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Title: The Complete Guide to Paintball, Third Edition by Jerry Braun, Steve Davidson, Rob Rubin ISBN: 1-57826-173-2 Publisher: Hatherleigh Pr Pub. Date: 14 June, 2004 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.56 (43 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: This is the best paintball book yet!
Comment: I would have to say that this book is the best resource forpantball, hands down. Sure big...companies have good websites, but ifyou want in your face interviews with the people who came up with thisgreat game, or if you want detailed tactics and stratagies on how totake out an opponent, this is the book for you.
In the firstchapter, it has information on what the game is about, it's rules,different games you can play, 3 interviews with the pioneers ofpaintball, explanations about all the equipment and what it all doesfor you, common mistakes new players make...it goes on and on...theperfect new player's resource!
If you're a new player or a seasonedvetran, this book will have something for you. For the new playerthere's all of chapter one and much, much more to get a grasp on thebackground and the way the game of paintball is played. For theadvanced player, an explanation of the front, mid a back players in agame, advanced playing tactics, and lots of great drills and otherinformation.
If you are thinking about getting a paintball book,then definately get this one because for $16, you get a whole overviewof paintball, drills, gun information, info on all the equipmentyou'll use, advanced tactics and so, so much more.
I really enjoyedthis book, and I hope you do too!
Rating: 5
Summary: Read this book to gain the competitive edge
Comment: This is a great book for both the weekend warrior, and those wanting to join a competitive team. Regardless of your skill level it holds something for you. It covers history, game rules and in depth gear and accessories information. The book outlines game tactics, techniques, equipment and how to use bunkers and cover to your advantage. Professional players are interviewed, and their tips to success are revealed.
For the battle hardened players,there are analysis' of guns and air systems, along with advanced strategys and training drills.
I enjoyed this book because it was informative and fun to read when I was a beginner, and I am still learning advanced techniques such as capturing and defending a building/fortress.
Chapters are well sectioned off, so it is easy to dip into or re-read an area of particular interest. Well worth a look for those who enjoy the game.
Rating: 2
Summary: Useful, but a vague disappointing rehash of older editions
Comment: Short version: This book has a lot of good information, especially for beginners, and its attempt to portray paintball history is admirable (and rare). However, it is often extremely vague, possibly in an attempt to avoid offending manufacturers by actually endorsing particular products (or better yet, by pointing out the lemons). There was also clearly no attempt to update the older sections of the book: 90% of this is straight out of the 1999 edition, with the remainder split between reprinted 2nd edition material and actual new stuff. The new 3rd edition section is mostly a gloss on what is newly available in paintball gear. In the end, if you've read or you own the 1st or 2nd edition, save your money. If you don't, and you are new to the game, read this and enjoy: it is worth the cash, largely because there is so little competition. A truly outstanding overall guide to paintball has yet to be published.
Long Version: Don't get me wrong: I liked the 1999 edition, and I like this one too. It's just that compared to what they could have and should have done, this is frustratingly disappointing. This book is written for people with VERY short attention spans. Even within articles that only run 1 or 2 pages, there are sidebars, lots of LARGE headers in multiple bright colors, which break up those two pages into three or four ADHD-sized bites of text. The editing is good, with only the occasional embarrassing spelling error left in, and the writing is on the whole decent. Because the writers are often working with very tight word count limits though, and because most of them are not good at being economical with word choice, many articles are underdeveloped. Often, I get the sense that I know what the author means, but the words just aren't there on the page. Instead, there is a quick description that makes sense if you already know the subject, but which wouldn't work for the uninitiated. In most cases, just a bit more explanation would make it work.
This is a shame, since much of the older, dated material could have been cut or at least edited to be shorter, giving the newer authors room to expand. Of course, since 282 pages out of 342 (not counting appendices) are straight out of 1999, most of what is here was underdeveloped five years ago in the original edition. Speaking of appendices, both the glossary and list of suppliers/fields are useful, but woefully incomplete. The glossary is missing key terms like "pod," and is not cross-indexed. This, the entry for "suppressor" very helpfully tells you that this is the same as silencer, but there's no entry for "silencer." Sure, you can find it by browsing, if you know enough to look under suppressor, but this glossary is more for reading through end to end than for quick reference on an unfamiliar term: the function of a glossary. Likewise, the supplier/field index is woefully lacking. It seems to have been tacked on as an afterthought with very little basic research.
And that sums up the 3rd edition on many levels. The 1st and 2nd edition text (320 pages out of 342, or 94%) was simply reprinted without even the slightest attempt to edit or shorten it. Thus, you have five year old news (like the 1999 announcement that manufacturers had agreed to limit ROF to 13bps: ha!ha!) being presented in huge, colored type as if it were new. That is lazy, sloppy, and completely unprofessional. It is explainable only by a desire to quickly and cheaply crank out a new edition and make a fast buck. It is forgivable only because most of the competition is so lame that even this rehash looks like a jewel next to them. Case in point: The "Ultimate Guide to Paintball" (also available on Amazon) is so poorly done that it isn't even worth borrowing from the library, yet it is the only serious competition in the "comprehensive guide" market.
So, in a nutshell, this is the best I've seen, but mostly outdated and unwilling to shoot straight and name which products are good (and why) and which are junk. If you are a new player, buy it, read it, and learn from it, keeping in mind that most of it is older stuff that is reprinted. (To be fair, the editors make this clear in their table of contents.) If you are an experienced player, borrow it from a friend or from the library: the stretching routine is well worth reading, and some of the writing is funny and worthwhile. If you've ever read a previous edition, don't bother: there simply isn't enough new here to merit spending your hard-earned cash. I'll keep looking for a really excellent overall guide to paintball.
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Title: Ultimate Guide To Paintball by John R. Little, Curtis Wong ISBN: 0809225492 Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books Pub. Date: 12 March, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Paintball! Strategies and Tactics: Strategies & Tactics by Bill Barnes, Bill Survival Game Barnes ISBN: 0914457527 Publisher: Mustang Pubn Pub. Date: August, 1993 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: 50+ Ways to Play with Your Paintballs by Scott Malensek ISBN: 0741411059 Publisher: Infinity Publishing.com Pub. Date: 02 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: Gun-fu: The Martial Art of Paintball by Terry Adams ISBN: 0971659702 Publisher: Armed Citizen Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
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Title:Operation Paintball: Total Dominance ASIN: B000083GHG Pub. Date: 18 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $29.95 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $29.95 |
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