Figure Skating Books This page contains reviews and assorted bits of information on a wide variety of books on figure skating. Click here to skip ahead to the figure skating bookseller links. The reviews on this page were copied from George Robbin's roller skating web site. I probably won't be updating this page very often, so you might be able to find more current information by going directly to George's site. Besides "How To" books, there is also a wide variety of of other figure skating books. There are several biographies, skating psychology, and general interest books. There is even a book on skate blade design. A lot of the books in this list are no doubt out of print and hard to find. If you can find The Art of Skating I will publicly acknowledge you in this page as a Skate Librarian God. The best and most currently available "How To" book on skating for the more advanced skater is probably John Petkevich's book on Championship Techniques. There are several other books better oriented towards the beginner. Check the reviews to find the book that best suits your needs. On Line Figure Skating Book Selllers Lovena's BookNook -- order skating books online (through amazon) Rainbow Sports -- excellent source for technical skating books Amazon -- try Lovena's BookNook first Skating Book Index Yes! You Can Do the Triple Jumps! (1996) Ice Skating - Steps to Success (1995) Skater's Edge Sourcebook (1995) Figure Skating: Sharpen Your Skills (1994) The 1994 Official USFSA Rulebook (1994) Figure Skating: A Celebration (1994) Ice Time: A Portrait of Figure Skating (1994) Figure Skating Performance: A Psychological Study (1994) The Complete Manual of Ice Dance Patterns (1993) Figure Skating History: The Evolution of Dance on Ice (1993) Choreography & Style for Ice Skaters (1991) Laura Stamm's Power Skating (1989) Figure Skating - Championship Techniques (1988) Dancing on Skates (1985) Competitive Figure Skating - A Parents Guide (1985) The Complete Handbook of Speed Skating (1984) The Skaters Handbook (1984) How to Succeed at Skating (1982) Figure Skating (1980) Ice Dancing Illustrated (1980) Creative Ice Skating: Ice Dancing, Freestyle, and Pair Skating (1980) Skating: Elegance on Ice (1980) The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ice Skating (1979) Figure Skating (1978) Enjoy Skating (1976) Singles Figure Skating (1974) Basic Ice Skating Skills (1968) Skating for Beginners (1953) Skate With Me (1950) Primer of Figure Skating (1938) Advanced Figure Skating (1940) The Fun of Figure Skating (1960) Instant Skating (1964) <by Dick Button!> The Art of Skating (1928) Misc. Books and Pamphlets Biography: Dan Jansen (1994) Biography: Torvill and Dean (1994) Biography: Kurt Browning (1991) Biography: Elizabeth Manly (1990) Biography: Brian Orser (1988) Biography: Sonja Henie (1985) Biography: Scott Hamilton (1985) Biography: Scott Hamilton (1984) Biography: Torvill and Dean (1983) Biography: John Curry (1978) Biography: Natalie Dunn (1979) Biography: Marie and Otto Jelinek (1965) Biography: Barbara Ann Scott (1950) Biography: Dick Button (1955) Biography: Sonja Henie (1940) <autobiography> Non Skating Books Books Newsgroups: rec.sport.skating.misc,rec.sport.skating.ice.figure, rec.sport.skating.ice.recreational,rec.sport.skating.inline, rec.sport.skating.roller,rec.sport.skating.racing,rec.answers,news.answers Subject: Skating Book FAQ / Bibliography, part 2 of 2 Summary: Skating Books - Ice Skating, Biographical and Irrelavent Books References: Sender: Followup-To: rec.sport.skating.misc Reply-To: grr@tharsis.com Distribution: Organization: George's Pet Unix System Keywords: skating,roller,ice,in-line,books,FAQ Expires: Sat 31, Dec 1994 23:59:59 GMT Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Archive-name: sports/skating/books/part2 Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-Modified: Wed Dec 11 12:26:02 EST 1996 *** Copyright 1994-1996 by George Robbins - see detailed note at end *** This document is posted periodically to the rec.sport.skating.roller usenet newsgroup, and can also be accessed via the world wide web (www) using the following URL: http://www.netaxs.com/people/grr/Roller -- continued from part 1 of 2 -- Ice Skating Books: Yes! You Can Do the Triple Jumps Billy Ng Nothing But Excellence Publishers, New York - 1996 213 pages, $49.95 1 - What Can This Book Do For You? 2 - Examine Yourself - Your Age 3 - Examine Yourself - Your Physical Condition 4 - Examine Yourself - Are You Lazy? 5 - You Want It When? 6 - Why You Skate 7 - Yes, You Can Do It 8 - Build Yourself Up First and Then Help Others 9 - Yes, You Have to Work Out 10 - Lower Body Strength Work Out Exercises 11 - Upper Body Strength Work Out Exercises 12 - Polyometric Training OR What Was That Again? 13 - Did You Take Your Wheaties Today? 14 - Did You Take Your Vitamins Today? 15 - Stretching OR Doing Funny Things On The Floor 16 - Me No Fear 17 - The Secrets To Jumping Higher 18 - What You Put In, You Will Get Out 19 - Terms Which You Must Know 20 - What?! You Have Never Been On The Ice Before? 21 - For Beginners Only 22 - Are You A Lefty? 23 - In The Beginning There Was The Edge 24 - The Secret To Doing The Singles 25 - The Single Jumps 26 - Are You Dead Out There On The Ice 27 - What? Are You Still Thinking About That? 28 - Why Are You Doing This? 29 - The Secret To Doing Doubles and Triples 30 - The Double Jumps 31 - How To Be Naughty Before An Audience 32 - This One Thing I Do 33 - Where Is Your Brain? 34 - Do It A Badzillion Times 35 - Do It OR Die Trying 36 - Is It Really Impossible To Do This Jump? 37 - The Triple Jumps 38 - Do You Know What I Am Talking About? 39 - Stay Focused Or Else 40 - Come Here And Rest Awhile, You Beautiful Thing 41 - Other Jumps 42 - Are You Mentally Prepared? Or Are You Brain Dead? 43 - How Is Your Belief In Yourself? 44 - What Do You Mean You Cannot Do It? 45 - All, I Mean All, The Spins 46 - Combo Spins 47 - Some Beautiful Glides OR How To Torture Yourself 48 - Down On My Knees 49 - My Poses 50 - My Spin Positions 51 - My Jump Positions 52 - Grab The Popcorn And Turn On the TV 53 - Stay Beautiful For Life [ from publishers blurb] Yes! You Can Do The Triple Jumps by Dr Billy Ng is the newest and most comprehensive book on figure skating. Dr. Ng explains all the jumps and spins concisely and with great humor. Each page is a delight to read. The book has 53 chapters, ranging from technique to psychological motivation, from working-out to polymetric training, and from nutrition to stretching. It uses more than 400 clear, step-by-step illustrations. The language used is easy to understand and very direct. Another unique aspect of this book is that all the illustrations shown are of female skaters. Also, the book is extremely funny and blatantly honest. See http://www.academic.marist.edu/skate/ for more information on Billy Ng and the