this book and be able to see the love of family between each line. If you think football can't be applied to life, you will find out differently by the end of this book. Truly inspiring!

These Gentlemen Can't Be Beaten.....Literally.......2000-10-03

Suprisingly, this book is not just for football fans. It has a little bit of something for everybody.

The book is written in a very unusual format. It was as if both Bob and Brian Griese were just sitting around talking, discussing many different things, and voila, we have a book. It is written so matter-of-factly, that it becomes a page-turner rather quickly.

The book parallels the two quarterbacks, in their careers, family life, and personal triumphs and tragedies. Dealing with football was only a part of the book. You really get a good feel for these two men when they talk about a myriad of subjects and events, and you can't help but let your heart go out to them when they reflect upon Judi Griese, respected wife and mother.

The book's compelling language is peppered with humor rather nicely, and the overall tone of the book is quite inspirational. I truly enjoyed this book, and it sincerely kept my interest throughout. Undefeated is a real winner.

Undefeated---.......2000-07-12

THIS BOOK IS NOT JUST FOR FOOTBALL FANS! It is a compelling and inspirational story about the lives and the unusual parallels of two high-profile people--a father and his son--that involves much more than just the game of football. It encompasses sadness, joy, humor, and much more. It is presented in an interesting and unusual form by co-author Jim Denney. He captures some conversations between Brian and Bob Griese talking with each other about many events the two have shared in their lives, both on and off the football field. Often, these conversations get humorous, dad and son going at it tit for tat, openly displaying their strong, inherent competitiveness, even between their own two football careers. But the affection between them always shows through in their amusing dialogue. Their conversations, as well as inserts from other contributions of family and friends, are very moving as they discuss the life of Judi Griese, their wife and mother, who secumbed to a five-year fight with breast cancer in 1988. They tell of her strong influence on all of their lives. Bob and Brian have courageously revealed much about their family, personal, spiritual and emotional lives, much of which they have previously chosen to keep very private. I thoroughly enjoyed this book in every way. It's a great story, one that great movies are made from.

Charting School Change: Improving the Odds for Successful School Reform (1-Off)

Average customer rating:

Charting School Change: Improving the Odds for Successful School Reform (1-Off)
Barbara Stanford
Manufacturer: Corwin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Policy | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0803964897

Book Description

Changing Maps for a Changing World 2.

GREAT NORTH ROAD; A JOURNEY BY LAND AND WATER, ON AND OFF THE HIGHWAY, IN SEARCH OF LONELY PLACES AND CITIES, STRANGE TALES AND THE ODD CHARACTERS OF TROPICAL AFRICA

Average customer rating:

GREAT NORTH ROAD; A JOURNEY BY LAND AND WATER, ON AND OFF THE HIGHWAY, IN SEARCH OF LONELY PLACES AND CITIES, STRANGE TALES AND THE ODD CHARACTERS OF TROPICAL AFRICA
GREEN LAWRENCE G
Manufacturer: HOWARD TIMMINS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SBUM2M

Average customer rating:

Great North Road;: A journey by land and water, on and off the highway, in search of lonely places and cities, strange tales and the odd characters of tropical Africa
Lawrence George Green
Manufacturer: H. Timmins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Tanzania | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

Zambia | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

Zimbabwe | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007IUMLW

Housing Assistance & Welfare Reform: A Reprint from "Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development & Research"

Average customer rating:

Housing Assistance & Welfare Reform: A Reprint from "Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development & Research"

Manufacturer: Diane Pub.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 075673813X

Product Description

Articles: Public Housing Assist., Public Transportation, & the Welfare-to-Work (WTW) Transition; The Effects of Fed. & Local Housing Programs on WTW: Evidence From NY City; Barriers to Work Among Recipients of Housing Assist.; Comparing Outcomes for L.A. County's HUD-Assisted & Unassisted Welfare Leavers; TANF Leavers: Examining the Relationship Between the Receipt of Housing Assist. & Post-TANF Well-Being; Comparing Housing-Assisted & Housing-Unassisted Welfare Leavers in MA; The Housing Situation of Low-Income Families in Milwaukee; The Impact of Welfare Reform on Public Shelter Utilization in Philadelphia; & Surviving Against the Odds: Families' Journeys Off Welfare & Out of Homelessness.

Kareers: An Off-The-Wall Guide to 100 Really Odd Jobs

Average customer rating:

Kareers: An Off-The-Wall Guide to 100 Really Odd Jobs
John H. Anderson
Manufacturer: Arsenal Pulp Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1551520702

Book Description

Kareers is a satirical hot button collection of alternative career opportunities that - at the cusp of the millennium - pokes fun at America's corporate malaise. It's a book for those who've read What Color Is Your Parachute? and decided that bungy-jumping is more their style.

Kareers lists job descriptions for 100 questionable callings, from alien smuggler to x-sportsperson, from busybody to psycho-babblist, from lounge lizard to slumlord to suicide bomber. Each kareer is described in full detail and includes a job description and sample references material. Accompanying each description is an illustration depicting a typical kareer-minded individual, along with handy tips for would-be applicants.

Why not consider a conspiracy theorist, and learn to develop your plagiarism and exaggeration skills while fabricating juicy new plots (hours are flexible, and you can do a lot of work via the internet)? Or how about a professional survivalist, where you can learn to foster and feed mass hysteria while living off the land? Or consider a body fluids/parts donor; benefits include free medical exams, transportation, and snacks.

This useful guide is a way out of your employment doldrums. It asks the question: why settle for a boring old career when an exciting and unusual kareer is at your fingertips?

Kareers is a great gift for cellmates, graduates, ex-spouses, job seekers, human resource managers, and pseudo-intellectuals.

Average customer rating:

Odds Off

Manufacturer: Highwater Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0966536398

Odds, Sods & Racing Certs: Horselaughs, Winning One-Liners & Off-Beat Tales of the Turf

Average customer rating:

a few funny stories

Odds, Sods & Racing Certs: Horselaughs, Winning One-Liners & Off-Beat Tales of the Turf
Graham Sharpe
Manufacturer: Robson Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1861051425

Customer Reviews:

a few funny stories.......2000-04-25

This book was written by a gent in Merry Ol' England so some of the terms and references were not familiar but I could usually figure out what he meant. There was plenty of material that was easily enjoyable and insightful too. A collection of quick, short stories and anecdotes about racing that was a pretty good read when read in bits here and there.

ZOLAR'S ASTROLOGICAL MURDER MYSTERIES: Private Chats with Zolar; The Heavenly Tattlers; Lure of Satan; Odd Covers; Off the Cuff; Too Many Cooks; The Tangled Web; The Steel Spring; The Last Grain of Sand; Automated Murder; Tools of Destiny

Average customer rating:

ZOLAR'S ASTROLOGICAL MURDER MYSTERIES: Private Chats with Zolar; The Heavenly Tattlers; Lure of Satan; Odd Covers; Off the Cuff; Too Many Cooks; The Tangled Web; The Steel Spring; The Last Grain of Sand; Automated Murder; Tools of Destiny
Zolar (pen name used by Bruce King)
Manufacturer: Zolar Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HHJXW2

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