Movies Books

During his 27-year career, Murray Garrett specialized in photographing the celebrities of classic Hollywood, not in the somewhat sterile environment of portrait studios, but in their daily activities - on the set, on the town, at home, with their children, or just fooling around. This large, beautifully formatted book presents many of his best photographs, mainly drawn from the late 1940's through the early 1960's. Many of the black-and-white photographs printed here are in full-page format, and most photos are accompanied by anecdotes about the circumstances of their taking. People who like this book will also want to take a look at Garrett's companion volume, _Hollywood Moments_. Great gift idea for any fan of classic movies!

It's amazing that the following mistakes appear in this book:

1) A reference to Cecil B. DeMille's "Sunset Boulevard".
It's Billy Wilder's and Leigh Brackett's picture. DeMille had
a cameo in it.

2) Donna Douglas (of "Beverly Hillbillies" fame) is referred to
in a caption as "Donna Dixon" and in the accompanying text as
"Joey Heatherton".

3) Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, in English riding clothes,
are described as wearing "Western gear".

4) Sammy Davis Jr's ex-wife, Mai Britt, is twice referred to as
"May Britt".

Did anybody edit this book, or were Garrett's reminiscences taken
on faith because he, of all people, should know?

I have had the priveledge of knowing Murray Garrett for over 25 years as a business associate and friend. I was completely blown away by his incredible talent as a photographer and writer. This book captures a Hollywood that I remember as my home town and really was the entertainment capitol of the world. The pictures are unique, and definitely candid. Murray's comments about the stars shed new insights into the personalities and quirks of some of the most loved and famous celebrities of the era. A beautiful collection of memorys from a man who approaches Hollywood from an honest, compasionate and humorous point of view. Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful compilation of photographs and text taken throughout the years by Murray Garrett. All of the Hollywood golden age stars are featured: Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Jean Simmons, Natalie Wood, Ava Gardner. The photos catch the personal side of the stars, such as the photo of Richard Burton strapped into an airline seat along with his daughter's doll, as well as their entrances into glamourous events. He also adds his personal recollections such as Ava Gardner's love of jokes, off color or not, Eve Arden's love of her daughter, the secrecy of Natalie Wood's 21st birthday party. The stories are fascinating. The pictures are beautiful and unique. I am glad Murray decided to share them with us.

I had the privilege of seeing much of this book in pre-press form and knew it had to be a knockout. The pics are all exceptional but Murray's anecdotes and insight make this much more than a celebrity puff-piece. The finished book is even better than my early predictions. Great stuff!!!

Love lost and regained... maybe... at what price.

I quest for novels like this (The Bathsheba Deadline: An Original Novel was one, too), which are inspired and masterfully presented, but which do not leave the reader in the hopeless state of wanting to jump off a cliff, or off a skyscraper or high bridge, whichever arrives first.

Not only that, the story surged contemplations on various vital issues of life games... politics, religion, culture, all of what Engelhard ascribed to King David (the protagonist, Josh's man) as "lover, poet, warrior, sinner, king"... (I flipped instantly to page 61 when looking to verify that list, ha!)

Each character in this novel is precisely, profoundly, psychologically on target, with Joan, Josh, and Ibrahim being the prime trilogy in that observation:

--- Joan must have written her part, as the author accused of her in his introductory remarks, because her psychology of the feminine, as it is breaking down and rebuilding itself, are true to that psyche and hormonal balance which limits, defines, and elevates that gender, a gender which each human has within.

--- Ibrahim must also have written his part, because, as it appears to me, he is an embodiment of the pure strength and raw beauty of princely power, and of the potently rich addiction of profanity, both within his Amalekite blood.

--- Of course, Joshua, as bred by the author, constantly works the phenomenal growth potential inherent in his Jewish ancestral blood, as he relentlessly responds to the dynamic demand of consciousness shifting through the kaleidoscopic, mesmerizing, eternal process of thesis, antithesis, synthesis.

As I was reading somewhere in chapter 27 of INDECENT PROPOSAL, a thought came to mind:

"THIS IS A NOVEL."

I've never said that before, in that way, and in the most precise sense of the term "novel." For me, INDECENT PROPOSAL has delineated the term. Regarding that novel, I mean that term in the full, brightest sense of an inspired, artistic, structural accomplishment enhanced by the ability to entertain and enthrall a reader within the circular cohesion of a story format.

The complicated twists leading to the denouement of this story were awesome.

They had me fluctuating between seeing the book as a novel in the sense of bright-side brilliance...

... (especially during the reader's joy in experiencing the growing anticipation between Josh and Joan that the New York scene they had planned as a renewal of their love might work a healing magic for this pair of desert-crossed lovers)...

