Fan Clubs Books

This book is awesome. Full of high definition, up and close, extremely clear pictures of Bruce Lee himself, his family members and friends. Includes up close photos of his writings and personal notes from him and too him. Some pictures of this collection have surfaced everywhere, but never before have all of them, and the missing pictures, ever been put into one volume, and in proper sequence. This is an awesome collection for us fans of Bruce Lee and his wonderful family.

The only book completely devoted to vendor management. Every company needs it.

The book describes a true story about
the competition between a Windows fan and
a Linux fan. It reflects many of the
the points of views of the Windows and
Linux communities towards each other.
It contains valuable resources for anyone
who wants to become a serious Internet
Service Provider ( ISP ).

I loved this book, it is set in China of a hundred years ago or so and gives a vivid and compelling portrayal of a woman of a certain class growing uo in China during that time. I wont re hash the plot in this review others have done that very well. The poignancy of this story stayed with me for a long time .
The description of the foot binding process was so detailed and graphic that my feet actually ached for days, that chapter is not for the squeamish.

This book was gripping. I knew next to nothing about this period in Chinese culture, and the whole idea of foot binding made my stomach churn. Ms. See did meticulous research, and her characters were well developed. A great read!

Rich in detail and exquisitely crafted, this is an excellent book which I highly recommend, though some parts are rather graphic (footbinding) and are not for the weak of heart.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is the story of two young women, Lily and Snow Flower, set in 19th century China. The two are bound together as "Lo Tung" (old sames) as young girls. This connection is their greatest triumph and later their cause for greatest shame.
Lisa See weaves a tale that engages the reader and brings a better understanding of what life was like for women in the 1800s in China, when a good life was considered spending of your days in a single room and nights producing many male offspring.
The descriptions of foot binding were compelling and disturbing. In the audio commentary she discusses meeting women who went through this procedure and how they viewed it. Also she enlightens the reader with discussion of the writing style of "nu shu". Nu Shu was used exclusively by women as a form of ornamentation, song, and written communication.
Overall this was a very moving and enjoyable piece of fiction. I look forward to reading/listening to more from Lisa See. My major disappointment was that the audio book was abridged. The book was concise enough that abridgment seems unnecessary and takes away from the flow of the book.

I just finished this book and it filled a curiosity I always had about foot binding. I studied this ancient chinese practice many years ago in college but this book filled in alot of missing questions I had. I found myself wanting to return to my book every chance I could find. Good Read!

Although I did like this book and I was able to continue with the characters I learned to love in the earlier book, Push Not the River, I found myself reminded of way too many years ago in a college lecture.
The history was interesting but far too much detail and not enough story.

I fell in love with the heroine, Anna in Push Not the River, yet in this book, Against a Crimson Sky, she had little more than a walk on part in much of the story. If anything this book concentrated way too much on military minutia and history of Poland and did not balance the original story of Jan & Anna's romance enough.

James Conroyd Martin has created yet another literary treasure with his sequel to PUSH NOT THE RIVER. Once again, his fabulous gift for storytelling has given me deeper insight into the history of Poland and has truly helped me understand how the political events of the day affected so many lives. Well done!

"Against a Crimson Sky" takes a gripping historical look at the final partition of Poland (1795), it's people, and tells the personal story of the Stelnickis. Martin uses a grand, sweeping style reminiscent of epic storytelling to paint a vivid picture of the era. "Against a Crimson Sky" is a book that can easily be visualized on the movie screen.

The story beings in 1794 shortly after the Russians invade Poland before the country's final partition. Zofia Gonska is pulled from a river escaping death. Switching scenes, Countess Anna Berezowska-Grawlinska (minor Polish nobility) makes her way back home to Sochaczew after the Russian invasion of Praga and reunites with her lover, Count Jan Stelnicki. As Poland is finally taken over by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, Anna and Jan get married and start their family.

Zofia, Anna's cousin, had previously tried to keep Anna and Jan apart. Now, she finds herself drawn to the peasant boy who saved her, Jerzy. Zofia though is like a bird that can't stay still and the peasant life isn't for her. She leaves Jerzy and returns to Praga, a town just outside of Warsaw, and gives birth to her daughter, Izabel.

Anna and Zofia make peace, yet Jan finds married life unable to satisfy his restless nature. When Napolean hints that he would return Poland to the Poles, Jan and his friend, Pawel, join the Emperor's legion, leaving Anna to raise their three children, Jan Michel, Tadeusz, and Barbara. Anna, uncomfortable with the local magistrate, Dolinski, leaves Sochaczew and moves in with Zofia at Praga.

