Movies Books

This book starts out newcomers to the field with a thorough foundation for selecting proper equipment for filmmaking. It also encourages beginning filmmakers to utilize objects or people on hand. A basic computer system is necessary. The great thing about this book is that new artists often need encouragement as well as inspiration. This book provides both!

My after school students really enjoy this book. It has been check out many times and my students use it often as a reference.

This book is worth every penny! Also the DVD it comes with is very helpful! It shows you how to do Hollywood-style tricks on a budget! I would highly recommend this book!

I found the information in this book useful to me as an amateur filmmaker, but I believe that it would be just as useful to a starter. It's has both basic information as well as detailed explanations for the (amateur) teen filmmaker.

This book was useful to me, as a teen filmmaker. I marked many pages with information that I could use, ranging from proper script format, to very useful advice on how to keep your project low budget, which is always a challenge. Unfortunately, having already read books and articles on the subject of filmmaking, as well as having made a few of my own short films, I felt that this book was slightly more geared at the amateur with little to no experience, rather than someone who is more familiar with the art of filmmaking. If however, you have found yourself with an excellent idea for a short film, and have no idea how to realize it, then this book is a highly useful resource that can help anyone deliver a low-budget, high-quality masterpiece.

I was assigned this book as the text for an intro to digital video grad class. The book was okay, but not especially impressive. It was redundant in some places and some of the information seemed dated. It's a very general book, so it's appropriate for a class where the instructor doesn't know what kinds of cameras or editing programs students will use.

However, if you're looking for a book to help you with the program and camera you have, you can probably find something more specific to your situation.

The title is a bit of a misnomer as well. There are no step-by-step guides or lessons in the book.

It's not a bad book, but it's not great either.

I liked the presentation, organization and the the printing of the book wich I consider is of the highest quality, It also has good color ilustrations and photos, I didn't find errors of any kind. But even when I'm a beginner videographer, I consider the information contained in the book is very general and the book is oriented to explain that "there are easy ways of making things..., that you can use several good applications available in the market for you..." But I would have liked the book explained: "ways of making... and the steps for finishing your projects.." I mean the book lacks of "How to...or the step by step for beginners". But in general is a good book. Please be aware of that...So you won't be disapointed.

I'm a semi-pro photographer of stills, based in film, now dSLR's and so I understand fairly well photographic considerations in acquiring good images! This book will easily help beginners and existing still photographers bridge the gap into Digital Video capture. Going beyond just understanding the latest advances in digital camcorders, the book guides you through actual processes of capturing good story-telling footage, things that we see in broadcast everyday, but probably don't give much of a thought as to how video was captures, sequenced and edited. I was really looking for such a guide as a starting place as i just purchased a Sony HDR-HC7 mini-DV camcorder ... and needed to know basic camera operation, as well as shooting techniques and video editing techniques. The book is VERY well laid out, simple to read and find headings and TIPS as needed - I think I'll pull from this volume a great deal of useful information and wish to thank the author!

After an extensive research I tried my luck and bought this book (as I could not preview the content), and I am really impressed with it. This is the perfect book for someone who really wants to learn video photography, as opposed to just learning to buy the greatest gadget and press the right buttons, thereby capturing worthless video.

I am an advanced amateur photographer for the last 15 years, and I know that taking good photo is 90% work of the mind - finding out the perfect frame and the perfect moment to shoot a great photograph, and 10% work of the hand to use the camera. Most of the other Digital Video books focus mostly on the later 10% aspect. Not this book - It teaches you extensively what to look for in a good video and how to get them.

The book is divided into 5 sections:-
- What you need to know about your camcorder
- Step-by-step shooting techniques
- How to shoot great home movies
- Step-by-step digital video-editing techniques
- Showing and sharing your movies

The sections about "shooting techniques" and "great home movies" are the largest in this book, and that's what I liked. The author is a professional in this field (former television producer, editor and cameraman), unlike authors of other books who are either wannabe movie producers or small movie makers. The other books instruct you to write down a storyboard on paper which is not feasible in a vacation movie or capturing unpredictable activities of your newborn. Here you will learn how to think so that you can create a great story on the fly.

This book is filled with lots of tips used by professionals, one good example is: not to use the zoom during shooting. Most professional productions do not contain zooming sequence. They take a wide angle shot to show the background, then next shot they show a close up of the subject, the zooming being done off-camera. Lots of zooming sequence is the typical sign of a poor home video.