... then seeing the book as a novel of dark-side brilliance (on par with the literary classics, many of which I honestly can't condone as contributing to the mental health of the human race)...

... then flipping maybe a couple more times between the bright and dark... finally ending with the conclusion that INDECENT PROPOSAL has honored the grace of art and redemption of soul.

All of which brings me to noting how much I was impressed and edified by seeing parts from Escape from Mount Moriah: Memoirs of a Refugee Child's Triumph, Engelhard's childhood memoirs, bleeding, literally, into PROPOSAL. Now, of course, I see why ESCAPE stepped up to me to be read just prior to PROPOSAL, and why I was compelled to buy both in the same order on Amazon.

A question which remains after having read INDECENT PROPOSAL is:

Why did the movie move away from the intriguing, if discomforting, thematic landmine within the original novel.

Of course, the introductory essays to this original version of the novel made the opening reading of the first chapter all the more riveting, especially knowing ahead of time that this book contrasts so obviously with the movie.

As Englehard detailed generously in his intro remarks, the attempt to translate a novel into a movie is always limited by the forms of text Vs film. Also involved, as I know from my own perspective, is the fact that reading a novel aloud takes around 7 hours; whereas a movie's average run is under 2 hours. In any case, a balsamic touch for condensation is required for an honorable translation.

In this case, the movie script did not go balsamic with the essence of the original novel. It did ingeniously exploit one of the surface concepts of the book, while ignoring the deeper issues in the novel, eclipsing them with a concept of "every woman's fantasy." That fantasy may have been true for the screenwriter, but is not true for me, and not true for 90% of the female population, in my opinion.

Truly, the translation from novel to screenplay was confusing.

There was a reason that the female lead in the original novel was a high-spirited, gorgeous, blond Gentile. There were reasons that it was an Arab prince, an enormously wealthy Sheik, who tempted a Jewish man and his wife. There were reasons for the setting of the story being in Atlantic City's gambling cassinos, with the Jewish man being unlucky in his gambling addiction due to the intensity of his need, with the Arab prince owning the dark luck his wealth and ancient blood empowered. Where did all those reasons go.

As others have said, Engelhard has accomplished something timeless, eternal, and primal in this book. To acknowledge the publisher, Huberman's understatement, it holds universal messages.

Possibly, when this book was written on Engelhard's kitchen table, and later when it was made into a blockbuster movie, the human race was not ready to be entertained by the primitive sides of politics and truth. At that time, we were buying the romantic ideal, paying for redemption through rose-tints.

In the long run, truth designs a much bolder, richer story. Jack Engelhard has presented that story with literary finesse, with gritty depth and enthralling prose.

I love movies as well as books, yet I wonder if a movie could ever capture what this author can bring to life in an original novel.

Long may he write.

In some ways movie producers today have been getting away with politically and culturally adventurous plots. Maybe they're closer now to portraying the type of bold and rich which resides in the true novelist's soul.

Every minute of every day is a choice and a second chance (I said that).

Linda Shelnutt

Check out also Engelhard's Kindle novel, The Girls of Cincinnati
And see the works of John W. Cassell for novels of the same caliber which also embody the qualities praised in this review.

"After too many years looking for an answer, a man marries the most beutiful woman in the world, with her, he's got most of the things he's ever wanted in life. Except money"... Josh and Joan, a happily married couple, decided to take a week of and fly to Las Vegas. There, they met Ibraham, an Arab billionaire, which proposed Joan to spend a night with him, in exchange of a million dollars. Joan and Josh felt desperate and empty, they did not know what to do. Finally they both decided to accept the proposal. After that night, Josh and Joan werent the same, everything seemed to go wrong. They decided to separate, and Joan left with Ibraham.Later on, she realizes that the only man she belonged to was Josh,she discoverd how deeply in love she was with him, and returned to Josh. This novel shows how ambition can destroy your life. It taught me that everyone should be happy with what they have, and try to make the best out of it. Who cares if you have all the money in the world, all the cars you've ever wanted if you dont have love.Love is life, and it's free.

I am a fan of Robert Redford so I enjoyed the movie, but it was NOTHING compared to this book.

Jack Engelhard while telling an interesting story is super adept at weaving in moral dilemmas which make his readers THINK!!!

Bottom line...the book is better than the movie by far.

BTW...I have read ESCAPE FROM MOUNT MORIAH...I just wonder if it weren't for Adolf Hitler, Jack could well have become a rabbi...a very distinguished rabbi.

