Reviews Books

Enhanced with more than 3,700 full color covers from America's most popular, iconic, and widespread weekly magazine, "TV Guide: The Official Collectors Guide" compiled by Stephen F. Hofer (Curator of the Philo T. Farnsworth Television History Center, Auburn, Indiana, and who himself is the owner of one of the largest collections of TV Guide magazines and memorabilia in the United States) covers all the national and regional digest size covers from April 10, 1953 to October 9, 2005. Included are TV Guide foldout covers, holographic covers, and multiple covers. For the antique dealer and hobbyist collector, each issue has the current secondary market prices listed. Featuring memorable quotes from TV Guide and from television shows, "TV Guide: The Official Collectors Guide" is more than a price guide compendium, (and a superb history of the magazine itself), it is also a very highly recommended tour of American television programming through more than fifty years of popular culture.

I was so happy to receive the TV Guide Official Collector's Guide, it is a great publication!! It has a lot more information than I expected - comments by stars over the years and much more!! It is very colorful and I will enjoy reading it for years to come. My 45 year old son has a collection of TV Guides and I know he will be interested in seeing the publication to see if the ones he has are valuable! Thank you

The episode of Seinfeld where Frank Costanza was noted to be a collector of TV Guide pretty much cemented that publication's place in the lore of pop culture. Now, from Bangzoom publishers comes "TV Guide" the official Collector's Guide. A lot of collector's books claim to be the only book you'd ever need to own but this one truly fits the bill. With over 3700 pictures, and every national and regional TV Guide cover pictured from 4/10/1953 through 10/19/2005 this is truly the ultimate resource for not only collectors, but fans of the magazine as well.

With a foreward by senior TV Guide editor Michael Davis, the book provides info geared towards the collector on where to buy, grading, and preserving your TV Guide collection. The cover subjects are what drives the price of back issues with the very first issue featuring the baby Desi Arnaz Jr. being the most valuable. While I've never collected TV Guide I was a long-time Comic Book collector and basically TV Guides should be kept and stored the same way...in protective bags and ideally in acid free storage boxes.

The guide provides a 19 page history of the magazine as well as a look at TV shows and trends by decade from the 40's through the 2000's; everything from Milton Berle and Howdy Doody to Lost and American Idol. I was born in the 1960's and love many of the shows from that era even though I didn't watch many in their initial runs. It wasn't until syndicated re-runs in the 1970's that I came to adore shows such Bewitched, Gomer Pyle, and Green Acres. As noted in the book, The Brady Bunch was never a top-rated show, but you'd hardly know that since it has gone on to become one of the most syndicated shows in history and a true TV legend.

Next up is 213 pages which show each of those covers from 1953 through 2005 in full color and it's like a trip on a wonderful time machine to page through the decades to see many of the actors and shows that you remember so fondly, and many you may have forgotten such as The Governor and J.J. One TV Guide trend that seems to have ended some time in the early 80's was featuring Santa Claus on the cover of a December issue. The book concludes with a 68 page index and value guide for each issue and doubles as a handy checklist for collectors.

Whether you are storing issues away chronologically like Frank Costanza, or just have a life long love of TV, you are certain to find something to enjoy in this fabulous book.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

This book has several major flaws. For a start, there is no index. The only way to locate covers with your favorite stars or shows is to browse the pages year-by-year.

The price guide only gives values for "mint condition" issues, with no guidelines for how to adjust value for copies in less than mint condition. (Most collectors' guides give a range of prices based on condition.)

It would have been nice if they had included some lists, such as: the most valuable issues; issues with multiple covers; people who have appeared on the most covers; etc. All of these things are mentioned in the text, but there is no way to look them up except by browsing every listing.

Despite these flaws, this is still an invaluable book for collectors, because of it's comprehensive checklist.

A mind-bending, if not surreal, parade of TV trivia presented week by week, year by year, era by era. Every single TV Guide cover is shown in true color, from April '53 to the first mag-size issue from autumn of last year. They're arranged as text would be on each page, left-to-right, top-to-bottom and IN ORDER on each page, dated and readily viewable. They even include full displays of all fold-out covers, as well as every version of each multiple cover, such as the one which had to be updated at Michael Landon's death, different regional sport-season previews, and the 25-cover tribute to all the Star Trek cast.

