Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond

Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond
Average customer rating:

Great book, Sequel coming?

Can I Get My Money Back? 3 Days I'll Never Get Back in My Life

Can I Just Whine For 4 Years?

a book about basketball? Are you kidding me?

Paul Shirley

Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond
Paul Shirley
Manufacturer: Villard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 034549136X
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Book Description

He’s been called a journeyman. Even Paul wouldn’t dispute that classification. Regardless, Bill Simmons, ESPN.com’s “The Sports Guy,” has said of Paul Shirley, “We could finally have an answer to the question ‘What would it be like if one of our friends was an NBA player?”

There’s no denying that Paul Shirley is the closest thing pro basketball’s got to Odysseus. In Homeric fashion, he has logged time practically everywhere in the roundball universe, from six NBA cities to pro leagues in Spain and Greece to North America’s pro ball Siberia, the minor leagues. Hell, he’s even played in the real Siberia. And in Can I Keep My Jersey?, Shirley finally puts down roots long enough to deliver one of the great locker-room chronicles of the modern age.

With sharp elbows and an even sharper wit, Shirley–whose writings have been described as “wildly entertaining” by The Wall Street Journal–drops hilarious commentary, revealing which teams have the best cheerleaders (he’s spent many a time-out watching them ply their trade), why Christ is rapidly becoming every team’s “sixth man,” and even the best ways to get bloodstains out of your game uniform, using only an ordinary bar of soap and a hotel bathroom sink.

From sharing the court with Kobe and Shaq to perusing the food court at some mall in a bush-league burg; from taking pregame layups to getting laid out by a stray knee from an NBA power forward; from hopping a limo to the team’s charter jet to dashing to catch the van home from a B-league game in Tijuana, Shirley dishes on what it’s like to try to make it as a professional athlete. Can I Keep My Jersey? is a rollicking, thoughtful, even thought-provoking insider’s look at a pro baller’s life on the fringe. Like Jim Bouton’s Ball Four or John Feinstein’s A Season on the Brink, Shirley’s odyssey deserves to find a home on every sports fan’s bookshelf.

Customer Reviews:

Great book, Sequel coming?.......2007-09-26

I was due for a break from fiction novels and figured this may do the trick.
Picked it up last week from the local library and have had a hard time putting it down.
The "diary" style may not be comfortable for some readers, but for road warriors to be able to digest bits at a time and large volumes during layovers it's perfect.

This book is not a basketball bible, but that's not its intent. Paul is a highly educated (engineer) guy from a small town in Kansas. His take on basketball teams, players and all the craziness that surrounds it, allows an average reader a glimpse of pro basketball life that is in no way on par with Kobe, Shaq,etc.
I went to DePaul and in my graduating class; the top two players did not crack the NBA and ended up playing oversees. I always wondered how my corporate life compared/contrasted to their basketball path. Paul's career, in reading the book is highly correlated to one of the alums (Stephen Howard), so maybe that's one of the reasons I found it so interesting to read.

While this book may not win many literary prizes, I will recommend it to as many people as possible for the simple fact that this book is a WINNER!

Can I Get My Money Back? 3 Days I'll Never Get Back in My Life.......2007-08-30

Based on the strong word of mouth this book has been receiving from the likes of SI's Rick Reilly, I anticipated something much better than this one note diatribe from Shirley. The act wears thin after the first chapter. We get the point. He's qualified to sit the bench on pro basketball teams because of his height and not his skill. He doesn't give any insights into the playing of the game, just that he hates Christians who play in the NBA. That rant gets old too. The "I'm smarter than the next guy, why is this happening to me angle" can only be repeated so many times. As a writer, he needs to sit the bench. Please spare us a sequel.

Can I Just Whine For 4 Years?.......2007-08-24

Previous reviewers have either liked this book a lot or find it too full of whining and complaining to like it very much at all. I am in the latter category. I am an avid sports fan and have read my share of insider and tell-all books written by athletes and close observers. This is far from the best of those and, in and for itself, not very funny or entertaining. Perhaps I reacted this way because I do not share Paul Shirley's dry sense of humor, but I think it's more likely that he just doesn't have much of interest to say. The 12th spot on the bench in the NBA or a starting position in Europe/Asia or the CBA is a vantage point from which all sorts of interesting observations and interpretations could be made. And Paul seems to be thoughtful and intelligent enough to make those observations and write about them. Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, he settles for low-brow humor, off-color racist commentary, and petty comments about most of the people he encounters in his travels. There's really nothing fresh or thought provoking about any of it. Most of Paul's material comes across as stream of consciousness reactions to a variety of potentially unique or interesting situations. My take on this is that Paul didn't really have a point to make or even want to analyze what he experienced; he just wanted to write a book about in which he tried to be funny and make some money. I say that this same kind of book is done much better elsewhere and is not really worth the time it takes to read it.

a book about basketball? Are you kidding me?.......2007-08-23

This is one of the most memorable, entertaining books I've read. Perhaps it is the fact that I've never before been much of a sports follower and have often scoffed at the idea of professional sports and so this was completely new territory. The author does a great job of leading us through this fascinating world. Since reading this, I've come to soften my whole stance and prejudices against professional sports and have read several other bios. It turns out that millions of people aren't wrong, and the sport actually IS interesting! Thanks, Paul, for the new perspective.

