Amazon.com
Readers of Richard Bach's Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, will recall that said messiah, Donald Shimoda, carried with him a small book entitled the Messiah's Handbook. According to Shimoda, all Bach had to do was, "Open it, and whatever you need to know is there." Now, decades after Illusions was first published, Bach has made the handbook available to all of us "advanced souls in training."

Rather than reading it cover-to-cover, Bach counsels us to close our eyes, focus on the question we want an answer to, then open the handbook at random, open our eyes and read what's on the page. In this regard, Messiah's Handbook can be likened to a 21st century version of the I Ching or The Book of Runes, with the same appeal to readers who enjoys such works. Each page is composed of a single, thought-provoking aphorism.

As with all of Bach's books, at the heart of Messiah's Handbook is his encouragement to his reader to follow the drumbeat of their dreams without compromise or apology, knowing that we can have what we desire so long as we believe we can. Used as directed, Messiah's Handbook is a delightfully insightful guide for making those dreams come true.--Larry Trivieri Jr.Book Description
In Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, Richard Bach met Donald Shimoda, a fellow pilot with the keys to the universe who barnstormed the Midwest in a Travel Air biplane. Part of Shimoda's secret was a small book, bound in a what looked like suede - Messiah's Handbook: Reminders for the Advanced Soul. "Open it," he said, "and whatever you need to know is there." Lost for decades and rediscovered, here it is in print at last - reminders for those who have outgrown cynicism and doubt. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Some good "Home Truths" to keep one centred !
This excellent little book gives quote after quote that linger in the mind.
It cuts through so much "Fairy-Tale" nonsense that we grow up with and get taught as "Gospel Truth" ! In fact , it is a real step forward towards getting beyond obsolete attitudes and absurd beliefs . It gives one a refreshingly realistic perspective on what we are probably all doing here on this planet. So much of it rings true , for me ,at least !
I, personally , love it and give it top rating. Bravo, Richard Bach !

Bach's best!
While I've read all of Richard Bach's books, this little book is a great reminder of things we may have forgotten.I highly recommend this book.

No middle ground
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK UNTIL YOU READ THE DIRECTIONS in the introduction.This is one of those volumes you will either hate or love.There is no middle ground.I still have my leatherbound Jonathon Livingstone Seagull from the early 70's.Somewhere in my wife's jewelry box is my old JLS medallion that says, "You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self here and now" boldly etched upon it.I was a JLS fan and found value in Illusions several years later.Then, I lost touch as I perceived Mr. Bach lost touch with subsequent efforts.I stumbled upon this handbook recently and my wife bought it for my birthday.At very first blush, I hated it!Then I read the directions.

DO NOT READ THIS BOOK UNTIL YOU READ THE DIRECTIONS in the introduction. This book is not intended to be read.It is intended to be referenced.It is a sophisticated Magic 8 Ball, and it has value.After reading the directions and using the manual as it is intended to be used, I love it.It sets on my desk at work and I do use it weekly.

Inspiring, Fascinating
Over the years I have admired and ejoyed Richard Bach's works.This one came as a welcome surprise, as its content honors the "Reminders for the Advanced Soul" part of the title.It is a nice compendium of quotes by Bach that reflect his philosophy of life.The text speaks to the reader's Higher Self and invites to perform self-enquiry. I personallyfind it nourishes my spirit.And I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys inspirational quotes of a different kind.

Wisdom One Bite At A Time
Wonderful collection of wisdom. Not a book but a collection. Think of it not as bound pages but as individual scraps of wisdom.

Small, powerful, positive. ... Read more

Book Description
I gave my life to become the person I am right now. Was it worth it? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

Motivational book
I've given away many of the book ONE by Richard Bach; to graduates who need a little inspiration to take the first giant leap of faith into the working world. This book reviews the writers live and some of the decisions not made earlier in life and the consequences of those decisions.

Too political
After reading "The Bridge Across Forever" I wanted to read more from this couple. I was disappointed that this book was full of political propaganda. Yes it would be nice if everything was fairies and elves, but life just isn't like that. "The Bridge Across Forever" was a good book that I would recommend. I wouldn't recommend "One" to anyone.

Richard Bach is the best
This book barely surpasses Illusions. I absolutely love Richard Bach. What an incredible, INCREDIBLE book. Must read for anyone with an open mind. If you like Richard Bach's style as a whole, you will love this book. You probably wont be able to put it down.

I think I'll read it again...a lot.

A Mind Altering Experience with No Negative Side Effects
On a business trip in 1990, I took a detour to visit my hometown of Bedford, Va. and stopped at a nondescript drugstore. While walking down an aisle, a tiny book flew out of the shelf (from two feet away) and landed on the floor in front of my moving feet. No problem. I got the message.

Over the last 35 years I've read hundreds of seminal books on transformation, attended seminars with high profile teachers, traveled to energy vortexes around the planet.....but ONE stands alone as the onlybook to ever blow my mind apart. Getting wacked in the pyramid at Palenque rivaled the mind-altering potency of this secret jewel, but ONE is available for everyone for 5 bucks.

The characters didn't matter, the writing didn't matter, the information didn't matter. What mattered was the underlying structure, the mathematics of the Is-ness that transcended the words and spoke in a silent language throughout the book. This non-verbal energy fieldshifted and restructured my thought process. My mind remains stupefied and still shakes the head surrounding it at the memory of this amazing adventure.

The magnificent mind, our greatest block to Beingness, must surrender its hold (thinking) or we cannot actualize. ONE was a major player in giving my mind the understanding it needed to LET GO! No contest, the NOW wins. It's the only book that has my SUPERRRRR-STAR rating.

A bit too preachy and pretty..
I grew up reading Johnathon Livingston Seagull over and over, and became a fan of Richard Bach after reading a few of his other books later in life, but with One it seems he's become too comfortable in his role as an always-inspiring and thought-provoking author, and didn't strain himself to be either.The book rambles on quite a bit and has an extremely different tone than something like Illusions.Still made you think a few times, but I definitely didn't feel at all enlightened when reading it.Very mushy and soft throughout, and occasionally even preachy and self-righteous.I'd recommend one of his earlier books over this. ... Read more

Book Description
In the cloud-washed airspace between the cornfields of Illinois and blue infinity, a man puts his faith in the propeller of his biplane. For disillusioned writer and itinerant barnstormer Richard Bach, belief is as real as a full tank of gas and sparks firing in the cylinders...until he meets Donald Shimoda--former mechanic and self-described messiah who can make wrenches fly and Richard's imagination soar....