The book is in 3 main sections:
1) A 26-page section of blurb overseeing the history of TV Guide and background trivia of many of the covers
2) The section displaying the covers themselves, and
3) A listing of all covers (with dates and captions) and their collectible worth in mint condition.

It is bound in durable yet manageable paperback binding.

Anyone can invent their own TV trivia diversions just by scanning through this book (i.e. what are the earliest covers featuring people who are still alive? or Who has appeared the most times? or How did TV Guide handle documentarial times and issues [JFK's assassination, 9-11, the advent of cable & PBS etc.], or When did one televion era end, and another begin? and the like). The price list section also serves as an easier-to-count ready-reference of all the cover headings.

Mad Magazine presented a similar, also top-rate, timeline of all their covers a few years ago upon the advent of their 400th issue. The first such resource to incorporate all the TV Guide digest covers certainly doesn't disappoint.

I had read a couple of biographies of Tycho Brahe years ago, but never anything on Johannes Kepler except the bare-bones discoveries that made him famous. This book was a well-conceived and well-written biography of both men. Starting with Tycho and his observations and ending with Kepler and his discoveries based on Tycho's data, the book interleaves their lives in the middle where they were contemporaries. What a shame that Tycho died only a year or so after taking Kepler on board. It's interesting to speculate what might have happened if Tycho had lived. But he didn't, and Kepler's brilliant use of Tycho's data made them both famous and greatly advanced the science of astronomy. Thruout, you can see astronomy splitting away from astrology and leaving it in the dust.

Kitty Ferguson tells the tail of the unique and often humorous relationship between Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe that led to some of the greatest astronomical discoveries of our time. Going against the common belief of the geocentric universe, Kepler changes the world forever with the essential help of Brahe's observation on the heavens. Although the result of their relationship is extraordinarily beneficial to astronomy, the relationship is not as peaceful as one would think. Ferguson makes this evident throughout the story and gives numerous examples of their feuding and bickering over their work together. It reminded me of a 17th century spin off of the odd couple. Both informative and entertaining, this book covers everything from Brahe's golden nose to Kepler robbery of Brahe's information and is definitely worth reading if you are interested in the subject.

Tycho and Kepler: The Unlikely Partnership That Forever Changed Our Understanding of the Heavens, by Kitty Ferguson, is a 402-page dedication to two astronomical greats of the early seventeenth century, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. Beginning with an examination of the society into which Brahe was born, the book traces him throughout his childhood and adulthood, from the building of Uraniborg, Brahe's astronomical observatory on the island of Hven to his banishment from the kingdom of Denmark. Not until nearly the hundredth page is Kepler discussed, but from that point forward, tales from each man's life are alternated. It seems that more time is devoted to Brahe. The two stories come together when the men meet, and it follows them together from that point forward. When Brahe passes away, the focus immediately and entirely shifts to Kepler and follows him to the end of the book. The story comes to an abrupt finish with Kepler's death, though the volume also contains three appendices explaining and elaborating on complex astronomical terms discussed in the body of the book.
I think Ms. Ferguson decided to recount this story because she was interested in both astronomy and history. From reading the book, one can feel the interest the author has in the subject matter. While reading this book, I became interested in the topic as well, but sometimes felt a bit lost. Occasionally, it seemed that she went too much in depth on certain topics, such as the construction of Uraniborg, which she described in great detail. In general, however, Kitty Ferguson seems to like enjoy writing about this topic, and conveys her enthusiasm in her writing.
This is a good book. I read it for a school assignment, and was not especially interested in the topic at hand at first, though I rapidly became drawn into the story. I only grew bored of the book when it began to explain complex astronomical concepts. While all ideas were explained in full and in understandable language, accompanied by appropriate pictures and diagrams, it was still somewhat tedious for someone not especially knowledgeable about astronomy to wade through. The flow of the book is excellent. It never felt rushed, and the transitions between sections focusing on each scientist were smooth. The one thing that I really disliked about this book was its sudden ending. It ends at Kepler's death; it does not even mention the impacts of Brahe and Kepler's work on later scientists. Despite this inadequacy, I was left with a good impression of Ms. Ferguson's book, and with much more knowledge about astronomy, Tycho Brahe, and Johannes Kepler than I had when beginning to read this book.

