Lloyd Bradley

As most others have stated, the content is terrific. Pretty much anything you can ask about almost anything is in here, to varying degrees of depth. It is a terrific book to skim through when you don't have a whole lot of time, or when you're a bit indisposed in the bathroom (which is where my copy is now actually) but to call it a reference volume might be a stretch. While I wouldn't call it difficult to find information, i also wouldn't call it easy either. It is perfect though to put in show more the bathroom or a coffee table for guests (and yourself) to have something to read whenever you've got a spare minute here or there. It's kind of like a men's health magazine on steroids,without the photos of 1/2 naked people, and this is actually well written. It even reads like a magazine. Read one article here, skim through, find another one 60 pages back that's interesting and read that. You don't need to go through this book page by page, which i suppose is both good and bad, depending on what you're looking for.
My only other issue, and it's a minor one, is that some of the content will be outdated fairly quickly. For instance there's a guide for mattress shopping. Surprisingly terrific information, however it also includes a price guide, which obviously is just ball park prices, but still in a year or more i doubt those prices will be very close at all. Again though this is minor, and the book itself won't ever really be outdated just bits of the more specific information will be. show less

There's only so much a person can expect from a reference book on men's health--particularly when that person is horribly unused to reading any nonfiction at all. Despite this, I was excited to receive The Rough Guide to Men's Health, expecting that, as a man whose health could use some improvement, I would be able to glean some ideas from it. In the end, it proves to be a useful, well-written, easy-to-read manual that's lacking in certain areas, but is nevertheless a great start for any man show more trying to look and feel better.

The Guide is divided into three parts, with the first part, "Wherever, Whenever," being the one that makes up the bulk of the book. This section features lengthy chapters focusing on specific aspects of male health--from physical fitness to digestion, the workings of the brain to working it in the bedroom. The second part, "Fit for Life," is much shorter and more focused on what to expect as one ages, and how one can maintain the best health possible over time. The final part is a reference suggestion, chock full of Web sites and suggested readings, as well as a handy self-diagnosis section and an A-Z list of ailments men can expect to deal with in life.

While the book's structure and wide range of topics make it feel as if it wants to be comprehensive, it's worth noting right off the bat that it is far from an exhaustive guide. Men expecting to find each chapter providing a specific outline of what to do to reach their maximal health will be disappointed, as the book is less interested in explaining precisely what to do as it is in giving a clear, straightforward explanation of how each system works. Along the way, of course, Bradley and his team of experts give you suggestions as to how best to feel healthful, but it's usually done by way of showing how our 21st-Century lifestyles are disrupting how our systems ought to run. This is not a fault, per se, but something the how-to reader should be aware of.

The text of this section, and the rest of the book, actually, is incredibly readable. Bradley's tone is relatively jovial but also businesslike: he understands how a man would want to be addressed, and the book speaks very comfortably in that manner. Alongside the main text are a great deal of text boxes, charts, facts, figures, and images, all of which add to the book's value as a resource. Interestingly, however, they take away from the narrative of the book, which is surprisingly engaging and well-presented. There are moments that feel like information overload, particularly since many of the info boxes have a tendency to repeat things (almost verbatim) from the main text--and, in a few cases, from other text boxes in other parts of the book. But all in all, the book never feels like a chore to read, which is a huge plus.

While the first section is incredibly well-written and engaging, the other two leave a bit to be desired, most probably because they are so dreadfully short. "Fit for Life" feels like a bit of an afterthought, as it tries to compress dealing with aging, doctors, and the motivation to keep at a fitness plan all within 35 brief pages. Incorporating these details more into the earlier sections might have been more palatable in terms of structure and effectiveness. The reference section, by contrast, is equally brief but surprisingly comprehensive, and while the self-diagnostic tables are far from the be-all and end-all of identifying one's ills, they are a useful start.

All told, The Rough Guide to Men's Health is full of good information, even if it's not always presented in the ideal or expected manner. (Or, for that matter, well-edited: note well, there are typos galore.) But it is a compulsively readable book that takes a notoriously boring topic and adds fresh life to it. It's the kind of book that makes you want to make the changes it professes about, and that alone makes it worth the price of admission. It may not singlehandedly save your life, but it'll get you on the right path--and, as Bradley astutely points out near the end, sometimes the motivation is the hardest part. show less

Me da la impresión de que este es el libro definitivo sobre la música popular jamaicana; pese a la interesante bibliografía que ofrece al final, Bass Culture es tan exhaustivo que es más que suficiente para tener un conocimiento notable sobre el tema. Una biografia de Marley y un libro que ahonde más en el dancehall y en la posible influencia que ha tenido Jamaica en la música del resto del Caribe (supongo que por algo lo llaman reggaeton) serían los dos únicos suplementos que show more recomendaría.

Bass Culture se esfuerza en narrar la evolución de la música de forma paralela a la de la sociedad y la política de la isla, que es tan particular que siempre resulta una lectura bastante entretenida. Como es obvio, escuchar los temas mencionados a lo largo del libro mientras es el complemento perfecto a la lectura. show less

Wow! The Rough Guide to Men's Health is part medical encyclopedia, part relationship/sex advisor, part nutrition guide, part activity guide, part travel guide, part fashion guide...okay, you get the picture! This guide packs a whopping amount of information into 380 pages, using the information gleaned from the team of experts assembled on various topics important to men, no matter what age.

The guide also covers some usually overlooked topics, including battered husbands, shopping for show more mattresses, and cooking with a wok. Yes, indeed, just about everything a man could think of has at least a snippet in this handy guide.

If only for the nutritional and medical information, this book is a keeper. Learn about all aspects of nutrition, the roles and recommendations on vitamins, the low-down on blood lipids and what your numbers from your blood tests mean.

I think this is a great book and plan on giving a copy to all the men in my life! show less