Paul Shirley.......2007-08-11

Chances are the readers of "Can I Keep My Jersey?" are one of two types:

1) People who are basketball fans in general and have never read Paul Shirley before.

2) Readers who got hooked on Paul Shirley via his NBA Blog, or via Bill Simmons' columns on ESPN's Page 2. If you found this book by way of either of these methods, I'm sure you'll love it.

If you're in group 1 and you have a smart-a&#, sarcastic, dry, witty, smart sense of humor, I think you'll like Paul's writing.

I loved hearing about his experiences in foreign countries most of all. Paul gives you a look at being a complete fish out of water in places most tourists never go. If you've traveled outside the US, you'll definitely relate to some of his uncomfortable, awkward stories.

You also get a first-hand tour of the dredges of professional basketball in the USA - the CBA and the ABA. Personally, having been to the wonderful world of Yakima, Washington, I found his CBA stories about his time there to be particularly entertaining.

Again, this book isn't so much about the NBA or famous basketball players, it's about Paul's travels across the world while doing his job. I get the idea that while Paul loves playing basketball, he may not enjoy the rigmarole of playing in 3rd-world countries; it sort of seems like a paycheck for him in some points. Also, after making it into the NBA, he really brought an everyman-view to the NBA lifestyle too.

I breezed through this book. If you're in his target demographic (I am) and would enjoy reading things like blogs, I would recommend it. If you're not though, I'm not so sure...

Average customer rating:

Vagabond
Good Writing is Gone
As engrossing as the first in the Grail trilogy
Historical Fiction: Well done again!
Tepid Drama

Vagabond (The Grail Quest #2)
Bernard Cornwell
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060935782
Release Date: 2006-01-03

Amazon.com

Vagabond, the second entry in Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest series, has been eagerly anticipated by those who read the first book, and it doesn't disappoint. Thomas has managed to survive the battle of Crécy. Still nursing his wounds, he is dispatched by the king on a mission to look into the matter of his father's inheritance, which is obscurely connected to the Holy Grail. This most precious relic of the Christian faith is a much sought-after object, offering the power of total victory in war to its owner. But Thomas finds himself in the middle of a battle against an army invading the North of England, and other shadowy forces pursuing the grail are prepared to slaughter anyone who stands in their way. In the ruins of his birthplace, Thomas discovers more about his father, and a dangerous voyage to France brings him up against his cousin and arch-enemy, Count of Astarc Guy Vexville. The stage is set for a merciless showdown.

Thomas is a protagonist drawn quite as pithily as his much-loved predecessor, and the sheer verve of Cornwell's storytelling here is irresistible. We are plunged into a distant age: bloody, colourful and dangerous. Roll on, volume three! --Barry Forshaw, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

In 1347, a year of conflict and unrest, Thomas of Hookton returns to England to pursue the Holy Grail. Among the flames of the Hundred Years War, a sinister enemy awaits the fabled archer and mercenary soldier: a bloodthirsty Dominican Inquisitor who also seeks Christendom's most holy relic. But neither the horrors of the battlefield nor sadistic torture at the Inquisitor's hands can turn Thomas from his sworn mission. And his thirst for vengeance will never be quenched while the villainous black rider who destroyed everything he loved still lives.

From internationally acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell comes the spellbinding second chapter in his Grail Quest—the majestic epic adventure of duty, war, and destiny that began with The Archer's Tale.

Customer Reviews:

Vagabond.......2007-10-01

Second Book in an outstanding series about an English Archer tasked with trying to find the Holy Grail. Great descriptions of English battles against the French in the 1300 or 1400's. Super character development, great story line, I'm anxious to get the 3rd book in the series delivered any day now.

Good Writing is Gone.......2007-08-13

Whether you fancy 14th Century England/France and its historical interest or not, you cannot escape the excitment which Cornwell brings out in the characaters who existed in that time. Such good writing with attention to detail is lost and Cornwell brings it back. I thought I would never find a writer like Glenn Cook or Michael Moorcock, but I have and I will continue to enjoy his good writing for years to come....

T. Williams, Michigan

As engrossing as the first in the Grail trilogy.......2007-06-24

VAGABOND is the second book in the Grail trilogy, following THE ARCHER'S TALE. It continues Thomas of Hookton's duel mission - to lead archers in the English king's army and to find the holy grail, if it exists. Thomas is skeptical about its existence because he has never seen it, and because his father was thought to be a bit crazy.

