No comments about Gazza: A Biography.

No comments about 1966 and All That: My Autobiography.

No comments about Sweet FA.

2 comments about Rebellion: The Growth of Football's Protest Movement.

1. It's difficult to know where to begin with this book, but the authors' statement that it was formulated in a pub after several drinks explains a lot. It is riddled with inaccuracies and irrelevant text, much of it in the form of quotes from novelists such as Remarque and Fleming, neither of whom were renown for their expertise on firearms. [Fleming disliked guns and had to have the workings of the Walther PPk pistol explained to him.]
   The chapter topics are curious as well, the death of Nelson [the result of a lucky shot by a French marine and not sniping in even its remotest sense] receives six pages, whereas the Great War, from whence came all current sniping knowledge, receives a scant four. Neither do the authors appear to understand even the basics of firearms technology - musket balls are undersized, not oversized. Priming powder does not fall out of the pan on flintlocks [the frizzen closes over it to prevent this]. Percussion ignition did not happen in the 1790's and British cartridges were never lubricated with animal fat, beeswax and tallow were used.
   The dismissal of the abilities of the Enfield P14 rifle are curious too, for it was not introduced as a sniping weapon until AFTER the Great War had ended, yet the widespread use of the Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield as the primary Commonwealth sniping rifle during the war is bafflingly ignored. There is even a little short story at the end of the book, possibly to make up for the lack of hard substance.
   One could go on, but frankly, life is too short to read bad books. Save your money, there are better publications out there.



2. I was a Marine Corps Scout Sniper for many years and am well read on the history of the subject. This book just isn't very good. It is historically inaccurate and plays fast and loose with the facts. The chapter on Zaitsev surprised me. Everyone knows the guy wasn't real and was made up for Russian propaganda mills. The author acknowledges the dispute but says he will assume Zaitsev was real and writes an entire chapter on a fictional person. He also says that Russian snipers with experience in Chechnya were hired as mercenaries by the israelis to shoot Palestinianse. Why? Because Israel doesn't have any good snipers. Yeah. I happen to have some personal experience in that area and all i can say is don't waste your time.

No comments about A Tale of Two Cities: The Dave McPherson Story.

No comments about Graeme Souness.

No comments about Dealer: A Soccer Star's Deliverance from the Cocaine Underworld.

No comments about Rangers: The Managers.

No comments about Andy's Game: The Inside Story of the World Cup.

No comments about Feed the Goat.