On the whole, this is a perfect book to study before diving into the world of serious video photography.

I would recommend this book as a start here before anything else. Even though you'de have had a camera for months and years but just shoot movies where the ones you share it with are happy to get away from it. Buy it, it teaches you in very in an easy non jargon way how to do things looking good and impress the audence. It is good when people ask for a copy after they've seen the movie. And you hear they wantch it over and over. I love this book it is brilliant.

This is another interesting, two-fold storyline book in the CSI series.

While Brass, Grissom, Nick, and Sara deal with the body of a murdered woman found in a coffin (which wouldn't be so bad, except that it's not the body that was SUPPOSED to be in there!), Catherine and Warrick are working to uncover whether a death at a nursing home is natural, or had a little help.

This is another quick read, and pretty interesting. The character development was good, and it had a believable and decent mystery.

I bought this novel for my daugher who loves CSI:Las Vegas.
She read the book in one night and continues to read it. She says it's even better than the TV episodes.

The mystery is very engaging, and the clues ar worth it. As a CSI fan, I really enjoyed this book, but...

The author's prose is far to heavy at times, particualrly in his descriptive mode. I felt that his "purple prose" interfered in me geting an idea about what he was describing. The plot is very good, but plowing through the excess descriptives made it hard for me.

It's August in Las Vegas and the temperature is sizzling. The murder rate in town has increased along with the temperatures, putting a strain on the CSI team. A body is exhumed to determine cause of death, but it's the wrong body in the right casket. In another case, there has been a rash of deaths in a local nursing home and Catherine and Warrick set out to investigate. As in previous outings, Collins does a wonderful job in his characterizations. He adds depth to the characters we are familiar with from the TV series. The plots in this one keep the reader guessing and the pace never lets up. Another great CSI read.

Grave Matters is a great mystery novel, and ties in well with the TV series. As usual, there are two cases. One is when a medical examiners calls the CSIs in because deaths are happening a little too frequently in an assisted care facility. The other is when a court order forces the rest of the team to investige the death of a political big-wig's murder - by the daughter, who names her step-father.

The care facility death shows death by injection of air - murder, which is investigated. But that doesn't compare to what the other CSI team finds in the casket of the deceased woman - somebody else entirely, which means somebody else is a killer who picked the perfect hiding spot for a body...

This is one book I would have liked to go on. The nostalgic touch was excellent. What a wonderful imagination Mr Mariotte has. One of the best in the series so far. All fans of the show will enjoy this novel. I highly recommend.

I loved this book. But I have to say it wasnt my favorite out of the serious I have to say it was city of and close to the ground. But I love Angel the show. So I'll keep reading and watching.

This is an unusual entry in the Angel series. Although set in the first half of the first season it has all the feel of the Hollywood in 1961. The reader can imagine that they are watching an episode of Mannix or 77 Sunset Strip. Angel's new client is buried in a local cemetery. A long dead PI is hot on the heels of his killer. Kate is looking for a cop killer and Angel lands in jail. It is a well written detective story heavy with atmosphere. The only objection I have with this novel is that I would have liked to have more Angel. He often takes a back seat to the dead PI. Fans of hard boiled detective stories will enjoy this book as much as Buffy fans.

This book brought old school detective movies into the City of Angels. As a building is being demolished, the crew finds a dead body that has been there for over 30 years. As the body is found the detective Mike Slade come back to life. He is trying to solve the murder that he was killed for so many years ago. Also at the same time Doyle has a vision having to do with the same case. This book is very good. It will have you at the edge of your seat.

This Angel book was one of a different kind. It all started at a construction site of an old building where a dead body has been found dating back to around 1961. Then Doyle has a vision about [...] and when Angel goes to investigate, he finds that [...]. Meanwhile, a new PI back in town and he acts like he came from the 1960s: dressed in a baggy suit and a fedora and talks like a member of the Rat Pack. This is a great detective book and I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good Angel book.

I've been doing some research into film making and I picked this book up from the bookstore because it looked okay. At first I was a bit let down, but after getting into it I found it truly great! The author gives an amazing amount of examples, and even though they're a little outdated, he gives them in such ways that you don't have to have seen the movies to learn from his examples.