REALLY GREAT BOOK, Jack!! You and Cassell write about different Atlantic Citys. Yours is the Atlantic City of today:slick and tinseled...as opposed to Cassell's shabby but colorful.

Any review of a Jack Engelhard novel demands superlatives. My supply was exhausted reviewing BATHSHEBA DEADLINE, THE DEADLY DECEPTION, DAYS OF THE BITTER END, THE GIRLS OF CINNCINATI...

I just now got around to reading INDECENT PROPOSAL...A LEVIATHAN among best sellers.

Normally, I am not moved by best sellers. There is a lowest common denominator quality to them, too often nowadays propelled by hype. I'm exhausted enough as it is.

Then i stumbled over the tripwire that is INDECENT PROPOSAL...not the fifty or so shameless efforts to traffick on this book's name...but the original...the Engelhard book.

No...not the movie. it's hard for me to find fault with any cinema that would pair Robert Redford and Demi Moore...but while full of entertainment value...THE MOVIE IS NOWHERE CLOSE.

Forget The Proposal even...forget its superbly crafted tension and approach-avoidance and moral dilemmas...emotion Engelhard piques to perfection... forget even that....

This book is LIFE...and not just any life...but the life of a man hardly anyone alive nowadays can IMAGINE. Even the most succinct description I can field: "the Last of The Hemingways" sunders on the Reality.

In this book his name is Joshua Kane...his earliest memories being of a deadly journey across the Pyrenees...mouth stuffed to keep him from alerting the German patrols and their dogs. He rode camels in Sinai and tanks in Golan...and Zodiacs into Lebanon.

He writes speeches for other people at a PR firm, having once tried to become "a real writer". He drives an old Malibu that belches black smoke. He rides to work on a smelly, unsanitary SEPTA bus and then an el with little more to recommend it. He quests after the Faith of King David wearing a shabby blue suit with brown socks....all the while haunted by both quests and memories he couldn't possibly explain.

Except Jack Engelhard does such a good job of explaining as he propels this character and his gorgeous, brilliant and delightfully goofy blond Main Line Philadelphia wife Joan from the Empire State Building to Haifa to the casinos in Atlantic City with the lure they offer of dismal Fate cheated.

Peerless dialogue and graphic action that can and often does bring a tear...and can and often does make you laugh out loud are your constant companions as you travel this road map of the human condition, most likely devouring its wisdom and warning in only two sittings.

Arrogance, humility, hope, lust, hate, poetry, ambition, cynacism, devotion,jealousy.... high rollers and day trippers...true love and grudges from Time Out of Mind...all this is present and captivating within the pages of this fast paced adventure...BEFORE EVEN COMING to the "proposal" and its impact on both the story and true life American Culture.

The adjectives and verbs...the nomenclature of "the novel"...none of them as words and concepts able to contain the peerless story within.

Seek and experience what lies in store as you pass through the gates of this literary nirvanna...and be satiated in mind, body and spirit.

John W. Cassell is the author of seven books in a variety of genres on life during the American Cultural Revolution of the Late 1960's-Early 1970's, including that magnum opus on the Age of Aquarius, ODYSSEY: 1970 and the original 1976 novel SOLDIER OF AQUARIUS. He is currently writing his eighth, set for release in the early part of 2009.

Oh, boy! This book is really something else. Although the movie gets the general idea of the plot, the characters are totally different from the book. Woody Harleson is a dark, moody and sacrastic European Jew obsessed with his blonde trophy wife. He lives in Philadelphia that he so deliciously hates. When the twosome go to Atlantic City (Vegas would be too happy a place), they meet, Robert Redford? Nooo! An evil oil prince from some desert kingdom. And this time it's not about money...

You won't regret the time or money spent on this book. Just read it. AFTER you've read the book, watch the movie. Robin Williams is a master. There's not much more I can say, because once you experience this tale for yourself, you won't need someone else's words to describe it.

Umm...... How do I find out how many pages it has?!?!?!?!?