book... Ice Skating - Steps to Successs Karen Kuenzle-Watson & Dr Steven DeArmond Human Kinetics Publisher, Champaign IL - 1995 Trade Paperback, 157 pages, $14.95 ISBN 0-87322-669-0 Preface The Steps to Success Staircase The Sport of Ice Skating Evolution of the Ice Skate Perparing to Skate Ice Skating Etiquette Ice Skating Equipment Ice Skates and their Care Protective Equipment Steps - 1 - Proper Skating Postures: Devloping Balance 2 - Push and Glide: Moving Ahead 3 - Forward Steps: Slowing Down 4 - Figure Skating Maneuvers: Gaining Confidence 5 - Backwards Skating and Stopping: Doubling Your Options 6 - Forward Stroking: Pushing for Power 7 - Foward Crossovers: Stroking on a Curve 8 - Two Foot Turns and Mohawks: Controlling Rotation 9 - Backwards Crossovers: Gaining Speed on a Curve 10 - Swing Rolls and Advanced Edges: Inproving Edge Control 11 - Three Turns: Changing Direction and Edges 12 - Style and Efficiency: Planning Your Skating Program Glossary This book is part of the "Steps to Success" series of sports how-to books. In general, such an approach provides a common format, pedagogy and terminology with other books in the series, but at the same time forces the author into a pre-defined and perhaps limiting model for presenting their material. In this case, the format doesn't seem to interfere too much with the presentation and the result is a clear set of skating lessons with supporting material. The collaboration with Dr. DeArmond has also contributed a more analytical perspective on skating than what you might expect from traditional texts. In the end, the success of the book really depends on how well it works for the student trying to skate using this presentation - something that I'm not really prepared to comment on. Skaters Edge Sourcebook Alice Berman Skaters Edge, Kensington MD - 1995 Trade Paperback, 272 pages, $39.95 + $5 S&H ISBN 0-9643027-0-5 [ order from Skaters Edge; Box 500; Kensington, MD 20895; 301-946-1971 ] Soaring Without Wings Associations and Organizations Choosing a Pro Books, Books, Books by Author by Title (cross-reference) by Category (cross-reference) Boots and Blades Guide to Fittings Skates Skate Boots Guide to Blades Blades: Makes and Models Lacing Up Champions US National Figure Skating Championships World Championships Olympic Winter Games Companies and Organizations by Category (cross reference) Fan Mail and Letters Federations Rinks, Rinks, Rinks Finding Rinks in Canada US Rinks by State/City US Rinks by Name (cross-reference) Rinks Affiliated with Colleges or Universities by State by School Affiliation Skaters Marketplace (small advertisments) Summer Skating Schools Training Centers: Where Top Skaters Train Videos; Videos; Videos Advertisers Index I almost think it's best to let the table of contents above speak for this book. It has something for everyone interested in skating, inlcluding Fan Mail addresses, foreign skating organizations, an extensive list of medalists, extensive listings of videos and books and charts/listings for blades and boot models. Much of the information in in the form of listings or tables, but there are also various introductions, articles reproduced from the Skaters Edge newsletter, illustrations and advertisments. Figure Skating: Sharpen your Skills (Spalding) Patricia Hagen [ed] Masters Press/Sams; Indianapolis - 1994 Trade Paperback, 155 [ages. $14.95 ISBN 1-57028-007-X 1 - Introduction 2 - Equipment 3 - Basics 4 - Free Skating 5 - Figures 6 - Ice Dancing Written by members of the staff of the Indiana/World Skating Academy, this is a concise but complete guide to learning to skate. It seems mainly focused on ISIA or USFSA basic skills level skating for adults, not that it makes any concessions to Adult, but rather that the advice is practical and directed at the skater, rather than being written down or depending on the intercession of coach or parent. Each topic is granted a little section which typically includes a description, instructions and illustrations. Most topics also have "Sharpen your Skills" section relating ways to build on or updgrade the basic skill and some topics also have a structured presentation (ala Petkevich) including perparation, execution, exit/landing, timing and common errors. I've actually found this book to be quite useful at my current level of skating - I can open the book before/after a lesson or practic session and find words that make sense, parallel when the instructor says and are simple enough to work with. The 1994 Official USFSA Rulebook United States Figures Skating Association USFSA, Colorado Springs - 1993 3-Ring Binder, 334 pages, $5 + $5 for Binder no ISBN 1. Bylaws of the USFSA 2. Technical Rules 3. Administrative Rules 4. Committee Rules 5. Glossary 6. Index Published yearly, this book includes all that is "offical" about the USFSA skating program, from bylaws and organization rules to the patterns for compulsory dances. While some parts are pretty dry reading, others convey essential or useful information. Figure Skating: A Celebration Beverley Smith St. Martins, New York - 1994 Hardcover, $35 This seems to be the coffee-table skating book for the 90's. It differs from some of the older ones by providing more profuse color illustrations, and a relatively large amount of textual content on skating in the recent years. Ice Time: A Portrait of Figure Skating Debbi Wilkes and Greg Cable Prentice Hall Canada - 1994 Hardcover, $24.95 [Dave Fraser (dfraser@nbnet.nb.ca)] This is not as sumptous as the Beverley Smith book, but it has some interesting stuff. Debbi can be pretty blunt sometimes and has some intelligent comments about various skaters and why they are successful or not successful. The book covers a variety of topics: her career with Guy Revell, broadcasting, Barbara Ann, Kurt and Elvis, etc. Only a few pictures.

Figure Skating Performance: A Psychological Study Peter Paul Moormann Leiden University - 1994 Dissertation, 269 pages ISBN 90-9006862-7 [Arthur Kosten <ajkosten@dds.nl>] In addition to the Skate Book FAQ, I would like to recommend an excellent book written by psychology-lecturer and coach of the Dutch National Figure Skating Team Peter Paul Moormann. It deals with various aspects of figure skating and ice dancing performance. The Complete Manual of Ice Dance patterns Jeff Lerner Lexicon Ventures, Vancouver CA - 1993 Ring Bound, 402 pages, $35.00 ISBN 0-9696538-0-8 [ available from Platoro Press, see below ] 1. Introduction 2. Dance Steps 3. Dance Turns 4. Dance Positions 5. Explanatory Key to Lists of Steps 6. Lists of Abbreviations and Symbols 7. Glossary 8. Dance Patterns and Lists of Steps 9. Index of Dances (Alphabetical) 10. Index of Dances (by Type) 11. List of Dance Pattern Originators 12. Bibliographic References This book is primarily a compilation of ice dance patterns, with listings of the steps and skeletal