As Napoleon marches across Europe, Anna and Zofia, as members of Poland's nobility, help to entertain various European dignitaries, including Russia's Czar, Alexander, and even Napolean himself. Zofia is always in the thick of Polish intrigue while Anna prefers to keep her eyes on her boys who have gone to military school.

After years apart, Jan is reunited with Anna in Sochaczew as their boys join Napolean's march into Russia. This time it's Anna who leaves Jan to work as a nurse in Praga. As Napolean's march into Russia holds the promise of a reunited Poland, will Jan and Anna's marriage withstand another separation? The end of the novel is surprising and satisfying.

The book's historical backdrop is intriguing and the supporting cast is not only dynamic, but strong in it's own right. Zofia, Pawel, Charlotte, and Dolinski have their own interesting stories to share. Anna is a vibrant lead character in her own right and is a steady, grounding force during the turbulent times of the book. Anna's nobility, whatever the situation, always shines through.

The pace is quick and the writing is sharp. The book is a sequel to "Push Not the River," but stands on it's own. For an exciting look at Poland's struggles and the human condition in the face of war, "Against a Crimson Sky," is a book that will keep the reader turning the page.

Against A Crimson Sky came in the mail today and I couldn't wait to begin reading. I ordered it as soon as I finished Push Not the River and I wanted to know what would happen to Anna. These two books were a great way to learn about Polish history and there is nothing dry about them. From the beginning of the saga you fall in love with Anna and worry about her scheming cousin Zofia. So many unfair things happen to Anna and to Poland. Even if you know the history you still hope for a happy ending. If you like historical fiction or romance or books set in foreign countries this will be an unforgettable read!

Very interesting to have the fan club story from a first generation person but there's a little too much gossip about other fan club reps for my tastes. Read it is you liked Apple Scruff Waiting For The Beatles.

I was a member of Pat Kinzer's fan club for George Harrison from 1968 to its demise in the early '70s. It was one of many Beatles fan clubs to which I belonged, in fact. But Kinzer's was one of the sharpest. The newsletters were better written than most, and the goodies available to members were interesting. Plus, she actually met Harrison a couple of times. What's more her club sponsored a child in Asia. So it was fun for me to read about how Kinzer started the club, how she met George and followed the Beatles and other groups of the era, and how the club met its sudden end, which Kinzer found it hard to forgive Harrison for. This book is a fun read for anyone who lived through that era.

This was a little tricky to rate. The writing was simple, but the author's experiences made up for it. Her parents had to be saints, taking her and friends to all these concerts and helping her with her fan club. They sounded like great people. The author had amazing access to George and his family. It certainly was a simpler time. George seemed like a complex guy. Very sweet on the one hand, paranoid about being used on the other. Once the Beatles legal battles began, the crankiness seemed to take over. When the Beatles broke up, the forced all official fan clubs to disband, which left a lot of hurt feelings. The author started this fan club on her own early on and was not a sanctioned fan club initially, but once things took off for the Beatles, she was required to join up. Then, she was forced to disband and it left her heartbroken and confused. Luckily, she has been able to move on with her life, but it took awhile. I would recommend this book for people who want a close up look at a George Harrison fan club or a nostalgic glance at a simpler time for music fans.

"Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass.
You know his faults, now let his foibles pass.
Life is one long enigma, my friend.
So read on, the anwer's at the end." -- George Harrison, 1975

This is the book Harrison/Beatle fans have long awaited. It is the keys to the kingdom of the Official George Harrison Fan Club and interesting information about George and his relatives.

Pat Kinzer has a wonderful writing style and an interesting history in re fame and the Sixties Scene. An avid fan of Annette Funicello, the most famous Mouseketeer in the 1950s, Kinzer soon graduated from the Mickey Mouse Club to attending "American Bandstand," (AB) a decades long running popular show featuring au courant artists and songs. By 1963, Kinzer is deeply involved with the then current rock and when AB stopped filming in Philadelphia, she is crushed. It is on AB where she met the original Mouseketeers and fully recognized her attraction to fame.

Thanks to AB, Kinzer discovered the Beatles. Two Beatle songs were played during a show she attended during the winter of 1963-64 and she became a raving Beatlemaniac, which is understandable. For the remainder of the decade, Kinzer and her various friends attended many concerts, including the Beatles' famous Shea Stadium concert on August 15, 1965. Her delightful anecdotes about the concerts and the friends she made during those formative years round out and fill out her accounts and make for some very interesting reading.

