Television Books

The way to right thinking about anything is through critical analysis and reasoning, looking at all sides without pre-conceived notions. The authors of Reality Check have taken that approach, and it is an excellent read. By focusing on facts rather than perceptions, and weighing ideas against each other, they have provided a refreshing contrast to conventional thinking and misconceptions regarding the important political, economic and social issues of the day. While America has its challenges, and things are obviously worse than when the book was published earlier this year, it remains the best place on earth in terms of freedom and political/economic opportunity, as the authors clearly show.

If nothing else, this book will expand your thinking and worldview about things that matter, while providing a refreshing contrast to the distortions of the media. I highly recommend it.

Still reading but great info. so far. Worth reading if you want to really understand how it all works and be able to debate these hot topics with some facts.

This book contains information that doesn't seem to be available any place else. It takes a look at the facts on which present day current events are based, and reports the information in an understandable form. So much of the news that is being reported now is based on emotion and feelings that it is difficult for the average person to sift through it all and know what the facts really are. I would recommend that you would read this book if you are interested in knowing how we got where we are as a country and how you can respond with integrity.

In a time when the availability of an unprecedented number of sources does not assure accuracy of information, this fully documented and comprehensive coverage of the key issues bearing upon the state of our Union, fills a crying need.
The quality, timeliness and pertinence of this report makes it a must read for all who seek to cut through the morass of politically biased reporting.
You really owe it to yourself to read this book before you choose your candidates this fall.

Reality Check is a very important book for everyone in this country to read. It does a thorough job of counterbalancing the mythes and lies that are so commonly put forward daily in the news.

As well,it is informational and easily readable for anyone who wants to understand basic economics and how they relate to our personal world. Reality Check is definitely worth the time it takes to read!

The 1986 edition of Remembering Buddy published by Pavillion Books (reprised in 1987 as paperback published by Penguin Books) is the most recent version of John Goldrosen and John Beecher's outstanding biography of Buddy Holly. Although it is out of print, used copies in good condition can still be obtained through Amazon, and it's well worth the effort to get one if you are a fan of Buddy Holly and his music. This text does not suffer from the inaccuracies and sensationalism found in many other books on Buddy Holly. John Goldrosen took the time to carefully research his subject and gives fair treatment to all parties on controversial issues such as the financial arrangements that Buddy Holly and The Crickets had with Norman Petty.

Buddy's early days in Lubbock, Texas, his struggles to succeed in the music industry, his breakthrough and brief career at the top, and his last days on the infamous Winter Dance Party Tour are accurately recounted. Two chapters at the end of the book provide insight on Buddy Holly's influence on his peers and the future development of rock'n'roll music (The Making of A Legend, and Buddy Holly Lives-The Holly Renaissance). The book also provides helpful appendicies detailing Buddy's recording sessions and the personnel that participated in each of them (Buddy Holly & The Crickets Session File), recordings and releases (Alphabetical List of Buddy Holly and The Crickets Recordings and Initial Releases), a complete discography including many illustrations of singles and album covers, an account of how his various records did on US, UK, and Australian record sales charts (Buddy Holly and The Crickets Chart File), and a chronological summary of the many tours on which he performed (Buddy Holly & The Crickets Tour Dates) including dates, venues, and other acts.

The book has a complete, well-organized index and contains many of the best available photographs documenting the life and career of Buddy Holly, his sidemen, and other associates in the music industry. Reading this book will give you the most informed acquaintance of this great performer that is possible without having actually known him. Buddy's allure is very nicely summed up in Cadence, the last chapter of John Glodrosen's book. "Buddy Holly was not a giant, or a god - but he was sort of a hero. Though a star, he still sounded and looked like a friend. He was one with his listeners, with one important difference: he could successfully express through his music the feelings that those listeners could not express for themselves. And since he was unusual only in his ambition, perseverance and muscial talents, his concerns were shared by his audience. When he sang his song, his audience could claim that it was their song too."

John Goldrosen's book is one of the two best resources that you can get pertaining to Buddy Holly. The other is a DVD presentation of a documentary done by Paul McCartney in 1986 for the BBC - The Real Buddy Holly Story (see separate review).

this is a great book of mr holly' such a shame buddy didnt get to live out the rest of his life, and still be here with us fans makeing many many more great songs. thats how i see it. this is an awsome a book a must have, a must buy. so if you dodnt have any holly' books and you are looking for one this is a great book of his life music and everything in between. there are other good books too. but this you must add to your collection.