The role of "fiction" in the midst of horror so stark it cannot be endured: this is the central premise of Jurek Becker's holocaust novel Jacob the Liar. Jacob Haym, a prisoner in a Jewish ghetto toward the end of World War Two, is mistakenly caught out after curfew, and ordered to the camp office. While there, he overhears a radio report that the Russian army is nearby; amazingly, the camp officials allow him to return to the ghetto. When he tells the others what he has heard -- that salvation is perhaps 300 miles away -- no one believes him until he makes up the lie that he has a secret radio (Possession of a radio by ghetto inhabitants was a serious infraction, punishable by death). This single ray of hope, though, is not enough for his neighbors and co-workers; since Jacob has a radio, surely he can give them more frequent updates. Hence, Jacob becomes a "liar", inventing radio reports of the war coming ever closer to the camp, and with its approach the promise of salvation. The role of hope in the midst of seeming hopelessness is central to Becker's stark novel. Jacob tries to "give up" his lies several times, but discovers that the community has come to depend on him. With the advent of his radio reports, suicides in the ghetto have stopped. A different "spirit" is in the community. If Jacob stops his wholly fictionalized "radio" reports, the former hopelessness would return. What is better: a pleasant lie or unblinking verity? Becker's novel does not make for happy reading. Hope, in the end, was a chimera. Nonetheless, this is a magnificent book, and worthy of wide readership. Becker's characters -- every one of them -- is fully drawn, and believable. One truly feels Jacob's dilemma, and his absolute frustration with the role of "sage" he has unwittingly thrust upon himself. The book jacket indicates the book has been made into a movie -- I will be looking for the film at our local video store.

This is a story about Jacob, who lives in the ghetto, world war two, and by one simple small white lie, brings into the immposible life at the ghetto, a small glimmer of hope. People stop commiting suicide, lovers start talking about marriage, old rivals remind each other of long forgotten debts. All the while, their hard miserable lives go on.

It's one of the most sensitive, realistic and sad books I have ever read. Don't miss it.

The ending is one you will never forget.

"JACOB THE LIAR," by Jurek Becker is a good example of how humane a person can be despite the place and situation that he/she is found. In this case is inside the ghetto, where Jacob Heym, a jew prisoner of the Germans accidentally overheard the news of a German radio saying, "troops succeeded in halting the Bolshevist attack 12 miles from Bezenika." He spread the news with the good intention of bringing hope and faith to the abandoned people there. And to stop the suicides that were committed due to the desperation of no help. Unfortunately, time past and nothing happened until one day someone betrayed them and went with the Germans, who immediately responded to this in search of the imaginary radio. The book is great as the movie, except that imagination plays a big role here so stop wasting time and check it out.

i bought this for my brother who started taking piano lessons a while back, and it's got a great selection of some the most beautiful music i've ever heard (i love john williams). good if you love jurassic park, etc. & many other timeless musical scores!

This book has all of Williams's best. The songs sound really good on the piano and are easily reconizable. I recommend it to any John Williams fan.

Boook was in GREAT shape, super super super fast shipping. Wonderful seller. Buy from this person! Thank you so much! We used one of the songs as a joke in our wedding (Indianna Jones theme song... I'm an Archaeologist) and people LOVED it! Thanks for helping to make our special day even better!
A+++++

If you are looking for a book with various themes of John Williams, look no further. This book contains many of his great hits from, like the book says, 1969-1999. It includes the themes from Born of the Fourth of July, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Jaws, JFK, Schindler's List, E.T., Close Encounters, and Superman. It also includes Duel of the Fates, The Imperial March, Luke and Leia (for all you Star Wars fans), Cadillac Of The Skies, Hymn to the Fallen, Seven Years In Tibet, Scherzo For Motorcycle and Orchestra, and many more. If you are a fan of John Williams and play the piano, this book is for you! P.S. Also look for the 2-CD set of the same name which includes all of the same songs.

This is the best piano book in the world.

A book I read for review at work.

Sabrina ad Dreama have a bad time when Harvey and her school's Football team decided to stop cleaning themselves after they win a match, due to the silly superstition. Much to Sabrina's horror, Dreama had cast a dreadful spell that would turn any supertitions as real as possible and they no longer recognise the world they are in. They can't cast any spells cause any spells would have a reverse effect. Salem has it worse, since Black cats are pretty much bad luck to any supertitious being.

Great book. I've finished it all in one go. A page turner and fast pace. A book thta would pull you in as soon as you sit down and read it.

I loved this book, it was excelent, its almost like watching sabrina the teenage witch on TV, but you are reading the book. Especially that was my first sabrina the teenage witch book that i ever ready, and because i liked this book i want to try all the others. Its like the book gave me a passion for reading Sabrina the teenage witch books! Its great! i really recomend to order this book, because if i liked it, maybe you will too!!!

We Win! Thats whats happening in Westbridge High, the football team seems to be winning games all of a sudden. So Brad says that all the football players should not change underwear, take showers, or even change socks, and of course the football players do just that! But once Sabrina finds out she is determined to stop all this sill superstition and get the football players to take showers. Just then a spell is cast, superstitions start to really come true. So when someone walks under a lader or brakes a mirror they have bad luck! What will Sabrina do?

