Television Books

I am finding this book very useful for a rounded guide to technical theatre for those of us who are 'Jacks of all Trades'. I am a solo technician in a Performing arts college in the UK and find it a useful recourse as I have to don many hats and it makes a good refresher or guide for the less experienced.
It is well written and I find it honest and light and gives a good bit of detail about specific technicalities without the really mind boggling stuff that I guess 'non technical people' would get someone in for anyway.
Every director should have a copy, or anyone who has to work with technicians as it is a great overview of different roles and the work that different departments put in.
Have a go. It's worth the money in my humble opinion.

Campbell is a consummate technician, with experience in all areas of entertainment. He certainly knows his stuff and has made it accessible to anyone interested (even casually) in theater and how to make it happen. I interviewed Campbell for my own book, Careers in Technical Theater, and he is included in the chapter detailing technical directors, where he makes clear just how much there is to know about tech theater. Technical Theater for Nontechnical People helps bridge the gap between folks as experienced and knowledgeable as Campbell, and those just trying to put on a show who may lack even the basics. Highly recommended.

Very informative book, does what its says it will do, easy to understand.

I found this to be an excellent treatise on what it takes from a tecnical standpoint to mount a successful show. I've been involved with Community Theater for over 40 years and I learned a few new tricks of the trade.
The community theater company I'm involved with now has recently merged with a local art gallery to create a center for the arts. The paid staff has little to no theatrical experience yet has to interact with not only our local members but potential touring groups, local bands, etc. I am recommending to the executive director that the entire staff be required to read the book as part of their asscending the learning curve related to theatrical productions.

This is a wonderful book, but did you know there's a revised 2004 edition available? Click on "Paperback (2nd)" so you can get the most updated information on this subject.

"There is No Box" takes the reader through the entire sales process in step by step order. One would have to read and study multiple Sales and Motivational books to get what is contained in "There is No Box." This book is great for both new and experienced sellers. I carry "There is No Box" in my bag with me everyday for easy and quick reference.

My dad purchased There Is No Box for me and it helped me with my buisness class. I suggested this book to my friends and they LOVED it! I'm looking foward to getting and reading the updated version.

THERE IS NO BOX should be required reading for all college freshman. It is more than a sales and marketing text.

THERE IS NO BOX is a must read for minds that strive for ongoing personal growth.Optimism and mental toughness are overriding themes in the book which translates into long-term self improvement.

I found "There Is No Box" by accident while surfing for new management books on sales and marketing. (I didn't expect a book on sales to be titled; "There Is No Box".) But it was the title that actually got me interested. I have had excellent success for years in sales and marketing. Now as a manager, I wanted a reference book, a quick read reminder to keep me and my sales department fresh without long examples or boring material. This book did just that. Each subject is concise and easy enough to bring into a sales meeting and talk about for a few minutes. The techniques are proven and the author doesn't impose his way, but instead credits others that along the way have contributed successful selling ideas. I strongly recommend this book for those who want a reference to keep in their briefcase of on their desktop. If you're new to selling, this book will give you an excellent start by developing your personal skills as it leads you through the selling process. I also agree with another reviewer that this is excellent for students.

I have read a lot of sales books and have attended more than my share of sales seminars. Seldom is the content clearly written by sales managers, for sales people. In THERE IS NO BOX, the information is of "how to" rather than "one should" of real examples rather that philosophies about what should work and answers a lot of tough questions where others have failed to go.

One of those books that can be read in one sitting and interesting enough not to be able to put it down.

Read this book. Listen to the Eels. Just go ahead and do it. Your life will be better because of it. There's wisdom here, and in E's songs. Sadness, joy, tragedy, depression, life, death, and the discovery of multiple universes. It doesn't get any more fascinating than this. Those who know of Mark Oliver Everett only through his work as a rock singer and leader of the Eels will not be surprised at his facility with prose writing and storytelling. But anyone will be amazed at the life that Everett has lived, and the gifts of insight and compassion that he shares with us. So yes, to repeat: read this book, listen to the Eels, and be thankful that Mark Oliver Everett has decided to share his life and art with us.