supplementary information. Beyond than the vast number of dances presented, the best feature is that all patterns and step-listings have been redrawn to a clear common format. Older variations of dances that have evolved over time aren't shown, but you can see the Copely-Graves book for many additional older patterns. Some "roller only" dances are included, but apprently limited those listed in Arnold's book. Finally, note that for the current complusory dances, the USFSA rulebook includes very good diagrams, step listings and extensive notes. A companion work is also available which covers only the current compulsory dances, but includes plastic overlays allowing clear depiction of both the mens and ladies steps. Figure Skating History: The Evolution of Dance on Ice Lynn Copley-Graves Platoro Press, Columbus OH, 1993 Soft Cover, 385 pages, $35.00 ISBN 0-9696538-1-5 I guess the best way to describe this book is to say that it consists mainly of excerpts from US, UK and world skating publications, which are organized by skating season for each year from 1920 to 1990. The editorial contribution is mainly in the selection of the items, presented, with occasional interjections and attempts to summarize the key points of each decade. It is important to keep in mind that the topic is "Ice Dance", while many of the names are familar, there's a "ghost sport" of figure skating overhanging everything, which gets only occasional direct mention. For each season the chapter typically contains news from associations including ISU, USFSA, CFSA and NSA; dance notes; people; clubs and rinks; and finally competitions. Sidebars provide some illustrations, competitive result, reproductions of period dance patterns and other nuggets from the publications. The color insert appears to be mostly snapshots from 80's competitions, though there are many back and white magazine photographs reproduced thoughout the book. Choreography & Style for Ice Skaters Ricky Harris St. Martins, NY NY - 1980, 1991 Trade Paperback, 150 pages, $9.95 ISBN 0-312-05401-7 I. Elements of Choreography 1. Energize and Improvise 2. Music for Skaters 3. Principles of Movement 4. Movement from Gestures 5. Design in Space and Time II. Creating a Program 6. Selecting and Arranging Music 7. Ice Patterns 8. Choreographing Movement 9. Polish and Perform III. Additional Training Aspects 10. Why Dance? 11. The Fatigue Factor 12. Warming Up 13. The Ice Barre 14. Attitudes of the Skater An interesting book, which explains some of the choreographic concepts in dance or freestyle skating and provides various exercise and outlines for improving artistic expression. It's perhaps best used as an adjunct to the suggestions of your coach or simply for getting better insight into an otherwise obscure area. Laura Stamm's Power Skating Laura Stamm Leisure Press, 1989, $17.95 Trade Paperback ISBN 0-88011-331-6 1. Coaches Corner 2. Sktes and Equipment 3. Balance 4. Principles of Force Application 5. The Forward Stride 6. The Backwards Stride 7. Crossovers 8. Starts 9. Stops 10. Turns 11. Agility 12. Training and Conditioning This is a well written book that deals exclusively with the skating part of ice hockey. It spends a lot of time on concepts, drills, and exercise for improving skating and is aimed either at the hockey coach/instructor or the adult hockey player. Figure Skating - Championship Techniques John Misha Petkevich Sports Illustrated - Winners Circle Books, 1988 Trade Paperback, 288 pages, $10.95 ISBN 0-452-26209-7 [ back in print! visit your local bookstore ] 1. Some Preliminaries 2. Principles and Terminology 3. Body Positions 4. First Strides and Glides 5. Stroking and Crossovers 6. Push-offs and Edges 7. Turns 8. Stopping and Falling 9. Spins: General Principles and Positions 10. Basic Spins 11. Flying Spins 12. Combination Spins 13. Jumps: General Principles and Positions 14. Edge Jumps 15. Toe Jumps 16. Splits and Stags 17. Jump Combinations 18. Pairs and Ice Dancing 19. The Program/The "Great" Skater This book is the most readily available quality reference on figure skating. It provides a thorough and easily readable overview of figures and free-style moves including turns, jumps and spins. For each given move, it describes the move, then breaks the action down into setup, execution and completion phases, and then details the frequently encountered problems or quality issues. While the book starts out at a fairly basic level, it is not really intended as a self-teaching guide. The beginner will find that the discussion of basic principles and stroking proceeds onward to the triple-jumps much quicker then they do. Also, there is only minimal coverage of ice-dance, which is usually an important part of any adult-skating program. Still, this is a book which every skater or serious spectator should have at hand as a primary reference source. Dancing on Skates Richard Arnold St. Martins, NY NY - 1985 Hardcover, 128 pages ISBN 0-312-18209-0 See Roller Skating section for a complete description... Competitive Figure Skating - A Parents Guide Robert Ogilvie Harper & Row, 1985 Hardcover, 330 Pages ISBN 0-06-015357-1 1. The Many Forms of Figure Skating 2. Equipment for the Beginner 3. Instruction For the Beginner 4. How the Sport is Organized 5. The USFSA Test Structure 6. Becoming a Member of the USFSA 7. Arranging to Take a Test 8. How USFSA Test Are Judged 9. Hints on Taking Tests 10. The Organization of Practice Sessions 11. Equipment for the Advanced Skater 12. USFSA Championships and Competitions 13. International Championships and Competitions 14. How Competitions Are Conducted 15. Professions Championships 16. Club Harmony 17. Fair Play for Judges 18. Hints for Competitors 19. Higher-Level Instruction 20. The Professional Skaters Guild of Americe (PSGA) 21. Music for Free Skating 22. The Special Place of Figures 23. Recognizing Turns and Figures 24. Recognizing Free Skating Moves 25. Parental Involvement 26. Talent and the Learning Process 27. How to Save Time and Money 28. How the Ice is Resurfaced 29. Where to Go for Further Information While this book is subtitled "a Parents Guide" it is a really a "must read" for anyone involved with or interested in competitive Ice *or* Roller skating. It provides an essential overview of all aspects of the learning process and entry into the competitive arena. Particularly interesting are the chapters on Club Harmony, Parental Involvement and the role of figures. The Complete Handbook of Speed Skating Dianne Holum Enslow Publishers; Hillside NJ - 1984 Trade Paperback?, 256 Pages, ~$30.00 ISBN 0-89490-051-X [ may be available from mail-order in-line shops ] Foreward Speed Skating Facts Equipment Skating Technique Straightaway Technique Turn Technique Introduction to Training Dry-land Training Resistance and Weight Training Flexibility Training on the Ice Warm-up Using the