Customer Reviews (1)

As the title says, "complete."
The Complete Book of Roller Skating was published in 1979, before the fallof disco skating and the rise of inline skating. Still, this book is anexcellent resource for anyone interested in quad roller skating. It coversskating's history in detail, with lots of great photographs, and devoteschapters to artistic, hockey, speed, disco, and outdoor skating.

Unlikemost other skating reference books, this one talks about the competitiveskating world (at least, as it was in 1979), not just about recreationalskating. We see (in words and photos) skaters training for competition atNationals and Worlds, performing such difficult moves as "theimpossible sit spin," a pairs spin that requires amazing strength fromboth skaters.

The book also includes two chapters of skating lessons,from basic forward skating through spins and the salchow jump.

Whilerecent skating developments can't be found here, and the book is long outof print, it is well worth purchasing if you can find a copy. ... Read more

Book Description
By 1942, there were more than 3,000 roller rinks in America, and more than 10 million people skating. That era is captured in this glorious graphic portrait of the country's Golden Age of roller skating (1939-1959), which also illuminates America's rapidly changing society from the end of the Depression through the wartime '40s to the '50s. This provocative look at a pop-culture phenomenon is lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs of skate rink memorabilia, including promotional stickers, postcards, advertisements, programs, and matchbooks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Eight wheels and no brakes.
A tip of the hat to Lou Brooks for making this book such a delight to look at!The subject matter is pretty mundane and in the hands of many other book designers 'Skate Crazy' would just look bland but Mr Brooks knows his stuff.He knows how to select the right photos, handle color panels, overlap graphic images, choose a relevant typeface for headings and all the other little design elements that make each page sparkle and this book has 144 of them in a neat square format.

Although much of the material is similar Brooks has managed to split it into sixteen chapters and write a bit about each subject but the book is essentially visual.The four hundred rink stickers are the main pictorial items and nicely the index in the back is a geographical listing of past rinks across America.Strangely, despite a thorough coverage there are no close-up photos of skates, a page or two from a manufacturer's salesbrochure would have been helpful I think.

'Skate Crazy' is a wonderful bit of nostalgia and if you rolled (or danced) around one of the three thousand rinks across the Nation in the Forties or Fifties you'll really enjoy looking at this book.Just super!

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Lou Brooks Is On A Roll!
Lou Brooks is one of America's foremost designer-illustrators and his work has appeared in nearly every publication in America at one time or another. SKATE CRAZY doesn't contain many of Lou's masterful illustrations, but it does have his wacky, inventive mark on every page. Illustrators and designers across the globe are going to be drooling over Lou's delectable choices. Beautiful old advertisements, postcards, signs and stickers abound in this book--lovingly restored in many cases by Lou's wife, Clare (also a first-class artist).

But it's not only Lou's colleagues who are lucky to have Lou's jam-packed gem available. His fun, informative writing will delight anyone on your gift list. Buy a copy for creaky old grannie--she probably spent time in her youth on roller skates, mesmerized by the drone of the Hammond organ. Get a copy for the couch potato of your choice--it's time to bring back those halcyon days and hit the rinks again. Roll off those extra rolls! Send a copy to your kid at college--a great way to discover a nearly-forgotten, but once very important American pastime.

This is one hell of a buy, as well. It is crammed to the gills with photos and graphics and will inform and delight everyone who is lucky enough to get a copy.

If I could, I'd give this one 10 stars! Congratulations, Louie!

Great trip down memory lane!
This book is a great compilation of skating memorabilia from the 30s, 40s, and 50s.The book is full of photos, ad illustrations, and postcards, but the best part is the stickers from individual rinks - there are over 400 of them!The restored graphics are amazing, and the vintage style will make anyone nostalgic for this era of skating.Anyone interested in art or graphics should take a look at the way Brooks updates the stickers, because he truly has done a fantastic job.

A terrific gift - not just for roller skaters
Although this book makes a perfect gift for someone who loves to skate, it's just as good for art students, pop culture buffs, and lovers of quirky, crazy stuff. The infinite variety of roller-skate images is dazzling. "Skate Crazy" belongs on the shelf of every graphic designer. Plus, it's a lot of fun! Some of the old roller-rink photos made me laugh out loud, and the wild assortment of vintage stickers are a joy to look at. I've only been roller skating twice, but I loved this book! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This book was very informative and helpful.
This book was very helpful.However, it gave too much advice about things I am good at.Such as skating, simple shots, etc.This is the ideal book for beginners and those who want to get started. ... Read more

Book Description

Scores of American women are leading double lives. By day they are librarians, financial analysts, bartenders, teachers, and even mothers; by night their athletic alter egos assume their authority with monikers such as Helen Wheels, Dirty Britches, Anna Mosity, and Assaultin' Pepa. They lace up their skates, slide into racy racing uniforms, and adorn a full set of protective gear. One of America's greatest sports is back-roller derby.

In Roller Derby, readers will encounter roller derby in its various incarnations, from the original Depression-era games through the days of Roller Jam to its current revival.