If you are looking for theory or for technical analysis of film, this is not the place. If your interest, instead, is insight into the thinking that goes into making (mostly mainstream) films this is an excellent starting point. Boorstin doesn't write like a movie critic or a professor of film; he writes like a very knowledgable and reflective craftsman who has insider experience on filmmaking and has been able to capture that experience into a series of analytic perspectives on the nature of "movies that work."

He breaks his analysis of the "working of movies" down into three perspectives that amount to the various levels at which the film needs to operate on or captivate its audience. A movie that "works" has to work on all three levels, though it may emphasize one over the others. First, it should appeal to the "voyeur" in the audience. We watch movies because we want to see, and a movie works at a voyeuristic level when it shows us something that we can both believe and be interested in. That sounds straightforward enough, but the voyeuristic perspective allows him to go into the "why" behind a wide range of cinematic techniques, and to introduce quite a bit of the vocabulary you'd find in another introduction to film but might not see why it was so important. Secondly, the film has to work at a "vicarious" level: we have to care about the characters in the film, and what they do has to be emotionally true. Under this heading Boorstin is able to discuss a range of topics, from Kuleshov's psychology experiments with film montage to what makes a film soundtrack work. The third level is the "visceral": films can work, not only because they are intriguing or make us feel something for the characters, but also because they make us feel something period. The rise of horror cinema is directly connected to this longing for a visceral experience: we don't just want to care about someone who is potentially being harmed but we want to feel their fear along with them. The book goes on to discuss combinations between these, the differences between narratives and films of other forms, and the difference between mainstream Hollywood cinema and avant garde or foreign cinema.

My only quibble with the book is that he doesn't address a fourth level at which films work -- maybe because it's hard to come up with a "V" word for what might be called the "reflective dimension" of film, and I believe that a discussion of this dimension would complement his other discussions and allow him to introduce in an unpretentious and insider fashion themes that are the subject of what film theorists call "ideology." Every film, at some level, has a theme -- has to have something it is "about" and this is a level that is not only of interest to film theorists but also to filmmakers. Sidney Lumet's wonderful "Making Movies" discusses this at length. For a film to work it has to have a theme and it has to somehow make sense of that theme. In some films, and not only foreign or avant-garde films, this "thematic" or "reflective" dimension is the dominant one. Take the success of the "Matrix" for example -- what makes it stunning is not only its superb visuals (voyeuristic level) or its strong narrative (such that we vicariously connect with Neo) or its tense mood (such that we have a visceral experience), but also that it forces us to think, raising interesting questions and posing tentative answers to those questions.

In the end, though, this is merely a quibble with what is still a very worthwhile book that I am glad I encountered. While the style is personal and the ideas are to some degree idiosyncratic to the author, it is a rare book that offers so much information and insight and is such an enjoyable read. (I would compare this book to other remarkable and insightful works by working filmmakers such as Lumet's Making Movies and Walter Murch's In the Blink of the Eye -- and if I had to choose which one to recommend of these three I would say that Boorstin's book is more comprehensive and can likely teach more about the nature of film and filmmaking than the others.)

For those people that just stumbled on this book and are not aspiring film makers, the insight and even the abundance of photographs from major scenes are worth the purchase price.

For the rest of us, everyone knows what makes a professional in any field is that little extra effort to be one step ahead of the next person. This book may be that next step.

A paragraph from the introduction says it all:

"How does a surgeon attack a tumor, a lawyer a murder case, or an architect a concert hall? When you learn a craft, or a profession, or an art (and film is all of these), you have to master a way of thinking as well as a set of skills. A way of approaching the problem that make techniques your tool."

"Making Movies Work" discusses films from three types of effects the shots have on the audience. Boorstein calls the "Voyeurs Eye" the eye we have for detail, consistency and the logic of a scene, where we gather information. "Vicarious Eye" concerns the techniques filmmakers use to relate feeling and the emotions of a scene. "Visceral Eye" appeals to the part of the brain that bypasses thinking, the 'gut' reaction. This book does not go into detail on setting up shots, but rather gives the reader a useful context in which to think about shot choice. It's purpose is to help identify the purpose of a shot or scene and why a shot gives the audience the feel that it does. I thought the book was fascinating, and it puts to direct application much of film theory.