As with the first book, VAGABOND accurately reflects the history of the Hundred Years War. Because the characters develop throughout the trilogy, it's best to begin with THE ARCHER'S TALE.

Don't miss the third book, HERETIC.

Historical Fiction: Well done again!.......2007-02-10

Bernard Cornwell has continued "The Grail Quest" trilogy with book 2 of the series, "Vagabond". This book continues the story of Thomas of Hookton, master archer in the English army, son of a "crazy" priest, and apparently, heir to the family burden, grail-keeper.
Book 1, "The Archer's Tale" in the U.S. (Harlequin in the U.K.), begins the story and the first battles of the hundred-years-war, but if you don't read the first book, you can still read "Vagabond" and be kept up to speed. This is both a positive and a negative. The positive is that, due to the fact that there is so much happening in the first book, Cornwell must recap alot of the information as backstory in the second book; the negative is that, having just finished the first book, I was a little bored with the redundancy of the backstory because I wanted to move on with the current storyline. The book was good nonetheless and I was never too put off by the inclusion of the backstory. I STILL DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THAT THE FIRST BOOK BE READ BEFORE THIS ONE. The "Archer's Tale" ("Harlequin") was wonderful and, obviously, all of the first book cannot be included in the second.
This is well written historical fiction, accurate concerning the battles, the cities and the major players (i.e. kings, lords, dukes, etc.), that were all part of the beginnings of the hundred-years-war. Cornwell is meticulous in his descriptions of the battles and the reasons for why each commander did what he did during the battle, providing interesting insight in to the nature of man and the causes of the war.
Cornwell also delivers the information with surprising candor and does not present the story from the side of the French, the English, the Scottish, or the many other countries who had men fighting in the war.
Most surprising and liberating about this book, as with the first, is Cornwell's blunt portrayal of Catholicism, The Inquisition, priests, and the greed of the church during this time. Cornwell again leaves nothing to the imagination and removes any shroud of solemnity or respect that is often offered the medieval church, but truly not deserved.
This book continues the story of Thomas of Hookton, his travels from France to England, back to France, his capture and torture by The Inquisition, his return to his love from the first novel and, ultimately, the acceptance of the burden that was presented to him in the first book; he is responsible for recovering the grail, the cup of Christ, and restoring his family, which was wiped out by the French aristocracy and the Catholic church as heretical, to their proper place in the world. His family, the Vexilles, were lords and members of the Cathar religion that was wiped out by the early Inquisition due to their growing numbers and their defiance to the Catholic church. They were, according to Thomas of Hookton's father, the chosen ones of God, responsible for protecting the grail and using it's power to bring peace to the world. Thomas was given the burden of recovering the grail after his father was murdered in the first book.
Historically accurate, vividly descriptive, with well-developed characters both from the first book and some newly added, and intriguing from beginning to end, I am again desperate to get to the next book and discover the fate of Thomas of Hookton.

Tepid Drama.......2007-02-06

Repetitious wordiness and a slow-moving story line detract from the interesting detail of the tumultuous events covered by this novel.

Average customer rating:

Nobody does "eccentrics" like the Brits!!

Brewer's Rogues, Villains & Eccentrics
William Donaldson , and Willie Donaldson
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Presenting the Hall of Shame! Both entertaining and indiscreet, this dictionary of callous cads introduces a host of wildly colorful characters. Here are assassins and arsonists, hangmen and horse thieves, hell-raisers and highwaymen, not to mention an array of poisoners, quacks, and forgers. Meet Ronald Biggs, one of the participants of the Great Train Robby, and Julie Amiri, a thief who found being detained by policemen...very exciting. There's enough degradation, depravity, and dottiness to delight anyone. A Selection of the Readers Subscription Book Club.

Customer Reviews:

Nobody does "eccentrics" like the Brits!!.......2003-12-06

Everything you never knew that you wanted to know about the oddballs, rogues, cads, scoundrels, footpads, and other non-conformists who made the "Sceptered Isle" what it is (and was). I got this book since I really enjoyed "The Henry Root Letters" and "Root Into Europe". Our old friend the 5th Duke of Portland is well represented(see "Ballroom, construction of one underground"), as are swindlers, the Krays, women who served as men in the Army, train robbers, etc. The list truly does go on and on. If you are familiar with "Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels", Lenny McLean, who played Barry The Baptist, and Vinnie Jones, who played Big Chris are both subjects of bios here, but although I mostly seem to be citing criminals in this review, there is far, far more to this book. I highly and unreservedly recommend this! (By the way, I recently learnt "Willie" Donaldson died. His obit in the UK press was WONDERFUL. A womanizing, drunken druggie....no wonder his entries about Keith Moon and Brian Jones sound so accurate!!)