Thanks to an Early Reviewers program, reading "Things the Grandchildren Should Know" was a new experience for me. As with most people, the biographies I read are always about someone I know a great deal about, or have heard of, or at least have some interest in.

I can honestly say I've never heard of Mark Oliver Everett (sorry, Mark) or the music group he founded, the EELS. But when I received this book in the mail and read the praise on the back and the first page that proclaims, "The following is a true story. Some names and hair colors have been changed.", I was all in.

Before going further, I did make myself a promise that I wouldn't use the power of the Internet to find out ANYTHING about Everett...I would only learn about him through his own words. (Although once his career started to take off and he started to meet more and more famous people - I was sorely tempted.)

And so I learned about this very thoughtful and very funny man through the lens with which he sees his life and world.

I say funny even though much that I found funny was in a sort of startled, shocked way...words that caught me off guard, forcing me to go back and confirm that I'd read what I thought I had. The first part of many of his anecdotes lull you into thinking all is well...and then his last few words practically grab on to your eyeballs.

"It's weird hanging out and sleeping in the same room with two people you've never spoken to and aren't allowed to speak to, but I was trained pretty well for this by being in the same room with my father all those years."

And: "At the end of the summer, which I had already started referring to as The Summer of Love, I drove my gold '71 Chevy Nova away from home for the first time. I had bought the car that I called "Old Gold" complete with a stop sign used in place of its rusted-out floorboard, for a hundred bucks from my hot, blonde cousin Jennifer, who years later would die on the plane that hit the Pentagon September 11, 2001. She was a flight attendant. Sent a postcard from Dulles Airport that morning that read "Ain't Life Grand?" in big letters on the front."

Weren't expecting that, were you?

And some things just made me smile. "Reviews don't really mean anything if you look at the history of rock journalism. They usually can't tell what will stand the test of time when they review something brand new on a tight deadline, but I'm going to let myself feel good about this. (Book reviewers: this doesn't mean you, of course. I have nothing but the utmost respect for what you do. How do you like the book so far?)"

But what stands out in this book, this story, this life is Everett's honesty about some of the most difficult, gut wrenching and sometimes embarrassing parts of his life.

"Pretty soon after that, (after his sister Liz attempts suicide) Liz and my mom went out of town to visit relatives and I found my father's dead body lying there sideways on my parents' bed, fully dressed in his usual shirt and tie, with his feet almost on the floor, like he just sat down to die at fifty-one. I tried to learn CPR from the 911 operator on the phone, carrying my father's already-stiff body across the bedroom floor. It was weird touching him. That was the first time we had any physical contact that I could remember, other than the occasional cigarette burn on my arm while squeezing by him in the hallway."

That paragraph, by the way? On page 2.

Everett's way of expressing himself is just so clear and so blunt that his words really hit home.

"Bob Dylan said that, when he was young, he had a secret sense of his destiny. I wish I had something like that, but I didn't. At all. All I had was an aching sense of desperation and an acute cluelessness - a nasty combination."

And even after Everett's career proves to be a pretty solid success, "I still have occasional bouts of desperation where I feel like there's no hope. And I hate going to a new doctor or dentist. Not for the usual reasons, though. It's the part where you fill out the personal information, when I get to, IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, CONTACT: I don't know what to put there, and it makes me really sad and embarrassed. It's the loneliest feeling, having no family. Holidays really suck and I usually try to pretend they're not happening. On the bright side, Christmas shopping is a cinch."

Mark Oliver Everett's memoir is touching, funny, incredibly sad, and self deprecating. ("So what kind of an ego do you have to have to write a book about your life and expect anyone to care? A huge one!")

I enjoyed this book immensely. Not only is the book an excellent read, his song lyrics, even absent of the music behind them, were at turns deeply disturbing and deeply moving. They stand alone as poetry. Lovely, sad, and above all, honest.