I loved this book, it was excelent, its almost like watching sabrina the teenage witch on TV, but you are reading the book. Especially that was my first sabrina the teenage witch book that i ever ready, and because i liked this book i want to try all the others. Its like the book gave me a passion for reading Sabrina the teenage witch books! Its great! i really recomend to order this book, because if i liked it, maybe you will too!!!

As an 8th grade teacher, I love any book that keeps my kids reading, and according to the girls in my class, this is a must read. So I tried it, and really enjoyed it, even though I'm a bit older than the target market. Very cute, and it reminds me of my kids at school!

First off, my compliments to Moonstone Publishing. The list of authors for this second collection of Kolchak: The Night Stalker tales are some of the best in the science fiction, horror, fantasy and detective genres. Here are a few of my favorites.

The Introduction - Mark Dawidziak struck every single chord about why so many of us find Carl Kolchak such a compelling character. The excerpts from an earlier interview of his with Darren McGavin show why the actor is just as compelling. I'm not sure how selections to the Smithsonian are made, but if there is any "justice" to it, Carl Kolchak's straw hat will someday be there with Archie Bunker's chair and Fonzie's leather jacket.

Power Hungry - PN Elrod really enjoyed writing this and putting Carl though his paces. You can just tell. Her description of the monster made me think of the Matheson Script Book (from the original TV movies). I'd love to see Philipa again someday, although not without a grounding cable and a backup generator.

Stealing Fire - Kolchak and Dracula or Sherlock Holmes? All good, maybe even obvious team-ups. An adventure with Prometheus though? Rachel Caine is a genius. I think I was actually rooting for `Dean' to give up for a moment there, she wrote him with that much empathy.

The Day of Her Return - This one was my favorite! Tom DeFalco pretty much turned in a lost script from The Night Stalker TV Show. I could easily picture Darren McGavin racing down aisle five with a gallon jug of salt and an Aztec Priestess on his tail.

Digger - Whistling `...like it was his own personal theme song.' Nice touch right off the bat! When I was a kid watching Night Stalker in the 70s; that tune nearly creeped me out as much as the show itself. The frustration Carl felt with the authorities in every episode really came through here in every conversation with Capt. McClusky. Excellent work by Misters Golden and Hautala.

Blues, Sex and Bad Hot Mojo - Kolchak and the Blues make for a good combination. I definitely got a Memphis feel while reading it. Getting to know Nancy Havers was fun and I laughed out loud at the explanation for having to dress for running and throwing the quick right. Gary Phillip's introduction of the Blues singer Bailwire is a welcome addition to Carl's world and he should definitely make a return visit.

AND - I love a good werewolf story; so I was disappointed to see our furry antagonist disappear so quickly, although using a silver-plated dessert tray is genius! It turned out though that Dave Ulanski had something much stranger in store for us. A hulking monster that kills on the off-beat. This has got to be the strangest killer I think Carl has ever faced, sort of. Thanks Dave!

Pirate's Blood - A beautiful wench, a 200 year-old curse and a shanghaied Carl. Pierce Askegren laid out a nice tale for us and I thought it was rather smart to have Carl try to explain away how he got so brave all of a sudden. I have to wonder if he (Carl) believes that if he ever does accept his role in all of this madness, he will just simply be consumed by it; giving up that last, thin tie to even the hope of a normal life someday.

Call Me Sam - Carl and the ghost of Dashiell Hammett. I thought at first this was going to be a story about Bogie and then the author just ups the smooth quotient and makes the story twice as cool. The Night Stalker has pretty much been his own genre, but Mr. Randisi wrote a really nice noir tale here for Carl. I suggest sitting down to this story with a single malt whiskey, neat.

Cancellation - If any man (other than Jeff Rice) should be able to poke fun at Carl or the Night Stalker mythology and get away it, that guy is Mark Dawidziak. There were a few good shots at the X-Files of course and any appearance by Professor Kirsten Helms is always welcome. As with many episodes and comic books, defeating the monster comes down to Carl's chutzpah, not his martial skills. Comparing Falmont to Skorzeny and Malcolm (from the original TV movies) was a nice touch.

I'll finish up this review very simply. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed!

Congratulations to Moonstone for bringing out a second anthology of our favorite underdog in a birdfeeder hat.

For those of you new, Kolchak was the X-Files before the X-Files. Get The Night Stalker/The Night Strangler (Double Feature), then the TV series (Kolchak - The Night StalkerS). And I must give kudos again to Moonstone: The Kolchak Papers: The Original Novels, the Holy Grail, is back in print

Each story deserves its own rating. The two best are "Stealing Fire" (Ch. 2) and "Call Me Sam." (Ch. 16). Coincidentally they are about mercy and justice respectively. Kolchak, when the writers are at their best, is not about chills or the fear of the unknown, but about the human condition. We all live below our potential, so we are all underdogs. We have all told our employer "See, I Told You So," so we are all Cassandras. And somehow, we still seem to come out on top, despite the dangers.