The Vagabond Duchess (Harlequin Historical Series)

Average customer rating:

Really Good
A great read
Surprisingly Good

The Vagabond Duchess (Harlequin Historical Series)
Claire Thornton
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0373294468

Book Description

He'd promised to return.

But Jack Bow is dead. And Temperance Challinor's quietly respectable life is changed forever.

Practical Temperance has no time to grieve for the irresistible rogue who gave her one night of comfort in a blazing city. She must protect her unborn child—by pretending to be Jack's widow.

A foolproof plan. Until she arrives at Jack's home…and the counterfeit widow of a vagabond becomes the real wife of a very much alive duke!

Customer Reviews:

Really Good.......2007-09-19

First time reading anything from this author. The characters were very well rounded and believable. Look forward to reading more.

A great read.......2007-04-19

The Vagabond Duchess is a bit different from most historicals around. It takes place in 1666, with repercussions from the king's exile, the vicious spread of the plague and the horrid London fires. Because of this the characters are excellently flushed out. Jack, the Duke, does masquerade as a vagabond at times. It was a persona he picked up while exiled in France; he was forced to hide his background. This makes him resourceful and resilient, but unwilling to put himself at the whims of others. Temperance is a shopkeeper that has lost her entire family and was left to fend for herself, she's independent and strong-willed. Naturally, when they meet each other the sparks fly. They have both found someone to lean on.

The plot line basically follows their intial courtship while Jack is a vagabond and then Temperance's life as the new Duchess. I would say this work is more driven by its characters,a very good thing. It is such a warm, sweet story. The only thing I would change is Toby; a very spoiled child. So many tantrums and no one to discipline him, especially since his dad was a wanderer and most likely let him have his way out of guilt at not being home all the time. I felt bad for the sweetheart that was Issac, he was forced buddy up with the brat.

Surprisingly Good.......2007-04-10

I've boycotted HQN as low quality for years - or at least I thought I did. A recent conversation over at Word Wenches made me realize I've been buying a few HQN's here and there. I constantly ask for more diversity in the genre and at the same time (it was pointed out) I limited myself from exploring all the places I could find that diversity. I picked up The Vagabond Duchess because of an interest in the London Fire of 1666 and I'm delighted I did. I've been a fool and a snob. What struck me most was how these characters live in a time that was far more treacherous than the Napoleonic. The plague had just left, the fire is upon them, a king has been lost then regained - there is no certainty and in times of uncertainty there's an odd freedom. I was far more inclined to believe a shop owner and a duke could expect to make a go of it than I otherwise would have been. This was a tremendously entertaining read. I encourage you, if you've been curious about breaking out of Regency Vampires to try this title out.

The Vagabond Clown: An Elizabethan Theater Mystery Featuring Nicholas Bracewell

Average customer rating:

Thirteenth Book in a Wonderful Series
Marston sends in the clowns!
Murder and Bigotry
Colorful Elizabethan mystery

The Vagabond Clown: An Elizabethan Theater Mystery Featuring Nicholas Bracewell
Edward Marston
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Fair Maid of Bohemia, The

ASIN: 0312307896

Amazon.com

"This was no random act of malice," proclaims stage manager Nicholas Bracewell, after an audience brawl disrupts the latest comedic performance by Westfield's Men, in Edward Marston's The Vagabond Clown. If there was any doubt of design behind this affray, it's quickly dispelled by the discovery of a dead spectator in the gallery, Fortunates Hope--stabbed in the back. So who wielded the dagger, and why? Bracewell and the other members of his troupe haven't the time to find out, before they are ousted from their usual stage in Elizabethan London and forced to take to the road for their income, beginning a tour of the Kent countryside that will bring them even more trouble than they could typically find in the English capital.

Misfortune is guaranteed when--needing a clown to stand-in for the querulous Barnaby Gill, whose leg was broken during the riot--the company hires his hated but gifted rival, Gideon Mussett. Aware of Mussett's reputation for "drunkenness and truculence," Bracewell wrests from him a pledge to behave. However, this proxy jester proves difficult to handle from the outset, and only becomes more so as his performances gain Westfield's Men acclaim. Among his supposed infractions are several prankish attacks on the injured Gill, who has insisted on traveling with Westfield's Men in order to ensure that Mussett won't try usurping his position. But Bracewell thinks fault for his company's recent adversities may lie, instead, with another, less successful band of thespians who are also traveling through the area, and whose patron knew the murdered Hope. He's convinced of their culpability after Westfield's Men are ambushed on the open road, Gill is threatened with drowning, and Giddy Mussett is assaulted in a stable. Somebody, it appears, is determined to bring the curtain down on Bracewell's band, once and for all.