Because Everett's main focus is his music, and because this book covers most of his life, the odds that I get to read anything else by him are slim, but if he chooses to write more, I'm in, I'm all in.

This is a must own for fans of Eels.
Mark Oliver Everett is the ultimate "under dog",but you root for him all the way through.
this book is terribly bittersweet,
at times I was smiling, and near tears .
He posses not just a gift for song writing,
a gifted storyteller as well.
These are true stories,
and a deeper look into how Oliver's personal experiences
were transposed into song.
Terrific stuff.

I've always attempted to a read book, but most end up the same way around chapter 3 or 4 and forgotten. Even in high school I always skimped at reading the required books. Generally I just read lots of news articles and short stories as most books have trouble keeping my attention, and give up as soon as I am bored with a section. But with 'things the grandchildren should know' kept my attention so much that I am excited to say the first book I ever read cover to cover I did in two days time. Now I have motivation to give this book reading thing another chance thanks to Mark's wonderful story.

The book arrived in great condition and is full of great pictures and information about the making of the movie. Great for Tim Burton fans.

I got this book at Disneyland yesterday. It was SO great! I'm glad I bought this instead of a stuffed Sally doll. It was very interesting, and I'm very pleased to see storyboards and the very informative contents of the book, especially the poem of The Nightmare Before Christmas. However, I wish I could've read more of the poem Tim Burton wrote. Then I could compare it to the original poem of The Night Before Christmas. Tim Burton is an exceedingly creative man, and I'm glad he makes stop-motion animation, because I'm SO sick of all the stupid computer animated movies that studios make nowadays. Tim Burton follows his own ideas, and this movie inspired me to be a stop-motion animator when I grow up, alongside with a career as an author.
-Jo W.

If you're interested in knowing more about Tim Burton's movie The Nightmare Before Christmas, this book is a great buy. It has all the details about the making of the movie and the characters plus loads of great pictures. A must have for every Nightmare Before Christmas enthusiast.

This book is definitely very illustrative about the process of creation of a film of the caliber of `The nightmare before Christmas'. With a foreword by Tim Burton, the book includes everything related with the making of this stop-motion animation classic. This book is more a documentary about the making of the film; it is divided in three sections (described below) and takes you through the whole process of creation of the movie. It is an interesting document indeed for people wanting to know about the creative process of making a movie of this kind. A perfect companion for the film!

The Film

The first part of the book focuses on the story ans the lyrics of the movie songs, beautifully illustrated with pictures from the movie, designs and Burton's sketches. Some movie facts are also given in this part of the book.

The Art

The original poem by Burton in which the movie is based on is presented in the firt part of the section. Most of Burton's sketches and character designs are here. The design of the sets, the characters and storyboards are well explained and presented in this section of the book with beautiful pictures, colored sketches and original drawings by Tim.

The Vision

In this section we get to meet all the people involved in making this film possible, and a little background on her profiles and how they were selected to partake on this project. Tim Burton, Henry Selick, Danny Elfman, Caroline Thompson, Kathleen Gavin and Denise Di Novi participate with comments and thought about the project.

If you've ever seen Tim Burton's truly excellent stop-motion animation film The Nightmare Before Christmas, then you've probably wondered, "How was all this done?" This book can answer that. Inside you'll find the stories behind the screenplay, the music, the process of stop-motion animation itself, and see some of Burton's original sketches that gave inspiration to one of the most imaginative and outright magnificent movies in the last fifteen years. If you love The Nightmare Before Christmas, then you'll go nuts over this book.

I had the opportunity to attend one of Ellen Sandler's lectures, recently and was impressed by what she had to say and had to know more, so I bought her book at the event. Best tv/screenwriting book, I have bought in years. This is one that I will continue to reference as needed. It is written in a voice so entertaining, that you can understand why she has been so successful in her career as a tv writer. I recommend this book to anyone who is starting out and to anyone who needs a fresh prospective.