In Illusions, the unforgettable follow-up to his phenomenal bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach takes to the air to discover the ageless truths that give our souls wings: that people don't need airplanes to soar...that even the darkest clouds have meaning once we lift ourselves above them... and that messiahs can be found in the unlikeliest places--like hay fields, one-traffic-light midwestern towns, and most of all, deep within ourselves. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (461)

This is the book you'll find yourself giving to others as gifts for years to come
An extremely fun, thought provoking book that you'll just keep buying to share with others. Well written and authentic, this book is a must read for any book lover of any genre. What is remarkable about this book is how it is able to touch any reader, no matter what the moral background is.

Thought-provoking!
I had to buy this book for a personal values class that I am taking, but I was blown away at how many lessons can be learned from reading it.The author makes some good points about life and the way that you should view the world around you.It kind of turned out to be a self-help book for me.

This book changed my life
This is my favorite book of all time.Richard Bach is a master of yanking us out of the humdrum and enabling us to see ourselves and the world around us in a fresh, new light.His other masterpiece, Jonathan Livingston Seagull showed me the power of allegory and eventually led to me writing my book, To Bee or Not to Bee.It's now in 11 languages and exploding.Thank you, Richard!

To Bee or Not to Bee: A Book for Beeings Who Feel There's More to Life Than Just Making Honey

What a great story....
I am not going to tell you about the story, that would give it all away. I am going to tell you that there are words of wisdom that are sprinkled throughout the story. It is an easy read. It will make you think. And you will close the back cover with a smile on your face. Highly recommended.

Favorite All-Time Book
This book changed my life; its philosophy is simple and elegant and proposes possible answers to questions that organized religions can't or won't face.I buy copies of this book and give them to friends frequently. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Everything you need to know about the Universe in one book
This is my most favourite book ever and like so many others I too am always buying copies for others. If I ever meet anyone who doesn't love it I can't help but feel a little sorry for them.

The book came to me in such a great way too. I was giving somebody some reiki and they just blurted out something about a reluctant messiah and spoke about a blue feather on the cover, I checked it out, ordered the book, read it and haven't looked back since. It's beautiful.

Now't else to say really.

timeless inspiration
I have read Chopra, Myss, Dyer, Walsh, Choquette, Hay, Braden, Hawkins, Stevens, Murray, and a host of others, but this book started the journey, and in this book is the purest distillation of spiritual truths - manifestation, the nature of reality, the illusion of life on earth, manifesting, dominion over matter, energy, transmutation, magnetization, attraction and a sense of peace that could be described as harmonious empowerment. Read it once as a fable, then read it again as life instructions.

ILLUSIONS-OF TIME AND SPACE
Long before Neale Donald Walsh and other spiritual writers is this short story that weaves a magical tale of the potential of looking at our physical plane of life in a different manner. A forgotten book that is most inspiring and has the potential to open ones mind to other dimensions. A wonderful read for those searching for the deeper meanings of our lives.
Georgen ... Read more

Book Description
A half-mile up, suspended by nylon wings and the promise of good lift, life hanges on a pledge.  Richard Bach made that pledge, fifty years before, to return to the frightened child he used to be and teach him everything he had learned from living.  His promise went unfulfilled until one day, hovering between earth and sky, Richard encounters Dickie Bach, age nine--irrepressible challenger of every notion Richard embraces....

In this exhilarating adventure, Richard and Dickie probe the timeless questions both need answered if either is to be whole: Why does growing spiritually mean never growing up? Can we peacefully coexist with the consequences of our choices? Why is it that only by running from safety can we make our wildest dreams take flight? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Excellent read for the right mind!
Great book. It will appeal to you only if you are ready to read a book in its class. If you manage to read the whole book, you will gain alot from it. If you have acquired this book it must be meant for you. Read it!

Afraid of taking risks? Read this!
This is one of the very few books which teach how to come out of comfort zone! If one wants to take risks, he/she needs to come out of so called 'safety zone'. These lines are enough to describe this book.

Inner Child meets Grown Man
This is a dichotomy of inner child meeting up with grown man, in metaphorical terms.An autobiographical account of the author's life, although a mental stretch, will make the reader re-examine their lives and choices along the way.Made me laugh and cry.
Arlene Millman
author of BOOMERANG - A MIRACLE TRILOGY

Average Richard Bach Book
I didn't feel there was any new content in this book, it seemed to me to be a different story on what Richard has already talked about in his other books.Still the basic story was good and worth reading.

The end of the comfort zones
This book successfully explores intimacy, comfort zones, A philosophy to live by, skeletons in the closet and the current limitations of linear space-time.Truly a must read for anyone who wants to travel through life with conscienceness. ... Read more

Amazon.com
"Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight--how to get from shore to food and back again," writes author Richard Bach in this allegory about a unique bird named Jonathan Livingston Seagull. "For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight." Flight is indeed the metaphor that makes the story soar. Ultimately this is a fable about the importance of seeking a higher purpose in life, even if your flock, tribe, or neighborhood finds your ambition threatening. (At one point our beloved gull is even banished from his flock.) By not compromising his higher vision, Jonathan gets the ultimate payoff: transcendence. Ultimately, he learns the meaning of love and kindness. The dreamy seagull photographs by Russell Munson provide just the right illustrations--although the overall packaging does seem a bit dated (keep in mind that it was first published in 1970). Nonetheless, this is a spirituality classic, and an especially engaging parable for adolescents. --Gail HudsonBook Description
This is a story for people who follow their hearts and make their own rules...people who get special pleasure out of doing something well, even if only for themselves...people who know there's more to this living than meets the eye: they'll be right there with Jonathan, flying higher and faster than ever they dreamed.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (287)

Read It and Pass It On
I read this book a long time ago and heard the narrated version on a record by Richard Harris (excellent, hope people can eventually get it again).I read the book when I was first opening up spiritually and feeling what it meant to be a divine being created by universal being.This book expresses this thought in a story form, simply and clearly.It also touches upon how you will be shunned by your tribe when you aim higher than mere survival and even how with compassion we need to go back to the tribe to help it to grow, and then leave again.I suspect that many who walked the planet followed this pattern.

Fly Free!
I first read this charming, magical and inspiring book in 1970, when it hit the bestseller list. I have read it a few times since then and often give it at Christmas. I also give another spiritual and inspirational book that is non-fiction. It's Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears, by Jerry Ellis. It's about his 900 mile walk along the Cherokee Trail of Tears and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award.