BUDDY HOLLY WAS THE GREATEST ROCK STAR TO HAVE EVER PERFORMED.TOO BAD HIS LIFE ENDED WHEN HE WAS SO YOUNG.I HAVE BEEN A BUDDY HOLLY FAN SINCE 1971 AND HIS SONGS ARE TIMELESS.HE HAS INFLUENCED COUNTLESS OTHER PERFORMERS.THE ROLLING STONES FIRST EVER HIT,NOT FADE AWAY, WAS A SONG WRITTEN BY THE LATE,THE GREAT BUDDY HOLLY.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

I've been a fan of Buddy's since he was still alive. This is the best biography available. The authors do not deal in sensationalism and wacko explorations of Buddy's sex life or possible contributions to the crash of the plane. He died at 22, and was only famous for two years, and never was wealthy. He can be expected to have had moments of immaturity, and to have made mistakes in judgement. But the overwhelming evidence is that he was a nice, normal young adult with abnormal talent for singing, songwriting, guitar-playing and record-producing. He's been gone for more than 40 years, and he left about 80 recordings behind. Those performances are still wonderful, and this book tells you a lot about how they were created and captured and preserved. Who needs anything else?

This is, hands down, the best biography of Buddy Holly available. I have read them all and though others have their moments (mainly rare photos) they are spoiled with proven factual errors and unsubstantiated rumors. John Goldrosen's book is the standard by which all others are judged.

Goldrosen is a stickler for accuracy and his research is meticulous. He also keeps close to all things Buddy Holly. I first met him at the dedication of the Buddy Holly statue in Lubbock in 1986. Bill Griggs (founder of the sadly discontinued Buddy Holly Memorical Society) thinks highly of Goldrosen and there is no higher compliment for a historian of Buddy Holly.

The updates keep making the book better (and more accurate) but I will always keep my first copy which I've had signed by Buddy's parents, his brothers, Jerry Allison, Niki Sullivan, Joe Mauldin, and, of course, the author John Goldrosen. If you only read one biography of Buddy Holly, this should be the one. If you have read others and would like to know what Buddy was really like, get the latest edition of this book. You will not be disappointed.

Update 2005: Sad to note that this book is out of print. So is the earlier version titled "The Buddy Holly Story" by the same authors. It's still worth reading if you can find a copy. Check your local library or used book store. Hopefully another publisher will pick up the book and it will be available again.

This extraordinary book critiques most of the Beatles' songs. It dissects, analyzes and explains the lyrics of the Beatles' songs; it compliments the intelligence of all readers. Music professionals and novices alike will come away with added information; this is a book that will appeal to all readers regardless of place/proficiency on the musical scale.

This book serves as a time line; the Beatles' achievements and the times they were living in are chronicled neatly alongside Macdonald's analyses of the music. It's general tone is light and upbeat, yet a tone of bittersweet nostalgia underscores much of the passages. "There are places I remember..." John Lennon, 1965 could be the sound track of this book. So could John Lennon's 1968 Anthem of the Sixties, "you say you want a revolution, well you know we all want to change the world..."

Beatle fans and those who love and/or lived through the Dodge Dart Era of the 1960s will love this book. It is so worth reading.

This book's publication concludes on a sad footnote. Ian Macdonald ended his life on August 20, 2003. He had been clinically depressed.

I love this book and have read it several times. When I listen to Beatles recordings, I sometimes take it out and read up on the song, and its fun to see the work that was put into it (music flubs, line flubs, edit flubs). I just wish he hadn't beat up on George so much! Highly recommended

More a question than a book review here. This edition is described as being updated; comparing it to the original hardcover, however, I found only one update -- a footnote in which MacDonald briefly comments on the 'Live at the BBC' album. Otherwise it is identical to the first edition. There is nothing on the Anthology material. So the question is this: Is that one little footnote the extent of MacDonald's "revisions"? If there is a fatter, better edition out there, I'd love to have it.

Anyway, now that I'm here I might as well say that this is not only the best critical analysis of the Beatles' work ever written; it's almost the only such book I can even take seriously. MacDonald does come up with the occasional strange opinion here and there (his dismissals of "Day Tripper" and "Helter Skelter" come to mind), but critics are not machines, folks, and even the best of them are not infallible. For the most part MacDonald is serious in the best sense of the word; he is intensely attentive, and his mastery of the catalogue escapes pedantry -- it's just plain jaw-dropping.