I feel like I am in a Master Class and teacher's pet! Ellen Sandler provides a friendly and in-the-know work guide in how to write TV scripts. She offers exercises that had me laughing hysterically at my OWN details/specifics that will be used for my characters. The 7 deadly sins became that evening's "dinner topic" with a group of journalists that not only livened up the night but provided MORE embarrassing, sensitive and humiliating inspiration. I have more to read and to study but I knew I was in wise and experienced hands from the first few pages. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I rarely make a recommendation, but this book is the most helpful I have ever read on TV writing. It offers a very practical process that is like a key opening a door to your own creativity.

This is by far the BEST TV writing book I've ever read and I have nearly all of them. Sandler doesn't just tell you the steps necessary to write a fantastic spec script, like all these kinds of books do, she guides you through the creative process of mining story material for it. And she tells you how to fashion subject matter that has the most emotional meaning for you, the author--which is the benchmark of great writing. It was a concept that until now, that no matter how many books I read, or how many harsh notes from execs I received on all my previous specs (or so I thought, now I FULLY understand their notes!) that I didn't grasp until now. TV Writer's Workbook, has provided the creative lightbulb I needed to get me out of my sucky spec script darkness. Highly recommended!

I've been using Ellen Sandler's book as a guide for the last few weeks, and I feel I've done much better work in that short time than I did all last year. The book is mainly geared towards sitcom writers, and for those interested in writing a comedy spec, this book is the one to get!

Chambers book is fun, funny and full of surprises. It really helps you prepare for all of your auditions!

The Ultimate Commercial Book for Kids And Teens is an amazing resource for all ages who want to break in to the commercial business. The commercials in this book really allow me to get into so many different characters.Chambers is a genius for writing this book. By reading the information in this book anyone can tell that he knows what he's doing.

Its a valuable source in preparing for commerical auditions. The book is easy to read and fun to work with. The commercials that Chambers had created were real life ones, and very clever situations. Its easy to pick up on them.

My daughter enjoyed memorizing a commercial a day from 24-Carat Commercials for Kids which got her "in shape" for auditions. The Ultimate Commercial Book for Kids and Teens provides more great material for learning and training-

Another great book in Stevens' series for teens. My daughter found "Sensational Scenes for Kids" very helpful in her speech class. Her teacher kept a copy in the classroom. Students found the scenes fun to learn, with timely topics, and language they could relate to. "Ultimate Commercials" will be a useful tool for aspiring actors or teens working on public speaking.

I have been interested in shortwave radio for 50 plus years. This handbook is quite helpful when searching for information concerning a particular radio station. I have owned several of them over the years. I think the handbook would make an excellent addition to any one interested in shortwave radio. It would be a nice gift also, either to give or receive. Tom MI

The book provided the information that I was looking for plus additional information concerning other radio transmissions that was a bonus. An informative book containing a world of information.

WRTH has long been a very valuable tool for the broadcast professional who has dealings with the international industry. Details of the fifth estate of the world are clearly detailed, also including the different stations and organizations from all corners of the planet. But there are many more facets to this book. Reviews of shortwave receivers are clearly useful for the avid DX'er. Information about digital radio and TV also help keep one abreast of that's happening there. If broadcasting is your bag, or if you just want a good, up-to-date resource to help you find that elusive shortwave station, the annual issues of this fine book are your best choice.

The one and only book for a travelling short wave listener.

If you don't have this or the 2007 guide and Passport to World Band Radio, well, you have squat! Buy 'em NOW!

Jean-Marie Potiez is, of course, from France. I knew him through ABBA fan clubs some years ago. He gives a good account of the ABBA phenomenon. Agnetha was born in Jonkoping, Sweden on April 5, 1950. Her father staged amateur reviews in the town, and Agnetha began singing in them at an early age. When she was 15, she left school to take a job as a telephone operator with a car firm. She was singing with a group called Bernt Enghardts. She left them when her composition, "Jag Var Sa Kar (I Was So In Love)" became a hit on the Swedish charts. Agnetha moved to Stockholm and recorded her first album.

