If there was one thing Peter loved, besides books, it was the game of golf. And, now that the nation has been launched into the last two (most exciting!) days of Masters coverage, we thought we’d offer up a few morsels of little-known Augusta trivia. We want you to be the smartest fan in the vicinity of whatever electronic device you’re using to stream the action.

Every year, Masters week is the time we get bitten by the golf bug again–after the winter’s over and the frost has thawed from the greens, just early enough to make sure our game is in good less-rusty shape for summer. So, while we weren’t rewatching the Golf Boys or daydreaming about our very own Hover-mobile this past week, we did brush up a bit on our Masters trivia. Allow us to share a little of what we’ve learned:

• The most popular sandwich there still goes for the cool price of $1.50. Ok, you probably knew that. But did you know that the famed pimento is made with both American and Swiss cheese? To be specific: “Pasteurized processed American Swiss cheese consisting of: American cheese, Swiss cheese (milk, salt, cheese culture, enzymes), water, cream, sodium citrate, salt, sodium phosphate, sorbic acid (as a preservative), lactic acid, pimento.” Mmm, lactic acid…
• Green jackets are not the only prize handed out at the tournament. The low scorer of the day goes home with a crystal vase. A hole-in-one is rewarded with a large crystal bowl. An eagle earns you two crystal goblets. And a rare albatross will get you… wait for it… yes, another large crystal bowl. From 1955 through 1992, the winner received a silver box (originally a cigarette case) engraved with the names of all the year’s competitors. Doesn’t all of this sound like the components for the best wedding registry of all time?
• In 1934, a full week’s ticket to the Masters cost $5.50. Ticket sales for the week of the tournament–the first one in history–added up to $8,011.
• It’s not as flat as it looks. Because television tends to flatten out topography, nearly all first-time visitors to Augusta National are amazed by how hilly the course is. The 18th hole plays straight uphill; the 10th hole can comfortably play as a 500-yard par four because it runs so steeply down the same hill.
• Even the bunkers are super-swank. Another feature unique to Augusta National is the nature of the sand in the bunkers. The “sand” consists of quartz from the Spruce Pine Mining District in northwestern North Carolina (it’s a very pure by-product that occurs when feldspar is mined for aluminum). The bunkers are so powdery that a ball rolling through can leave the impression of its dimples in its wake. Quartz like the kind found in Augusta’s bunkers is now a hot commodity, as it is also used to make silicon chips.

All of the facts in this post have been compiled from the delightful cacophony of wisdom, folly, rules, truths, and trivia that is A Disorderly Compendium of Golf, an obsessive little gem of a book for addicts of the game (like me).

–Liz, who loves golf, too, almost as much as she loves books

After a brief hiatus (I was in England! English accents: so cute), Wednesday Cute is back and cute as ever. This week we’re bringing you little kids at Comic Con, a giant yarn-bombed alligator, and a canine sport so cool (and cute) that you’ll put away your Frisbee in shame.

Let’s jump right in: Doggy dock diving is a sport and it’s the cutest thing ever. Basically, dogs leap from docks over the water and straight into your heart. This slideshow alone is reason enough to buy a subscription to the New York Times. (Photo by Megan Bearder)

• Did you ever give your little sister or brother a haircut with a pair of safety scissors? Your parents were mad, right? They wouldn’t have been mad if you’d been as cute as these girls. Here, NPR reporter Jeff Cohen talks to his two very young daughters about what could have possibly been going through their minds as the older snipped the younger’s long locks. The resulting interview is more adorable than you can even imagine.
• Watch this baby turtle eat a raspberry. You won’t be sorry.

The Avengers was a great movie, but it was lacking in the aww department. What’s that you say? Comic Con kiddies dressed as super heroes? WHOA, super adorable! Below, Mini-Hawkeye and the Tiny Flash—the latter a familiar friend from the DC Universe. (via The Mary Sue)

• We love unlikely friendships! So we went ape over this monkey who’s adopted a litter of puppies as her own.
• Have we mentioned that Arlo needs glasses? Enter a photo of your bespectacled dog in our contest for a chance to win a signed copy of the adorable book!

An already awesome alligator-shaped playground (!!) became all the more spectacular when yarn-bomber Olek and a team of “crocheteiros” covered the structure in colorful yarn. Going rainbow-colored and fuzzy would do a lot to improve alligators’ reputations as a species. (via Flavorwire)

• If someone were to bring to ME to the beach, I certainly wouldn’t drag my adorably big paws and floppy ears and tiny fluffy tail through the sand!

