Book excerpt: This thorough text introduces students to the principles and ways of management in public recreational service. It includes a history of the modern recreational service movement, a general overview of the field, and a detailed guide to best practices in leadership, coordination, public relations, planning and budgeting. Tips on how to find the best service possible in one's community are offered and the complex relationship between public recreational services and politics is also discussed. Other topics range from staff organization to evaluating the effectiveness of a recreational program.