An amazing and inspirational account of one of the greatest stories in the history of science. Extremely well written and scholarly. I have average reading skills but at times found the book impossible to put down. In spots I had to stop reading it because emotions took over. The best book I ever read about the classical scientists.

Tycho & Kepler - The Unlikely Friendship that Forever Changed Our Understanding of the Heavens is, for the most part, an excellent novel and easy read. Although it is a little confusing and dry at the times when complex astronomical concepts are being explained, they are outweighed by the wealth of historical accounts and gratuitous, but juicy tidbits. For instance, besides explaining the extensive instruments that Tycho built, Ferguson offers that he was also the first Dane to write a poem in Latin, that he had a twin that died at birth, and his aunt and uncle kidnapped him from his parents who wanted a girl and didn't much care. As for Kepler, not only did he develop the Harmonic theory, but had a miserable marriage, a mother accused and tried for witchcraft, and was the first author of a science fiction novel. Kitty Ferguson thus tells the life stories of the astronomers Tycho and Kepler in an informative, educational, yet narrative and interesting way. She effectively spans the 20-year gap between Tycho and Kepler by beginning the book describing Tycho's childhood and indeed his life exclusively up until the advent of a comet on December 27, 1571. Ferguson explains that, when Tycho saw the comet, he was out at one of his 60 manmade fish ponds on his estate at the Danish Isle of Hven, catching fish for dinner that evening. Meanwhile Kepler saw the same comet, but he was only five, and it was during a rare warm moment that he shared with his mother on a hilltop in Leonberg. Thus Kepler enters the story. For the rest of the book, Ferguson fluidly integrates the two men's lives, switching back and forth in an understandable, connected way. She eventually merges the two stories in a dynamic, functional manner, and shows how they used each other, and that many of their final results were synthesized versions of their combined efforts. Basically, Tycho provided excruciatingly accurate data that Kepler confirmed mathematically and extrapolated on. Kepler could have never figured out all that he did with out Tycho's data; he had bad eyesight and could not observe the sky he so dearly slaved for. It was because Tycho initially mistrusted Kepler that Kepler received only slight amounts of data that Kepler discovered that planetary orbits are elliptical - Tycho gave him only data on Mars, which happens to have the most extreme elliptical orbit, otherwise Kepler never would have noticed. Tycho also used Kepler to advance his own work and complete (among other things) the Rudolfine Tables, which are not merely the positions of planets, but guides to figure out what positions they are in at any time, (now, 586 years ago, or one thousand years into the future). The aptly-named chapters are elegantly punctuated with helpful pictures, like paintings of people discussed, illustrations of instruments, maps of the places mentioned, explanatory diagrams, and more. There are also obliging appendixes in the back, explaining astronomical terms (even though they are well-explained in the reading), and an index.
Just as the accomplishments of these men were great, so were their lives, which is probably why Kitty Ferguson felt compelled to tell the story of them. I would highly recommend it, even if you do not much care for astronomy.

I have been debating whether to go back to school for nursing for a while now and this book has really helped me. It gives the reader insightful knowledge into the world of nursing through the experience of actual nurses who have been there and understand what it is like. I had a feeling that nursing school would be hard but hearing the insights from actual students helps me channel the information and realize the focus that is necessary to really make it in this career. Over all I would reccommend this book to anyone considering going into this field. The insider information provided should really help you understand if this is for you or not.

This book is a true student companion. It's a powerful and wonderful book with a wealth of information that every nurse and prospective nursing student must have and read. It actually breaks everything down and makes applying to nursing school easy.
I will recommend this book for anyone who wants to be a nurse and all those who are already in the field.