I wish that I could give this book more than five stars. It is an absolutely brilliant and supremely entertaining analysis of every song recorded by The Beatles. For those with musical knowledge it provides detailed analysis of things such as chord structure and sequences. For those, such as myself, who are merely fans of this great music, the book provides endless insight and anecdotes about the recording process and events surrounding each song. After reading this book you will never listen to The Beatles' songs in the same way again. This is eye-opening work that puts all other rock/pop music analysis to shame. Get this one!!!

A stunning examination of The Beatles, their music, the sixties, and by implication the state of modern popular music, "Revolution in the Head" is easily the best Beatles book ever published.

Written with an astonishing erudition acquired over his years as a music journailast for New Musical Express and other magazines, as well an obvious love for the music of the Fab Four, Ian MacDonald's book places the Beatles in the appropriate social and cultural context with exactitude,critical acumen and readability.

If you want to know why The Beatles are the most important pop group ever, or wish to reacquaint yourself with their genius, you must read this superb book. Along with Philip Norman's "Shout" and "Mark Lewisohn's" Beatles Sessions, "Revolution in the Head" is an undoubted masterpiece of Beatles scholarship.

This book is more than an amazing story of overcoming challenge for a young boy with so many problems as he finds his wonderous voice through a genus for music. More it is a story that will impact each and every person who reads it, Whether in response to this amazing true account of triumph and miracles, or tapping in to some place in us that thinks we "can't".
A great gift for anyone you love.

Reading REX brought tears to my eyes and filled my heart with joy at the same time. REX makes you feel it all--his mom Cathleen takes you on a gripping journey that makes you feel like you were there. I laughed, I cried, I found myself reading late into the night to find out what was going to happen next in this powerful real-life thriller, where the hero is a blind and autistic child who battles the vicelike grip autism has on his brain and discovers (with his mom by his side) that music is his key to life. You see the blossoming of musical genius with all the rest. Cathleen's lyrical prose makes you see hope is greater than fear, and that love will ultimately triumph. REX was a breath of freshair!

What a phenomenal book! It's an engaging quick read that's full of incredible insight from a mother that loves her son and her God. If more parents had a small fraction of the focus on their children that Cathleen has on Rex there would be far fewer issues with our kids. It's undeniable that Rex has amazing talent, but I think Cathleen is even more incredible. I can't even comprehend what she has gone through and stand in awe of what she has achieved through love, faith and sheer tenacity. Lives will be changed because of this book.

This is a truly inspirational book! It is well written and hard to put down! Cathleen takes readers on her journey from the grim diagnosis and her struggles with God as she seeks to unlock the mysteries of her disabled child. This is a story about a woman determined to find meaning and joy in her son's life and ends up discovering purpose and joy in her own life.

Cathleen Lewis tells a truly remarkable story of motherly love coupled with faith and steely determination. This well-written book is a page turner, you simply can't put it down as you travel with her through the depths of the challenges and the highs of the victories as they unfold. To me it was the story of both hope as well as an account of what patience, love and determination can bring to the life of a child who otherwise might never have blossomed. Bravo to Cathleen Lewis!

Best Book Ever, if you're in to Gram or Rock/Americana bios. This is the 4th copy I've bought, 3 as gifts.

It's very easy to read, very entertaining, and you have to wonder how this guy has managed to live so long and so much. I had never heard of Phil Kaufman until I saw the movie "Grand Theft Parsons." I am a Gram Parsons music fan, but never knew his body was "liberated" and burned in Joshua Tree, CA. Thinking this can't be true, I researched on the internet, found this book and decided to check it out.
The stories are funny and unique, and I'm a little less naive about some of these people and the times they lived in.