Inspired me to write my book
When I first read JLS in 1971 I didn't get it; too young.Ten years and a blur of life experiences later, I read it again.Profound, poetic, inspiring.Was this the same book? It endeared me to the power of allegory and 25 years later led me to write To Bee or Not to Bee (a JLS of the insect world). It's now in 11 languages and exploding.Thank you, Richard.
To Bee or Not to Bee: A Book for Beeings Who Feel There's More to Life Than Just Making Honey

The Essence of life in a book...or a bird....or you.
This book beautifully shows us why it is difficult to break out of the crowd mentality and that allows us to be compassionate with ourselves when we get stuck. It shows us where the crowd mentality comes from which gives us greater understanding of our fellow souls that seem intent on keeping us in the crowd and from that understanding we can be more compassionate towards them. But most importantly it shows us how to break free of the crowd and how we bless ourselves and the whole of creation by doing so.

The greatest gift that you can give the world is to heal yourself.

The story is short and yet so deep that you may never see the bottom, therefore it speaks to everyone on all levels. As folk point out, you can read it in one afternoon and it will be with you forever.

What have you got to lose?

Still great after all these years
Every five to seven years I re-read this book and each time the intrinsic meaning of the book changes for me.It changes due to the gained experiences of myself and thus my point of view while reading is different.If you haven't read it in a while, do yourself a favor and read it again...If you have a friend who has never read it, do them a favor and give it to them to read...and of course...If you have never read it, do yourself the greast of favors and read it for the first time. ... Read more

Book Description
Here for the first time in a single volume are three of Richard Bach's most compelling works about flight.

From his edgy days as a USAF Alert pilot above Europe in an armed F84-F Thunderstreak during the Cold War to a meander across America in a 1929 biplane, Bach explores the extreme edges of the air, his airplane, and himself in glorious writing about how it feels to climb into a machine, leave the earth, and fly.

Only a handful of writers have translated their experiences in the cockpit into books that have mesmerized generations.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

As a gift it's a hit!
I bought this book as a gift for my son who is taking flying lessons and working at a small airport.I had read Bach's stories separately and liked them all.My son loved it!It makes a lovely gift.

If you love flying. . .or love someone who loves flying. . .this is the book to get
This work is an "omnibus" edition of Richard Bach's three great classics on flying. Readers familiar with Bach tend to think of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" (any of us in college in the 70s remember that one!) but long before Jonathan took wing, Bach had his own flying adventures, first as a military pilot during the early years of the cold war, and then, remarkably as a "barnstormer" flying an antique plane around the country. These three books recount those adventures of his earlier years.

I first discovered them when learning to fly in my early twenties. Time, circumstances, life in general took me away from my passion of flying until recently, when I again took to the air in a light weight aircraft and am just about finished with restoring a light weight replica of a P-51 Mustang. I fell back into Bach's works and discovered, yet again, all the wonderful memories, and yes, telling me as well about why, after a bit of a gut tightening moment when something doesn't feel right with the plane, I take a deep breath and behold, there is the splendor of the world below me at dawn, the beauty of circling a cloud that no one, before or ever after, will see as I now see it, and that sweet sense of being one with my plane as I slide into final approach and touch the earth again.

If you love flying, this is your book. If you love someone who loves flying (and can't figure out exactly why they do such crazy things!) buy this book, read it, get the insights, then hand it over to the pilot who will be thrilled that you now "understand."

I am delighted that Bach's three great works are back out there again in this single edition.

Bill in North Carolina
co-owner of a Loehle P-51 Mustang "Gloria Ann III" ... Read more

Amazon.com
Bestselling author Richard Bach explores the meaning of fate and soul mates in this modern-day fairytale based on his real-life relationship with actor Leslie Parrish. "This is a story about a knight who was dying, and the princess who saved his life," Bach writes in his opening greeting. "It's a story about beauty and beasts and spells and fortresses, about death-powers that seem and life-powers that are." Yes, it is all that, and more. On the earthly plane this is about the riveting love affair between two fully human people who are willing to explore time travel and other dimensions together even as they grapple with the earthly struggles of intimacy, commitment, smothering, and whose turn it is to cook. Their love affair and happy ending inspired many enthusiastic fans. Years later, some of these fans were devastated to discover that this match made in heaven didn't manage to stick (the couple are no longer together). But in an Amazon interview, Bach explains that lovers don't have to stay married forever to be lifetime soul mates. Read this as a lesson about love's enchantments and possibilities, but don't count on this book to keep you and your mate on the bridge across forever. --Gail HudsonBook Description

More than one year on the New York Times bestseller list! Richard Bach's timeless and uplifting classic of hope and love

Customer Reviews (118)

Give Him (And the Rest of Us) a Break
I'm still amazed at the power of this simple autobiographical narrative to inspire vitriolic rhetoric among the chronically disappointed.I've read dozens of reviews of "Bridge..." that begin with the confession that the reviewer has never met Richard Bach--and knows little or nothing about him beyond his own description of himself--that then proceed with a string of indictments of his character, morals, philosophy, personal integrity, personal history, and his supposed lack of intellectual and literary prowess.Since they are based on little more than Bach's own narrative, it seems to me that these indictments reveal more about the reviewer than the one being reviewed.

I, too, re-read it after a nearly 20-year hiatus, and I agree that Mr. Bach doesn't come off all that well in the book.But remember, this is a SELF-portrait.It is, in fact, one of the most brutally honest portraits of personal frailty and vanity I have ever read.Remember, too, that everything we know about the "beautiful and intelligent" Leslie comes from Richard's own description of her--in contrast to himself.Who among us would be willing to reveal as much of his/her own frailty?The fact that he is willing to portray himself this way in front of the whole world actually gives me hope--in a perverse sort of way.If a guy who did all the things Richard Bach has been accused of doing can still find love and make it work for 20 years--well, then there's still hope for the rest of us.

I don't care a fig that it didn't work out in the long run for the real-life Richard and Leslie.(And I'd like to know Ms. Mitchell's source for her assertion that Richard Bach "left his beautiful and intelligent 'soulmate' after twenty years of marriage because she wanted to live a grownup life and he didn't."As far as I know, Bach simply confirms that they split up because they had different goals--no indication of who left whom, not that it matters, and not that it's anyone's business but theirs.I've never seen anything from Leslie Parrish on the subject.And I agree that we need to hear from Leslie pretty soon if she has anything to say on the subject of Love.She's over 70 years old now, and time is running out.)I don't see how their failure to "make it work" serves as a valid basis on which to dismiss the whole concept of true, abiding, heart-bursting romance.