This book is so informative and not a drag to read. It's helpful to nursing students of all levels; high schoolers thinking about nursing school, those in nursing school now and new graduates.

Dr. Chandler pulls it all together! As a practicing advanced practice nurse and educator, prospective students often ask what I need to do to gain entry into a nursing program. I no longer need to worry that I forgot to provide all the important details. Now, I refer them to this publication as it provides them with excellent advice and helpful hints. Moreover, they have a ready reference when they begin to pull information together for the application process and that all-important essay.

Dr. Chandler's book is a wonderful tool for prospective nursing students. With a wealth of information about the nursing profession, insider tips on the admissions process (including suggestions on how to make your application stand out!), and interesting anecdotes from nursing students and practicing nurses, it is a MUST read for anyone interested in nursing.

Nursing is a fascinating career that requires many competencies, and even though I have maintained an interest in the profession for some time now, I learned a great deal after reading this book. Dr. Chandler's examination of the nursing roles/functions provides a good synopsis of the skills and responsibilities required and utilized daily in the profession.

Personally, it has been difficult for me to relate my own skills and personal strengths directly to the profession because I lack work-related experience in the healthcare field. There is one entire chapter in the book dedicated to self-assessment, and as Dr. Chandler reveals, you must have a strong understanding of yourself in order to be an attractive, outstanding and successful nursing candidate.

I've been to Galveston and took tours of the many homes the author listed in this book and knew the streets and the very railroad tracks/beach areas he spoke of, but even if I hadn't been there, the author writes in a way that will makes you *feel* like you ARE there, as the story progresses.

I have read MANY books on this storm and I can safely say THIS BOOK "The Windows of Heaven" has got to be the best researched, investigated and well written book i have ever read and come across.

It's not all statistics, and weather, he writes of survivors and their lives that led up to that fateful day so you actually feel as if you're reading an ansestors diary or as if the people actually sat down and told him the stories.

His imagination is also so realistic that you walk away believing every single word he wrote although clearly some of it [like the drowning peoples viewpoints] couldn't have came from anyone.

It's a book that has SOLD me on the author RON ROZELLE'S talents and is a book that should be carried by all Texas schools and educational systems everywhere, as mandatory reading of what that night must have been like.

It left me feeling as if I had been there and suffered along with everyone--and in spite of the heartache and despair I actually felt sorrow when the story ended, and I faced the fact that I would never be a part of these peoples lives ever again.

If you don't read this book you will never know how lacking the others are and will miss out on an excellent example of great writing--destiny will deem this a classic in due time--trust me.

Galveston, Texas is the sight of our nation's worst natural disaster in our history. Ron Rozelle summered in Galveston as a child and that began his fascination with the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. He was driven to tell the story in a manner that was true to history and striking enough to recreate the terror of those in the path of this storm. This book is a fictionalized account of the Galveston Hurricane of September 1900. While the weather events are factual. The people he portrays are a mixture of real people and those that Mr. Rozelle created to add depth and heart to his story. His research into the facts of the hurricane's ferocious assault of Galveston and the utter destruction of life and property is vividly portrayed. The characters bring a rawness of emotion, making the reality of the vast loss achingly real. This is a realistic and intense tale of Mother Nature in full fury.

Ron Rozelle did a wonderful job writing this book. It is a well written piece of history. This storm event was the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Mr. Rozelle paid tribute to the people that died during and in the days following this storm. He also paid tribute to the survivors. There were a lot of sub plots happening during the time, an Mr. Rozelle did a good job incorporating them in just the right place. This book is well worth reading. I highly recommend it.

The events that transpired in September, 1900 have been too long forgotten in the annals of American natural disasters. Ron Rozelle has painted a picture that very accurately describes the horror and heroism that occurred when one of the most intense hurricanes virtually destroyed Galveston and claimed upwards of 10,000 lives. I discovered this book after reading the recent release Isaac's Storm, a non-fiction telling of the storm and also highly recommended. Ron Rozelle has fleshed out the story without damaging the historical accuracy and brings to us a harrowing story of the people who watched their town literally dissapear beneath the waves. Very highy recommended!