The Nicholas Bracewell novels (of which The Vagabond Clown is the 13th) offer a fulfilling blend of hilarity and heart, romance and mystery. And Marston's flair for capturing both the upright and ribald elements of his Elizabethan setting is to be envied. If there's any disappointment in these pages, it's that a late scene involving a sea chase never achieves the swashbuckling excitement it promises. --J. Kingston Pierce

Book Description

When unexpected disaster strikes Lord Westfield's Men during a packed performance, Nicholas Bracewell must save the day. Will a vagabond clown prophesy the end of the troupe, and perhaps the demise of Nick himself? Longtime readers of mystery master Edward Marston will line up to find out in this suspenseful entry in a fan-favorite, Edgar-nominated series.

Customer Reviews:

Thirteenth Book in a Wonderful Series.......2006-12-01

Edward Marston is the pseudonym of Keith Miles, a fairly prolific and extremely good writer of mainly Elizabethan and medieval mysteries. He has also written mysteries under his own name with both sporting and golf backgrounds. However it is primarily the books that take place earlier in history that I am interested in. He read modern history at Oxford and has had many jobs, including university lecturer, but fortunately for all his readers, he turned to the writing profession.

Regular reader's of the series will know that Lord Westfield's Men are probably the most accident prone troupe of actors that ever went on a stage and it is always the company's stage manager Nicholas Bracewell who has to untangle the web of intrigue that seem to follow them wherever they go. Once again they have been struck by an unexpected disaster. A melee caused by men in disguise is brought under control, but before the troupe can attempt to recover what they can of their damaged set, Nicholas discovers a body in the stands. A body with a knife sticking out of its back . . .

The author's love for the Elizabethan theatre comes shining through this series of books. Plus his knowledge of the period fills the pages with authenticity and the sights and sounds of the streets and inns of Elizabethan London.

Marston sends in the clowns!.......2004-02-21

"The Vagabond Clown" is the latest in the Edward Marston series ("An Elizabethan Theater Mystery Featuring Nicholas Bracewell") and the author continues to maintain his
flair for the dramatic!

Once again, Westfield's Men, in which Nicholas is the stagemanager "and all around performer of miracles," find themselves in a lot of trouble! Owing to a devastating
brawl during one of their performances at the Queen's Head Inn, the troupe has to exit stage out-of-town, as so much damage has been done to the Inn and their stage proprieties,
there is nothing left for them but to head to Kent to recoup their losses. A major injury to the players is that Barnaby Gill, their erstwhile clown, was injured (a broken leg) in the
melee.

Alas, during said brawl a young man is found dead in the bleachers, a dagger sticking out of his back. Nick and his colleagues know this is murder but cannot imagine
how it relates to them.

But without a clown, the players know they cannot go on. Thus, when Nick recommends one Giddy Mussett, everyone stares askance at the suggestion. Giddy is known as a brawler, a drinker, and a lecher! He is also in debtors prison. After securing his release--and his promise to be on good behavior--Westfield's Men head for the country.

And while the show must go on, it goes with much ado about murder and more mayhem. Someone is out to destroy the players. And not far into their tour, Giddy is found
murdered. It is for Nick to figure all this out.

Marston, of course, takes us though the paces and by the final curtain, all's well that ends well. It goes without saying, particularly if you'ver ead any of this series, that
Westfield's Men save the day.

The author does an excellent job of staying in character--his historical mysteries also include The Domesday Book Series--and "The Vagabond Clown" is no exception. It's light,
fun reading, especially if one likes historical whodunits. (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

Murder and Bigotry.......2004-02-12

Edward Marston is a well regarded writer, known for his series featuring detective-actor Nicholas Bracewell. His latest novel, The Vagabond Clown, seems at first to be a light-hearted book based in the Elizabethan period. However, the ending of the novel has a surprising twist that demonizes Catholics.

Marston depicts Catholic villains who feel entitled to murder and torture anyone who insults their religion on the public stage. They are painted as broad brush representatives of all Catholics and depicted as members of a great conspiracy, spies for the pope, thieves, murderers, smugglers, etc. Admittedly, many Elizabethans might have believed this, but bigotry need not be replicated in a contemporary historical novel without the necessity of offering some kind of balanced viewpoint to counter it. To do otherwise is to reinforce a previous era's stereotypes and thus add fuel to the fires of religious or racial intolerance.

Instead, the author fans scurrilous flames in the voice of his hero. Nicholas Bracewell opines that, when the "truth" comes out, it will "shake" others' "faith" in the Catholic religion and lead them to abjure their religion. He again trots out "truth" as a defense for libel, when Bracewell asserts that the plays merely "laid bare the iniquities of Popery."

Excuse me, but I assumed that kind of pap went out with Guy Fawkes Day lynchings!