I love this book! It's the funny and heart-felt inside story of the life and times of a rock music insider.Heck,he was the manager for some of thee best darn musical acts in the history of rock and country music.Period.He was not just their bodyguard,he was their friend and mentor as well.He laments about not being there to protect Brian Jones from the druggy landscaper ,who beat him over the head with a shovel.Jones was then dumped into a swimming pool,to make it look accidental.Phil Kaufman was earlier fired by the Stones ,that crazy and care-free Summer of 1969.It's not his fault Brian later died.It's amazing their musical act is still top-notch after touring for fourty plus years. Later ,Phil helped Manson record an album called ,"LIE". Everyone in the music industry,did not want anything to do with Charles Manson.And even Terry Melchoir and Dennis Wilson gave up on Manson and his Family,when the sessions began to fall apart.(Manson sounded more like Bobby Darrin the Crooner than a psychodelic hipster.)Manson's music is awesome ,yet their sinister religious beliefs led to the terrible slayings that landed most of the Family ,on ice .Manson was very charasmatic and had impressive song writing and singing ability.Yet, his age played a strong barrier in an industry obsessed with beauty and youth.Phil blames himself for the LaBianca murders,because Phil was one of Manson's targets.Phil was not home ,at his bungaloo,so the Mansonites went next-door to the LaBianca's mansion.So,the urban myth goes.It turns out that Leno LaBianca owed large amounts of money ,in gambling loses .He was using money from his super-market empire to cover some of his loses.I think Manson's heroin supplier was aware of this.And directed the Mansons to go next-door,if Phil was not at his bungaloo.Of course,'someone' had called Phil away from the scene ,earlier that evening.It's no surprise and no one blames Phil for leaving the hippy-dippy L.A. scene for the real Music City of Nashville. -Ps-Gram(O'Kelley)Parsons died way to soon.Gram Parsons was like the real-life Keith(Cassidy)Partidge in many ways. -If you know the story, behind the music, it adds to the enjoyment of reading this excellent musical autobiography.Bright Blessings and God Speed to Phil Kaufman.Buy this book !

Incredible tale of an amazing guy. We have known each other for over 60 years and I can vouch for the accuracy of his story. Many men lead lives of quiet desperation - not Philip Kaufman. His every moment is an adventure filled with humor and exuberance.

I first became interested in Phil Kaufman after watching the bonus footage section on the DVD "Grand Theft Parsons". After a little internet searching I came across this book. I am so glad that I did! What an amazing story. If there weren't photos & liner notes to back up this man's tale one might not believe it. Phil, known as "The Mangler", has gone from being a former inmate & friend to a pre-Helter Skelter Charlie Manson to the Executive Nanny of the Rolling Stones. He has been an inspiration to the likes of Frank Zappa & fulfilled the now infamous last wish of his friend & colleague Gram Parsons. He has traveled the world with such acts as Joe Cocker & long time friend Emmylou Harris. He has acted in Hollywood, riden across England by Harley & has Mangled his way through rock & roll. His body's tattoos seem to be as colorful as his vocabulary & memory. In the words of actress Elizabeth Ashley, the Mangler seems to truly be "terribly funny, mythological & charismatic". To read him is to love him. Even if you are not interested in the music industry, you have to read this man's story. It will keep you laughing & dazzled the whole way through. May Phil continue his Mangling ways for many years to come!

OK account of the making of Casablanca moves well when talking about the history of the movie, but is dragged down when the last third of the book focuses on film making and film censorship during the war. Not that that's a bad thing, but it's the subject for another book.

This 1992 book tells about the 1942 film "Casablanca". No one expected this romantic suspense film to become so great. Aljean Harmetz spent years of research and interviewed those who worked on the film, and read the Warner Bros. archives. Harmetz described the studio system and tells about the personalities and politics. The Hollywood studio was like a factory assembly line, not a glamorous fantasy. The actors who played refugees were often in fact refugees from Nazi Europe. Hollywood's production code played down the scandalous affair between Rick and Ilsa. [The film would be little remembered if that final shootout left Strasser, Laszlo, and Renault dead so Rick could run off with Ilsa.] The morally right ending meant a stronger ending (p.229).

The 'Acknowledgments' thanks the people who helped in the writing of this book. There seemed to be more people than the actors on the screen. Harmetz grew up near M-G-M, her mother worked for them (p.xii). The film had a "blend of romance and sacrifice", as if it was a lesson for WW II America. It was a dirty dangerous job but we had to do it. The script was developed along with the film. Hundreds of other films were built the same way, but "Casablanca" remains a classic. I think the idea of self-sacrifice is overstated, Rick had too much experience to become sentimental Its basic unity of time, place, and action makes it a better film than "Citizen Kane" (which is more cynical). The author explains the interplay of production that formed this film (p.xiv).

Harmetz says the popularity of the film is the way its mythology echoes America's self-image (p.6): tough on the outside but moral within. [An echo of the Cowboy Hero?] This film was a combination of accidents and luck, a haphazard picture that turned into a favorite movie (p.7). Warner movies were topical, based on the news (p.8); their films had a rawness or edge lacking at other studios. Their style was distrust of authority, suspicion of human nature (p.25). Chapter 3 has the story of Murray Burnett, the vocational high school English teacher who wrote "Everybody Comes to Rick's". Every character in the film is in his play (p.36), the dialogue too (p.38). The writers made many changes (p.39) and took the credit (collective work). Rewriting sharpened the script, scenes were rearranged for more dramatic effect (p.56). The collaboration was interactive.