In 1964, Kinzer became an avid collector of things Beatle; she even started a George Harrison fan club! Her enterprise soon became a family business with her parents helping her print out her newsletter and sorting through her fan club mail. As a bonus Christmas 1964 present, she received a card from Louise & Harold Harrison Sr., who willingly answered questions their son's young fan asked. Before long, Kinzer had a regular correspondence with the senior Harrisons and made several trips to England throughout the late 1960s, after her 1966 graduation from high school.

From her small town Pennsylvania high school, Kinzer secured a job in an office at a local college where she worked for several years. She also met her then future husband there. She provides rich detail of the friends she made and kept along the way, including a pen pal in Germany named Marianne whom she corresponded with since 1966! They met in 1992 and traveled throughout Germany and England. The history and current picture of the former East Germany and the haunts the Beatles knew in Hamburg (West Germany) was very interesting.

Kinzer first met George Harrison in August of 1968 and several photographs she took of the youngest Beatle appear in this book. Readers are also treated to pictures of George's nephew and the senior Harrisons. She shares wonderfully friendly conversations she and her friends had with George and his awareness of her club. I love the parts about the senior Harrisons and other relatives, such as George's cousin Hilary and his siblings, nieces and nephews, including neighbors who knew George as a young boy. From all accounts, the Harrisons were quite loving and supportive and delighted in their son's talent and success.

Kinzer, always enterprising and resourceful sponsored several children during her 1964-72 creation of the Official George Harrison Fan Club. These endeavors proved fruitful as she sponsored two sisters in Liverpool and in Thailand. The girls in Thailand became the Club's sponsor children. After jumping through many legal hoops and cutting through long yards of red tape, Kinzer and her husband Tony raised Noi, the child who was the Club's sponsor child. Noi would later graduate from nursing school and, along with members of her family become part of Kinzer's growing, extended family. This was very heartwarming.

On a serious note, George's mother, Louise passed away on July 7, 1970 from a brain tumor. Kinzer rallies forward with words of comfort and raises money from Club members to donate money to the Clatterbridge Hospital in her memory. In July of 1971, the donation is made and Harold, Sr. gives this his blessing. Within one year, George would become upset as he feared Kinzer was taking people to the grave, thus upsetting the family privacy he cherished. According to Kinzer, George felt this was a form of exploitation. While those feelings are understandable, Kinzer made it plain that at no time did she ever provide any information about the resting place, which was best all around. Sadly, this fear George expressed led to an unfortunate falling out.

The Official George Harrison Club was dissolved in 1971-72. The irony of it all was that George signed a charter for the Club in 1966 and 1968; he initially gave the Club his blessing. Things started to go awry in 1968 when Kinzer received a Cease & Desist letter; by 1970, when the Beatles had disbanded, she was told to dissolve the Club as it was not part of the Beatles (USA) Ltd. Legal issues were trotted out; by 1971-72 the George Harrison Fan Club became history.

The crowning blow for Kinzer was when she sent out her final newsletter announcing that George's sister was moving to England. The newsletter was mailed to George's home as his sister did not leave the US for England; this allegedly upset George and Harrison, Sr. wrote Kinzer expressing his dismay over the club's dissolution and his concern that his son was being blamed for this. In his letter, Harold, Sr. expressed concern that Kinzer's newsletter was suggesting that George did not need his fans, which he said just wasn't so. It was during this time that the Harrisons no longer maintained contact with Kinzer, which embittered her. Her bitterness precluded her from enjoying the former Beatle's solo works; in an incredible show of irony in 1974, she attended the Dark Horse Concert. When the show ended, she saw George and Harold, Sr. on stage and reviled them from behind a curtain.

Despite these setbacks, Kinzer's growing extended family kept her from sinking completely into depression. Noi's successes, thanks in part to the Club and ties to old friends and people who, later in her life emerged as Beatle fans kept the spirit of All Together Now going. By the end of the book, Kinzer has reconciled her anger with George, which is in part the "secret" to which she refers. She reconnects with Lou, George's sister at Beatle conventions and, let's just say comes to a peaceful point in her Long & Winding Road.

I just love this book and cannot recommend it highly enough. It is power packed with George stories that any Harrison fan will love. Read on...The Answer's At the End.

In answer to the person who was wondering if this book had been made into a movie. Shortly after it was first published (in the 70's) I remember reading that it was planned as a vehicle for Raquel Welch. She read the first half of the novel and gave a flat "no". It's one of my favorite books. The first Irving Wallace piece I read. I always thought that the ending had been a set-up for a sequel.

