Bøger af Philip Reed

Now available in paperback, Philip Reed's latest building guide tackles what many regard as the ultimate expression of the ship model maker's art, the Navy Board model. His step-by-step construction of a miniature 1/192 scale model of HMS Royal George of 1715 demonstrates all the conventions of Navy Board framing and planking. With the aid of nearly four hundred photographs, he takes the reader through every building stage. He covers methods of hull and deck framing, internal and external planking, and the construction of the complex stern. Reed also shows how to render the multitude of decorative carvings on the figurehead, stern, and broadside. A section showing, amongst others, his model of Siren, explains how the techniques used to frame Royal George can be adapted for ships of a later date, using single and double frames closer to full-size practice. This is the first book in many years to cover the well-known and sought-after early eighteenth-century Navy Board models. Here is an invaluable manual from which any model maker can benefit from the lifetime's experience of one of the world's leading exponents of the art of miniature shipbuilding.

Philip Reed is coasting toward retirement, looking for one last adventure, when he meets Bill Palis, a professional blackjack player and former member of the legendary MIT team that took the casinos for millions.At a blackjack table in a strip casino, Phil sees Bill win $1,600 in 20 minutes of play?and he's intrigued. Initially, he plans to write the book as a spectator, but Bill encourages him to overcome his fears, learn to count cards, and get a piece of the action for himself. The two men form a friendship and begin traveling and playing blackjack together, often with Father Andy, who kicks in money so they can play out of a $30,000 bankroll.Phil, who has adult ADD, and flunked math in high school, adopts the challenge of card counting as a way to banish the old ghosts of his poor self-image and build new synapses in his aging brain. With Bill as his tough mentor, Phil struggles to learn the game and secretly track the cards. As Phil's play improves, Bill teaches him to disguise his wins and avoid scrutiny from casino security and the Orwellian ?eye-in-the-sky"e; security cameras.Philip Reed punctuates My Piece of the Action with short, funny, informational sections on various gambling-related subjects. These sections step outside the main story and add depth by investigating different card counting systems, the danger of gambling addiction, interviews with memory experts, and secrets of dealers, pit bosses, and casino surveillance specialists. Throughout, he takes a humorous look at casino characters, even as he begins to sink into the gambling world himself.

Critical essays and studies reflecting the latest thinking on two major figures in 20c music.