The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is, because it is not a smashing, shocking masterpiece. But it is still a VERY GOOD book. It gives one a great first taste on filmmaking, touching on almost every topic and field in the production process. It is also very well organized into a system of own logic, and contains quite a few funny and interesting anecdotes, which make it more like a personal friend instead of just "a book". The language is clear and "user-friendly" (which was quite important for me, English being only my second lang.), and Mr. Boorstin is like a smiling tour-guide that takes one around the various aspects of the craft. It is an excellent introduction to all people interested in film, and to all those who just want to have a good read about 'the film job' in general. Read it and You will like it, if it does not make You want to fall in love with film right away. If You already are: You will learn not just about the craft, but about creative processes and "Hollywood vs. World"-philosophy too, while You get to understand what actually makes a filmmaker. A definite 4 and 1/2.....

I have to be the dissenting opinion based on the other posted reviews. Frankly I felt this book was well written and fairly insightful but in many respects the author was reaching too hard for profundity and some of the connections and reference points he used seemed rather arbitrary to me. In addition there are many films that were overlooked that could have added to the analysis and made the book more meaningful to a wider readership.

Gob's pic on the book-jacket is the grimmest cautionary tale since Truman Capote shook his booty at Studio 54. Let this be a warning to you all. This is what happens when you spend half your life gawking at Barbara Steele & Silvana Mangano: you turn bald and myopic and you have no-one to blame but yourself. My favorite line: "What did they need a script for if they had enough bad mood to poison the atmosphere for a whole planet?"

Every sentence in this book is a masterpiece. Although there's no need to worry about any Serioso High-Art Heavyosity. Gob eschewed any in-depth discussion of Godard & Bergman & Welles & Antonioni in favor of delineating the Cinecitta aesthetic: "As the sword-and-sandal cycle ran its course they grabbed whatever raw material came to hand, Tacitus and Captain Marvel, Sophocles and the Bible and Mandrake the Magician, Tiresias and the Sibyl, vampires and virgins and an endless horde of raucous men-at-arms. The contents of an old cupboard full of irreplaceable artifacts were being briefly held up to the light--for the delectation of uncomprehending inheritors momentarily amused by gold leaf or a bit of fine carving--before being discarded. All periods of history collapsed into one, enabling Hercules and Ulysses to wash up on the Gaza coast and encounter Samson. It was the final garage sale of Thrace and Carthage and Byzantium."

I read a recent profile of Godard. His unfilmed latter-day scripts are (yes, you guessed it) scripts about film directors. Movies about movies. Gob covers that too: "The ultimate film festival would then have to consist of ghost movies: the low-budget risorgimento period piece that Edward G. Robinson almost finished shooting in TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN, Fritz Lang's ODYSSEY, the Crucifixion movie that Orson Welles was directing in Pasolini's LA RICOTTA, and the movie that (in Fellini's TOBY DAMMIT) the alcoholic actor played by Terence Stamp had flown to Cinecitta to star in: the first Catholic western, 'something between Dreyer and Pasolini with a touch of John Ford, of course'."

Gob even risks the charge of psychological projection when he waxes metaphysical: "A profound underlying boredom was the emotional basis of westerns. They were basically about killing time. They were what there was to do in town, in America, year after year."

My only hope is that Pauline Kael is savoring this book in Schlock Heaven.

This book is the most chillingly relevant commentary on our modern society of the spectacle that I have ever read. Although at times slightly alarmist in its portrayal of the totalitarian tendencies of contemporary cinema in forging the substance of our thoughts, these claims can not be taken lightly. O'Brien is convincing by virtue of the fact that he writes mostly in the second person. "You believed....You were shocked....You this...You that"...making the reader truly believe the shocking reality before him: That the overmind of the cinema is becoming the only reality in the 20th century. His memories are its memories and everyone else's too. O'Brien does a great service to point this out even if its too late to change it.

Don't be alarmed, just go to the movies. O'Brien, in this unforgettable, beautifully written book, has come up with an idea and a work so original and startling that it is difficult to describe. Essentially, he sees how movies [and he's seen hundreds of all kinds] have helped create the pyschology of the century. In one chapter, for example, he uses the melodramatic chestnut "The Four Feathers" to show how the movies displayed the customs and manners of a class and society different than ourselves, and thus taught us how to live in certain ways. And that's just scratching the surface of a book that seems to have a new and astonishing idea on every page. Neal Gabler published on this topic recently, but to a much inferior extent. Skip that and buy this. You will never, ever go to the movies the same way again.