Agnetha composed music. She did nine solo albums between 1968 and 1988. She recorded in Swedish, German, English, French and Spanish. Her label in the early days was Cupol. She went on to form Agnetha Faltskog Productions with Staffan Linde as her manager.

Benny Andersson is the only one of the four born in Stockholm, Benny came from a family of accordion players. It was natural for him to teach himself piano. From 1964 to 1969, his Hep Stars were Sweden's biggest group. They had a rougher image than Bjorn's Hootenanny Singers. When their career ended in bankruptcy, Benny came away with the idea that there would have to be greater economy in the future. It gave him incentive to become co-owner of Polar Music with Bjorn and Stig Anderson.

Bjorn Ulvaeus came from Gothenburg, Sweden's western port and second largest city, where he was born in 1945.

Bjorn was still in school when he formed the West Bay Singers, a folk group. Stig Anderson suggested the name, Hootenanny Singers. Stig was great at naming groups.

Bjorn is known for his business sense and studied corporate law for a term at the University of Stockholm. He meant to be a civil engineer. He was drafted into the Swedish military for the mandatory 10 months, a handy experience if you are going to write songs like Fernando.

Frida Lyngstad was raised by her grandmother in Eskilstuna. Her mother had died at age 21, and it was felt that little Frida would fare better in Sweden since her father had been part of the occupying army.

Frida started singing professionally when she was 13. She sang with a big band, and that is how she met her first husband, Ragnar Fredriksson. He played trombone. Frida had two children by him: a son, Hans, and a daughter, Lotta.

If you are an ABBA fan, then you will love this book. The book takes you into the lives for 4 very special musicans.

Abba remain hugely popular in Britain and many other countries more than twenty years after they disbanded. This book is not an in-depth study of the different personalities and their difficulties, but it gives plenty of information about the members of Abba and their manager, including their lives before and after Abba. And (at least in my hardcover edition) there are pictures - plenty of them.

Regarding the four members of Abba, three of them (Benny, Bjorn and Agnetha) were born and raised in Sweden, all apparently having fairly normal childhoods, only their musical talent setting them apart from others. All three became hugely successful in the Swedish pop charts, Agnetha as a solo singer, Benny and Bjorn as members of separate groups.

The odd one out was Anni-Frid, better known as Frida. She was born in Norway as the illegitimate child of a German father and Norwegian mother. Frida was mainly raised by her grandmother, who took her to Sweden, where her mother joined them but died of illness a few months later, aged just 21. Frida also found it much harder than the others to achieve success in music, but she did eventually have some big Swedish hits of her own.

The author presents the main years (1969 to 1982) on a year-by-year basis, explaining the different events that occurred in each year - records, tours, TV, their personal lives - in a semi-diary format.

As far as the music is concerned, the story is quite complicated and not always easy to follow, but that is no fault of the author. Before they became Abba, they were four separate acts, each with their own careers and signed to different record companies. Once they came together as Abba, different things were happening in Japan, Australia, Germany, Sweden and elsewhere with different records - even before 1974. That was the year that Abba won Eurovision and charted for the first time in Britain and America.

There have been many books on Abba and will surely be many more. Despite being a huge Abba fan, this is the first I've read. If you're only going to have one book on Abba, it might as well be this one.

Did you ever come across a favourite song and say, "I wonder whatever happened to....? Abba took the world by storm back in the 60's when a quarter bought you an afternoon matinee at the movies, and minimum wage in my home town was $1.00 per hour. If you earned $1.25 or more, you had it made!

Abba possessed a unique blend of charisma, talent, and originality. Who can forget the sentimental lyrics of ,"I Had A Dream", the gentle flow of "The Rivers of Babylon", the melancholy strains of "Fernando" or the upbeat dance-hit, "Dancing Queen"? The list of hits went on and on.