Taper to Reach Peak Performance Season Planning Dianne Holum's 1980 U.S. Olympic Team Training Program Race Strategy Psychological Training Suppliers and Organizations [ William Bradley <wbradley@thor.ece.uc.edu> ] This book is primarily concerned with ice speedskating, but most of the technique and dry-land training chapters are applicable to in-line speedskating as well. As can be seen from the page counts, the six technique and training chapters make up over half the book. This is a very well-written book, and I feel that speedskaters (ice and inline alike) would find it indispensable. The Skaters Handbook John Misha Petkevich Scribners, NY - 1984 Hardcover, 210 Pages ISBN 0684180162 While I've only scanned this book briefly in a library, it's mentioned in Petkevich's other book, and has been mentioned on the net a few times. In contrast to Ogilvie's "parents guide", this book is probably most useful to the skater who is already involved in a competive program and interested in maximizing their prospects as they move to higher competitive levels, and as such, it'd be a bit dated by the changes to the competitive sport and environment since it's publication. How to Succeed at Skating Monika Maier Sterling Publishing, NY - 1982 Trade Paperback, 128 pages ISBN 0-8069-4154-5 [ loosemore-sandra@CS.YALE.EDU (Sandra Loosemore) ] This is a translation of a book originally published in Germany. It covers basic skating skills, up to the level of a waltz jump and one-foot spins. The moves are illustrated with clear photos (most of them in color). Unlike most learn-to-skate books, this one contains some useful information about ice dancing, including basic dance holds and steps, and a few compulsory dances. The back of the book has some reference information about competitive-level skating. There are also many color pictures of famous skaters from around 1980 in the book, including one on the cover of Torvill & Dean looking much younger than they do now. Figure Skating Carlo Fassi with Greg Smith Charles Schribners, NY 1980 Hardcover, 179 Pages, $17.95 ISBN 0-684-16314-4 [ out of print ] Skates, Lessons and Training Figure Skates; Skate Care; The Skater's Clothing; Training Beginning to Skate Walking on the Ice; Sculling; The Dip; Gliding on One Skate; Taking a Fall; Basic Stroking; Forward Crossovers; Backward Crossovers; Forward Outside Edge; Forward Inside Edge; Backward Outside Edge; Backward Inside Edge; How to Stop on Ice Compulsory Figures Forward outside Eight; Forward Inside Eight; Backward Outside Eight; Backward Inside Eight; Serpentine Forward Right; Threes: The Three-Turn; Forward Outside Double Threes; Brackets; Forward Outside Loop; Backward Outside Loop; Serpentine Forward Loop; Counter; Rocker; Paragraph; Basic Theory for All Figures; Layout; My Theory of Turns Free Skating Spins; Two-Foot Spin; Back Spin; Fast or Scratch Spin; Sit Spin; Camel Spin; Flying Camel and Flying Sit Spin; Flying Camel - Variations; Butterfly; Layback Spin Jumps; Waltz Jump; Loop Jump; Double Loop; Triple Loop; Axel Jump; Doubel Axel; Triple Axel; Salchow; Double Salchow; Triple Salchow; Single Toe Walley; Single Toe Loop; Double Toe Walley; Double Toe Loop; Triple Toe Walley; Triple Toe Loop; Flip Jump; Double Flip; Triple Flip; Lutz Jump; Double Lutz; Triple Lutz; Backward Somersault; Free Skating Programs in Competition; Choreography; Expressive Moves Nutrition and Competitive Skaters Competitions International Skating Union; World Figure Skating Championships; European Figure Skating Championships; The Winter Olympics; The United States Nationals; Tests; Judges Some Thoughs About Coaching Good Coaching versus Good Teaching; Getting along with Parents; At Competition Glossary This book covers very similar material to Petkevich and is similar in content and style. The differences are interesting - Petkevich speaks as a retired skater, Fassi as a skater turned professional coach. Petkevich's book is illustrated with good, clear photographs, Fassi's with line drawings executed to show exactly the critical intent. Petkevich's book is a little bit more useful to the spectator or advanced skater, while Fassi's has a bit more material useful for the beginner to intermediate skater. Ice Dancing Illustrated Lorna Dyer with Harry Brandt Moore Publications, Bellevue, WA - 1980 Hardbound, 297 pages, 105 b/w plates plus dance diagrams. ISBN 0-9602616-0-5 [ out of print ] 1. Introduction 2. General Instruction (including posture, lead, unison, technique, and etiquette) 3. Dance Positions 4. Dance Steps 5. Dance Turns 6. Beginning Dances---Preliminary and Bronze (Dutch Waltz, Canasta Tango, Swing Dance, Fiesta Tango, Willow Waltz, Ten-Fox) 7. Intermediate Dances---Presilver and Silver (Fourteenstep, European Waltz, Foxtrot, American Waltz, Tango, Rocker Foxtrot) 8. Advanced Dances---Pregold and Gold (Killian, Blues, Paso Doble, Three-lobe Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Westminster Waltz, Quickstep, Argentine Tango) 9. International Dances (Starlight Waltz, Rhumba, Ravensburger Waltz) [jeff@jpl.nasa.gov (Jeff Goldsmith)] This is a complete text on ice dancing. It is remarkably technical and covers each dance in great detail, including introductory steps, comments to the man, comments to the woman, and comments to the couple. For example, comments to the man about the Willow Waltz include: At step 17 the man has a strong tendency to anticipate stepping forward by allowing his left shoulder to rotate counter-clockwise. To correct this tendency, skate step 17 with the right shoulder leading slightly on the circle. Also, the right backward inside edge, step 17, should be skated as a fairly deep edge toward the side barrier. Skaters commonly flatten this edge by skating it straight toward the end barrier of the arena. Each dance has about five-ten pages of text, full of densely packed information of this sort, plus a page of introductory steps and a page for the diagram. Over two-thirds of the book is comments and instruction about individual dances; the first 84 pages is mostly pictures and descriptions of each step, common errors, and ways to try to correct those errors. Creative Ice Skating: Ice Dancing, Freestyle, and Pair Skating Frances Dorsey and Wendy Williams Contemporary Books, Chicago - 1980 86 pages [Jennifer Kretschmer <jkretsch@trumpet.aix.calpoly.edu>] This isn't the greatest book in the world, by they do try to diagram how some of the jumps go. They also have some beginning and intermediate routines choreographed and diagramed. [ Most books have nothing concrete about programs, assuming that's something that the instructor and student will work out. ]