Let me put it this way:Once upon a time, after much heartache, injury, and despair, someone came up with the idea of putting stop signs at busy intersections in order to prevent needless injury, death, and unhappiness.So, because people sometimes run stop signs, or because the author of the stop sign is killed at a marked intersection, we should yank out stop signs because stop signs don't work?Because WE sometimes fail to come to a complete stop, stop signs are a lie and a dangerous fantasy?

No.And I'll bet I'm every bit as "dented" by adulthood and its failures as Ms. Mitchell is.After all, I've got at least 20 years on her.Nevertheless, I refuse to give up.I'd rather die.We live in a cynical age that warns us to throw away every soaring passion, and every heart's desire.It is WE who are "smug and narcissistic and complacent" in our condemnation of those who refuse to settle for half-a-love, or who fight for a love they know is true--in spite of personal shortcomings.

Richard Bach dared to write a book about soul-smashing love at a time when no one wanted to talk about it, or even acknowledge that such a thing exists.The very fact that we're still talking about it 20 years later is testimony to his courage, insight, and prescience, even in the midst of his personal frailty.What's needed now isn't a bunch of pompous rhetoric about Richard Bach and his supposed failings as a human being.What's needed now is a book about how to pick up the pieces of shipwrecked idealism and hold onto something that raises it's head above this manure pile that passes for "values" in the first decade of the 21st Century.

This book is as much about Leslie's fight for her love as it is about Richard's vanity and narcissism.And I submit to you, and to everyone reading this lonely message-in-a-bottle, that what we need in this dried-up world of cynicism and self-protection is more--not less--of the honesty and radical idealism of people who want to build bridges "across forever."

beautiful
I have read this book some 9 years ago. Lost my first copy, so ordered it again. Still love it.

The Bridge Across Forever
Most of us know the saying that we teach best what we most need to learn.With regard to many of the reviews I've read regarding this book,and others of his with the soulmate theme, many people would say this is true of Richard.But is that so?Didn't Richard advocate being true to one's self and one's feelings most?Even if the feelings weren't convenient or mainstream.And feelings change.Richard is self centered and I really don't think he ever tried to present himself as anything other than that - quite the opposite. He wrote what he felt and thought then- period.He didn't stay with the person he depicted as his soulmate because apparently his feelings and thoughts about the person and the relationship changed and I'll wager Leslie's did too.And in keeping with his philosophy he followed those feelings and thoughts and moved on.And Leslie, being the beautiful person that she is definitely deserves someone being with her who can deeply appreciate and love her and WANT TO BE THERE.Is Richard immature?I think so.But he is sure following his phiosophy of being true to one's self regardless of what I think or you think.I do admire that.And Leslie loved this brillant fickle man knowing he was a brillant fickle man changeable as the wind's direction.After all she must have been aware that he left a wifeand 6 children.This being honest and "true"to one's own self can have a sharp edge to it even among soulmates. This outcome is not so foreign to the book's content.It's an interesting book,and the reaction to it is even more interesting. As for me, I believe there are soulmates but no life long guarantees.

A Love Story Unlike Any Other
It's not that mushy stuff!

It'a all about a man who actually finds his soulmate and how his soul recognizes her soul... It has a light philosophical content on the subject of souls reconnecting in the next life.

It's beautifully written. And it's a story that most of us dream about in our lifetime.

for the dreamer in you..
be wary of the dreamer, for the dreamer will never change, never happy with what they have only wanting what they can't have..I used to be a big Richard Bach fan and read many of his books..when I first read this book it opened my eyes and heart to a 'soulmate' and the concept of one day finding the person who was meant for you..nothing lasts forever and I'm sad to read what happened to Leslie and Richard but it's hard to judge another until you've walked in their shoes..so for the shining ray of light that this book once gave me..I still recommend it..I know because I've found my soulmate..but true perfect love does exist..it just takes alot of work, compromise and forgiveness..and keep striving.. ... Read more

Book Description
Once in a generation a book, a vision, a writer, capture the imagination  and emotions of millions. Jonathan  Livingston Seagull was such a book. Richard Bach's unique vision again shines forth, touching with magic the drama of life in all its limitless horizons. Once again Richard Bach has written a masterpiece to help you touch that part of your home  that is the sky. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

a gift of wings
One of the greatest books written for people who love flying, or to inspire someone to pursue learning to fly.

A Gift of Wings
Richard Bach has a gift of using metaphore to write his experience.... You don't have to be a Pilot nor a Seagull to get caught in his web.... His uinque way of enfolding one into his story, is most delightful...

IF your ready for a very unique experience, in reading, be careful.... You'll have a hard time putting the book down, and not wanting to read more of him,and in the process, you just might learn something about yourself.....

I've been hooked,(as you will) for years on his books...

Oh dear, everyone else loves this book, but not me.
I'll paraphrase the intro from the front of this book: "This book consists of a bunch of short essays written for magazines like AOPA and other amateur pilot publications. Some of the stories were written a long time ago and are not well-written but I have not updated them."

In many respects, that sums up my take on this book. Many poorly written stories about how smart amateur pilots feel after doing something stupid and not getting killed. I guess you have to be a pilot to buy into this. I am not a pilot.

Reading this book is like being on a Greyhound bus for 9 hours next to a Cessna salesman. It's all about "clear air", and "God's skies", etc. You're not alive if you're not flying. Gimme a break.

I recommend you go read Ernest K. Gann's "Fate is the Hunter", about professional pilots who spend their whole lives in the air and still get killed, or nearly so, because of circumstances they have no control over.

Just drop this book off at the General Aviation office at your local airport and give those guys something to read till the weather clears.

An amazing creation
If you love flying, or the feeling of freedom that comes with flight (and who doesn't?), then you will absolutely adore this Richard Bach amazing creation.Beautifully written, it will expand your horizons and touch your soul!
Arlene Millman
author of BOOMERANG - A MIRACLE TRILOGY

Inspirational and Life Changing Book
"A Gift of Wings" and Bach's "Stranger to the Ground," led to my earning a Private Pilot's License, the second most influential event in my life.After reading Bach, I had little choice: I had to fly solo, above the clouds and earth, and experience the trancendental moments he described, or my life would be incomplete, perhaps even wasted.

