[.ca] Alexander Technique Manual (ISBN 185906163X)

Excellent introduction to the Alexander Technique:
This is a great book for anyone who has heard about the many benefits of the Alexander Technique and would like to find out what it is. The Alexander Technique is often described in very mysterious terms when, in fact, it's quite a simple and practical process. And a very powerful process of self-transformation. Brennan's book is particularly valuable for the newcommer because of its great photographs. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and this is certainly true for explaining the ideas of the Alexander Technique. The book also shows how the Alexander Technique can help with various specific activities. It also has some very interesting case histories. If you have an interest in learning more about the Alexander Technique, I'd get this book. Two other good introductions are "Body Learning" by Michael Gelb and "Fitness Without Stress - A Guide to the Alexander Technique" by Robert Rickover.

a basic intro - not much beyond that:
This book was a big disappointment. From the title and the other customer's review, I assume that it really was a step-by-step guide to achieving at home the good breathing and posture habits that one learns in private lessons. I have taken many lessons from a wonderful teacher, and thought this would help supplement my lessons through home maintenance. Well, this book is nothing more than a very basic intro to which areas of life Alexander can be applied. It says the same thing over and over - how great poise and good breathing can be for sitting, standing, golf, dance, singing, pool. I would think that your average person who has puchased this book would have already made up their mind that Alexander was a good thing and wouldn't need a glorified, extended promotional pamphlet to confirm this. There are about 8 pages in the whole thing that give you some tips on self-evaluation and positioning, but other than that, it is really not of much practical use. Yes, there are many photos of people "before and after" alexander in particular positions, but that wasn't enough for my $13. If you are looking to see how alexander can be applied to your life, maybe then this book would provide some value, but in truth, the Gelb book does a better job doing that anyway.

A great book about far country:
(NOTE: Why Amazon persits in showing an incorrect jacket for this title is wholly unknown to me.) Now, then. The area once called "Turkestan" is one of the most mysterious areas on the globe to most Americans. It now consists of the independent nations of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, all former Soviet "republics". It is that broad area north of Afghanistan and Iran, east of the Caspian Sea, and west of China. A great amount of the area is desert or barren mountains, but cotton farming is also practiced, and a great deal of the world's pistachio nuts are grown here. This great place is the home of the saiga antelope, the kulan, a wild ass, numerous birds, and the desert monitor, a large dangerous lizard. All are shown in marvelous photographs. Also shown are a wild beautiful landscape, sand dunes, grassy and forested mountain peaks, and numerous photos of Issyk Kul, the world's sixth deepest lake. There is an entire chapter on this amazing feature, and also a half chapter on the Kara Bogaz, an inland evaporation sump the Caspian Sea drains into on its eastern side. It is next to impossible to find any other book that examines this region, and, certainly, to find any book so enjoyable. The author is a former Siberian, who captures the spirit and temper, not only of the Soviet government as it then existed, but also of the inhabitants of the region. Mr. St George narrates his wanderings with an easy grace, complete with local idioms, in a manner that reader will find so comforting as to believe that Mr. St. George is telling the story personally. This book is a five-star keeper for anyone who likes history, geography, remote lands, biology or just simply, interesting writing about interesting places. DON"T LOAN IT OUT. Very, very highly recommended