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Get started fishing or get better at it with secret tips and easy-to-follow instructions. Skip all the fluff and go straight to the information you want to know in this photo-illustrated booklet.

"In climbing the Seven Summits, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado did nothing less than take back her own life--one brave step at a time. She will inspire untold numbers of souls with this story, for her victory is a win on behalf of all of us."--Elizabeth Gilbert

Endless ice. Thin air. The threat of dropping into nothingness thousands of feet below. This is the climb Silvia Vasquez-Lavado braves in her page-turning, pulse-raising memoir chronicling her journey to Mount Everest.

A Latina hero in the elite macho tech world of Silicon Valley, privately, she was hanging by a thread. Deep in the throes of alcoholism, hiding her sexuality from her family, and repressing the abuse she'd suffered as a child, she started climbing. Something about the brute force required for the ascent--the risk and spirit and sheer size of the mountains and death's close proximity--woke her up. She then took her biggest pain as a survivor to the biggest mountain: Everest.

"The Mother of the World," as it's known in Nepal, allows few to reach her summit, but Silvia didn't go alone. She gathered a group of young female survivors and led them to base camp alongside her. It was never easy. At times hair-raising, nerve-racking, and always challenging, Silvia remembers the acute anxiety of leading a group of novice climbers to Everest's base, all the while coping with her own nerves of summiting. But, there were also moments of peace, joy, and healing with the strength of her fellow survivors and community propelling her forward.

In the Shadow of the Mountain is a remarkable story of heroism, one which awakens in all of us a lust for adventure, an appetite for risk, and faith in our own resilience.

Jim Thorpe rose to world fame as a mythic talent who excelled at every sport. He won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, was an All-American football player at the Carlisle Indian School, the star of the first class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and played major league baseball for John McGraw's New York Giants. Even in a golden age of sports celebrities, he was one of a kind.

But despite his colossal skills, Thorpe's life was a struggle against the odds. As a member of the Sac and Fox Nation, he encountered duplicitous authorities who turned away from him when their reputations were at risk. At Carlisle, he dealt with the racist assimilationist philosophy "Kill the Indian, Save the Man." His gold medals were unfairly rescinded because he had played minor league baseball. His later life was troubled by alcohol, broken marriages, and financial distress. He roamed from state to state and took bit parts in Hollywood, but even the film of his own life failed to improve his fortunes. But for all his travails, Thorpe did not succumb. The man survived, complications and all, and so did the myth.

Path Lit by Lightning is a great American story from a master biographer.

A strong, stable core is the foundation of virtually all physical efforts.

Pilates and yoga practitioners as well as dedicated athletes are familiar with the concept of "core stability." They understand its importance in achieving and maintaining superior fitness. A strong and stable core improves athletic performance, increases power and endurance, reduces stress on the body and minimizes the chances of injury. It helps to improve balance and posture, alleviates back pain and minimizes fatigue. Even everyday actions are easier, whether climbing stairs or lifting a box or holding a baby.

The muscles most responsible for core stability run the length of the trunk and torso. They include the famous "six pack" abdominal muscles, the muscles that underlie the spinal column and neck and which help to rotate the back, the oblique muscles, and the muscles of the hips and thighs. Exercises designed specifically to address these muscles are the only way to build a stable core.

Anatomy of Core Stability features such exercises. They are designed to work the entire core musculature, from the major muscles in the abdomen, spine, lower back, torso, hips and thighs, which endure the greater effort, to the smaller assisting muscles, which support the larger. Many exercises use inexpensive equipment such as a stability ball, medicine ball, free weights and wobble board.

American Reference Books Annual praised this series' first book, Anatomy of Exercise, as "fascinating" and recommended it to "medium-sized and large public libraries as well as high school and undergraduate collections." This latest addition to the series will prove equally commendable and is an important purchase.

The "Anatomy of..." series has revolutionized how people can approach their fitness needs. The books are ideal references for beginning exercisers and amateur athletes, elite competitors, trainers, physiotherapists, coaches, sport injury clinics, yoga, pilates and fitness instructors, team doctors and specialist professionals.