Dick Clark Books

I've been a fan of Modesty and Willie since the books first came out, and I was a loyal reader of the strip in the London Evening Standard for many years.
If you like action novels, with unusual villains, fast-moving scenes, and plenty of tongue in cheek humor, Modesty Blaise is the girl for you, and 'Modesty Blaise', the first novel in the series, is a good place to start.
After writing non-fiction for many years, I turned to fiction in 2003, and my first novel 'Snides' is available on Amazon. As a gesture of homage to Peter O'Donnell, I created an action duo, John Pilgrim and Sally Brandon. They're not straight copies of the originals and the best, Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin, but I've tried to hit their target of plenty of action, with a little humor.
I own the complete series of Modesty Blaise books, and one of them is always on my bedside table. I must have read them all dozens of times, but I still keep re-reading them!

Tony Walker
Scottsdale, Arizona

Modesty Blaise is the perfect woman. That is if the perfect woman is a different sort of beautiful, witty, funny, sophisticated, terrifyingly focused and a lethal killer without commitments.

If you like your superheroes or thrillers to be up close and personal, you need to read O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise. There are gadgets, guns, and impossible missions, not to mention hand to hand combat poetry.

In this book, Tarrant, of the British Secret Service, has a problem. He wants Modesty's help, but really has no leverage, except to play on how much she cares about Willie Garvin. The reasons why are revealed.

He does so, and they go into action. A very dangerous situation, and they must be captured by a ruthless man named Gabriel, to stop a diamond operation.

I became an instant fan from the beginning pages of this lst of a series. Modesty and Willie are fascinating, likeable characters with almost superhuman powers between them. They fight the evil doers of the world and win against all odds. The strong, fast moving plot is deeply satisfying with unexpected twists and turns. Even though it was written over 40 years ago, the characters are still fresh and compeling. Modesty can hold her head high in the world of superwomen who break rules when necessary for the greater good. A winner for both male and female readers!

Modesty Blaise started life as a cartoon strip, but O'Donnell then put his creation into novel form, and did a superb job in both formats. This is the first novel in the series, and introduces the setting and most of the main characters.

Modesty Blaise is a former refugee and survivor of the terrible disruptions caused by the war, and as a child drifted across Eastern Europe and the Middle East in the company of an old professor. She had to be tough to survive; but her companion instilled in her a strong moral code. She took over a small criminal gang and built it up into a powerful criminal organisation infused with that moral code--they never touched drugs or vice, and occasionally co-operated with the police and intelligence services to help clean up such crimes. She retired a wealthy woman at the age of 24.

As the novel opens, Modesty and her friend and former second-in-command Willie Garvin are finding that retirement is boring and adrenaline an addiction they cannot shake. Sir Gerald Tarrant, the head of British Intelligence, exploits that addiction to recruit them for an intelligence operation for which they are peculiarly suited. What follows is a thrilling caper novel pitting Modesty and Willie against a bizarre criminal mastermind. Tight plotting and wonderful prose make this a very entertaining read, with a unique pair of heroes. It's wonderful to see Souvenir Press reissuing the novels, making them available again to both a new generation of fans and those with fond memories.

It is hard to say whether the Modesty Blaise novels or the Modesty Blaise comic strips are better, but the lucky reader doesn't have to choose. Read both. The comic strips have been reprinted by Titan Books, Ken Pierce Books, Manuscript Press, and in Comics Revue magazine, and now the novels are being reissued. Also highly recommended are the books Peter O'Donnell wrote under the pseudonym Madeleine Brent.

The best thing about the Rock On books is that they don't *just* cover the hits, like the BillBoard books --- which cost ridiculous amounts of money and don't properly represent alternative music influences in most of the '80s, '90s, and beyond. Only problem..... the data ends in '92 in the second edition and '89 in the first.

NORM, WHERE ARE YOU WHEN WE NEED YOU??????????????????

Norm N. Nite who is or was an employee at New York's FM radio station,WCBS,compiled so much useful information regarding the rock 'n roll era,which continues today. For instance,in July 1940,Billboard magazine began charting popular songs,and back in the era of swing! The first 33 1/3 long play album(microgroove) debuted in 1948,but then there was no stereo. Ten years later,the first stereophonic album debuted. Longtime pop music mogul Dick Clark also contributed to this book. The book begins its listings of hits debuting each month starting with January 1954(earlier years don't list months). This continues through May 1989(this book went to press immediately afterward). There are also lists of musical artists with their debut years and singles. However,some of the photos were taken long after some of the artists' debuts. For instance,the Bee Gees debuted in 1967 in the US,and the photo of the band was taken years later(late 70's or early 80's). This book was updated only once,containing monthly listings from June 1989 to July 1992. There are also lists of the top albums,hits,movies and television shows every year. Music and news highlights also.

