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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Bill Cooks book now available (1 Viewer)

Bill and others....
I'm down at the Gulf Coast doing a little birding and relaxing.... I've glanced thru Bill's book before now...but TODAY....I READ it.. LOVED IT! It is such a wonderful blend of humor, wisdom, binocular facts, and my favorite...life lessons. VERY well written in a great style of writing.

Bill, I wish I could write like that. Such an art. How do you put all those elements of the book...TOGETHER? It was great to read your book and thanks for letting all of us into your world a little bit...

Chuck Hill

Ah, Chuck, you’re just saying that onacounta ... it’s true.

(That’s code for: “Your kind—thank you very much.”)

As far as “putting all those elements TOGETHER,” I had to; everything you see is ME because I didn’t have the money to hire a professional. Springer was to be the big dog. However, after working with a very kind editor in London (a fellow who liked the book and said he would have published it) for several weeks, New York (Damn Yanks) said they wanted a book of a minimum of 10 chapters with a minimum of 10 pages per chapter. Well, as you saw, one vignette takes 38 pages, one takes HALF OF ONE page, and the rest fall somewhere in between. Another well-known firm wanted to tell me how I should present my content in the traditional, sub-rudimentary 1960s format. Getting tired of trying to fit my book into their “crap for hire” format, I HAD to do everything myself: format, layout, content, photography, graphics manipulation, both covers, etc. It was a matter of have to. Considering what the readers are saying—you being one—I would say I knew more about how to present my book than they did—foolish novice 1: professional publishers 0. Although being a college puke who is very comfortable writing in eggheadease, I wanted it to be of value for the everyday bino packer.

Now that the sucker (the 80-pound rucksack as Andy put it) is off my plate, I’m going back through it (at the leisure I didn’t have before) with my SUPERFLUOUS COMMA COMB and making ready for the next edition ... if there is one. If that comes to pass, it will be down the road and address a number of repair issues. You and many others have praised my style. Thank you. But, you should speak to my wife about ... proofreading. It’s hard to catch your own mistakes. That’s where I really needed professional help—even more so than when I pick my nose with my elbow. For example, you might change a word or two to make some point more accurate or fluid without realizing two words in the sentence before or three words in the next must also be changed. That can be hard on the stroke-challenged mind.

Yes, Andy, I had a 7 states book signing tour planned. But, the alarm went off and I had to get a shower. I was honored to sign one for Richard Berry and Steve Tonkin, but that’s about all. Big ego or not, that’s really over the top for this screw turner. Hey, but I went to school with John Grisham for a while and there was a chance we even spoke a couple of times. John could write about the noise that comes from peeing on a flat rock and it would make the NY Best Seller List.

I’m certain the book will have staying power but I had no delusions of making any real money from it. ‘Blue jeans, cell phones, rap music, pizzas, or fidget spinners—perhaps. Consumer optics ... never.

The book has sold about 200 and is, for what it is, is doing well. Amazon doesn’t have it in all the appropriate categories, so I’m trying, as time will allow, to reach out to Birding and Amateur Astronomy groups.

And Chuck: get your hairy legs off my book. :cat:

Blessings,

Bill
 

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"second edition"
"book tour" with "John Grisham"
"the noise that comes from peeing on a flat rock"

the excitement never ends
edj
 
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Got the book off Amazon a couple weeks ago. I feel I learned a great deal and enjoyed the writing style. My grandkids are now reading the book - I might have to purchase the book for each of them, otherwise, it just might disappear from my man-cave, if I don't.
 
Mine is in possession of my significant other, until Xmas that is.

Andy W.

WARNING! If it's as cold there as it is here in the "banana belt" (that's what some called it BEFORE our move to southern Idaho, you may freeze before getting to read it! 35 years in western Washington has totally spoiled me climate-wise, and I'm learning new things each year. This year it's FREEZING FOG. :cat:

Humbug; bah!

Bill
 
Bill,

Good to hear from you, I am sure commitments are keeping you busy with your new book. I look forward to the book (i have heard it is a "very good read") with some time off between Christmas and the new year. Regarding the move, that is truly a different climate where you are from Washington State, especially this time off the year. The cold thank god will not last too long, it will be 50 before you know it here in Northwest Delaware.

Enjoy the holidays, and check in often.

Regards,

Andy W.
 
Bill,

Good to hear from you, I am sure commitments are keeping you busy with your new book. I look forward to the book (i have heard it is a "very good read") with some time off between Christmas and the new year. Regarding the move, that is truly a different climate where you are from Washington State, especially this time off the year. The cold thank god will not last too long, it will be 50 before you know it here in Northwest Delaware.

Enjoy the holidays, and check in often.

Regards,

Andy W.


Hi, Andy:

I usually say "Western Washington," because Washington is like two different states—weatherwise and political. Western has snowcapped mountains, rain forests, and the Sound. Eastern has deserts, tumbleweeds, rattlesnakes, and Ft. Lewis' firing range. Having lived in West Texas, I'm not saying that's bad ... just different:cat:

Bill
 
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I served under the Triple nickel 555 Engineering Brigade as a geologist in Afghanistan, I believe they were based out of Fort Lewis.