This is my flying "Bible."Whenever I need inspiration, whether related to life or flying, a few chapters will renew my spirits and leave me yearning to fly, my cynicism, anger or depression evaporated by his lovely words. Some of his deeply heartfelt sentiments are so beautiful, it brings tears to my eyes, even after the 20th reading.

Bach will convince you that the invention of the airplane was mankind's singular greatest accomplishment, not for it's technical achievement, but for it's affect on the human spirit.

I own a hardbound copy which I hope to have Bach autograph.I bought 20 paperback copies: one for my car, several at my airport office, one at my bedside, and the some given away to private and airline pilots, who having lived some of Bach's magic moments in the air, can appreciate his insights. The rest are reserved for unsuspecting, non-flying "groundpounders" I will meet, who are about to have a life changing experience, when I bestow upon them - "A Gift of Wings." ... Read more

Book Description
When she was about to turn five, a little girl named Rae Hansen invited Richard Bach to her birthday party. Though deserts, storms, mountains, and a thousand miles separated them, Rae was confident that her friend would appear. There's No Such Place As Far Away chronicles the exhilarating spiritual journey that delivered Rae's anxiously awaited guest to her side on that special day--and tells of the powerful and enduring gift that would keep him forever close to her heart.



Written with the same elegant simplicity that made Jonathan Livingston Seagull a bestselling phenomenon, There's No Such Place As Far Away has touched the hearts of thousands of readers since its first publication in 1979. Richard Bach's inspiring, now-classic tale is a profound reminder that miles cannot truly separate us from friends...that those we love are always with us--every moment of the infinite celebration we call life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

A lovely parting gift
The first fall after my youngest graduated from high school, and with my oldest married and already moved away, I gave them each this book as I packed up my "empty nest" and moved half a continent away.While I don't buy into all of the metaphors Bach uses, he does use them well.We had a wonderful loving moment as I read my (now adult) children a new story as we began life in different states.Evangelical Christians will find fault with the book, as with most of Richard Bach's metaphors, but it is a lovely image of togetherness across miles.

Beautiful book and story to match
Drawn in by H. Lee Shapiro's artwork and Richard Bach's writing, this book holds a special place in my heart.I came across it after I moved away from "home", and since then it has become a meaningful and inspiring gift for friends who live long distances away.

Very good book
It's always a pleasure to read and read again this book, and share it with friends

Another gem!
No matter how lost I am Richard Bach always takes me back to my personal truth, to my own personal reality. He's always a sweetheart and he always makes me cry. This book is an incredibly simple reminder of an incredibly simple truth we forget most of the time. The watercolors that accompany it are magnificent and convey an uncanny visual feeling of how I feel when I read Richard's books. If you have any inkling of what Bach is all about---as far as that's anywhere near possible---then add this book to your heart.

Mystical, touches the soul
I have had this book for over 20 years. It has been one of my best loved books for all those years. I recently purchased it for my daughter who left for college and a friend for her birthday. My daughter and friend both wept and said it was perfect for them. It is inspiring each time I read it. ... Read more

Book Description

The ground thudded and trembled, the echoes again, as Cheyenne Jasmine Ferret cut a half-circle to stop, breathing hard, by Montgomery and his trusted mount Boffin. It was a familiar sight to all who lived beneath Montana's Sweetroot Mountains, these two ranchkits riding through the morning light, ever together, completely unalike.

Montgomery has the deep stillness of the outdoors in his soul; Cheyenne Jasmine is less quiet within. He understands the thoughts of animals and the endless colors of a single mountain daisy. She watches movie after movie, drawn indoors by emotion and light.

Kithood ends one morning when Cheyenne Jasmine climbs aboard the train out of Little Paw, destination Hollywood. Montgomery stays put, unwilling to leave the country and his future with animals. They do not realize they are in love until the moment she departs.

In time, Cheyenne becomes Jasmine Ferret, the Jasmine Ferret, international film star, darling of the tabloids; Montgomery a sheep-whisperer, a rancher, and some suspect philosopher ferret. Years pass before they meet again, long after each has found the rewards of their separate callings. Yet the highest reward, they discover, waits for them both together, and it's one that they will share for the rest of their lives.

Rancher Ferrets on the Range is a tale about sacrifice and longing, fulfillment and success, and a love that waits patiently, sure in the knowledge it will find a way home.Download Description
"The ground thudded and trembled, the echoes again, as Cheyenne Jasmine Ferret cut a half-circle to stop, breathing hard, by Montgomery and his trusted mount Boffin. It was a familiar sight to all who lived beneath Montana's Sweetroot Mountains, these two ranchkits riding through the morning light, ever together, completely unalike. Montgomery has the deep stillness of the outdoors in his soul; Cheyenne Jasmine is less quiet within. He understands the thoughts of animals and the endless colors of a single mountain daisy. She watches movie after movie, drawn indoors by emotion and light. Kithood ends one morning when Cheyenne Jasmine climbs aboard the train out of Little Paw, destination Hollywood. Montgomery stays put, unwilling to leave the country and his future with animals. They do not realize they are in love until the moment she departs. In time, Cheyenne becomes Jasmine Ferret, the Jasmine Ferret, international film star, darling of the tabloids; Montgomery a sheep-whisperer, a rancher, and some suspect philosopher ferret. Years pass before they meet again, long after each has found the rewards of their separate callings. Yet the highest reward, they discover, waits for them both together, and it's one that they will share for the rest of their lives. Rancher Ferrets on the Range is a tale about sacrifice and longing, fulfillment and success, and a love that waits patiently, sure in the knowledge it will find a way home." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Ferret Chronicles
This is amusing reading for those who enjoy adventure and/or flying. I'm not sure what the point of substituting ferrets for peoples means. However, once you accept this premise (i.e. the suspension of disbeief) then the story is much more enjoyable. This is almost more of a short story, than a book. The book is only about 135 pages. I like the author, Richard Bach. I have read many of his books, and have never been disappointed.

Special story
On earth Shamrock Ferret has always answered questions almost from the day she was born so it is not surprising that she especially enjoys responding to those inquiries that seem impossible to obtain a reply.Her upbringing became her workand her skills have earned her a reputation as a successful sleuth.What Shamrock does is sit in theCases Unsolved Chair to ponder the puzzle until she finds the solution.

Having just succeeded in solving the Case of the Curious Patterns for local farmers she accepts a partnership with Mr. Burroughs.However, she also begins her most difficult mystery.She "sees" a forlorn ferret hopelessly moaning on a dying world seeking someone or some way to save the survivors of the Ferret war that has devastated his people.Sitting in her chair she begins to wonder if this vision is a shadow from the past reaching out to her for help.