Skating: Elegance on Ice Howard Bass Chartwell Books, NJ - 1980 Hardcover, 96 pages ISBN 0-89009-341-5 1. Yesteryears 2. New Ice Age 3. Figures 4. Team Work 5. Artistic Presentation 6. Pair Skaters 7. Ice Dancers 8. Olympics 9. Theatre on Ice 10. Medalists This book provides a general history of skating, with color illustrations of more recent events/stars. While this crop of skaters is mostly retired, it's interesting to see pictures of some of the current commentators and public figures in earlier phases of their careers. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ice Skating Mark Heller Paddigton Press/Grosset & Dunlap - 1979 Hardcover, 220 pages ISBN 0-448-22427-5 While somewhat dated, this book provides a reasonably complete general overview of all aspects of ice skating. Of special interest are the section on non-hockey skating games, a list of world/Olympic (but not US national) champions, and a tri-lingual glossary of skating terms. Figure Skating Dianne Deleeuw with Steve Lehrman Athenum, NY, 1978 Hardcover, 168 Pages, $8.95 ISBN 0-689-10820-6 This book provides a good introduction to basic skating skills including figures and freestyle. It is a bit more comprehensive than Ogilvie's book, but lacks the simple step-by-step lesson outline. Enjoying skating the Diagram Group Paddington Press/Grosset & Dunlap, New York - 1978 Trade Paperback, 160 pages 1. Introduction 2. Figure Skating 3. Figure Skating on Rollers 4. Speed Skating 5. Games on Skates 6. Skateboarding 7. Fitness on Skates I mention this book only because it's one of the few currently in print. Apparently it's one of a series of sports books by the Diagram Group, which uses little schematic figures to illustrate the action involved. While the book covers Roller Skating, Ice Skating and Hockey, and isn't actively bad, I didn't find it at all useful. Singles Figure Skating (for Beginners and Champions) Dr. Josef Dedic ISU/Olympia, Prague - 1974 Hardcover, 240 pages [ Sandra Loosemore <loosemore-sandra@cs.yale.edu> ] This is an ISU sponsored book written by a Dr. J. Dedic, who was a Czech judge. It was published in 1973 and therefore has a lot of stuff about compulsory figures, but otherwise it's quite similar in content and format to the Petkevitch book. There are stop-frame picture sequences of everything (including Gordie McKellan doing a triple axel), and Dedic makes many of the same points about the true rotations of various jumps, and such like. The book also includes some interesting historical material about the development of modern jumping technique around the time of WWII, and comparisons of pre-war and post-war skating styles. He also lists the technical elements from some championship programs in the early 1970s, which you can compare to what you see today. [ jeff@jpl.nasa.gov ] I have a copy of the Dedic book and have read it. It's not too bad, all in all, but the English is a little hard to read and it goes into minor technical physics details for no good reason, which will scare away most skaters. I don't remember if I learned anything from it. If you'd like a full review, I suppose I can reread it sometime. Basic Ice Skating Skills Robert Ogilvie USFSA/Lippencott, 1968 Hardcover/Trade Paperback, 176 page ISBN 0-397-00518-0 (Hardcover) 0-397-00519-9 (Paperback) [ may be available through USFSA ] I. Before You Skate 1. Preliminary Questions 2. Equipment II. Fundamentals 3. First Objectives 4. You Learn to Stroke 5. A Turn and a Curve on wo Feet 6. Basic Stops and Terminology 7. Key Positions; Forward Edges and Crossovers 8. A Three Turn and a Mohawk 9. Consecutive Forward Edges 10. The Waltz Three and Drop Mohawk 11. Back Outside Edges and a Change of Edge III. Basic Free Style 13. A Spin, a Jump, and a Spiral 14. Fast Drop Mohawk and Waltz Jump 15. Toe Loop Jump, Inside Pivot, and Outside Spiral 16. Mazurka and Salchow 17. One-foot Spin, Back Outside Pivot, and Step 18. Loop Jump, back Inside Pivot, and Step IV. Basic Dance Movements 19. Forward Outside Swing Rolls, Chasse and Progressive 20. Slide Chasse, Back Outside Swing Rolls, Cross Roll 21. Back Chasse and Progressive, Closed Drop Mohawk 22. Open and Closed Mohawks; Dance Positions 23. Three Dances V. A Basic Figure 24. how to skate a Figure Eight This book address a more basic level than the Petkevich book and can be used as either an "about skating" book or as a progressive lesson guide for the USFSA or ISIA basic skating test programs. The book limits itself to the moves that the skater is likely to learn without extensive coaching. It includes a fair amount of material on the moves needed for dance. Skating For Beginners Barbara Ann Scott and Michael Kirby Knopf, NY - 1953 Hardcover, 156 pages Skate with Me Barbara Ann Scott Doubleday & Company Inc, NY - 1950 Hardcover, 159 pages Primer of Figure Skating Maribel Y. Vinson McGraw-Hill/Whittlesey House - 1938 Hardcover, 182 pages Advanced Figure Skating Maribel Y. Vinson McGraw-Hill/Whittlesey House - 1940 The Fun of Figure Skating Maribel Vinson Owen Harper & Row, NY - 1960 Hardcover, 168 pages Instant Skating Dick Button Grosset & Dunlap, NY - 1964 Trade Paperback, 64 pages, $1.95 I'll mention these books briefly, since they are "classics" and seem to pop up regularly in small libraries and used bookstores. They're actually reasonably good books, the problem is that they don't really contain anything not found in newer books, the illustrations are marginal or absurdly dated, and mentions of "contemporary" skaters, events and styles are largely irrelevant. There also exists a primarily auto-biograhphical work by Dick Button, but other than pictures of a younger, handsome looking follow, this contains little of current value. The Art of Skating Irving Brokaw Spalding/Scribners, NY - 1910, 1928 Hardcover/Paperback [ Sandra Loosemore <loosemore-sandra@cs.yale.edu> ] This is one of Spalding's old "Athletic Handbooks" series and appears to be a slight revision of a book originally published in 1910. Most of the pictures certainly date from the pre-WWI era, anyway. (There is a picture of Ulrich Salchow doing figures while nattily attired in checkered knickers, and various ladies skating very sedately in corsets, long skirts, and large hats, with the illuminating comment that "no woman can skate in a hobble skirt".) It talks about free skating mostly in terms of making tracings of intricate figures on the ice and has very little to say about jumps and spins. The book is no doubt totally worthless as a technical reference, but it does have some entertainment value. Skateology Sidney Broadbent Privately Published [danielg551@aol.com (DanielG551)] The definitive resource on ice blade design is a manual called Skateology, written by Sidney Broadbent. (He also engineers and markets advanced blade-sharpening machines.) The manual may be purchased via mail order from Rainbo Sports, or by contacting Broadbent directly: Sidney Broadbent Ice Skate Conditioning Equipment Co. 5265 W. Quarles Dr. Littleton, CO 80123 Platoro Press Books Platoro press press is a small press that