Chapter 4 tells of the director Michael Curtiz and the producer Hal Wallis. They and their wives were close friends (p.64). More people went to the movies during wartime (p.66). Warners made the first anti-Nazi film in 1939. They encouraged their employees to join the Rifle and Pistol Club (p.68). Southern Californians favored imprisoning the Japanese, there was fear of an attack (p.69). Bergman "projected an innocence and purity" that made her popular (p.118). The real life of Bogart and Bergman was the near opposite from the screen. They thought the dialogue was ridiculous and the situations unbelievable (p.119). Were movies better then because of the layers of character actors (p.145)? Why did those Germans sing "Watch on the Rhine" (p.169)? Casey Robinson rewrote the romantic relationships (p.175). Chapter 11 tells what the actors did off the set. Later written accounts contradicted each other (p.203). The music in the film is covered in Chapter 15. Government control of Hollywood is described in Chapter 17; preaching propaganda wasn't popular. The history of the stars of "Casablanca" is in Chapter 19. Chapter 20 has the hodgepodge of various comments on the film. They seem to treat this work of fiction as realistic fact. Harmetz summarizes the film on the last paragraph (p.354).

Could this film be compared to a classic western film? Strasser is the foreman for the Big Rancher who wants to take over the smaller ranches. Renault is the sheriff in cahoots with him. Preacher Victor spoke out against the takeover, and is in trouble. Schoolmarm Ilsa loves Victor for his politics. Rick acts like a Cowboy Hero who defeats the evil Big Rancher to assure the escape of Victor and Ilsa; Rick knows his relationship with Ilsa would not survive out on the lone prairie.

"Casablanca" is, unarguably, one of the greatest films ever to emerge from the Hollywood dream factory. So, it's entirely fitting that the prolific and hugely talented Aljean Harmetz should give us the ultimate bible, road-map and encyclopedia of this Bogart-Bergman classic.
It's a fascinating read from cover to cover, including scores of back stories relating to every stage of the film's development. What's more, it will help settle hundreds of bar-room bets, thus paying for itself many times over! To author Harmetz, I can only say, "Here's looking at you kid!"

As a Casablanca lover (words don't do it justice), I ate this book up. Harmetz writes with warmth about nearly everyone involved in the film except Jack Warner, about whom she writes with a deserved respect. The stories of the bit players, most refugees, expanded the Casablanca context tremendously for me. The suspense, and the tale of how this gem could have been different in so many ways (or not produced at all), made me appreciate this cultural icon even more. I haven't seen the film since reading this book, but you bet when I do I'm going to turn off the phone.

Aljean Harmetz's "Round Up the Usual Suspects" is one of the best books on the making of what is probably the best film of the 1940s (and possibly of all time). Harmetz explains almost every aspect of the story--often sounding more like fiction than fact--of the making of this all-time winner. These aspects include who was behind the camera, the actors, and the writers. She provides many details about life behind the WB shield--which collaborates the view of Jack Warner as a jerk seen in a fine book,"Hollywood Be Thy Name"--the fights on who wrote the screenplay, and how they all meshed together to create an enduring classic. She also explains how the film escaped the propanganda machine of later 1940 films. If you love this film, you should read this book! Let us hope that it returns to print witht he release of the special DVD edition of "Casablanca".

All information in this book is usefull, even if you aren't writing screenplays. There were a lot of interviews which were somewhat helpful but not what I personally was looking for. I was looking for more of how to format a screenplay and there was not a lot of this in the book. Also some of the websites in the book did not work (which Hamlett could not have had any control of). I was very dissapointed that the Film camp that has a few pages of the book dedicated to it's website hasn't been updated since 2003. There were a lot of good exercises and things to do. I reccomend this book to writers in general. If you are a screenwriter or just starting out I recommend that you buy this book along with "How to Write a Screenplay in 21 Days" together these two books are a great starting point.

With ageism sweeping Hollywood recently, and executives apparently desperately looking for the "next genius 18-year-old screenwriter," it was only a matter of time before someone wrote a screenwriting manual "just for kids."