Colorful Elizabethan mystery.......2003-08-06

The Westfield's Men acting troupe consider themselves very lucky while in London to be based at The Queen's Head Inn. It has an enclosed yard that is perfect as an outdoor theatre and it even has balconies for the aristocrats and wealthy merchants that want to attend a play without mingling with the common folk. When a riot breaks out during a play they are giving, one of their star performers is injured and a man in the balcony is murdered. It is clear to all that someone wanted to use the riot as a diversion for the killing.

The proprietor of the Queen's Head throws out the actors forcing them to take to the road. They hire a substitute player temporarily until the injured actor is ready to perform again. However, every place they stop they are welcomed by villains who try to sabotage their performances. At one stopover, a player is killed and Nicholas Bracewell, the book holder and the glue that keeps the company together, realizes somebody is out to destroy the company and he intends to stop them.

Readers are privy to what happens behind the scenes in a traveling troupe's entourage. Westfield's Men are a diverse lot of actors who are at times act petty and argumentative but are at the same time loyal to one another and the troupe as a whole. They love to act and it shows in the risks they take but it is Nicholas Bracewell, a hired hand, who manages to rise above the ensemble to make Westfield's Men one of the best acting troupes in Elizabethan England.

Book Description

Sten Cedergren set out to become a cowboy at an early age--first stop, Paraguay. After further roaming, he landied in Keny and joined White Hunters Ltd., in addition to doing elephant control work. Today in his early eighties he is still hunting elephant in Zimbabwe!

Customer Reviews:

Sorry to Disappoint You, but This Work Contains More Elephant Hunting Than Sex........2007-08-06

Sten Cedergren's "The Adventurous Life of a Vagabond Hunter" is perhaps the most underrated elephant hunting work of the past decade. Shame on Safari Press for trying to capitalize on the sexual exploits of the work and not the many pages of elephant hunting. It is obvious Sten has been in the jess with rota in hand; however, one would never know it from the book's description.
Although not easily impressed with contemporary elephant hunting works, this is the equivalent of a modern day 100 pound tusker. Sten, without rambling like Nyschens, transforms the reader into his gun bearer as he successfully stalks bull after bull obtaining mounds of impressive ivory.
I will admit that the book could have a better title and the artwork of the dust jacket would be better suited as a mural on a child's wall. If you can find a Safari Press Limited Edition, spend the extra money as these were issued in a slipcase and do not contain the ridiculous dust jacket. There are even a few signed copies of the second edition floating around and if you are lucky enough to come across one, you better grab it as these are bound to increase in value as Sten enters the eternal hunting ground in the sky where all bulls carry tusks the size of telephone poles.

Vagabond, Volume 24 (Vagabond (Graphic Novels))

Average customer rating:

excellent series

Vagabond, Volume 24 (Vagabond (Graphic Novels))

Manufacturer: VIZ Media LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

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

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Similar Items:

Vagabond, Volume 25 (Vagabond (Graphic Novels))
Vagabond, Volume 23 (Vagabond (Graphic Novels))
Vagabond, Vol. 5
Vagabond, Volume 21 (Vagabond (Graphic Novels))
Vagabond, Volume 20 (Vagabond)

ASIN: 1421508273

Book Description

In Tokunaga-era Japan, a new government has just taken power and the land is disarray. Amidst the turmoil, a young man sets out on a journey seeking spriritual enlightement by way of the soword, prepared to slay anyone who gets in his way. Adapted from the fictionalizad biography Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa, this graphic novel depicts the life and times of real-life "sword saint" Miyamoto Musahi(1584-1645)

Customer Reviews:

excellent series.......2007-03-13

the only drawback to this series - the tale of musashi - is waiting for the latest issue to be released. the artwork is exquisite, with each character carefully drawn. issue 24 is the best so far, because musashi finally meets denshichiro of the yoshioka school, and encounters the deaf swordmaster sasaki kojiro in the process. there is also a gathering of the characters you have followed through the issues, including the priest takuan and the beautiful otsu, and the dreadfully vengeful mother of the cowardly matahachi.