Four crazy guys abduct a famous actress, their obsession. Needless to say, she is not a fan of theirs. They are quite delusional in their thinking of how she will come to regard them after her kidnapping, just because of their level of worship.

Not being stupid, she works this out, and desperately tries to come up with a way out.

I read The Fan Club in hardback when it first came out. I kept my copy of the book all these years because it remains one of my all-time favorite reads. I am now reading it again, and it intrigues me now just as it did all those years ago. As I am reading it, I keep trying to figure out which movie star Wallace might have had in mind when writing it.

Irving Wallace has a smooth, easy-to-read, absorbing writing style--he's a natural, born writer. But in writing this novel he has wasted his talents and craftsmanship to an extreme degree. At about page 400 I tossed the book into the trash can--it was so bad that I couldn't endure a moment more of it. Here are some of the reasons:


1. Gratuitous graphic sexual descriptions. It is cheap porn, and is totally unnecessary.

2. Gratuitous violence that, given Sharon's character, she would never have induced, as the author has her induce it. She was much too smart for that, but to create false conflict and an explosive situation, the author forces this.

3. Extremely overwritten--by about 250 pages--with boring, tedious, meandering discussions and conversations that should have been succinctly summarized because they lacked dramatic appeal, impact, and stimulation.

4. Characters that keep acting inconsistantly with the way they were originally conceived and established by the author. This was done, of course, to move the plot forward. Therefore, the actions of the characters are often unbeliebable, forced, contrived, and ridiculous.

For example, Brunner telling Sharon his name was absurd--he was one of her kidnappers! In fact, early on, he enumerated the consequences that can arise from kidnapping. So would he EVER tell her his name, since later on he could be found, arrested, charged, tried, and convicted? This belies his character.

And Shiv leaving his jeans in the bathroom where Sharon could find and search his wallet--and discover his name--this guy was way too foxy and cagy for doing this. In fact, he never would have gone into the bedroom with his wallet with him--he'd have left it in the other room with his fellow-kidnappers, so as not to take any chances. And would he even leave his jeans in the bathroom? Way too risky! But it moves the plot forward for the author so he has Shiv do it.

There are so many unbelievables like this in the novel that made me almost retch.

This novel was not carefully thought out by the author--it appears to have been quickly knocked off for a quick buck--otherwise it would not have the countless plot holes in it that it does.

Don't buy this book unless you like to leave your brains someplace else when you read a novel. It is an insult to anyone who values true, logical cause-effect human interaction. The book just wallows in cheap, base, tawdry, below-the-belt sensationalism and inconsistancy.

Imagine you are obsessed with someone like Angelina Jolie. You know everything about her. You think she is humble and nice and tired of living the Hollywood life. Better yet, you think she would fall for someone like you. So, after talking to 3 other guys who would love the chance to get to know the famous actress in an "intimate way", you kidnap her.

That's what happens in The Fan Club, by Irving Wallace. Four guys kidnap a famous movie star named Sharon Fields. The men delude themselves into thinking that once Sharon Fields realizes how "nice" they are, she will willingly submit to their wishes. However, she refuses to even talk to them and that's when things go wrong.

Wallace gives the four obvious reasons to be demented and dissatisfied with there marriages and love lifes. He even portrays the characters in a way that would justify some sort of sexual deviency. But nothing can justify what these men do. Yet that doesn't mean this isn't an enjoyable novel. Adam Malone is obsessed with Sharon Fields. He knows everything about her and thinks she will fall for him if only she got a chance to know him. Kile Shivley, recently home from Viet Nam, is a crude man with no scruples and no respect for women. He doesn't car that their plan involves kidnapping and possible rape. Both of these guys are beleivable. Brunner and Yost are an accountant and insurance salesman. Both are middle-aged men stuck in loveless marriages who jump at the opportunity to meet someone famous like Sharon Fields. The other two seem like normal men who would love to have a chance at someone like Sharon Fields.

The novel opens with 2 members of the fan club about to snatch Sharon Fields from her home. Then the next 150 pages are a flashback into how the kidnapping plan is born and justified. If this novel had been written today, most of the beginning would have been cut because it moves too slow. Still, some of it is interesting as we see these characters slowly justify that what they are doing isn't really bad.

The sex scenes in this book are brutal and crude, probably appropriate for being written in the midst of the sexual revolution in the 70s. Wallace does a good job of writing Sharon Fields. He shows the devastation she feels at being kidnapped and raped, and then the transformation she undergoes and she tries to accept her predicament and then get out of it.