As a movie lover, I was intrigued with the theme of this book -- how movies have shaped our culture, our thinking -- and was prepared for a heavy, textbook-like reading. As I read, though, I was overwhelmed with O'Briens style, his sterling craftsmanship in describing the feelings and emotions of the movies. I would literally stop after every few lines and shake my head in amazement. As a writer, I am jealous of his skill. As a reader, I am eager to read it again.

Steve Martin said (in L.A. STORY) that "a kiss may not be the truth, but it's what we wish was the truth." I do not know if O'Brien's book is THE truth about movies in the modern mind but, oh, how I hope that it is.

I needed this book for college, item was much cheaper then purchasing from school. Shipped very fast, arrived in excellent condition. No marks, highlighting, no damage. The book also came with a cd-rom.

Thankfully my college has a textbook rental system, but I think that if I were required to purchase this book, it is one that I would actually end up keeping. I have never really been able to sit down and read a textbook, but this one is different.

It may just be personal opinion, but I think that learning about the origins and evolution of various racial/ethnic/religious groups is incredibly interesting. I feel that Schaefer's presentation of the mateiral is very comprehensive (but not overly detailed) and, as far as I can tell, free of bias. A wide spectrum of groups are covered, the material is easy to read, and the graphics in the text--especially the charts and maps--help visually represent the text.

Overall, I think that this is one of the best textbooks that I have come into contact with, and I would highly recommend it.

Thank you so much, the book was just as described and shipped direct fast!!

This is an excellent book for someone who is learning about diversity. This book isn't 100% perfect but it's a start for someone to learn about diversity in society. The author tried to address each group without bias (as much as possible).

Racial and Ethnic Groups is extremely well researched, informative and entertaining. I read this book from cover to cover for pleasure. Then I read several of the books listed in the bibliography. This is clearly the best book available for anyone taking or teaching a course on human diversity. Each section tells a fascinating story with just the right combination of history, facts and relevant statistics.

Doyle's latest vision leads him, Angel, and Cordelia to a little five-year-old girl named Aubrey. They discover that Aubrey has mysteriously slipped into a deep unconsciousness - and that the one who did this to her was someone the child trusted. As Angel, Doyle, and Cordelia investigate to find the source of Aubrey's mysterious condition, they discover that her life force has been stolen and is being held captive by a sorcerer named Meskal, who is running a "soul trade" on the black market. Such a priceless soul as one belonging to an innocent child will fetch a high price. Angel has helped many people, but he feels especially that he must save Aubrey, who reminds him of his own little sister, Katherine - one of his first victims when he was turned into a vampire. Now he must fight a race against time to save this little girl before it is too late. This was one of my favorite Angel novels. I reccomend it to all fans of the television series.

Souls are brought and sold like drugs on the streets of LA, a business which remained a secret, until they take one soul too many. A beautiful soul of an innocent child is used to pay off a gambling debt. Doyle's vision brings Angel to the rescue. But the path is difficult, Angel is troubled by memories of his sister, the sister who loved him, the sister who thought him an angel right before he took her life. Angel is driven to succeed to find redemption in the act of restoring the child's soul. The author has woven humor and action into a lovely story of dark magic and innocence. You will never look at a garden troll the same way again. Set in the early part of the first season it is refreshing to see Doyle moon over Cordelia again. Harry, Doyle's former wife makes an appearance. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy Angel, the Television Series as well as newcomers who like horror fiction.

This has been a happy time of year for Buffy and Angel addicts. New novels keep appearing about both heroes, and even a new series starring both. Now, turning this surfeit into an embarrassment of riches, comes yet another foray into Angel’s Los Angeles, written by Thomas Sniegoski, noted for his comic book narratives.

When Doyle has a vision of a young girl under attack, Angel and his team speed to the site. In a calm, suburban neighborhood they find a comatose child and her distraught mother. When hospital staff is unable to discover what has happened to little Aubrey Bentone, but Angel fears the worst. A small container, dropped by the assailant, provides a vital clue. The soul of an innocent child has tremendous value in the underworld, and someone has ripped Aubrey’s from her once vibrant body.

Angel, Cordelia and Doyle race against death or worse, for they must restore the child’s soul before the empty shell left behind withers and dies. For Angel, haunted by visions of his young sister, a victim of his vengeful hunger centuries before, the search becomes a personal quest for redemption. Doyle struggles to come to terms with his demonic nature. And, on the lighter side, Cordelia struggles to make ends meet while taking on a master magician, countless homunculi, and a very, very overweight demon who is the last of his soul-eating kind.