Scary Monsters and Super Freaks: Stories of Sex, Drugs, Rock 'N' Roll and Murder

Average customer rating:

Freaky Monsters
"CUT THEIR EYES"
dark page-turners in miniature.
A very well-written collection
True Crime

Scary Monsters and Super Freaks: Stories of Sex, Drugs, Rock 'N' Roll and Murder
Mike Sager
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Murder & Mayhem | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Wonderland Avenue: Tales of Glamour and Excess (Abacus Books)
L.A. Despair: A Landscape of Crimes & Bad Times
Revenge of the Donut Boys: True Stories of Lust, Fame, Survival and Multiple Personality
The Wonderland Murders
Laid Bare: A Memoir of Wrecked Lives and the Hollywood Death Trip

ASIN: 1560255633

Book Description

Mike Sager is to drugs, porn, and crimes of desperate delusion what Dominic Dunne is to the society murder. In addition to his long-classic Rolling Stone story “The Devil and John Holmes” (which helped inspire the upcoming Val Kilmer film, Wonderland) and his groundbreaking GQ piece about murdered Irish investigative reporter Veronica Guerin (also the subject of a major film starring Cate Blanchett), Scary Monsters and Super Freaks is a wonderful rogue’s gallery of up-close pieces about the most public failures of the American dream. From Rick James and his drug-fueled detour into white slavery to the life and suicide of porn starlet Savannah, from deep inside the beating of Rodney King and the Heaven’s Gate cult suicides to Chuck Berry’s sexual predilections, this book brings to high-profile true crime a highly identifiable voice and style. Currently Esquire’s Writer-at-Large, Sager takes us along for the ride with a raft of other figures including the late NWA Rapper Easy E. Winner, the FBI agent who fell in love with his informant, and the highest ranking DEA agent to be busted for drug trafficking. This is a brilliant debut collection by one of America’s most respected and stylish crime writers.

Customer Reviews:

Freaky Monsters.......2007-09-09

Based simply on the title of Mike Sager's "Scary Monsters and Super Freaks: Stories of Sex, Drugs, Rock 'N Roll and Murder," I had to buy the book. The title promises a lot, and the book delivers.

The compilation of essays from Sager's journalism career at GQ, Esquire and Rolling Stone magazines features stories of real people who find themselves in improbable situations and what becomes of them. Love triangles, religious cults, musicians, surfers, politicians, cokeheads, moms, pornos, law enforcement agents and prisoners: every person and situation that Sager presents, he presents in a way that one might not normally think of. The 19 stories serve our culture up to us in sometimes unappealing but always intriguing ways. And because each chapter is a complete entity unto itself, the book is good for picking up and putting down if you have a hectic schedule.

Completely enjoyable (though I confess there was one story that I had to skip over - which one it was, I won't say!). Thoroughly recommended.

"CUT THEIR EYES".......2007-04-09

First things first. I bought this book based on having read Sager's "The Devil And John Holmes" story in Rolling Stone back in '89 and really enjoying it. While I enjoyed all 19 of the stories presented here, I was close to tearing the damn book in half by the time I reached the final offering. Why? Because as I progressed through the book, I began to dread Sager's pet phrase of having someone "cut their eyes" at someone or something else. It's in almost half of these stories. Don't believe me? Check out pages 24, 39, 138, 154, 170, 209, 299, 357, and 416. I fault his editors at GQ for this as at least 6 of the 9 stories were first published in that magazine. Would that stop me from reading anything else by him? No, but in the back of my mind I'd be waiting for someone to "cut their eyes".

dark page-turners in miniature........2006-12-07

each piece in this book is somewhere in the 20 to 50 page range, but despite the brevity, you feel as though you've gotten an in-depth look at some dark, dark american lives. nothing here that you could call feel-good fluff. but it is mostly all very interesting; it kept my fingers flipping the pages faster than 90% of the other books i've been reading of late. highly recommended for those who like good writing on sex & drugs & murder & other sorts of mayhem. and personally i don't think there is a lot of good writing out there on those sorts of things.

A very well-written collection.......2006-05-24

I bought this book on a whim because it looked interesting in the store. I'm glad I did as I've enjoyed it very much. The book is a collection of nineteen articles originally published in Esquire, GQ, or Rolling Stone. The subjects are generally sad and sordid but Sager takes the time to understand his subjects and explain not only what happened to them but why. Some of the incidents he describes are familiar but Sager's work has depth and reveals and explains things other more superficial coverage missed. I recommend this book and will be looking for future work by this writer.

True Crime.......2004-04-21

You have probably read some of these articles over the years in magazines and weekly newspapers. Here are some great stories of the last twenty years. Stories about John Holmes and Rick James are great. Mike Sager goes into great detail to give a rounded picture of all his subects. The stories about journalists Janet Lewis and Veronica Guernin are pretty intense. Some of this stuff is about obsessions we all had about ten years ago like Easy-E Eric Wright and the Heaven's Gate Crowd. It's funny how time flys. Check it out.

Average customer rating:

Great Adventure, I Hope Its True
Adventure/Survival Tale is a Classic
Enchanted Vagabonds

Enchanted Vagabonds
Dana Lamb
Manufacturer: Long Riders' Guild Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Travel | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Quest for the Lost City
The Enchanted Quest of Dana And Ginger Lamb
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

ASIN: 1590480805

Book Description

Dana Lamb and his wife had a great idea: build a sailing canoe and voyage south along the Pacific Coast from Southern California to Panama. Warm water, gentle surf, benign beaches...a suitable way to spend the summer.