Besides the cleverly designed time paradox (not explained here), readers will appreciate Richard Bach's latest tale that clearly cries for give peace a chance.The story line focuses on Shamrock and her use of logic, psychometry, cryptography, and patterns to solve mysteries.Yet with all this Mr. Bach insures his audience understands his message that war is a last resort not a first preemptive strike because of the full impact on the innocent reminiscent of as Animal Farm in relation to Communism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Those were different times...
This is a simple, well written account of a summer spent trying torecreate the 1920s 'flying circus' days of aviation in the America of 1965.

Flying a 1929 vintage biplane, with a young parachute jumper and afriend with another aircraft, Bach flies more or less at random across theMid-West, charging $2 for a five minute ride at the small air-stripsdotting the landscape. Part travelogue, part hymn to old aircrafttechnology, this is great read for anyone interested in flyers and flying.

From a 2000 perspective, the book (accidently) gains some resonance.Vietnam is in the near future (there's a brief conversation on the draft)and the Cuban missile crisis is just past. The 1960s social revolution isaround the corner but for a brief moment the sun is shining, the corn isripe, and adventures like this one seem possible and almost sensible - inthat respect this book is very much of its time...

Early Richard Bachworks have been neglected since the astonishing success of the mawkishseagull tale published in 1970. 'Nothing by Chance' is perhaps the best ofhis early books, the ones that concentrated on living life rather thanslushy 'philosophy' and flying rather than levitation.

If you're a pilot ... you'll become a dreamer
I found this book in my father's library when I was 15 and starting groundschool. It's now 20 years later but I have a suppressed desire to someday have a go at the gypsy-pilot lifestyle. Mr. Bach's novel speaks tothe romantic heart of every pilot and leaves a lasting imprint.

Flying in its Purist Form
Bach has captured flight in its purist form.He set out to do this and he did. Bach acquires an antique biplane (in this book a Fleet Biplane and in "Biplane" a Parks-Detroiter Biplane) and spends a summer in theearly 1960's flying passengers throughout the mid-west, sleeping under thewing, eating questionable food, and meeting people who, in many casesremember the golden days of flight.This was the age of the Barnstormers. Bach wanted to re-create the majic and romance of these eariler aviators,share with them the joy of introducing flight to the every-day people whomake up the back-bone of the great mid west.Bach cared little, as did themajority of the early aviators, of the rigid regulations imposed upon theearly aviators by the Federal Government.These same regulations that soonbecame the demise of that beautiful time in aviation history.Part of thatsummer was spent traveling with a young "parachutist" and a youngphotographer who flew an old Luscomb.Together they re-wrote the exploitsof the Barnstormers as only they could and as only Bach can write about.Iloved this book, and all of Bach's books, and read it frequently.I lovedthe book so much I too finally was able to obtain my own antique biplane-a1930 WACO KNF, and intend to recreate the adventure of Bach in his questfor the purist form of flight, that is, the true freedom of flight.

Flying in its Purist Form
Bach has captured flight in its purist form.He set out to do this and he did. Bach acquires an antique biplane (in this book a Fleet Biplane and in "Biplane" a Parks-Detroiter Biplane) and spends a summer in theearly 1960's flying passengers throughout the mid-west, sleeping under thewing, eating questionable food, and meeting people who, in many casesremember the golden days of flight.This was the age of the Barnstormers. Bach wanted to re-create the majic and romance of these eariler aviators,share with them the joy of introducing flight to the every-day people whomake up the back-bone of the great mid west.Bach cared little, as did themajority of the early aviators, of the rigid regulations imposed upon theearly aviators by the Federal Government.These same regulations that soonbecame the demise of that beautiful time in aviation history.Part of thatsummer was spent traveling with a young "parachutist" and a youngphotographer who flew an old Luscomb.Together they re-wrote the exploitsof the Barnstormers as only they could and as only Bach can write about.Iloved this book, and all of Bach's books, and read it frequently.I lovedthe book so much I too finally was able to obtain my own antique biplane-a1930 WACO KNF, and intend to recreate the adventure of Bach in his questfor the purist form of flight, that is, the true freedom of flight.

To catch a glimpse of life in another time, and find meaning
Richard Bach writes of his 1960's attempt at living a 1920's gypsy-pilot life: barnstorming.With descriptions of wordless flight that only Bach can capture so well, he paints a beautiful collage of the sky, the lakes and the people of the midwest.This magnificent book comments on friendship, destiny, and what it means to be human ... Read more

Book Description

Budgeron is struggling mightily to write the great ferret novel, a story so rich, so finely wrought, it will set the world of ferret literature on its tail. By day, he writes adventure stories for kits' magazines. By night, he lights the Lamp of Wisdom and calls forth Count Urbain de Rothskit, hero of the massive volume Where Ferrets Walk. After a near-perfect first sentence, Budgeron sighs in his tiny attic writing room and waits for the second to to come.

Downstairs, a page-turner romance tumbles effortlessly from the keyboard of Budgeron's mate, Danielle. A pawdicurist who decides to write for fun, Danielle never expected her first page would explodewith Veronique Sibhoan Ferret, a willful, naughty, mesmerizing animal who will one day bewitch millions of reader.

Budgeron and Danielle are aspiring writer ferrets following their calling through the quiet rooms where stories are born, past the mailbox and rejection slips and finally into the white-hot world of big-time book publishing. In the end, each finds success writing for the one heart they must truly please: their own.

Writer Ferrets: Chasing the Muse is atale about the search for what really mattersnin life; the struggle to free our ineer voice; pursuit of a dream against significant odds and the need to love and be loved by like-minded spirit.Download Description
"Budgeron is struggling mightily to write the great ferret novel, a story so rich, so finely wrought, it will set the world of ferret literature on its tail. By day, he writes adventure stories for kits' magazines. By night, he lights the Lamp of Wisdom and calls forth Count Urbain de Rothskit, hero of the massive volume, Where Ferrets Walk. After a near-perfect first sentence, Budgeron sighs in his tiny attic writing room and waits for the second to come. Downstairs, a page-turner romance tumbles effortlessly from the keyboard of Budgeron's mate, Danielle. A pawdicurist who decides to write for fun, Danielle never expected her first page would explode with Veronique Sibhoan Ferret, a willful, naughty, mesmerizing animal who would one day bewitch millions of readers. Budgeron and Danielle are aspiring writer ferrets following their calling through the quiet rooms where stories are born, past the mailbox and rejection slips and finally into the white hot world of big-time book publishing. In the end, each finds success writing for the one heart they must truly please: their own. Writer Ferrets: Chasing the Muse is a tale about the search for what really matters in life; the struggle to free our inner voice; the pursuit of a dream against significant odds and the need to love and be loved by a like-minded spirit. " ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Jonathan Ferret -- a fable for our time....
From the author of the indominatable Jonathan Seagull comes The Ferret Chronicles series. Bach still knows how to tell a fable and he's as charming as ever. An easy read. Fun to have on your shelf when the going gets rough. Great book to read on a lunch hour on a bad day. As refreshing as a walk in the woods. Okay so some of you may think it's corny but then apple pie and mom still warm my heart.