—Avery, who’s going to send her dog to dock diving camp

When you were a kid, the first day of Spring-like weather probably meant it was time to dust off your bike and take a spin around the neighborhood.  But we’ve come a long way from those carefree days.  As cycling becomes more popular, especially in big cities, it brings with it some unexpected downsides, many of which Grant Petersen takes on in Just Ride, his book about opting out of racer culture and into enjoying your bike the way you did as a kid.  Petersen is the founder and owner of Rivendell Bicycle Works, and a well-known figure in the bike world.  His argument?  “A lot of the advice you’ve been getting ever since you became a bike rider is flat-out wrong and is actually bad for your health.”  Just Ride is against all of the following: helmets, carbohydrates, biking as a way to lose weight, and wearing silly riding outfits. Well, he’s not exactly against those things, but Petersen has some unconventional opinions about them.  If you’ve ever ridden in the bicycle lane, rode in a charity race, or watched the Tour de France (or, as Petersen calls it, the BORAF, for Big Old Race Around France), you’ll want to read what he has to say.  The book comes out in May, and until then, the Atlantic has an excerpt to tide you over.

When plans to escape the city fell through on a sunny Saturday, my friends and I did what any backyard-deficient New Yorker would do and headed to Central Park. Packed in our bags were the essential staples of a summer afternoon—a frisbee; a baseball and gloves; salads of the egg, fruit, and potato variety—and the bible of the season, Suzanne Brown’s Summer: A User’s Guide, a book packed with tips for making the most of a warm afternoon.

Like Ms. Brown, I am madly in love with summer—the smell of Coppertone is enough to get my heart racing—so in honor of the first day of the season, I bring you one of her tips for living life to the fullest in the upcoming months:

How to Play Beach Volleyball

Scout out a quiet place away from the water and sunbathers, then draw lines in the sand that measure approximately 30 feet wide by 60 feet long.

The serving player must hit the ball over the net and inside the court lines within three attempts. If the server fails to successfully place the ball within three serves, the opposing team gains control.

Players rotate positions clockwise whenever their team gains control of the ball (Thus, each team has a new server at that time.)

Once the ball is hit over the net to the opposing team, a player cannot contact the   ball twice in a row unless the first touch is off a block at the net. A player cannot grab the ball, allow it to come to rest in his hand, or touch the net. If he does so, he forfeits the ball to the opposing team.

A point is earned when the serving team wins a rally, or an ace is served.

The first team to reach 15 points wins. A match is played in sets of three or five games.

* * *

This summer (which officially starts TODAY!), before you head off to your beach bungalow, pack a picnic for the park, or spend a day in the shade, pick up Summer: A User’s Guide and make the best of this short and sweet season.

Welcome, one and all, to the third and final installment of the 2010 Workman Holiday Gift Guide Extravaganzaaaa! (Are you tired of all those A’s yet?) By now you’ve found the perfect gift for the kids in your life (Part 1) and the adult members of your family (Part 2). So now it’s time to take care of the rest of your list: your friends! Read on to find out what Workman employees are giving their Might-as-Well-Be-Family Friends this holiday season.

Might-as-Well-Be-Family Friends:

• “I’m giving Water for Elephants to the only friend I can think of who hasn’t read it yet, and A Reliable Wife to all of the others, because who doesn’t love a great read?” —Kendra
• “Everyone on my list is getting the DC Comics Super Heroes and Villains Fandex, because I’m darn proud of it.” —Randall
• “I got  Children Learn What They Live and Teenagers Learn What They Live for the Program Director and the parents I attend classes with through the Children’s Aid Society. The Darts! Calendar is what I will be giving my Sunday School students; the 365 Bible Verses a Year Calendar for the other teachers; and the 365 Puppies a Year Calendar for my neighbor, because my daughter dog-sits for her throughout the year while she’s on vacation.” —Jean
• “The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is going to a “sensitive” and “contemplative” friend. One friend’s getting Heart of the Artichoke just because it’s so good and any cook should like it. And, always, Love, Loss, and What I Wore to every woman I’d not given it to before.” —Carolan
• “I already gave Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?—such a valid question!—as an early holiday gift to a bunch of my fellow recent grads who are now on the hunt for jobs.” —Avery
• “I’m giving Stitch ‘n Bitch to a friend who has just discovered the joy of yarn. And Curly Girl is going to my roommate, who has some of the most beautiful—and corkscrew-y—hair I’ve ever seen.” —Erin
• “Some of my favorite calendars to give include The Talking Fortune Teller Calendar (for my wacky tarot-card reading cousin), Trout of North America, 365 Sports Facts-a-Year, the Dog Page-a-Day Gallery Calendar, the Smart Sudoku Page-a-Day Calendar, and the Audubon Birds of America Calendar—all reflecting passions of my loved ones.” —Melissa

There you have it! The 2010 Workman Holiday Gift Guide…well, you know. We hope this list helps provide some guidance in your holiday shopping this season, so you can show your friends and family how much you care with a gift that’s just right for them. Happy holidays!