What started as a dance-a-thon-style test of endurance has evolved into a unique sport that exemplifies point-scoring, body-checking, speed, blood, punches, and miles and miles of personality and style. Punctuated throughout the book are derby vignettes: stories from old-school and new-school girls, the process of selecting a derby name and style, the artistic element to logos and uniforms, so-gruesome-you-just-have-to-look injuries, what's legal during a bout and-more importantly-what's not, and much more.

Encircling the story of roller derby are vintage promo paraphernalia and histori-cal photographs, as well as stunning, full-color and black-and-white, modern-day shots of the women, the bouts, and the sport.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Roller Derby
This was a very informative read. If you are interested in starting to Derby or just becoming a fan check it out.


DD Hunter
Stateline Roller Derby Diva

I need to carry this book with me at all times!
I absolutely love this book!
I have been playing roller derby for almost 3 years and never have I found something that so completely and beautifully illustrates what this sport is to me and what I love about it-- I feel like I need to keep it with me at all times so I can show it to strangers who ask me about derby.The book explains it so much better than I can.
The pictures are gorgeous, and obviously shot and selected by people who know and love derby. Granted, it is a coffee table book, but for someone who wants to know what roller derby is but doesn't have the time to commit to a novel and just wants to get the basic gist and leaf through pages and pages of phtographic eye candy, this book is perfect. This book is a must-have for any derby girl or derby fan, or family member or friend who wants to know what all the fuss is about.
Catherine Mabe knows derby, knows the derby community, and in general just knows what she's talking about. Her book is lovely. Buy it!

great research and photos
bad news first:
as a skater i'd have to say that i appreciated the book by melicious a bit more, it was a bit more inspiring and informational for a roller girl active in the sport.as willy callit sez, the captions could've been a bit more descriptive, but as that wasn't what the book was about that's more of a personal preference and not really a flaw.again, another personal preference would've been to see more national representation of current leagues, this one seems REALLY centered in the western conference.if you're an eastern girl and are looking for familiar faces, you probably won't see any unless you travel around a lot.
BUT this book has really great photography, i mean it's really, really nice.it's supported by thorough research and is a quality read.i definitely enjoyed it and am glad i bought it.if you want to know more about the origins of derby yesterday and today, and get up to date on how the game is played, you really need to read this one.recommended, for sure!

Roller Derby by Catherine Mabe
This book gives the history of roller derby from the begining in 1935 to the present. It is an easy read with wonderful pictures. This is the perfect book if you would like to learn how the flat track roller derby revolution came to be.

This is the book that skaters should give their friends and family
I am a roller derby referee, "Willy Callit," having gotten my start with the Lonestar Rollergirls of Texas, the league that began the modern roller derby revival.I am currently an independent roller derby referee in the Pacific Northwest.

Ms. Mabe and Speck press have produced a beautifully photographed and well researched book on the origins of derby through the modern (mostly) flat track revival.This book is the one a skater should hand her family when asked, "Roller derby?Why on earth do you want to do that?"

That said, it's essentially a coffee table book, scaled down.Those actually involved in the sport will be disappointed in its relatively simplistic treatment of material.A particular peeve of mine is that many of the skaters in the photos, many of whom are personal friends, are not adequately identified in either the text or captions.Although not really relevant to a book of this scope I'm disappointed that the skaters did not get more recognition beyond "Strong Rollergirl."

But of course, this is clearly not what the book is trying to be.This book is for the individual who attends one or two bouts, or has friends who attend on a casual basis, and wants to know more.It's for those who have vague recollection of sitting in front of the Philco black and white set on weekends watching the mixed-gender old schoolers tear it up and want to find out what happened to the sport in the intervening forty years or so.It's for those otherwise unfamiliar who want to get a feel for what the sport of Derby is about, as well as a little bit of eye candy along the way.

As such, it works well and I consider it an excellent addition to my collection.But I will not likely be re-reading it, more likely I will be loaning it to those benighted individuals among my cronies and co-workers who simply don't get what all of the derby fuss is about.For that purpose, I'd rate it top notch. ... Read more

Book Description
Get Rolling is your guide to the safest, easiest way to start (and stop!) rolling on in-line skates. Author Liz Miller is a nationally-known certified instructor who wrote Get Rolling for nervous novices seeking a comprehensive in-line how-to guide.

With an easy, encouraging format and tons of empathy for your fears, Liz will turn you into a confident, competent skater with dozens of step-by-step lessons, plenty of photos, and her own lively drawings. Then you, too, can benefit from the most fun form of low-impact exercise around!

You will learn:

How to avoid injury and conquer the debilitating fear of falling
Beginning to advanced techniques for stopping, turning and striding
Where to find the true bargains for skates and protective gear
Building blocks for in-line hockey, racing, ski cross training, and more
Where to skate, what to wear, and how to stay fit with "roll-aerobics"
Acclaimed worldwide, Get Rolling is the only in-line skating book you'll need to go safely stride-by-stride from beginner to expert skating! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The BEST Beginner's & Intermediate Guide to In-Line Skating
The most complete guide on, comprehensive step-by-step, In-Line skating lessons.It takes you from beginner to advanced intermediate in the safest way.The fear of falling is gone; you learn how to fall and get up properly. The Yoga poses are very helpful for balance, strength and increased range of motion.Chapter 7 teaches you how to stay fit with "roll-aerobics".Key terms, skate maintenance, safety, etc. are all covered. If a DVD on the skating techniques accompanied the guide on "GET ROLLING" it would obliterate every in-line skating manual.