Ron Rozelle's second book is a well-done blend of fact and fiction. He uses many actual people and events from the Storm of 1900, the worst natural disaster in the history of the US. He writes sketches of the lives of several characters in a flash-back format and then switches to the current time, describing the coming of the storm and the blase manner in which the people approached it. Weather forecasting was in its infancy, and no one on Galveston Island realized the full impact of the pending storm. Residents had ridden out many a storm and didn't look at this potent killer in any different way from the storms which had come before. Galveston's lack of preparation and failure to build a seawall resulted in terrible destruction of life and property. Rozelle uses these elements to create a story in which the reader learns to care about the characters and then watches the courage with which they faced this catastrophe. This is a very moving book and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in this subject.

This is a biography about a blues singer named Honeyboy Edwards who was a contemporary of blues legend the late Robert Johnson. I became interested in his history when I saw a documentary on Robert Johnson's life containing interview footage of Honeyboy Edwards. The lives of musicians in the 20's, 30's and 40's tend to be fascinating and this is no exception. It is a great read.

AS A BLUES HISTORIAN AND GUITAR COLLECTOR I HAVE MANY BLUES RELATED BOOKS IN MY COLLECTION. THIS BOOK HOWEVER MUST RATE AT THE TOP OF THE PILE. WHAT FANTASTIC FLOWING STORY LINES, MAKING IT HARD TO PUT DOWN. IT GIVES A GREAT INSIGHT INTO THE WAY OF LIFE IN THOSE EARLY DAYS OF THE BLUES. THE PLACES HE HAS SEEN AND THE PEOPLE WHO HE GOT TO KNOW & MEET IS JUST MIND BLOWING. ANYONE WHO IS NOT BLUES MINDED SHOULD READ THIS BOOK JUST TO UNDERSTAND HOW HARD IT WAS IN THOSE DAYS JUST TO LIVE AND PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE.(I BET HE THOUGHT EVERONE IN THE MODEN WORLD WAS SOFT)TRULY ENJOYABLE.

Fans of blues music and musicians will relish this autobiography of Delta bluesman Edwards, which charts his rise to fame and his survival in a critical musical world. His first-person observations of the changing blues style and field are especially meaningful given that so many blues titles are not written by participants in the field.

Honey and his astute collaborators have given us the genuine article: a poignant, detailed, uproarous chronicle of what Robert Palmer called the"Deep Blues," the Delta tradition from which all other blues styles emanate. If you've heard Honey sing either in person or on his fine recordings, you will hear the voice you read. He offers dozens of unforgettable moments, from the first sounds he ushers from a broken-necked guitar to his mother's death to the death of Robert Johnson, that are alive and chilling. My only criticism is that the photographs featured in the book are spartan, contemporary views of critical sites in this artist's life. More historical photography would have enhanced the text. The publisher of this well-designed softcover has made the text relaxingly readable. After my first 50 pages, I wanted to purchase all of Honey's recordings and read more about him. He is an articulate, funny, precise chronicler of his own life. If only I could do the same with my own life! First rate.

This autobiography succeeds memorably on several levels. Told in spare, moving words, it provides a vivid picture of life in the Mississippi Delta long before the civil rights movements of the '50s. In addition, it's a kind of African-American "On the Road," told from the perspective of one who crisscrossed the Southern United States, scuffling to make a living playing the blues. And finally, it's a terrific history of the blues, told by a man who made a significant musical contribution himself and who played with nearly all the essential artists of the '30s and on.

Edwards, born in the Delta around 1915, worked the fields as a kid before he learned to play the guitar and began hoboing around the South. He rode the rails, played in innumerable small towns, and polished his craft. Along the way, he hung out and played with the likes of Sunnyland Slim, Big Walter Horton, Little Walter Jacobs, Robert Junior Lockwood, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and yes, Robert Johnson. The book describes how these architects of the modern blues passed songs, licks, and stories back and forth, keeping a form that relies so heavily on tradition dynamic and vital.