Sniegowski starts out a bit slowly, but then catches fire as he develops his characters and tells the story of the innocent child who is the victim of the predators. Dialog is well crafted, and “Soul Trade” has a dimensionality which is often lacking in this kind of fiction. Once into the story I was unable to keep from reading the novel in a single sitting (well, I did take a break for lunch). This author displays considerable talent, and I hope we see more from him soon.

This is a really good story that tugs at your heart, mainly because there's a child involved and someone has taken her soul. Angel and the gang were awesome in their pursuit to right this wrong. Highly recommend.

I don't think you'll ever see this episode on tv. It was much too graphic in the gore and ugh department. Yet, it was very creative and gripping. I could not put it down. (That says a lot. I usually start books and don't finish them!)
If you like a lot of action and science fiction, this is your book. Doyle is awesome as Angel's sidekick. I truly miss him on the show. He was Angel's anchor. (As Cordy started to be in the later episodes.) The "big bad" in this book are very evil. So evil, it's hair raising creepy! Stealing children's souls: how low can you go!
My only critique is I wish our main characters, Angel, Doyle and Cordy were allowed more emotion and thoughts. That's okay, though. This book wasn't about that. It's about nasty people who sell their children's souls to pay their debt to a demon. The demon and his keeper are the darkest of dark creatures. They've been together for many, many years. So far they have been winning. Enter Angel.........

Robin Reed creates an enjoyable blend of humor, satire, and more than a little irony in Xanthan Gumm. This is a touching story of Xanthan's accidental adventures in Chicago with his unlikely partner Al, a homeless man who befriends the ambitious and naive alien in his quest to become famous. A little bit Princess Bride, Galaxy Quest and social satire wrapped up in a thoroughly enjoyable tale. I hope enough people read Xanthan Gumm to encourage Ms. Reed to write the promised second book, X.G., Working Class Clown.

Xanthan Gumm lands on the forbidden planet of Earth with the singular goal of starring in Galactic Civilation's highest form of entertainment, The Movies. Xanthan quickly discovers that Earth isn't quite what he imagined as he struggles to find food, shelter, and the elusive King of Earth, Steven Spielberg.

The clever storyline, entertaining dialog, and generous helpings of tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation of the human race made this a very enjoyable read for me.

If you like humourous sci-fi in the vein of Bob Shaw's "Who goes here?", you'll like Xanthan Gumm.

The NORAD sequence is still stuck in my mind several months after reading it, so it isn't light enough that you'll forget about it the moment you put it down.

It is just as well that it is still stuck in my mind, because I've loaned out the book and sadly don't expect to see it back...

I'll be looking forward to similar books by Robin Reed.

What could creatures in outer space really know about us here on Earth? If they took their information from the various radio waves and television satellite signals bouncing around in the atmosphere, their opinions of us would be rather misconstrued. In Robin Reed's novel, "Xanthan Gumm," this is exactly what has happened, leaving one alien very confused that all of Earth is not really a movie set.

Earth is a forbidden planet but that doesn't really stop visitors from "out there." Xanth has decided that he desperately wants to become a movie star, joining the ranks of E.T. and Chewbacca. Hoping to find the ruler of Earth, Steven Spielberg, Xanth attempts to find Hollywood. Unfortunately, the gravity in Chicago pulls him out of the sky first. Meeting a reporter for a tabloid, Xanth is greeted as an alien in a nonchalant way. Apparently the reporter has met other aliens and isn't all that interested in Xanth's story. Then Xanth meets Al, a homeless man with a passion for the bottle.

Al isn't convinced that Xanth is an alien until a demonstration is given. After that, the two become friends and a mutual learning experience is gained through discovering that some of society's ideas of aliens are actually true if not a little off. It turns out that Vulcans do exist, the creatures in the Aliens movies are really the most mild mannered things in the galaxy, and those large headed extraterrestrials we always seem to describe when relaying an encounter of the third kind are really big pranksters with very nasally laughs.

The culture exchange is very funny and as readers follow Xanth's adventure in trying to get to Hollywood, the story carries on in a most entertaining way. Foiling a robbery, aggravating a military General and his "Commie" suspecting mother to no end, and appearing in a student film are just some of the hijinks Xanth gets into. Every chapter is packed with fun.