seems to be specializing mostly in reprints ice skating books, including works translated from Russian. The also sell videos, photographs and the infamous Skate Spinner. Be warned that some of their publications are re-prints of dated material, which may be more useful from a historical perspective than for instructional purposes. The following material is from their current (10/94) advertisment. They do not accept credit cards, just US bank personal checks, international money orders and AMEX Travellers Checks. Prices do include postage and multi-book discount are availalable Platoro Press 4481 Floyd Drive Columbus, OH 43232 614-837-0003 (leave message) Figure Skating History: The Evolution of Dance on Ice; Lynn C. Graves; $35 o 415 8-1/2 x 11 pages, 16-page color insert o Complete history - Olympics, Worlds, Nationals, results o Hundreds of photos, illustrations, with anecdotes, controversy o To date sold in 18 countries - a must have book [ reviewed above...] Ice Skating Fundamentals; Marilyn Grace House; $25 o Illustrations, photos, basics for learners Get the Edge: Sport Psychology for Figure Skaters; $30 o Set goals, control nerves, self-arouse, relax, image o Used by skaters, coaches, parents - it works! How Sport Psychology Can Make You a Champion; $18 o Think like a champion - overcome mental mistakes o Turn stress into strength - psych up, not out Symphony on Ice: The Protopopovs; A. Shelukhin; $12 o First Russian Olympic Pair Champions - how they trained o Philosophy of innovation with 33 photos Key to Rythmic Ice Dancing; Muriel Kay; $20 o Lessons on 21 compulsory dances - in-depth analysis o Basics and higher skills in one book Origins of Ice Dance Music; Muriel Kay; $12 o Roots of 11 rhythms used in ice dancing o Essential for coaches, skaters, judges Complete Manual of Ice Dance Patterns; Jeff Lerner; $35 o 400+ pages, 152 huge, easy-to-read patterns o Ideas for free, pairs footwork, ice show dances for groups [ reviewed above...] Secrets of Soviet Skaters: Off-Ice Training Methods; T Moskvina (upcoming) Figure Skating: The Pages of History; R. Chubrik (upcoming) Patterns of Russian Ice Dance; Y. Tchaikovskaya (upcoming) Biographical Works of Interest: Full Circle: an autobiography Dan Jansen with Jack McCallum Villiard/Random House, NY - 1994 Hardcover, 215 pages, $21.50 ISBN 0-679-43801-7 This is an autobiography of Dan Jansen which covers his ice speed skating career in some detail, including both his early olympic dissapointments and recent success. Torvill and Dean: Fire on Ice Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean with Neil Wilson Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London - 1994 Hardcover, ? pages, Cdn$24.95 ISBN 0-297-83415-0 Karen Duncan <kduncan@cc.umanitoba.ca> Much to my surprise, I found a new ice skating book yesterday and thought others here might be interested. It's a coffee table book on and by T&D covering their career from 1975 through the 1994 Olympics. There isn't very much text but there are *lots* of glossy pictures. Kurt: Forcing the Edge Kurt Browning with Neil Stevens Harper-Collins, Toronto - 1991 Hardcover, 195 pages Kurt Browning is a prominent contemporary Canadian figure skater.

Thumbs Up! The Elizabeth Manley Story Elizabeth Manley With Elva Clairmont Oglanby McMillan-Canada, Toronto - 1990 Hardcover, 224 pages Liz Manley is a prominent contemporary Canadian figure skater. Orser: A Skaters Life Brian Orser with Steve Milton Key-Porter, Toronto - 1988 Hardcover, 214 pages Brian Orser is a prominent contemporary Canadian figure skater. Queen of Ice, Queen of Shadows: the Unsuspected life of Sonja Henie Raymond Strait Stein & Day, NY - 1985 Hardcover, 339 pages This book attempts a independent retrospective of Sonja Henie's skating and entertainment career. it's been a while since I scanned a copy, but the points of controversy seemed to be Henie's domination of the pre-war ice skating scene and her unfortunate flirtation with Hitler's Aryan "racial superiority" propaganda machine. Scott Hamilton, A behind the Scenes Look at the Life and Competitive Times of America's Favorite Figure Skater - an Unauthorized Biography Micheal Steere St. Martins, NY - 1985 Hardcover, 347 pages, $17.95 ISBN 0-312-70449-6 This book seems to be more in the line of a journalist trying to write a celebrity/sports figure biography about a local figure than a biography of a skater. There is much ado about Scott's personal problems and tribulations, but overall the work seems trivial and doesn't give any particular insight into either the subject or the world of skating, not to mention that a lot has happened with Scott in the last ten years... Skating for Gold: the Intimate Life Story of Scott Hamilton Michael Steere St. Martin's Press, New York - 1984 Hardcover? I have no idea how this relates to Steere's other book on Scott Hamilton also published by St. Martin's just a year later... Torvill and Dean Jayne Torvill with John Hennessy St. Martins, New York - 1983 Hardcover, 208 pages Jayne Torvill and Chris Dean are one of the best known English ice dance teams. They added a new element of showmanship and drama to the event and broke a 12-year domination by classical ballet oriented USSR teams. John Curry Keith Money Alfred A. Knopf, NY - 1978 Hardcover, 224 pages, $17.50 ISBN 0-394-50134-9 [ also a prior UK edition ] The first third of this book is an illustrated skating and personal autobiography of John Curry up through his last amateur season, the remainder is a narrative and photo essay on his "Theater of Skating". The autobiography is frank, and while not overly detailed gives good insight into the thoughts and concerns of a top level skater. The second part is unique to any skating book - it details the ideas behind Curry's "Theater of Skating", an attempt to form a new systhesis of theater, dance and skating, and the photo essay provides a detailed pictorial study of an individual skater. While there no forced attempt to capture motion, there are often several related shots intended to show a sequence or alternative presentation of a move or concept. While it's not clear whether you would want to consider the images art per se, they certainly transcend any common notion of photo- journalism. See also Money's book on Nureyev & Fonteyn for more in this line. Natalie Dunn: World Roller Skating Champion Gloria D. Miklowitz Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York - 1979 Hardcover, 147 pages A biography of a three-time world champion roller skater who began skating at the age of two and competing at six. Teen or juvenile oriented. [ litlnemo@slumberland.com (Wendi Dunlap) ] It is definitely youth-oriented, but has a lot of photos of Natalie's career and of specific skating moves so it is worth looking at. On Thin Ice Henry Jelinek Jr. and Ann Pinchot Prentice-Hall, NJ - 1965 Hardcover, 