A major strength of the book is Edwards' distinctive voice, transcribed by his collaborators to retain its distinctive rhythms and dialect. The book's title sums up his attitude. His memories include violent death, physical and emotional loss, and great material want. Still, you sense strongly that he wouldn't have had his life any other way. His narrative is devoid of self-pity, but it never glosses over the difficulty of the times he endured, which included stints in prison.

The book concludes with useful appendices that define key terms and offer capsule biographies and discographies of musicians Edwards encountered. A good bibliography is also included. Highly recommended for those interested in the blues and in American social history. Great read.

I find myself refering to this book so often that I don't know how I ever lived without it! A must, must have for Academy Awards fanatics! Believe me, I'm one of the biggest Oscar nuts out there and I'm telling you this book is worth every penny!!!! I can hardly wait for "75 Years of the Oscar"!!!!

This fabulous book is informative, interesting and absolutely CRAMMED with excellent photos, many of which I am sure have never been published before (at least I had never seen them before reading this book). Robert Osborne's excellent book is as up to date as anything gets, the only awards not included having been given out less than a month ago. This book also includes a complete list of ALL nominees in every single category for each year, somehing I have found in no other book I have ever read on the subject.

An absolute MUST for all movie/trivia buffs!

I bought and I bought again...gave it away and then couldn't be without it...there is a downside; you'll find yourself boring everyone at parties with the Best Film Oscar of their Birth Year Challenge...but if the anorak fits, wear it I say..it's an Oscar winning performance by Osborne.....

If you are OSCAR crazy, splurge (it's expensive) save or steal and buy this book.....it includes all the gossip, snarky asides, and real data you'll crave and you'll refer to it again and again....true OSCAR nuts read it all the way through, like a novel.

This hefty tome by Robert Osborne, columnist and critic for THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, is a cinephile's dream! The author has exhaustively researched the history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from its origin in the 1920s and includes a detailed chronology of the popular Academy Awards. This is a must-have for any movie buff. The over-sized book will attract even casual movie fans who might pick it up off your coffee-table and start skimming through the over-350 pages jam-packed with photos, quotes, and anecdotes of the first 70 years of the Oscars.

I have collected many books about the Doctor Who series. Books about the plots, books on the history, books on the Daleks and so on. These series of books, About Time, are the final word. If you just became a fan don't bother with the other books. Buy these books. And if you are already a fan dump all the other books into a Black Hole, or sell them on Amazon.com, and buy up these books.
The first book deals with Seasons 1 to 3, the First Doctor, and really gets into the details about EVERYTHING. The characters, the actors, the plot, the writers, the social and historical events that shaped each episode. Not just the origins of the show but the origins of each and every episode. Plots, merits, flaws, sets are dissected, broken down, and debated about. 288 pages of Doctor Who. Get it used or new.

For those of us not able to watch every episode, this is a good way to understand what has gone on.

They said complete and they mean complete. This is not a book for the novice. This is a highly comprehensive look at each episode, from the Unearthly Child and onwards. Each episode is examined for it's own issues, then looked at in how it fits the series, and how it fits the culture of the day. It's so detailed, this book only makes it through the first three seasons and there are a total of seven books covering the orignial series and I'm guessing we'll get the new series soon (he does mention the 2005 season).

If you are a detail junky, this is the book for you. The cross referencing of the culture of the day, BBC politics, actors issues, development of the story and so forth are facinating. It's kept me turning pages and running to order the next installment. It's a definite must for the hard core fan.

not only of the start of a great show, but also details British television history and pop culture to put it into a larger context. Sometimes academic, sometimes fanwankish, but never tiresomely pedantic or boring. Can't wait to pick up the next volumes.

It's so great to see Doctor Who making a resurgence. I've been avidly acquiring the DVDs as they come out to replace the four drawers full of rapidly decaying VHS tapes on which, as a high school student, I recorded every episode that aired on PBS. So, though I don't think I've ever reached the heights of rabidity of some, I guess you could say I'm a big fan of the series. And now I've been able to read a priceless manual for the fan--About Time. In it, Wood and Lawrence fulfill every desire of those of us who have spent much of our lives mulling over the series.