This was in the 1930s, and one pictures them pounding nails into plywood and 2x4s. At last they are off on a junket that almost ends in disaster. What saved them was their intelligence, a "can do" sense of the possible and their cheerful courage.

"One of the great adventure stories...an improbable undertaking with people as believable and genuine as the couple next door." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)

Customer Reviews:

Great Adventure, I Hope Its True.......2005-01-11

I've been trying to find more about Dana and Ginger Lamb. I would like to know more of their experience and backgrounds before attempting this expedition as young recent college graduates in 1933.
The adventures they experience as they canoe the coast of Mexico, Baja, and Central America from San Diego to Panama are truly absorbing. For three years, they manage to survive malaria, apparent snake bite, insects, tiger and wild boar attack, getting lost in caves, storms at sea in their canoe, attack by primitive tribes, etc.. All this as they "live off the land" without much more than a gun, tent, minimal medical supplies, very little money, and their wits.
For two adventurers that should have a great deal of wilderness survival knowledge and experience, they rather stupidly, get themselves into many dangerous situations that beg the question "why would they do that?" I have to say I believe many of their adventures are exaggerated. I am also curious about the historical and archeological significance of the ancient cities and pyramids they discover in the "Forbidden Land".
All this said, if only half true, their story is incredibly interesting, more so because the wilderness and primitive cultures they experience occur in relatively recent times,1932-1935, and in areas of Mexico and Central America that today are main stream tourist destinations.

Adventure/Survival Tale is a Classic.......2004-08-01

I love true to life adventure/survival tales. This book, Enchanted Vagabonds, is a classic in every sense: it is novel, well written and inspiring. A young couple dreams an adventure, takes the adventure and realizes that you do not take a trip, it takes you.

If you love true life survival/adventure stories you will love this well told tale about sailing/paddling a 16 foot craft down the Pacific side of the Americas in the 1930's.

Enchanted Vagabonds.......2000-10-30

Dana & Ginger are emeritus of the Los Angeles Adverturers Club. You'll be burning the midnight oil without being aware of time itself. Any Tristan Jones fans will love a back seat in this boat. Also, be sure to read the Lambs' companion book, "Search for the Lost City." ENJOY THE TRIP!

Average customer rating:

good book
Zero Stars Doesn't Seem to Be an Option
A definate must read
a book that should be in martial art lovers library

Skills of the Vagabonds
Ting Leung
Manufacturer: Leung Ting Co ,Hong Kong
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Behind The Incredibles - Skills of the Vagabonds II

ASIN: 9627284173

Book Description

The Skills of the Vagabonds are from where the Japanese Ninjutsu originated. This book reveals all top secrets of Chinese Black-art, Defraudation, ¡¥Mou Shan¡¦ Witchcraft, Drugs and Poisons, Great Magic Shows, ¡¥Body-Disappearance¡¦ Techniques, Vagabond Kungfu, etc. A free Chinese ¡§Lucky Charm¡¨ is included.

Customer Reviews:

good book.......2002-09-26

Loaded with info on a little known sect of Chinese assassins that were the forerunners of the ninja.I enjoy the fact that it combines history,martial technique,use of poisons,mysticism,and concealment.Buy it,you won't be disappointed.

Zero Stars Doesn't Seem to Be an Option.......2002-08-29

As the old adage tells us, "If you can't say something good, then don't say anything at all."

With that in mind, since a review would be pointless if I said nothing, I must obviously say something positve about "Skills of the Vagabonds."

Hmmm....let me think a moment. OK, "Skills of the Vagabonds" gave me my first opportunity to try out Amazon.com's return policy.

Oh my, I'm feeling generous now that I realize I will be able to recoup some of my losses. Here's another positve thing about "Skills of the Vagabonds": the cover art is not terrible.

That pretty much exhausts the positive aspects of this book, so I shall say nothing more.

A definate must read.......2001-03-12

I've read most the books on martial arts and this is the most extensive coverage of materials I've ever read. It's a must read for anybody interested in the martial arts.

a book that should be in martial art lovers library.......2000-03-18

it is only a brief comment. it is an unusual book on an unusual martial division of chinese martial arts. I have read most,if not all of the books in chinese language available from the pre50s to the current date. There are NONE that talks on this style. we do have heard lots about these during our growth period about the contents mentioned in this book,these stories are getting less and less heard in the recent twenty years. So even for an average chinese,this book is a must buy to complete the record of chinese martial art, it fills the gap of the orthodox and common styles,like the shaolin,wudang,waigia,neigia,or even the less common west china Emei, the vagabond is an unique style, for the non chinese style,it is definitely a must read to get a fuller understanding of the chinese martial art...of the wild world,not merely schools and cities.

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