What I particularly liked about this book was the numerous photographs all depicting Abba at their finest. Many photographs are ones not often, if ever, published before, at least not on this continent. In addition, the book reveals a lot of factual, personal information about the individuals themselves. The road to fame and fortune is not an easy one as readers will discover through the pages of this book. Some facts have been printed before, but other aspects of their career are presented here in a more complete, in-depth light. Fans of Abba, will no longer need to wonder, "what ever happened to..." because the epilogue tells you just that. Of all the books on the group, this is one of the best in print.

Probably the best book you can get, if you want an ABBA photo book. In this case even better than "From ABBA To Mammma Mia", since there is pictures from a broader period . It is written in cronologic date-by-date, where each year, as well as "The Movie" and the concert tours got its own chapter. You don't have to be an ABBA fan to enjoy this book, everyone can enjoy this trip in text and pictures through the fantastic story of ABBA.

Great Book. It's a wonderful comparison of the manga and the Anime as well as a great reference for how each character is developed. Also makes a great picture book for my 2 year old. She sits with daddy and looks at the picturers.

This book has lots of interesting info on all the characters and enemies throughout the first part of this great anime/manga series Inuyasha. It has many full colored pages and director, voice actor,etc, commentary. It also features sketches of important characters and enemies in the series from Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku to Kaede, Seshomaru, Jaken, Yura, Mistress Centipede, and many others. I found the sketches useful for learning how to draw. Anyways, this is definetly a must have for all Inuyasha fans.

First of all, let me say my daughter is a complete InuYahsa addict. :) She loves the serial tale. That said, this book is marvelous! It has drawing examples, story snippets, voice character interviews.... very informative.

Beautifully colored drawings and detailed black and white work.

My only complaint refers to the hardbound version..... The spine of the book broke down the back very quickly and had to be taped. Otherwise the book is very well constructed.

Be aware the book is made to read from back to front in the typical Japanese manga manner. A little difficult for me, but my 9 year old daughter grasped the concept immediately....

Well worth the money for reference value alone.

Other reviewers have given accurate particulars about this volume, and I agree with their high ratings. This book is really a delight and a perfect way to spend a couple hours in Inuyasha bliss. I was incredibly impressed with the color panels from the manga, taken from Shonen Sunday Jump. The beautiful printing job brings out the quality of Takahashi's art, and I find myself going back and studying these pages again and again. There is also a nice section at the beginning (short but sweet) about the difference between manga and animation when it comes to storytelling techniques. As it's been said elsewhere in these reviews, if you're a fan of Inuyasha, this is a must-have. Keep in mind this isn't a voluminous book with tons of text ... you can read the whole thing in just two or three hours. But the art in it, and its A-plus presentation here, offers many more hours of enjoyment and you may, like me, find yourself returning to this book repeatedly and feeling like you've picked it up for the very first time. The art in it is that good.

I am actually over 13 years old , however I didnt want to give my email address out so I said I was younger. This is a great book. I bought it for my 16 year old son and he absolutely LOVES it. He is into drawing japanese animation and this book was a great inspiration. All of his friends who are mostly the same age want to get the book to. I did see it at Borders also , for the same price , and you dont have to pay shipping and handling charges, also you dont have to wait for it to show up. Borders also had a huge selection of other Inuyasha books and other Japanese animation characters.

This is the best book about music that I have read, and my recent (fourth in 35 years) reading solidified this opinion.
The reviews here offer many insights, so I just want to emphasize that this is unlike any other music biography you will read. It is not a linear life history, nor does it focus primarily on musical quotations. It digs deeply into Beethoven's spirit and tries to grasp what made him so special. That is a fundamental bias of the book, so if you find Beethoven less a genius than Bach or Mozart or Mahler or Wagner, then you probably won't agree with Sullivan's conclusions. But, as a mathematician, he approached his subject without the standard musicologist biases, and that shines through in a work that is accessible to anyone who wants to think deeply about the ultimate meaning of great music, and how one person could create what Beethoven poured forth in his life.