For the absolute beginner
Just an intro about me, I'm a 40yr old male and having lost weight and seeking a more active lifestyle decided that all the times I'd seen rollerbladers on the beach walk, it was for me.

This book will take you from a never skated numbty to a skater with confidence in about 15hour sessions, I'm now over 20-25hours skating and have progressed through the book. It is quite straight forward and although you will find the need to have the book on hand during practice, it will guide you through what corrections you may need to take to finally master the skills. (Some skills took me more time than others to pick up, when I finally realised I wasn't quite carrying out the practice/tuition right.)

While I still manage to have the odd moment (almost falling) it is nice to be able to skate the local beach walk (3km's) knowing that I can stop turn and steer to avoid 'moments'.

Without this book, I believe I'd still be stumbling along in the carpark, frustrated that I wasted so much money. In my area there is limited tuition and this book was just what I needed.

I encourage beginners to heed the safety advice and also purchase 'crash pants' - I spent 2 weeks waiting for skin and bruising to heal from being over enthusiastic in attempting a hill trail too soon.

Get the book, get some good skates and find a vacant flat lot for your first 10hours - try some trails and go back to the lot to build your skills.

I'm enjoying the sport and hope that I can do so for many more of my 'aging' years.


Good Luck.

A good book for Beginners
This book is very systematic and teaches basic and intermediate technique in an easy to follow format.The strength of this book is the descriptions and the pictures that match many of the descriptions.The focus on safety and confidence-building drills "before you roll" make this a good book for us beginners.This book would augment any class.But here in rural Utah where there are no inline skating classes, the drills allow one to practice in stages using the book alone.The author DOES recommend professional instruction and says early on not to depend on the book alone... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

roller skates
karen got new roller skates and wanted to try tricks with them but ended up breaking her wrist and runs into her classmate ricky at the hospital who broke his leg from falling down the stairs and has autographs all over it so karen went all around her neighborhood to get it autographed and even her big-house pets and hannie's pets paw prints were on the cast. But she really wanted the autograph of a famous person and got it at the end though ann didn't write about that part.

Karen's Roller Skates
I really like these books. I used to just get them from the library, but now I have bought some. In this book, Karen got new roller skates. She jumps over two cans, but then when she tries to turn around, she falls down and breaks her wrist. She has to go to the hospital and get a cast. Then, she sees Ricky there, and he broke his leg. In the rest of the book, Karen gets people to sign her cast, and the pets pawprints. This is a good book, but I think it wouldn't be very confusing (it isn't anyway) if you read the Baby Sitters Club series first.

Learning to be Honest
Karen fell and broke her wrist doing tricks on her new skates.She wanted a famous person to sign her cast so she would be more popular than her friend Ricky who also has a cast.She told stories that weren't truebecauseshe thought the real story would be too boring. I liked thisbook because I also broke my arm one time.I learned from this book thatfriends can help each other and that you don't have to lie to have friends. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Good Pictures
This book is about basic technique.The picture sequences are very good and show exactly how to execute these basic techniques.Although the descriptions are not very involved, the photos make it clear what the authors are trying to teach.This is a good companion to Get Rolling by Liz Miller.

Good book
Good book for the beginner.Lots of pictures.Reviews various techniques.Would like to have more explanation at times.

A considerate book for beginner!
This a real wonderful book with sequence colour pictures for all the basic movements.It's a joy to read this book.There is nothing else in this book really, just techniques and techniques.It's pure skating. ... Read more

Product Description
An official Publication of USA Roller Sports (USARS), Incorporated as United States Amateur Confederation of Roller Skating. Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Federation Internationale de Roller Sports (FIRS) as the National Governing Body (NGB) for Amateur Competitive Roller Sports in the United States. USA ROLLER SPORTS, Member of the Unites States Olympic Committee. ... Read more

Book Description
Fitness In-Line Skating is the perfect training tool.Learn what skates and equipment to use, then work toward your fitness goals with the help of

• six training zones and 48 color-coded workouts that range in difficulty from very easy to very hard;

• three sample skating programs from which to choose according to your training goals, fitness level, and desired training distance;

• cross-training advice for cycling, ice skating, rowing, running, Alpine skiing, snowboarding, and weight training; and

• guidelines for using the workouts to design a program of your own. Written by experts Suzanne Nottingham and Frank Fedel, Fitness In-Line Skating is part of the Fitness Spectrum Series—a collection of books from Human Kinetics that offers fitness enthusiasts and athletes a practical and flexible approach to training. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

For people who already know how to skate
This is a very specific book design for people who already know how to skate, turn and stop.A lot of the information are useful in here but beside of this book, I suggest you buy another book that teaches techniques.Unless you are a very good skater of course. ... Read more