Tales of the Tiger and More
For the inveterate golfer, not just the “grip it and rip it” weekend warrior, but the totally addicted, obsession-possessed lover of the game, here’s a suggestion for the perfect gift. Lorne Rubenstein and Jeff Neuman, a couple of self-professed, fanatical golf nuts, in an obsequious labor of love, have produced A Disorderly Compendium of Golf (Workman Publishing, $13.95), a treasure trove of trivia about the greatest game on earth for the Tiger Woods or Michelle Wie wannabe on your gift list.

The authors, who share a fascination for the minutiae of the sport, confess, “Most of all we enjoy the absurd and the random in the game, and highlight these here. The left-handed golfers who won major championships, but were really right-handed; the hustler who would bet you at night that he could make a 40-foot putt on his first try the next morning…and famous cases of ‘the yips’—the scourge of all too many golfers who struggle to make a smooth putting stroke, usually from near the hole.”  

Among hundreds of lists, records, anecdotes, quotes and surprises, there’s the book’s  mesmerizing effect on the true golf aficionado, hours of pure pleasure to be gleaned from 390 pages of golf facts and fancy. And the answers to such earth-shaking questions as:
Q: Was Shakespeare a golfer? A: Yes, with documented quotes to prove it.
Q: Famous golfers who died on golf courses? A: Bing Crosby, Julius Boros, Tony Lema.
Q: Are athletes golfers? A: Naturally. Tons of them. Such as Ken (White Sox announcer) Harrelson. Sammy (Babe Ruth Legs) Byrd, the only man to play in the World Series and the Masters; and the inimitable Mark (homerun slugger) McGwire, who is also a masterful golfer.

In random, but fascinating fashion, it’s all here, the wisdom, folly, rules and turgid trivia of the wacky, wondrous world of golf.

The Play’s the Thing
Audio books are a good antidote to those interminable airport waits and long overseas flights. There are literally thousands of titles available covering every conceivable subject from complete college courses on history, philosophy, religion or political science, to the latest best-selling fiction, autobiographies or the classics.

There’s also a wide selection of the world’s best theater on CD and tape, some of the best produced by L.A. Theatre Works and featuring such Hollywood notables as Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Asner, Amy Irving, Julie Harris, Helen Hunt and scores of other movie stars. Dramas, comedies, musical works, trials and docudramas, and women’s collections are contained in the complete catalog of shows. Unlike the usual audio book presentations read by the author or a narrator, these productions feature a full professional cast, musical bridges and complete sound effects, much like the great radio dramas of a bygone era.

Some of the well-known screenplays and stage productions adapted to the sound medium include “On the Waterfront” starring Hector Elizondo, Jeffrey Donovon and Bruce Davison; “Twelve Angry Men” with an outstanding cast on two compact discs and a total running time of 85 minutes. And the Arthur Miller classic, “The Crucible” featuring Richard Dreyfuss, Stacy Keach, Michael York, Ed Begley Jr. and Hector Elizondo.

Prices for the L.A. Theatre Works productions range from $20.95 for a single cassette, to $25.95 for most of the two-CD shows and $90.95 for the 14-hour production of “Babbitt” on 14 CDs. Featured in the Sinclair Lewis classic is an all-star cast including Ed Asner, Ed Begley Jr., Ted Danson, Richard Dreyfuss, Julie Harris, Helen Hunt, Amy Irving and John Lithgow.   

“’Tiz a Puzzlement”
Here’s a gift idea that can provide hours of family fun, in a cyclopean collection of puzzles, riddles, illusions and baffling brain games. Internationally known and acclaimed inventor, puzzler and artist Ivan Moscovich has assembled no less than 1,000 of what he calls play thinks in The Big Book of Brain Games(Workman Publishing, $22.95).

Covering a wide range of categories including geometry, patterns, numbers, logic and probability, perception and much more, the 416 pages of this mother-of-all-brainteaser books, is jam-packed with puzzles to challenge the most passionate and astute game lover. “Whatever its form,” writes the author, “a play think will ideally transform you to a state of mind where play and problem solving coexist. You may find the book slyly educational, I certainly hope so. My goal is for you to play the games, solve the problems and come away more curious, more inventive, more intuitive.”

Each play think is rated in difficulty from 1 to 10. So a player may decide to start with puzzles rated 1 and 2, and then work up to the ones rated 3 and 4 and so forth.
All of the puzzles are indexed by level of difficulty at the back of the book, where you’ll also find the answers. But no peeking until you’ve given the problem solving a real shot. Group games and puzzles designed for more than one player are also included.

Here’s a sample puzzle (with a difficulty rating of three) to get you started.
Many years ago a man married the sister of his widow. How did he do it? Give up?
*You’ll find the answer at the end of this column.

Stick These in Their Stockings
How about a pair of neat little stocking stuffers? In The Thank You Book (Active Parenting Publishers, $12.95) author Robyn Freedman Spizman has come up with hundreds of clever, meaningful and purposeful ways to say thank you. Along with everyday thank-yous are ideas to cover friends, business associates and family members.

As a television personality and consumer advocate for the past 20 years and a gift-giving expert reporting nationwide, Ms. Spizman has shown viewers how to express their thanks, appreciation, concern and feelings to those they care about in creative and meaningful ways. Her book is a collection of the ideas she has compiled over the years.

In a companion book, author Spizman’s daughter Ali, 14 years old, wrote The Thank You Book for Kids (Longstreet Press $12.95). Since it’s well documented that even the most polite children can cringe at the thought of writing thank-you notes, Ali has made a parent’s job of getting their offspring to send thank-you notes to grandma, other relatives and friends a lot easier with her helpful little book.

Here are some tips from Ali, one kid to another, on how to write a cool and clever thank-you note:

• Write like you talk or think! Have a pretend conversation with the person you’re writing to in your mind, then write how you feel and what you thought.
• Make your note witty, funny, enthusiastic or thoughtful! Show your style by writing thank-you notes that express your personality.
• Be specific! Pretend you’re a newspaper writer and give the details. Like any good reporter, your goal is to paint a picture with words.

*Answer to the puzzler posed in the review of The Big Book of Brain Games above: He married the sister first.   

Chicago-area based freelance travel journalist/broadcaster, Jack McGuire, is an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers, the Travel Journalists Guild and a charter member of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives. A contributing editor to Frequent Flyer magazine, Mr. McGuire's byline has appeared on more than 1,250 travel-related articles in a variety of newspapers and magazines. He has also written and hosted more than 4,000 radio broadcasts on travel. Jack can be reached at Jjmwriter@aol.com