This is not going to get many postive feedbacks.. HOWEVER.. this is just a note to say THIS REALLY and truly is a BRILLIANT BOOK.... and for anyone wanting to dive straight into the deep end as to what Beethoven and ART and Classical Music par se is and the mind of a composer and the struggle of a life between Art, creativity, God and love and genius is all about this is the one book to get. Yet, surprisingly not only all made very understandable but then clarity and inspiration and feel good factor was never made so good in a book on a composer, also made so enjoyable. A true and real learning journey in this book.Priceless. I felt myself on tour with the writer and the works and mind of life of Beethoven as though the man was his art and his work. Out of MUCH self taught reading on classical music. This book truly remains my ALL TIME FAVOURITE book about any single composer. Supremely well written and written with clarity and passages I underlined endlessly. It is one of those books. Just well researched, well written and written about from angles and insights that you really DID want to know and not written anywhere else and never realised you did want to know and it is a real journey. If you feel a journey with Beethoven`s music this is the best book ever written to get into his mind , and his art and the music and his life as one.... A real cherished classic. I hate the phrase. This book is one of 20-30 that I look back really does come under the heading "life changer" and can give a truer real insight into the mind of genius and ART in capital letters and an artist`s intention and the working of a mind and spirit..and it explains the music so well in relation to his life and genius. A seriously great gem , where every page is a page turning inspiration and delight. Seriously 5+ Not a normal book. Exceedingly well done... This book is special. Class of it`s own and essential reading on Beethoven. Trust me. And write your own review. I challenge anyone not to adore this book and give it a 5 having read it. I`m serious. Think about it compared to all the others on Beethoven and dull ill written biographies and over detailed stuff. This book really hits the spot and is very very well writen in style and content and theme and insight....and is concise. : ) I.e not only readable but also exciting and a a book to learn from not just factually but with real thinking and a journey and highly enjoyable read. The world it takes one too to the mind of the composer and the music and the journey it takes one too is first class. A really enjoyable mind expanding insight. Seriously good. i.e Great.

Why has Beethoven reached this special place in the music world?
First at all his music is fundamentally human . The organic feature of his works shows the timeless conflict between the will and the fate ; the horizontality of the destiny and the verticality of the irrevocable and untamed human character .
Ernest Newman has said : " The peculiarity of Beethoven imagination is that it raises over and over to heights since we can do a new appraisement , not only of all the music but the life , the emotions and the ideas".
Think in the Final of the last variation of his Third Symphony and will understand the message ; you have to fight always without expecting anything in change ; because the hero attitude is to make not to think . And you know this wisdom statement of Goethe: "We are what we do".
This book is admirably compelling and reveals unknown facets , interesting letters and even I do not agree with the value of the last stage of his life in which the transfiguration and the evasion would seem derivate making a simple analysis of the endings of his last three Piano Sonatas , the text is a must for any reader really interested in the life and work of this icon beacon of the mankind : Ludwig van Beethoven.

This book profoundly deepened my experience of music. It opened doors of appreciation for both listening to music and expressing myself musically. It inspires one to put the whole of themselves with ever increasing passion into their creative endeavors and by extension their lives. As Beethoven said, "There is no loftier mission than to approach the Godhead nearer than other people, and to disseminate the divine rays among humanity." Read this book. You will not regret it.

Sullivan's book has remained in print for over 70 years, despite not being a definitive source book for facts about Beethoven's life and work. Sullivan's achievement is different. Sullivan wrote one of the very few biographies, about Beethoven or anybody else, that captures and understands the level of "depth of life" that results from identifying one's life with the search for the meaning of life and of the universe, if there is any such meaning. Beethoven lived on this level and the particular path Beethoveen pursued and expressed in his music is uniquely understood by Sullivan. This biography is a masterpiece in its own right.