Compared to some of the other volumes in this series, I would expect that this one would be somewhat less popular. There are good reasons for this, of course. Primarily, this is because it covers the first three years of the series. These years of black & white transmission where many of the episodes have been lost struggle in popularity with some of the later Doctors. Which is too bad because, as the authors point out, the series was very experimental during this time as it set the tone for what would be common ideas as the series wore on.

For those of us who have a love and respect for Hartnell's tetchy Doctor, however, this book is fantastic. I, for one, was very interested in getting the background of stories about which I knew very little because the episodes were lost. Additionally, the authors simply offer a wealth of information. Not only do they provide facts about plot, cast and characters, but they also offer their point of view through analysis of continuity and "things that don't make sense" as well as critique of the stories. There is also a series of essays that look at some "big picture" questions like what makes the TARDIS work? can you rewrite history? what's the dalek timeline? did the BBC actually like Doctor Who? and many more.

If there's a problem in reading this book for me, it's that I am, unfortunately, rather young and certainly American. I never got to see these shows in their first run as they were designed to be seen. Nor do I understand some of the references about British TV, movies, and actors, which I'm sure are quite familiar to some readers. Still, I wouldn't have passed up reading this book for anything. I'm already working my way through volume 2.

This is a great book if you are a huge American Idol fan and you want to know behind-the-scenes stuff. There's a lot of info. about each of the contestants as well, from their favorite color to their birthday. My favorite AI% was Jessica Sierra.

But, I have one question: Where's the Season 5 book? :)

WHEN you read this book it will let you know what happend
behind the scencs of american idol! and you will also learn
more about the top 12.MY favorite idols are CARRIE UNDERWOOD
and LINDSEY CARDINLE they are fantastic singers.IF only
lindsey wasnt voted off so quickly! BUY THIS BOOK its AWESOME!

This book is pretty good. There are some bad things like since it was published and released before Carrie Underwood won, they don't show the winner like screaming, crying, being happy, blah, blah, blah. I watch the show every night and never missed an episode. The top 12 finalists are Lindsey Cardinale, Mikalah Gordon, Jessica Sierra, Nikko Smith, Nadia Turner, Anwar Robinson best!, Constantine Maroulis, Scott Savol, Anthony Federov, Vonzell Soloman, Bo Bice, and Carrie Underwood. They are in order in which they were eliminated from AI. The best is Anwar Robinson because he just sings great, looks great, never nervous, and so on. I think he should have been voted off near the end. Overall this book is awesome.

This book is a great book to get to know the Top 12 a little better. It has quick facts, pictures, and a bio of each of them. Plus some behind the scences stuff, never- before seen pics, and them shopping, etc. When I met the Top Ten (but not Bo), I had them sign their page, and it worked out great. I love it!

I thought it was a good book, had lots of good quality pictures in there. The only complaint I have with it is it came out too early. It should have come out after the season was done so they could have the last final weeks in there and the winner showing her happiness. That's the only complaint I have is it should have been published after the season was over with. Otherwise it was a good book.

Not only does Ebert thoughtfully review movies, he writes so well that each essay is a pleasure to read whether we saw or will see the movie or not. These are reviews of his "best" movies for almost thirty years, as well as an explanation of how he came to be exclusively a movie reviewer. Funny, literate, and informative.

Roger Ebert loves movies, and he is a wonderful writer. He can reveal the essence of a movie with a poet;s touch, and he can point out some elements of the great mystery that draws us to an actor we might love, but not know why (thinking of his piece on Tom Hanks).

In one of the last reviewed movies in the book, "Crash" his writing helped me understand why a movie that seemed to rely so much on the most unlikely of fates, really deserved to be seen as a great movie. In the review of "Million Dollar Baby" which precedes "Crash", he shines a light on the heart of a movie that touched my heart, and does so with such simple and elegant precision.