Chapter 17 "Cancellation" is a treat. It was written by Mark Dawidziak, the author of the The Night Stalker Companion: A 25th Anniversary Tribute. It is also a wonderful "In Your Face" for any Kolchak fan who was bothered, even scandalized by the not-short-enough revival series Night Stalker - The Complete Series. It has to be 2007's winner of the Tom Swift Award for Dead-On Satire. Again, Cassandra; again "See, I told You So."

The rest of the stories are ho-hum. This is not bad, because the series had it share of turkeys. Future Authors: Keep in mind that Kolchak has a very obvious pattern or format.

* The story being with a run of the mill crime, with some inexplicable details.
* There are Dragnet-esque time slugs, which gives the story a feeling of concrete and factual reality.
* Kolchak examines the odd details.
* Tony is skeptical, which he indicates at the top of his lungs.
* Kolchak interacts with quirky experts, oddball people, and mysterious contacts (The Monk of the lower orders is the best informant).
* Kolchak runs afoul of the Powers That Be who mastermind a cover-up in the public interest. (Claude Atkins is the best, with Mr. RING the creepiest)
* Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.
* There is collateral damage, for which Kolchak takes the blame.
* Justice is served to society, but not to Kolchak.

This formula also explains why Kolchak lasted only one season. The concept was limited, and there was no room for growth. At the end of The Night Strangler, Tony gets convinced, but then later in the series he thinks Kolchak is crazy. The backtracking locked the series into a formula that would quickly becomes stale and repetitive. The Cassandra complex got old since it never went anywhere.

*

So if you like you horror in a lo-cal version, such as Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) or Ghostbusters Double Feature Gift Set (Ghostbusters/ Ghostbusters 2 and Commerative Book), or just love Darren McGaven, get this book. It's not the over the top best, but the three stories are worth reading.

Another collection of fine stories. This is the character we all grew to know and love back in the seventies, not the one in the aborted new show(shudder). It's worth the price to lovers of the oddball character Darrin McGavin brought us way back when. Moonstone has a new novel on the way as well. Anyone who likes good adventure should check out The Spider anthology and The forthcoming Phantom anthology as well.

A wonderful collection of new adventures for our beloved Night Stalker, Carl Kolchak. Spooky, unnerving, supernatural, fun, funny, and thought-provoking, these tales stay true to the quirky character we came to love on television in the 1970's. Includes two gorgeous interior illos by Cortney Skinner for the Chris Golden/Rick Hautala and the Pierce Askegren stories. Absolutely worth the cover price.

When Kolchak: The Nightstalker premiered in 1974, I was firmly convinced it was the greatest show ever. Unfortunately not enough people thought the same way I did and the show lasted a single season...just 20 episodes in all. Despite that, the show has continued to have a strong cult following and re-runs were still turning up on the Sci-Fi channel just a couple of years ago. ABC even did a remake, which failed miserably. While the remake had the same character names, the show had no character, at least none of the character that the original did. Carl Kolchak, reporter for the Independent News Service, each week encountered the strange and horrific: werewolves, vampires, swamp creatures, Native American spirits, mummies, etc...Each week Kolchak would find a way to destroy the creature and each week no one would believe him.

While the remake failed to capture the spirit of the original show, Moonstone Books has been doing a marvelous job keeping Kolchak alive through a series of graphic novels and prose books. The latest is Kolchak: The Nightstalker Casebook, featuring 17 original stories by Tom DeFalco, P.N. Elrod, Elizabeth Massie, Joe Gentile, Mike Baron, Christopher Golden, John Ostrander, and James Reasoner, to name just a few. What is immediately obvious is that these writers were all fans of the show and understand the Kolchak character very well. Kolchak was an average guy. Unlike most central characters of TV shows, Kolchak was older, middle-aged in fact. Not especially handsome, nor athletic, and not particularly brave. His courage grew out of his need to always be able to get the story.

One unique characteristic of the TV show was that Kolchak (played remarkably by the late Darren McGavin) often voiced over certain scenes in the show in a first person perspective, usually a scene where a pretty girl was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many of the stories in this book, and frankly my favorite ones, are told in first person point of view and it made me feel like I was sitting around my parent's living room on a Friday night watching the show again. They've not only captured Kolchak's character but also that of his irascible editor Tony Vincenzo, and fellow INS reporter the squeamish Ron Updyke.