Welcome to Part 2 of the 2010 Workman Holiday Gift Guide Extravaganzaaaa! If you missed Part 1: Kids and Kids-at-Heart, check it out here. Then see below for part 2 of the list: The Grown-Ups’ Table. What do you get for your parents, your aunts and uncles, and those other adult relatives who can be a little tricky to shop for? Here’s what Workman employees had to say…

The Grown-Ups’ Table:

• “My husband and I just had our first child, a daughter, so I will slip From Father to Daughter into his stocking.” —Selina
• “I’m giving The Crabby Cook Cookbook to my mother, who no longer has to worry about cooking for a family but will get such a kick out of remembering what it was like to put dinner on the table every night … though she will be sorry that she didn’t have those simple recipes back then when she needed them. For all the hypochondriacs in my family (and that would be everyone on one side of the family, though I can’t say which)—The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick. I think our phone calls may get more interesting when they realize there are concrete steps they can take to reduce their susceptibility to illness.” —Suzie
• “My parents are getting copies of Younger Next Year and Younger Next Year for Women, since they’re both recently retired and I want them to stay healthy and happy.” —Randall
• “I got the Islands Page-a-Day Gallery Calendar for my mom, because she loves tropical beach scenes.” —Claudia
• “Last year I gave my father-in-law The Miniature Book of Miniature Golf, which brought Christmas morning to a complete halt for a good hour, because he and my husband just had to play through the whole book (they’re very competitive, so it got a little intense)… He brought it to work and it is a huge hit in his office too. 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die was a huge hit with MY dad, who is a serious music buff. (Brought that gift-opening session to a standstill as well, as he became totally engrossed in the book!!)” —Melody
• “My step-dad is getting the Nuns Having Fun Calendar—perfect for an ex-Catholic School Boy who loves the Three Stooges. And I’ll probably give my mom a copy of The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free, in hopes that she’ll send some tasty treats this year that are suitable for my glutard self.” —Emily
• “Anything golf-related goes over well with my old man.” —Tom
• “I’m giving a copy of Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies to my Aunt Betty. She’s an amazing baker, and the best part is that she always loads me up with baked goods whenever I see her (and my co-workers benefit because I bring them to the office).” —Laura
• “I’m going to give The Love That Dog Training Program to my mom, because she’s convinced that our old dog can’t learn new tricks.” —Avery
• “I got Cooking Jewish for my sister, who is constantly trying to expand her repertoire of Jewish recipes. Also, there’s a reason that Ad Hoc at Home comes wrapped in plastic. Do not open it! Or you will do what I did, which is decide that it was such a beautiful and enticing book, with such mouthwatering recipes, that, although my sister or father or best friend would have loved it, it was time I rewarded myself with a gift.” —Kathy

Hope that was helpful! And don’t forget to come back tomorrow morning for Part 3: Might-as-Well-Be-Family Friends.

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“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal” –Henry Ford

By mid-February, with winter completely over-staying its welcome (in the Northeast, at least), great comfort can be had in thinking about the first stirrings of spring training. It’s one of baseball’s most enduring charms, how it follows the arc of the seasons.

This time a half-century ago, Yogi Berra, one of baseball’s greatest, would be showing up in St. Petersburg, Florida, warming up Whitey Ford, horsing around with Phil Rizzuto, welcoming, with the rest of the team, Joe Dimaggio after his injury-shortened 1949 season. Eight months later the Yankees will win their 13^th World Championship, defeating the Phillies in four games and earning Yogi one of his record-holding ten World Series rings.

Today Yogi is as famous for his quotations as he is for his superstar career. Later this spring Workman will be publishing a revised edition of The New York Times bestseller, The Yogi Book, which collects all of his famously quotable quotes. A favorite: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” This is Yogi giving driving directions to his childhood pal, Joe Garagiola.

"A Fork in the Road"

Just as we were preparing to get the new edition off to the printer, this turned up in the middle of Downing Street, across from Workman’s offices:

A good omen for Yogi, right?