It is easy to think of Mr. Ebert giving a thumbs up sign, doing battle with one of his guest hosts, or trying to find some way to indicate how much better than that a movie might be by using a series of adjectives or modifiers. Sometimes this has seemed silly, and inaccurate. For my wife and I, an unmodified "Two thumbs up" these days is as likely to reveal a mild stinker as something worthwhile and entertaining. Yet, I appreciate that he even writes an essay about another writer who decries such kinds of "criticisms and rating systems", doing so elegantly and non-defensively.

Yet when you read these reviews and interviews and let yourself be touched by them you can feel the author's joy and appreciation of the movies as well as his great understanding of this art form. That he is able to do this with a complete lack of pretense allowed me to fully appreciate the stand he has carved for himself as falling between the critic's movie critic and the people's movie critic.

If this were the last major work that Mr. Ebert creates in his life, he has performed a great service to those of us fortunate to pick this book up and read it. Thank you Roger Ebert. Two Thumbs pointing to the stars!

You know, there's a very good reason Roger Ebert won a Pulitzer. The man is an amazing writer. If you enjoy the pure pleasure of reading, and have a passion for the movies, you would be hard-pressed to find a better book than this to read.

The book is mostly a collection of writings by Ebert over the last several decades. There's some interviews with famous film folk, a collection of essays on subjects such as colorization, digital vs film, the need for a viable "adults only" rating, a few movie reviews, a discussion on the past, present and future of film review, and, most importantly, a serious love of the movies that comes through on every page.

I confess I am somewhat biased. Until I began reading Roger Ebert's fine website, I'd never heard of films such as M - Criterion Collection (Special Edition), Nosferatu, The Third Man - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Edition), or The Grapes of Wrath (I knew about the novel, of course). I'd also never had any real interst in, or appreciation for, movies such as Dark City (New Line Platinum Series), "The Bride of Frankenstein", Citizen Kane, or The Adventures of Robin Hood (Two-Disc Special Edition).

Fool that I was.

Now thanks largely to Roger Ebert I've began to really develop a love and passion for movies in ways I never thought that I would. Just looking over my recent purchases on Amazon, I see things like Babette's Feast, Russian Ark: The Masterworks Edition, All About Eve, All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal Cinema Classics), the "Godfather" films, and many others. Roger Ebert really opened my eyes to the glory of film, and helped me to understand why something like "Sunrise", is a glorious movie and something like "White Chicks" is not (hint: the abscence of anyone named Wayans helps).

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like movies, buy it. If you like reading good writing, buy it. If you even think you might like this book, buy it! You'll be doing yourself a favor.

Nice to have a comprehensive retrospective of Ebert's work in a variety of topics and formats. I have enjoyed his reviews, especially in the inclusion of sociological, anthropological, and philosophical observations. Ebert embodies the tradition of great literature as "Lies we tell about those who never existed, in order that we may learn the truth about ourselves." Ebert is worthy reading for many more than even the broadest categories of film enthusiasts would encompass.

Finished the book in just under two days - he's my favorite author on cinema and this one didn't disappoint!

I've been looking for such a book both in USA and China for a long time, and now I find it.

It's good for integrating the differentiate diagnosis. However, if there are more new MR techniques (DTI,PWI,etc.), it will be better.

I recommend this book for anybody studying for the Orals and especially CAQ.

Very helpful.

The advantage of the graded approach, and the extraction in the text descriptions of key substantive points is excellent. Emphasis is on the findings, less on the academic differentials. Perfect to study along with detailed texts. The keys to the "Requisites" first edition is awesome: but anyone know where one can buy, beg, borrow, or steal a key to the Second edition of "Requisites"?

a great, portable book to run through cases when you're studying or on a less taxing rotation. interesting, well-displayed cases running the gamut of pathologies with concise, informative summaries and cross-referenced with the neurorad requisites.

This is a great tool for the oral boards. I read it three times in preparing. The cases are diverse with a third section which is good more for CAQ than for dx boards. It is chock full of great info and cases. Its also fairly cheap. Well worth the money.