An absolutely indispensible reference for anyone trying to build a collection of oldies or just settle trivia questions. My only regret is that the book was published in 1989, so no information on later songs and artists is available. Maybe someone will update it. Meanwhile, this book is a great asset to our library.

This an outstanding reference if you are a fan of rock and roll music. I frequently use it to orient me to popular culture for the period of the sixties and seventies as I do research for a book. It addresses not only music but other areas, such as movies, as well. If you can find a used copy, it is well worth your trouble.

The best reference book on the subject of Rock and Roll Music. The reader or researcher is informed about members of groups, time lines, and record labels without being served up up too much un-necessary knowledge.

Having spent my teen years in the late 50s/early 60s and being a big fan of the music from that era I definitely could relate to Dee Dee Phelps story. But truthfully, with the exception of the song "Turn Around", I never got particularly excited about Dick & Dee Dee's catalog of music and I picked up this book imagining that it would be a relatively lightweight piece of fluff. Very quickly I found out that Dee Dee was pulling no punches in describing both the light and the dark side of the 60's music industry and her partner Dick St. John (who comes across as somewhat of an obnoxious egotist). Her accounts of recording sessions and adventures while touring the country by bus with other music notables make for great reading. Highly recommended!

I like this book 'cause I could easily relate to it.... kinda'. Dee Dee is just like me... she is one of us -- a every-day kid growing up in the 50s and 60s. That was me... riding in the car, listening to the music. I could imagine the DJ playing my song. Only Dee Dee din't just imagine it. She did it. It was the beginning of a decade-long ride on the roller coaster of rock and roll. Dick Clark, Quincy Jones, the Beach Boys, Glenn Campbell, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Vinton... Dick and Dee Dee rubbed shoulders with all of them. There were good times and there were bad times. This is her "behind the scenes" story. It's pretty cool.

Dee Dee Phelps did a wonderful job on this book and capturing her adventures as a teenager thrusted in the music industry and the ups and downs of touring the world. Great stories thruout the book -- if you love 60's Rock and Roll -- This is a must read! Thank you Dee Dee for telling this wonderful part of Rock and Roll History!

Vinyl Highway: A Memoir is the true-life story of singer Dee Dee Phelps. Packed with stories that tell both the bright and dark sides of fame, Vinyl Highway relates the experiences of performing with such legends as Dick Clark, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and other memorable recording artists of the 60s; Dee Dee's role in creating five Billboard gold records; and her routine as a semi-regular on the ABC show "Shindig". An up-close and personal reminiscence of the thick of the 60's music scene, and a treat for anyone who remembers the sounds of the 60's fondly.

This is a great book for anyone who is a fan, but also a real treat for people living in the metro-Detroit area, as a few of the celebrities asked are local TV and radio stars. She wrote to a lot of people over the years and has a great collection of stars' heroes, from Soupy Sales to Les Paul and of course Davy Jones! It's neat to find out who inspired the celebrities to be who they are today.

Mary Guerra is an authority on fandom as she is a member of a fanclub or two herself. I know this since she belongs to the fanclub I run for Davy Jones, Davy Devotees. Though the concept of fandom is normally perceived as being something the nonfamous possess, Mary spent years contacting various celebrities asking them just who they consider themselves a fan of and what fanclubs they would join if they could! She received personal responses from legends in the field of entertainment like RoseMarie and Phyllis Diller to Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar, Richard Petty, of racing fame, columnist, Liz Smith and "Mr. Hockey" Gordie Howe. Shirley Jones, Peter Noone and Mary's personal favorite, Davy Jones of The Monkees, are just a few of the many other highlighted celebrities. If you've been a fan of anyone at anytime, this book gives you an interesting look at who those we admire actually admire. At times the featured celebrities provide laughs and at other times intriguing revelations. Overall this is a fun read with a lot of heart!

This book is fabulous. My husband and I found it to be a quick, entertaining read. We particularly enjoyed the entry from Mike Clark, our favorite radio DJ. It's interesting to see what people celebrities find heroic, and it conveys more of an inside look into their personality as well.

I was very happy with the book Rock, Roll, and Remember by Dick Clark. This has many qualities that made this book as good as it was. I am not that big of a fan of autobiographies but I found that this was much better then most of the autobiographies that I have read earlier. This book gives and in depth look at how Dick Clark got his start. It also give some in depth information on his down falls, describing the ''Payola'' scandle and the Congressional inveestigation. The only problem that I had with this book was that the years jumper around to much. On Chapter nine you will be reading about the late fifties while on chapeter ten you will be reading about the earliy fifties. This did not bother me that much and I am very glad and impressed with this book and I personally recommend this book to anyone one of any age. Rock and Roll lives on.