This hysterical book is so well done that I can't imagine it not becoming a movie - and wouldn't it be wonderful if Xanth finally found his dream in working with Spielberg? Robin Reed has produced a well thought out, affective plot that is filled with cultural icons, intricate characters, and laugh out loud humor. I loved this book and cannot wait to hear more from this author.
Review by Heather Froeschl

Xanthan Gumm is the funniest book I've read in a long time.

Robin Reed's writing style is warm and engaging, and her alien technobabble is as witty and clever as her observations on the absurdity of Earth culture. I actually laughed out loud three times on the first page alone.

Reed's tendency to go off on hilarious tangents about secondary characters and alien species reminded me very much of the conventions of Douglas Adams. If you liked the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, You'll love Xanthan Gumm!

Im not that big of a porn buff but every thing in this book i already heard before.Nothing new to me unforntunentley ! I did not hate this book, i liked it very much for the 2 hours it took me to read it !

The Big Book of Porn lives up to its subtitle--it is a penetrating look at the world of dirty movies. It is a glossy, high-quality paperback with screenshots, actor portraits, vintage advertising posters, and glittery sidebars. Publisher Quirk Books has been known to release some wacky joke books in the past, but this thorough examination of a hobby with more viewers than sporting events (yes, it's true) is well worth the $20 cover price and a place on your history/anthropology bookshelf.

The book opens with a timeline of the invention of still and motion pictures, the ratings administered by the MPAA, the history of obscenity rulings by the Supreme Court, and the evolution of the stag film, peep show, dirty movie theater, and home video. The author is thorough in his examination of history, from the printing press to dime store novels to VHS to the Internet and on to...virtual reality? Grahams-Smith alleges that all the high-falutin' academic research in virtual reality is founded in a desire to invent the Holy Grail of porn. He decries our prudishness about "wardrobe malfunctions" and celebrates the mainstream influence of Madonna, men's magazine Maxim, and the rise of S&M-inspired fashion.

For anyone looking to advance their porn education, the author has a list of 20 all-time classics (Taboo, The Opening of Misty Beethoven, Insatiable, Alice in Wonderland, and more). The list explores the cultural and cinematic significance of each entry. Other lists include five modern classics and the two weirdest classics of all time (my lips are sealed, so pick up the book to find out the titles). The top list of leading ladies is impenetrable (who can argue with Annette Haven at #1?). Sidebars explore the magic formula for determining your porn name, the classic crossover actors, the international perspective, 20 sacred porn movie rules, and who's who in upcoming stars. Includes a glossary.

There she was, sitting just beyond the creamer
counter at Starbucks and she was reading the exact same page!?!
It was kismet. We clicked immediately.

I'm a porn history buff, but I had never known
some of these amazing facts and true stories!
Natalie loves the pictures and the do-it-yourself section.

The book is written with a great deal of humor, having
some fun with what is - too often - a very drab topic.
Great interviews, brilliant insights by the author,
and excellent descriptions consistantly make this
book an everyday read for this critic.

One word of advice though:
DO NOT BORROW THIS BOOK FROM A FRIEND.
Go out there and buy your own! It's a better idea!

Oh...and by "clicked"? I meant had sex with each other.

This is a great book written in a humorous and witty style. It will entertain you as well as educate you. It reveals a lot of real names of porn actors and actresses. Also, it is packed, and I mean packed with pictures. This book is a page turner, and hard (no pun intended) to put down. I would highly recommend.

Remember when you used to ride the bus to school and there was that one tough kid who sat in the back seat who was wise beyond his years?
He was the go-to guy when you wanted to know about where to buy fireworks, what beer tasted like, and most importantly: what does "S-E-X" mean? You could ask him anything, and though he may chide you a bit, you'll get your answers.

Author Seth Grahame-Smith is THAT guy.

The Big Book of Porn has the answers to all those questions you were too lazy to search the internet to find, and too embarassed to ask your friends at the poker game. With a sharp and humorous slant to his writing, Grahame-Smith plows through the decades to make the Big Book of Porn an overview that's not only informative, but laugh out loud funny.

The Big Book of Porn isn't the end-all, be-all for the history of porn, but if you want a crash course in what was, is, and will be, it's a must-read primer. Before you know it, you'll be the tough kid everyone is coming to for answers.