A message of hope
I have always been a fan of Richard Bach.I constantly find myself drawn to the simplicity of his writing and the complexity of his message and this book is no exception.

My own life has been full of loss for the last several years.Loss of hope, loss of career, loss of my marriage, loss of trust in my world... all of these have conspired to rob me of my dreams.Picking up this book on a whim, I felt all my hopes come rushing back in to fill the void inside of me.

I have always (since I was a small child) dreamed of writing.I was never able to garner the courage to actually attempt it, and I couldn't ever explain to anyone why.Finally, after losing so much in my life I finally managed to gain the courage to reach out to my dream with both hands and chase it wherever it might lead.This courage is due in great part to Mr. Bach and this book, and I will be forever in his debt.

He captures the frustration and elation of the creative process beautifully.Yes, he writes simply, and yes at times he's a bit sappy.This is part of the charm and if you are too jaded or too cynical to appreciate it then I truly feel sorry for you.

Do yourself a favor.Buy this book.Read this book.Enjoy this book.If you are an aspiring writer, if you know an aspiring writer, or if you just simply love the simplicity of openly and honestly chasing your dreams you NEED this book.

Finally! FERRETS portrayed as
I'm so sick of ferrets being portrayed as evil weasel is books. Ferrets are truly happy, fun-loving and gentle little souls. Bach, who owns several ferrets himself, obviously knows this. I love the concept of the Ferret Chronicles, and the drawings are lovely, but Bach's writing style is just a bit too simplistic for me. I understand that is part of his charm and the reason most people DO like his writing, but for me the storylines just didn't hold my interest. (Still, I bought them because I will buy anything in support of ferrets! Kudos to you, Richard!)

Staci Layne Wilson

For the Young Writer on Your Christmas List
Richard Bach's love of the creative process illuminates every page of this charming story. This would make a nice gift for any aspiring writer on your Christmas list but I think it would have a special resonance for younger writers (twelve to fourteen).This book neatly illustrates the idea that struggling to meet others' expectations just doesn't contain the satisfaction (or rewards) of honoring one's own muse.I wish Writer Ferrets existed when I was fifteen and got a "C" on a creative writing asignment. From that moment, I spent decades trying to raise that grade by writing what I thought others wanted to read.Like the main character in "Chasing the Muse" I found myself stuck and producing writing that had nothing to do with my own inner voice.Lucky for me I found a friend who showed me the error of my ways and later gifted me with this book to underscore her point.If you are a struggling (or blocked) writer, I think you'll enjoy a quiet hour or two with the "Writer Ferrets."

A Book For Children Of All Ages
It isn't often I "gush" about a book, but I will about this one. Yesterday I opened to the first page of "The Ferret Chronicles - Writer Ferrets: Chasing the muse." I have just finished it.

This could well be classed a children's book, as could most books by Richard Bach: "Jonathon Livingston Seagull," "There's No Such Place as Far Away."

But this one, about a pair of ferrets and how they find their "muse" is both informative and inspirational. I would recommend it to any aspiring writer.

And, if it needs a childlike mind to read and enjoy it, then I must have such a mind, and I'm proud of it.

"Writer Ferrets: Chasing the Muse": by Richard Bach.A good book for all children, no matter what their age. ... Read more

Book Description
This is Stormy Ferret's story. Cargo pilot, captain of an Air Ferrets SkyFreighter, she had earned her name by delivering her freight on time through every weather the night could set against her. Her destiny, she thought, was her dependability. That was true until, on a run south from Seattle to Salinas, she plunges into a supernatural tempest like nothing she has ever known.

Flying north in his sleek FerrJet, Captain Strobe Ferret hits equally violent weather. As chief pilot of the giant MusTelCo, his long experience at the controls had taught him to accept whatever the sky set before him. He had adjusted to life alone in the wild pure arena of air.

The two pilots meet by chance in the most powerful twin storm ever to sweep Airway Victor 23, her voice in the night helping him survive, his voice helping her. Coincidence turns to destiny as they battle through the clouds toward an unscheduled landing and a meeting that will forever change their lives -- and the lives of thousands of others.

Air Ferrets Aloft is a tale of skill and commitment, of powerful coincidence set in motion by unseen forces from another dimension, of the life-changing consequences when like souls meet, of love discovered after all hope for it had passed.

Download Description
"This is Stormy Ferret's story. Cargo pilot, captain of an Air Ferrets SkyFreighter, she had earned her name by delivering her freight on time through every weather the night could set against her. Her destiny, she thought, was her dependability. That was true until, on a run south from Seattle to Salinas, she plunges into a supernatural tempest like nothing she has ever known. Flying north in his sleek FerrJet, Captain Strobe Ferret hits equally violent weather. As chief pilot of the giant MusTelCo, his long experience at the controls had taught him to accept whatever the sky set before him. He had adjusted to life alone in the wild pure arena of air. The two pilots meet by chance in the most powerful twin storm ever to sweep Airway Victor 23, her voice in the night helping him survive, his voice helping her. Coincidence turns to destiny as they battle through the clouds toward an unscheduled landing and a meeting that will forever change their lives -- and the lives of thousands of others. Air Ferrets Aloft is a tale of skill and commitment, of powerful coincidence set in motion by unseen forces from another dimension, of the life-changing consequences when like souls meet, of love discovered after all hope for it had passed." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Inspiration
Another tremendous book by Bach.As a Bach fan for years and a ferret lover too, I find these stories inspiring and touching.