While the TV show was set in Chicago, the stories in this book are set in California as Kolchak and Vincenzo have moved on to the Hollywood Dispatch. Allowing the writers some poetic license, they acknowledge the Chicago period yet these stories are set firmly in the present with mention of modern day technology such as computers and cell phones. Kolchak will encounter the spirit of a bloodthirsty Aztec priestess, a lake-dwelling creature, an inhuman grave robber, a ghostly diner, spectral pirates, and other denizens of the night.

One of the most poignant tales, Alternate Endings by John Ostrander, finds Kolchak back in Chicago and visiting the boarded up local tavern he frequented with an old flame named Cassie who was murdered by a serial killer. Walking through the door of the long closed bar, Kolchak is transported back in time with a chance to save his one time love from her terrible fate.

The series may have ended over thirty years ago but Kolchak lives on thanks to Moonstone books.

REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON

It says 2nd ed dec 8th so how come this is not a pre order item?????which one do you get now??

One of the best books,if not THE BEST book,on Laurel & Hardy.Everything you want to know is right here.Every single L&H film ever made so fully detailed.Plus details on every actor and actress the boys had worked with.Information on video and DVD releases and computer colourization.

A book I highly recommend.

I've been a L&H fan since I was 6 and still am. The "boys" have been making us laugh in television re-runs, video and DVD but die hard fans are probably wondering what was the story behind the merriment? Here we have a GOLD MINE of trivia, facts and much more. Included are biographies of the pickle faced Jimmy Finlayson, Leo McCarey (who directed many of the later films) re-occuring themes, "the wives" music like "The Cuckoos" even comments on props like the bowler hats that Stan and Ollie wore. So sit back, relax and enjoy the world of two of the most talented comedians to grace the silver screen.

This book is chock full of essential and not so essential minutae on the careers,lives,films,you-name-it of the worlds greatest film comedy duo of all time,Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
That it is entitled an "encyclopedia" is no idle boast.There isn't too much that I can find that Mr.Mitchell didn't include.All is in alphabetical order and every topic you can think of from individual films,actors directly and indirectly associated with the Boys,explanations of for example reciprocal destruction,authors of other books,et al,are included in this unique volume.
At the end of each defined topic are cross references to other topics associated in some way with the one you just read which leads you hopping from one place to another.If you're not sure exactly what it is you're looking for you are eventually sure to run into something related to your field of interest as each topic is not exactly specific in nature such as "doors" or "locations" or "trains".
This is a book you don't read from cover to cover because it is like an encyclopedia but tons more fun!It's also full of illustrations and photos.
One entertaining and essential book on Laurel and Hardy that I recommend you add to your collection.

This is a gold mine of information, much of which is not going to be found elsewhere easily, if at all. Glenn Mitchell has done a thorough job of researching his subjects, and it shows. Clearly, he enjoys The Boys as well, since a noticeable amount of wit and humor add to the fun of reading the book. Incidentally, it's virtually im possible ("I have just two words...") to read the book in sequence; the cross references just go on and on. All in all, it's a most worthy companion to Randy Skretvedt's "Laurel and Hardy: the Magic Behind the Movies".

Is someone trying to break you and your boyfriend up? Or is there a miss understanding? Well in this book MK and Ashely are having major boy problems. Will they get back together? Find out by buying this book right now, all you have to do is order.

Mary-kate and Ashley are going to a dance and there dates are dumping them. A boy Mary-Kate likes is going to the dance with her bestfriend Campbell. Ashleys (so called) boyfriend is getting fed up with her and took a date with Dana, Ashleys worst enemy. What will they do? They'll live with it, that is what they will do. They have to. They are on a commity and they have to live with there X boyfriends forever. Ashley is partners with her X boyfriend Ross and is misserable to go set up for the for the dance. Maary-Kate has to actually live with her so called "friend" Campbell since they share a dorm room. If you want to here about the rest of the book, borrow or buy the book!

Mary-Kate and Ashley go to school at White Oak Academy. They both have major crushes on two boys at Harrington School for Boys, which is down the street. This also makes them excited when the boys of their dreams are assigned to work with the two on remodeling a new Student Union. The first day goes great, but when day two rolls around, things don't go too well. Both of the guys are completely ignoring the girls. What did the two do? Well.....Let's just say both of the guys have their reasons. I really like this book, and to find out what happens next, read Likes Me, Likes Me Not

This book was really good book. It's about Mary-Kate and Ashley both like a boy. And there trying to ask them to the Spring Fling. But before they can the boy of Mary-Kate's dream's is going out with her roomate. (old). And Ashley's crush is going out with somebody else too! Should they find new dates?? Or get revenge!