The ending fast paced and supsenseful. Will Sharon survive? Will her captors? Will the police arrive in time. This book is a good thriller in spite of the 1st 150 pages of boring exposition and the crude sex scenes. Definitely a book to check out.

Let's be honest - the two most difficult issues when starting a business venture like this would be:
1. Getting your foot in the door (of a world that is so foreign to you that it may as well be OZ) and
2. Money negotiations (how does one actually sit down and talk money with people of this stature)?
Both of these extremely difficult issues are addressed along with so much more.
I found this guide to be an informative read as well as an honest straightforward peak into the world of celebrity fan clubs.

Your guide to starting a celebrity fan club is just the best! It is extremely informative, and the samples that are included were a much appreciated bonus. But, more than any of that -- what made this an incredible read was the motivational writing (the "pep talk if you will")! I really feel like this is something that I CAN do and who knows ... maybe I will get to run that "certain someone's" fan club after all! Thank you so much!!

I've been a member of fan clubs since I can remember being interested in music (quite a long time now)and have always fantasized about running my own club. But how in the world do you start something like that? Well, I recommend this book to guide you. I was so pleased to see examples of letters, contracts and member cards!!!! This truly is a dream come true.

I loved this book! I think the author was very brave to write a book about how to do what she does for a living; and very generous to give us the tools to do so. I've never been able to find a book on this type of business and was really pleased in the style of writing. I felt like I was sitting down and having a cup of tea with the author as she took me through the rudiments of starting a fan club business. If you think of this as a "how to" guide, instead of a book...you'll really enjoy it.

I bought this book thinking it would provide detailed information on how to start and run a fan club. I was very disappointed in it, especially for the price. The book is 99 pages with a very big font and double spaced. She spends very little time telling you how to actually secure the services of the celebrity's management and speaks very generically throughout the book. There are a few generic contracts at the end of the book but nothing really useful here. Total waste of money!!

It starts with an auto accident where an elderly Mexican woman is injured. Perry Mason and Della Street witness the accident and stop to lend assistance to the woman. She refuses their aid and another Mexican man takes her away. This begins the story and the event is included later, but is incidental to the main plot.
A woman (Lois Fenton) was a very successful fan dancer but she was getting married. In those times, a woman did not work after marriage and certainly not as a fan-dancer. Therefore, she filled out and signed a paper that allowed another woman with a nearly identical build to take over her bookings and name. However, there was an exit clause that she could take back her name at any time if the marriage did not work out. There were serious problems in the marriage and the real Lois Fenton was trying to get her name and fan-dancing career back. At a time when there was a confrontation with her soon to be ex-husband, he is murdered by being stabbed through with a Japanese sword.
The real Lois is charged with the murder and it took place while the murdered man was under surveillance by Paul Drake's operatives working for Mason. This drags Mason into the case at a time when he is trying to get out of it. There are many contradictory clues and the two similar Lois Fenton's lead to what appears to be solid evidence of the real Lois Fenton's guilt. The situation is further complicated by some deceptive practices on the part of the police. In typical Mason style, he has a sudden revelation and probes in the right direction to determine the identity of the real killer.
This story moves along at a fast pace and there are many convolutions that obfuscate the path to the real killer. However, if you, as Mason himself points out, take the proper point of view on one aspect of the case, then everything else falls into place and the identity of the killer is clear. It is one of the better Perry Mason stories, although once again the inclusion of deceptive work on the part of the police seems contrived.

Perry Mason's at it again, trying to save the hide of a beautiful fan dancer accused of murder. If you've never read a Perry Mason novel, here's what they have going for them: Terrific pace (a couple of pages in and you're embroiled in a mystery), good dialogue, complicated plot, a decent amount of suspense (especially in the court room scenes) and best of all, a very quick read. A lot like the TV show. All the Perry Mason novels I've read (about 10) are pretty much the same, which is really the one main drawback. Six months from now, I doubt I'll remember much about this book. Still, a lot of fun. Again, a lot like the TV show.

Not all my favorite LFC men are there, but many are. Some too often. Could have been used for others. And an index with their names or their names written on the page with their photo would have been nice.

I am a big fan of the guys from Latino Fan Club. They're really hot, masculine, and have huge c**ks. I typically purchase their calendars every time they come out (haven't for 2008 though, the quality was a little disappointing). This book is a collection of the calendar shots, and it's great to have them in a bound book format. I'd recommend it very highly for anyone interested in the latino male hirsuitness and endowments.