For many years.The fans of rock music and the tv rock and roll dance and music show that exemplified the music:"American bandstand"have wanted to know about it's creation and influence on the music scene.Finally Dick Clark tells all of his fans about the creation of TV's most famous dance and music series in his memiors:"Rock Roll & Remember!".Here Mr.Clark recalls how his parents took him to see a radio program being broadcast from NYC:"The Jimmy Durante/Gary Moore Show".Clark was so fancinated with the workings of radio.That he decided to make broadcasting his career.He started out in collage broadcasting.Before he went to work for a station in Utica,New York.But it wasn't long before he became aware of the growth of tv and he left radio for work at small tv stations in the northeast on a varety of shows.In l956.Clark joined WFIL radio in Philadelphia,Pa. and worked on the radio version of a popular dance and music tv show for teens:"American Bandstand!".The series .Which debuted on WFIL TV Ch.6 in Philly,Pa. 50 years ago was originally created to screen old jazz music films from the l930's and 40's.The station execs were not happy with the idea of someone simply hosting reruns of old jazz music films for 30 minutes to an hour.So it was decided to have some local jazz music groups perform on the show,have a studio audience of kids dance to the music.Have a host interview the kids and the guest performers rate the record that is being played on the show and plug the records.Contrare to public belief.Dick Clark was not the first host of "AB".The series first Mc was a local Philly DJ and record promoter named Bob Horn.Who Mc'd the show from l952 to l956.(reportedly with another DJ Lee Stewart).Horn was abruptly outsed from the show in l956 and Dick Clark took over the show for the next 30 years.Clark recalls the problems with trying to maintain a successful rapport with Horn's devouted fans and in trying to understand the music.He also talks about his dealing with the infamous Payola scandel that ruined many DJ's careers and sidelined Rock & Roll music for a time.But the music returned and Clark was able to prove that he didn't accept payola or any favors to play a record or get any performers on his show.Clark also recalls the staging and the successful performances of many of Rock music's most popular stars in "Dick Clark Caravan Of Stars"Rock concerts and his other endeavours in tv producing ,creation and hosting.He also gives some insight into his private life and his loving relationship with his wives and his three kids.For those persons.Who wanted an autobiography that doesnot border towards scathology and for those who want to know the history of Network TV's longest running and most famous Rock and Roll dance and music tv show? This is one book to have in your private library.Thanks For the music and the memories Dick and Hopefully..You'll be honoring "American Bandstand's 100th Anniversary"on January l8,20052! Kevin S.Butler at Stanbabe143@Aol.com.

Rejected, lonely, unloved, forsaken, confined, abused and terrified--what else could happen to a little nine-year-old girl in Birmingham, Alabama? An attempted escape ended in a midnight horror ride to Tallahassee, Florida. Elopement to Mississippi at the tender age of sixteen only proved to be another nightmare.

Today, Benji Clark is a mature, understanding, well-rounded Christian counselor. She has a delightful sense of humor and is the mother of five. She maintains a busy schedule through her ministry, "Lift Jesus Higher Ministries, Inc.," in Oxford, Alabama, and travels thousands of miles speaking in churches, praise gatherings, "Aglow" chapters and conducting seminars.

Only God could take a crushed little girl and provide the miracle of Benji Clark.

This is her incredible story!

America's oldest living teenager is now 72 years old! I checked and he was born in 1929. We all should look half as good even no though he might of had help with plastic surgury, hair dye and make up. I would if I was in his line of work and He hasn't shown any signs of slowing down.
Now to get to the meat of this book review. I checked this book out of the library when I was a teenager myself and it had a big impact on how to groom myself (next to that provided by my Father). I Xeroxed out of it the page that deals with how to tie a neck tie 3 differant ways and how to tie a bow tie. There are chapters that deal with much of the basics of being male (how to select clothes, shaving, many very valuable topics). I strongly suggest this book to guys who did not have good male support (I did however). I have not seen this book since and would like to see it republished.

Where have all the manners gone? Having taught etiquette to teens for over twenty years, I have sadly watched today's casual lifestyle leave many teens nearly devoid of basic table manners and social graces. Remembering Dick Clark's book, "To Goof or Not To Goof," published in 1965, which I read as a high-schooler, I set out trying to find a copy. When it arrived and I had a chance to review it, I saw that he was addressing the very same etiquette issues with his reading audience as I am over forty years later. It's almost quaint in it's "hip" phrasing, but he managed to sell the idea of how important good manners are to one's success in life. This little book covers a wide range of etiquette rules and social situations that teens are likely to encounter.

Heartbreaking, especially as the book is non-fictional and about a close friend whose brave and stoic public front masked the anguish that the book brings to light. Not easy to read given the book's subject matter, but well-written without trying to crassly sensationalise terminal illness.

This book was hard to find, but well worth the search. My husband is a big Dion fan and he enjoyed it immensely. We purchased a second copy for his dad. Lots of personal history, very well done.