This book was another great Two Of a Kind book. When you read the back of the book it says that Mary-kate and Ashley are going to get revenge on the boys (Ross and Grant). Grant dumped Mary-Kate for her best friend Campbell, and Ross dumped Ashley for Dana, the most popular stuck-up girl in first form. Could things get any worse? Yes!

That O'Toole can write is no surprise to anyone who has seen him act, since--although he is saying others' lines on screen--a pulsing intelligence comes through in his performances. (Brando can't write in SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME, and neither could KATHERINE HEPBURN in her autobiography. As good as they are as actors, they don't suggest eloquence on the screen...despite the quality of the lines they say). But O'Toole is not one of the greatest writers alive. This volume shows that. His writing needs to be more linear. He IS one of the greatest actors alive, however. So I wish he would leave his desk and get in front of a movie camera or on stage instead. I don't believe there is such a thing as a genius actor. But if there is, O'Toole is it (and the only one). There has certainly never been an actor as charismatic (well, maybe Cary Grant. But could Grant have played serious drama as well as light comedy? He never played in a drama that I know of).

I want Peter O'Toole to scrible my life story. One of our grandest actors turns out to be a remarkable writer. If he was writing about any other person than himself, this would be a great book; a most enjoyable reading experience; and a primer in how to tell the story of a larger than life person. As it happens, Peter O'Toole, the exceptional writer, is writing about Peter O'Toole, the peerless actor.

And this is Volume Two! Do grab the first book, "Loitering With Intent: The Child." It is not only a fascinating story of the very early years of O'Toole's boyhood in Ireland, it is also a personal account of the world plunging into the chaos of the 1930s that became World War II.

Read them both...preferasbly in order. And pray Mr O'Toole is with us long enough to craft volume three!

Peter O'Toole continues recounting his early years in the second volume of his biography. It has a slightly different style than the first volume (The Child), but is still extremely enjoyable. Highly recommended.

Who says a great actor has to be a self-absorbed boor with no life or thoughts of his own offstage or off-camera? This second installment of noted actor O'Toole's autobiography brims over with vitality, quirky charm, and loving reminiscences of fellow drama school students, teachers, and a host of other fascinating souls. O'Toole is clearly one of those people who makes his own fun, and naturally finds kindred spirits wherever he goes in life. He doesn't choose his friends based on their status or what they can do for him, he just enjoys their company. And how! The myriad, unorthodox ways O'Toole and his pals devise to obtain lodgings, food, semi-clean laundry and other of life's necessities will have you laughing out loud. One of many highlights concerns the delightful, party given to celebrate the final hours of leaky old houseboat, where guests take turns pumping the sea back out even as it sloshes at their ankles. A rip-roaring good time was had by the artist as a young apprentice, and his mates!

O'Toole has a gift for the English language -- you just want to read whole chapters aloud, to enjoy the sound of the words. There are also scores of laugh-out-loud funny anecdotes sprinkled throughout, all told with wry joy. This isn't a typical actor's memoir -- this is way more fun.

I say so far becouse i dont doubt the Dawsons Creek authors one bit to bring out better and better books, but this is my favorite i loved it so much i stayed up in to the night to finnish it the story line to this book is exallent about a skiing trip and it is wonderfully written it makes you feel happy, sorry and annoyed for the charectors as it makes you feel so there i would recomend this book foe everyone not just Dawsons Creek fans.

I've read all the Dawsons Creek books, and this one is my 2nd favorite! They get a break from Capeside! And its snow! Joey gets the guys, which makes Jen jealous. Even though things heat up with Jen & Dawson. Plus Pacey meets someone special! Very good! RECOMEND!

I've read all the Dawsons Creek books, and this one is my 2nd favorite! They get a break from Capeside! And its snow! Joeu gets the guys, which makes Jen jealous. Even though things heat up with Jen & Dawson. Plus PAcey meets someone special! Very good! RECOMEND!

This book is the best book that i have ever read and the only book i can read over and over which is unusaul for me.Please make more books on Dawsons Creek and I will keep reading them.

I love Dawson's Creek! The books are just as good!! I wish that in "Major Meltdown" Dawson and Joey got back together! I saw the title and thought, wow this looks so cool, I have to add it to my collection! I'm a Dawson's Creek fanatic! The book was my favorite out of the other ones I own which are the following: Long Hot Summer, Calm Before The Storm, and Shifting Into Overdrive. I keep reading it over and over again! I wrote my own story about Dawson's Creek, but I can't think of a good title. I think that a good title interests the reader!! Thank you so very much for letting me voice my opinion! Yours Truly, A devoted fan!!