169 pages The Jelineks were a Czech family who emigrated from just pre-war Czechoslovkia to Canada. Otto and Marie Jelinek skated competitively for Canada and went on to win the World's Pairs title in Prague in 1962. This book probably covers their skating career with attention to the questionable reception the expatriates might receive in cold war era Czechoslovkia. Skate with Me Barbara Ann Scott Doubleday & Company Inc, NY - 1950 Hardcover, 159 pages The first two-thirds of this book combines an autobiography of Barbara Ann Scott with general skating advice and opinions. The remainder is a brief introduction to figures and a few words about free skating. The biographical material is clearly written with the edification of young skaters in mind, but still contains enough meat to be of interest to the adult reader. The problem is that this book was written in 1950 to cover the previous decade, making the references and some of the attitudes expressed a bit dated. Dick Button on Skates Dick Button Prentice-Hall, NJ - 1955 Hardcover, 217 pages, $3.95 [ Sandra Loosemore <loosemore-sandra@cs.yale.edu> ] This is a gossipy autobiography which covers Button's years as a competitive skater. It includes a few chapters where Button argues for decreasing emphasis on compulsory figures, reducing excessive restrictions on amateur status, and making judges more accountable for their decisions - all of which have happened in the years since he wrote the book. The book also contains some material about skating technique that's mostly of interest for historical perspective. Wings on My Feet Sonja Henie Prentice-Hall, NJ - 1940 Hardcover, 177 pages This is Henie's autobiography, written several years after she had retired from amateur skating in favor of a show skating and movie career. See the 1985 Strait biography for a more complete career picture. Irrelevant non-skating Books: How to play the piano, despite years of lessons; What music is and how to make it at home Ward Cannel and Fred Marx Crown & Bridge, NJ - 1976 Trade Paperback, 240 pages, $17.95 ISBN 0-385-14263-3 (trade) 0-385-14262-5 (hardcover) There are a vast number of books that purport to teach you how to make music or play the xyz, but this one seems to combine a clear, refreshing approach to the basics with a considerable level of detail and insite into the practicalities of performance/perception. Note that the primary thrust of the book is to explain to keyboard players how to generate accompaniment to basic tunes, but in so doing, it also manages to expose the various layers and skeletons beneath the music as commonly performed. I'm not going to suggest that a little bit of music theory is good for everyone, but while some folks "got rhythm" the rest of us have to work at it. In particular, if you get into Ice or Roller Dance it will be to your advantage to understand the underlying order in the music and how to extract your timing and expression cues from the beat - especially in more complex orchestrated works where the basic Om-pah-pah takes an ocasional vacation. How To Dance Forever - Surviving Against the Odds Daniel Nagrin William Morrow and Co, New York, 1988 Trade Paperback, 367 pages, $14.95 ISBN 0-688-07479-0 I. The Dancers Day II. Diet III. Danger IV. Healers and Treatments V. Questions Asking to be Researched VI. The Heart-Mind of the Dancer VII. Tricks VIII. The Survivors Speak IX. The Youth Conspiracy X. More This is a book about life and health for the performance dancer that has quite a bit to say that applies directly to either the adult skater that has skating as being a secondary activity or to the skater considering a career. The focus is on maximizing the life-time value of your skating career - using your body safely and wisely, and getting the best return on your investment of time and risk. The attitude is refereshing but thoughtful, for example a section title "who am I, and how do I get off writing this book" explains just that. The approach is generally inquiring and holistic, not in the sense of pressing crank solutions, but rather raising key questions, discussing some of the alternatives and pointing out where there is conflicting opinion, answers that have changed over time or a need for research. The Magic of Dance Margot Fonteyn Knopf, New York, 1979 Hardcover, 326 pages ISBN 0-394-50778-9 Dance Magical Dance Universal Dance Experimental Dance Imperial Dance Aerial Dance Mythological Dance Traditional This book provides an execellent overview of performance dance - ballet, modern, etc. - from a reasonably contemporary perspective. I found the first sections most interesting - Dance Universal and Dance Experimental, in that they provide a framework to understand the importance and roles of dancers and concepts that I'd heard of but, really couldn't really place in any useful context. Even though not intended as a "coffe table" book, some of the photography reproduced is awesome, artistically speaking, elsewhere it provides documentary images that help fix persons, constumes and dance positions in context. It also provides precedent for the various aspects of that have wandered over in to skating, be it the Oksana's Swan Lake headdress or Curry's faun costume. Dance With the Music: The World of the Ballet Musician Elizabeth Sawyer Cambridge University Press, New York, 1985 Trade Paperback, 364 Pages ISBN 0-521-31925-0 I. The Art: Perspectives 1. Introduction: the situation 2. The relationship of movement and music 3. Music for ballet: stepchild, despot or helpmeet? II. The Practice: In the Studio 4. The contribution of the accompanist 5. Teachers and schools 6. Selection of music 1 - Theoretical: rhythm 7. Selection of music 2 - Esthetic: style and quality 8. Selection of music 3 - Practical: three combinations 9. Performance: musician and dancer 10. Improvisation 1 - Some basic principles 11. Improvisatoin 2 - Renaissance-rock excursion 12. Rehearsal and real life Appendix A. The dancers impediment: An excercise in imagination for the musician Appendix B. Books particularly recommended Whether you consider skating a degeneate form of Dance, with a limited vocabulary of demanding words, or a form of athletic motion, conveniently paced via music, it's hard to deny some relation to dance and musical accompaniment. This book is written from the perspective of a musician who provides live "music on demand" for ballet classes, practice and rehersals, the object being to provide a rhythm, melodey and mood to enable the dancers to implement the instructors excercises or directions. Reading this book is a bit like eavedropping on a conversation that might be about you, at times it all seems unlikely and your attention wanders, at others you're jerked back by some reference or common context. The detachment from ballet per se manages to avoid an direct concentration on Dance