Perfect for both ferret lovers and pilots.
I have been a keen ferret lover and my father is a pilot, so this book gives something for both.While the pilot vocabulary can be difficult for those with little experience in flying, the story is simple and enjoyable.I like to think of Baxter as the true hero, I named my own ferret after him.And the spritual transcendence of Bach's books like Jonathan Livingston Seagull are again reflected, which seem to parallel with concepts of the afterlife and how our departed loved ones are much closer to us than we think.A wonderful read with a very heartwarming narrative for both children and adults, and for those who simply love ferrets and flying.Thank you, Richard Bach.

A Mystical Adventure
Air Ferrets Aloft is right up there with my other Bach favorites Illusions and Running from Safety. It is a gentle, beautiful story of destiny and true nature told in a wonderful way. I particularly like the audio version where Richard reads the story himself. I bought the book when it first came out and didn't read it until this week because, frankly, I'm not a fan of ferrets (sorry Richard!). Waiting was a mistake. Don't let the fact that this is a children's book or that you don't like ferrets, deter you. It is CLASSIC BACH.

What a wonderful talking book!
I expect excellence from the author of Johnathan Livingston Seagull and this pleasantly read book is no exception.Like Johnathan, it has a child-like quality of storytelling that is amenable to the adult heart and ear as well.It is the first of the ferret series I've come across and I listen to it on my daily journey to and from home and work or school.The underlying themes of spiritual awareness and analogizing flight to an expression of spirituality is akin to JLS and a comfort to a reader who has read JLS to her children, husband, and grandchildren.I look forward to finding more unabridged tapes such as this as it is the only way this late-in-life law student has the time to listen to a good book anymore!My husband gets this tape next, then my eldest granddaughter.Or maybe I'll buy the CD for her...Who knows, with the fabulous descriptions of what goes on during flight she might opt to become a pilot some day.Great fun!Richard Bach has an excellent voice for this, as well.I'm hearing impaired and can understand him with the greatest of ease!

Good, but not as good as Rescue Ferrets at Sea
I really enjoyed "Rescue Ferrets at Sea".In this second book, Bach spends too much time describing flying, the mechanics of flight and ALL the things that can go wrong during a storm.I agree with another reviewer: enough already.

And yet, there is much to redeem this book.I skipped over the overdone flying jargon and concentrated on the story.You might do the same. ... Read more

Book Description
A man  alone in the sky has a chance to touch the stars.  But as Richard Bach, flying a lone jet across  Europe, reaches for the eternal, he must also confront  the fear and danger that shadow the unknown. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

CLASSIC - THE BEST OF BACH
Among pilots, Stranger To The Ground is almost universally acclaimed as the author'sbest. Bach captures thelonely essence of flying complex aircraft in difficult weather. The author not only has the ability to capture the essence of flight but also to bring it to the page.

Like Clancey's Hunt For Red October, this first book has a more polished and carefully nurtured feel. This is not to say that his later books are not wonderful, but rather that this is a classic.

The book is a reminder of the early days of the Kennedy administration as the superpowers danced on the brink of nuclear war. In order to discourage any Russian thrust into Western Europe Kennedy dispatched additional Air Force fighter groups into some of the toughest flying condiditons in any part of the world that people care to fight over. By today's standards these were fast but primitive flying machines which achieved speed by burning fuel. When the fuel was gone there were no tankers so it was land or crash.

The enduring appeal of this book is shown in the dwindling number of hardbacks on the market at increasing prices. I have read it three times over the years and found increased enjoyment from each.

Highly recommended.

A thoroughly accurate reflection
I read this book several times when I was a USAF pilot training student in the late 80's.The fears and thoughts and surprisingly the cockpit instruments were similar.Bach captured all the emotions pilots seek to subdue and presented it in a sober and forthright book.Passages still come back to me flying over the places he mentions.What a great book.

Haunting allegory
This book is a very haunting allegory about Richard Bach's ordeal with his own mortality.Deals with facing death, the great unknown, and all the fears and anxieties that go along with topics we prefer not to think about.Reading it will open your heart and touch your soul, and stay with you long after the book is finished.
Arlene Millman
author of BOOMERANG - A MIRACLE TRILOGY

I was there and discovered Jonothan in the night flight
In 1961 the world was about to go to war over a simple, but deadly game of nuclear bluff.The Russians were about to sign a seperate peace treaty with East Germany.So?Well, since the U.S., Brits, France and the Russians were all allies aftrer WWII, they could not unilaterally do that!In the new cold war era however, the Russians, trying to secure their idiological communist empire, perhaps as a buffer to any future invasions from the West, had taken their sector of Berlin...and East Germany, and made it their own...and to prove it they were going to sign a seperate peace without their allies.So, we called their bluff...and within 24 days of notification in the late summer of 1961, thousands of Guardsmen and allied military were activated and put muzzle to muzzle with the Russians and other Easter Block countries with a deadline of January 1, 1962 for the Russians to blink or unleash the dogs of war.Luckily for all of us, they blinked.I was with the 113th TFS from Indiana that flew the Atlantic in F-84Fs and opened Chambley Field in France.We flew the same skies, missions, and aircraft and lousey weather as Richard.We had mixed emotions about the opportunity to fly and test our aircraft for real, but apprehension about leaving our civilian jobs, homes and families to face an potential enemy that only a few years before had been our ally.We all worried through the cold winter night before the deadline, with a one way flight plan and realization that there would be no field left for us to return to if the baloon went up...and, perhaps no world as we knew it either.I think the world learned a lesson from that experience...more need to read about it...and we must never forget.Richard's detailed and flowing discription of the aircraft, arena, bases, missions, and joy of flight stimulating and nostalgic.Whenever I want to relive that little known and appreciated bookmark in history and the personal feeling of the experience, I reread Stranger...it is like an old friend...it also introduced me to a life of adventure, philosophy, mysticism and awe as a fan of this unique writer...he was, and still is an inspiration for my continuing journey of understanding of life, relationships, self examination and love of aviation. He is every-airman, but relates life better than any-man.Bravo Bach!

Bach's first and best book
Richard Bach's first book came to my attention when it was reviewed in the WALL STREET JOURNAL at first publication. I re-read it often. As a pilot with time in current fighters, I was stunned by the clarity and power of his depictions of flight. But one need not be a pilot to enjoy this work because it always remains 'grounded' (in the sense of structure and ideas, not literally).
STRANGER got me for a core reason not often discussed with respect to flying; the book meets this criterion resoundingly: it is totally honest. Why does this matter? Because flying, especially complex modern airplanes (the F-84F is not an easy airplane), is fundamentally an honest trade. Make a mistake or be unlucky and you may die suddenly. ... Read more

Book Description