Andy W.
 
I just (finally) ordered a copy from Amazon, and I am very much looking forward to receiving it.

To have the distillation of all that experience right at hand is irresistible.
 
Bill I received your book today and can say that some on here that "try" to say they didn't learn anything new must of not read the book. AKA PIER and I am still waiting for him to post all his knowledge for free of course.

Thanks very much for writing this book Bill!! :t:
 
Bill I received your book today and can say that some on here that "try" to say they didn't learn anything new must of not read the book. AKA PIER and I am still waiting for him to post all his knowledge for free of course.

Thanks very much for writing this book Bill!! :t:

You are very welcome and you are equally kind. Thank you! Now, with this book—which should have taken 3 or 4 dedicated months to write and publish, but which instead took 26 years, (16 after I had the first contract)—outta the way, I’m going back through with my “superfluous comma comb.” Even before the stroke, I had a hard time proofing my own mistakes, ‘Since the stroke ... forget it. :cat:

Happy new year.

Bill

PS As for Pier: I always wondered, since he already knew everything, why he didn’t bother telling the bino community about “conditional alignment,” or whatever he would have called it and addressed all the incredibly foolish “collimation tips” flying around the Internet.
 
Hi all, new to the forum for posting but have been lurking for a while now.

Being a relative newcomer to the world of further understanding of binoculars and optics I came across this book from the comments on this forum. I finished the book yesterday and just wanted to chime in and say that I enjoyed the book and learned plenty from it.

I think the decision to put this out as a book is quite a wise one Bill, you’ve obviously been met with situations where people haven’t appreciated the advice you’re offering them for free in person during your career or in forums. You’ve got to hope that the audience who’d buy the book to learn from is going to be receptive to that information, given that they’ve chosen to invest in learning from your experience.

So in summary thank you for writing such an interesting and enlightening book.
 
Hi all, new to the forum for posting but have been lurking for a while now.

Being a relative newcomer to the world of further understanding of binoculars and optics I came across this book from the comments on this forum. I finished the book yesterday and just wanted to chime in and say that I enjoyed the book and learned plenty from it.

I think the decision to put this out as a book is quite a wise one Bill, you’ve obviously been met with situations where people haven’t appreciated the advice you’re offering them for free in person during your career or in forums. You’ve got to hope that the audience who’d buy the book to learn from is going to be receptive to that information, given that they’ve chosen to invest in learning from your experience.

So in summary thank you for writing such an interesting and enlightening book.

Hi, and welcome LSF:

I have never had a problem when speaking with consumers face-to-face. The problem seems only to come from those who can read much faster than they can reason and believe they have been deputized into the “thought police.” It is most hurtful when your best efforts at being humorous are taken to be harsh and you are put down because of it. Some people are just not happy and you can’t make them happy because—truth be known—they don’t WANT to be happy. I think professionals call this BPD. But, to each his own.

I’m certainly glad you found the book useful. :cat:

Bill
 
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I had a very good Christmas as all I asked for were books and got three of the five I asked for which were "Birding Without Borders", Birding by Impression" and Richard Crossley's ID Guide to Waterfowl. After the festivities were over and Dinner eaten I ordered WJC's binocular book and Pete Dunne's "Birds of Prey" to complete the list, For those of you who aren't familiar with Pete Dunne I consider Pete and Kenn Kaufman the two best writers on birds and birding in existence I dropped my subscription tor Birdwatchers Digest for over three years when Kenn stopped writing hs After the Spark column fo BWD. Kaufman's "Kingbird Highway and DUnne's "Feather Quest" are must reads for anyone even half way serious about bird watching.
Steve
 
I had a very good Christmas as all I asked for were books and got three of the five I asked for which were "Birding Without Borders", Birding by Impression" and Richard Crossley's ID Guide to Waterfowl. After the festivities were over and Dinner eaten I ordered WJC's binocular book and Pete Dunne's "Birds of Prey" to complete the list, For those of you who aren't familiar with Pete Dunne I consider Pete and Kenn Kaufman the two best writers on birds and birding in existence I dropped my subscription tor Birdwatchers Digest for over three years when Kenn stopped writing hs After the Spark column fo BWD. Kaufman's "Kingbird Highway and DUnne's "Feather Quest" are must reads for anyone even half way serious about bird watching.
Steve

Pete gave me one of my book's best quotes:

Later that day, in speaking with Pete Dunn, then Chief Communications Officer for the Cape May Bird Observatory, I shared my frustrations about how inquisitive people were constantly kept from information they want or need, while articles that do get ink are incessantly directed to those just beginning to dabble in binocular observing as if they were the only observers whose needs matter. I found vindication in his response:

“Some editors have been reading the same material for so long, they think they have heard it all; they just don’t know what they don’t know.”


Bill
 
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