and making it easier to consider the concepts as they might also apply to skating. An example - attributed to Fokine: "Ballet should be expressive rather than exhibitionistic, with music integral to its organic unity" - surely this esthetic has dread application to skating. The Pointe Book - Success through Technique Janice Barringer Princeton Books, New Jersey, 1990 Trade Paperback, 193 pages, $16.95 ISBN 0-87127-150-8 While we usually associate "Ballet" with images of ballarinas in tutus, prancing or spinning on their toes, tutus are now period costumes and toe or pointe work is only a small but visible part of the overall art. By focusing on this limited area, this book threatens an inversion of priorities or such specialization that it might offer little to the skater. On the contrary, it points out the need for more contemporary technical literature on the equipment and training aspects of skating. I find some interesting parallels in that this form of dance requires specialized, even custom shoes, which require breaking in, sometimes modification, have a finite lifetime and while providing necessary support, fall short of protecting the foot from injury. Also, the pointe work often takes the form form of short, higher energy output "programs" within the overall presentation. The first part of the book covers the anatomy of the foot and how the pointe shoe works with the foot to allow relatively safe, extended dancing on the toes. There's some discussion of shoe construction, manufacturers and how the dancer customizes their shoes during the break-in process. Other chapters deal with training, foot injuries and fitness, followed by some brief commentary from dancers about their own shoe preferences and techniques. The Dancers Body Book Allegra Kent with J & C Cammer Quill/Morrow, New York, 1984 Trade Paperback, 220 pages, $12.00 ISBN 0688-01539-5 This book deals with physical fitness, primarily for professional or would-be professional ballet dancers. A large part of the book focuses on dieting, a controversial neccesity to maintain the body contours required for preformance dance, but the presentation is fairly comprehensive with attention to nutrition, fitness and dietary disicpline, not simply calorie counting and starvation. The remainder of the book address broader issues of fitness and excercise and the treatment of and recovery from injuries in an enviroment that requires maintaining fitness and activity during the recovery period. The Complete Guide to Disco Dancing Karen Lustgarten Warner Books, New York, 1978 Trade Paperback, 127 pages, $4.95 ISBN 0-446-87943-6 [ out of print ] Disco dance is a fad that intersected with roller skating back in the late 70's and early 80's and has never quite gone away, since "dance" music, with a clearly defined beat, be it march, ballroom or disco fuels public skating sessions everywhere. This book is clearly written, comprehensive and well illustrated. The approach is a progressive, step-by-step learn and learn by doing. Companion books deal with slow/ballroom dance and aerobic/excercise dance. The Official Guide to Disco Steps Jack Villari and Kathleen Sims Villari Chartwell Books, New Jersey - 1978 Hardcover, 115 pages ISBN 0-89009-259-1 [ out of print ] This book covers similar territory to the Lustgarten book, but with a more detailed and analytical approach. Particularly interesting to the skater are the chapters on isolations, excercises and basic steps. Night Dancin' Vita Miezitis and Bill Bernstein Ballantine Books, New York - 1980 Trade Paperback, 220 pages, $9.95 ISBN 0-345-28649-9 A strange excercise in urban archeology, this book is a contemporary exploration of New York's trendy disco's at the peak of the disco era. Nominally a guidebook, it dips fairly deeply into the journalistic mode, asking why a club is there, who goes, why and what they like - in effect becoming a documentary of a bygone era. Byegone in the sense that of 30 clubs detailed only a few are more than memories, and those are the ones that weren't just "discos" - The Cotton Club, The Roseland Ballroom and the Empire Roller Disco, for example. The latter is really what get the book in here - there's about 11 pages of text and pictures of the roller disco scene at the Empire and Metropolis clubs, mostly individual/small group shots of just-us-folks. A Social History of the Bicycle Robert A. Smith American Heritage Press/McGraw-Hill, NY - 1972 Hardcover, 269 pages ISBN 0-70-058457-6 [ try a city/university library ] While one often assumes that in-line skaters have a basic right to share the road with other users, this book details the battle that early cyclists had earn a place on the roads of the day and the role that their political action group (League of American Wheelman) played in sponsoring road improvements, bike paths and mapping. While the first cycle boom was largely subsumed by the advent of the trolley car and then the personal automobile, latter cycling and road skating booms took advantage of the foundations laid in this earlier era. Also notable are perspectives on thes boom/bust cycles in popular athletic/health/transportation fads and the roles played by promoters, manufacturers, and racing/record setting professionals. Another area deals with the propriety and physical abilitles of woman cyclist and with the clothing, equipment compromises and social adaptations entailed. Mental Toughness Training For Sports: Achieving Athletic Excellence James E. Loehr Penguin/Plume Books - 1986 Trade Paperback, 190 pages, $11.00. ISBN-0-452-26795-1 [Jane Harrison <harrison@mcz.harvard.edu>] I am applying [this book] to my career as a professional musician, since we experience the same sorts of "performance anxieties" as athletes and though I am not a competitive skater, I know lots of you are and might find this book helpful for keeping cool under pressure. I'm only halfway through it at the moment, but it seems to really have some good techniques for keeping your energy "positive" rather than "negative" when you are performing. - the End - ===================================================== Copyright Notice: This material is Copyright 1994-1996 by George Robbins. Rights to reproduce or distribute via on-line services offering general usenet or internet access is freely granted, provided that such services do not impose contractural or copyright restrictions upon further free reproduction or re-distribution of the material, and that this copyright notice remains intact and visible. All other rights are reserved, contact George Robbins (grr@tharsis.com) regarding permissions. Complaints should be entered here. All other inquires and offers of marriage should be sent to: Kevin Anderson / kander@ix.netcom.com Click your heels together three times and say, "There's no place like home" This site is part of the NorthStarNet Project