Still, Christina Hamlett does not fall into the trap of dumbing down the material. Though aimed at high school students, she treats every aspect of the screenwriting process with the same sérieux one would use for a book aimed at the adult market. Indeed, it covers all the same topics (finding ideas, writing dialogue, structure, character, formatting etc.).

Differences are noticeable in the tone of the examples used, which are a bit more fanciful than usual, and in the exercises in each chapter, which are really designed for the classroom. As such, the book is probably even more valuable to teachers of a beginning screenwriting class for young adults than for the teen screenwriter himself.

The advice is good, with an interesting take on structure. There is a lot of information on getting an agent (perhaps a tad too optimistic here), as well as interviews with industry professionals to conclude each chapter (and the ageism issue gets referred to a lot, strangely enough). For those who remain cynical about the whole thing: the one 14-year-old writer interviewed here prefers Rashomon and Citizen Kane. So there may be hope yet.

This book fills an important niche for the ever increasing teen film market. It does so, however, with instructions and lessions that are valuable for all in the industry and for anyone who thinks an Academy Award winning screenplay is just a blank sheet of paper away. The author not only provides a very comprehensive guide to screenwriting, but also tests the motivation of the young writers and their fidelity to their craft.

This book is like the mentor every screenwriter longs to have, but rarely has the good luck to find. The idea of writing a screenplay is glamorous, yes, but none to easy to accomplish. I've been working as a screenwriter since my 20s, but I sure wish this book had been around when I first dreamed of writing movies. Christian Hamlett's book can tell you how to get started and how to successfully reach that longed-for goal, the final fade out. What a boon to young screenwriters just getting started! Christina Hamlett's book offers heaps of practical advice, and the interviews she includes provide the reader with additional voices of wisdom. I intend to recommend it to any teenager interested in creating a screenplay.

I fully endorse all the previous reviews of this book. ScreenteenWriters is excellently structured, full of everything a budding playwright would need to know (and not only a budding writer!) This book is extremely user friendly, and simple in its explanations of complex concepts. Definitely, A MUST BUY. Thank you, Christina Hamlett!

Author Joe McGinnis gives an inside view of the highly-controlled, thoroughly-packaged 1968 Presidential campaign of Richard Nixon. Readers see how the Nixon team made its political commercials and stage-managed campaign events in order to manipulate the public. Nixon had lost a close race eight years earlier to John F. Kennedy, in part because he'd looked haggard in his TV debate appearances. This time he and his handlers were determined that Nixon would be scrubbed and scripted while avoiding debates. In short, they peddled Nixon to voters the way corporations promote cars and cosmetics. Nixon had a huge advantage in money and thus television ad buys, and he went on to a narrow victory on Election Day over Democrat Hubert Humphrey. Ironically, Nixon's packaged 1968 effort seems amateurish compared with today's media-specialized, poll-driven campaigns. Consider that in 2004 President Bush used the secret service as his private Gestapo to illegally detain dissenters, and even his supporters had to sign contracts in order to attend his campaign rallies.

Some accused McGinnis of betraying Nixon with this book, a charge later leveled against him when he wrote the true-crime narrative FATAL VISION. Others argue that he did his job and let the public see an un-reported, dark side of politics. Whatever your view, this is a concise, informative, interesting look at political manipulation.

Somewhere in the second chapter of this splendid book, Leonard Hall, national Republican chairman said; "You sell your candidates and your programs the way a business sells its products." This succinct message captures the essence of Joe McGinniss and his book, "The Selling of the President."
The author explains how Richard Nixon is packaged and distributed to the American people by clever television professionals.

The marriage of politicians and advertising men first took place in 1956 when Dwight Eisenhower ran for re-election and selected the agency of Batton, Barto, Durstine and Osborn. McGinniss explains that the basic advertising concepts remained unchanged right up to 1968 but that Richard Nixon made every use of all the sophisticated technical advances of the day. Moreover, the author details how slick New York advertising men seduced voters which elevated them from the smoky parlors to the expensive suites with the political big shots.

Advertising executives allowed Nixon to dominate the airwaves. To this end, the television campaign allowed Nixon to get through the campaign with a dozen or so carefully worded responses that would cover all the problems of America in 1968. After a while it is rather clear that Richard Nixon is basically a boring man. However, with proper packaging Nixon soon represented competence, respect for tradition, serenity, faith that the American people were better than people anywhere else, and that all these problems others shouted about meant nothing in a land blessed with the tallest buildings, strongest armies, biggest factories, cutest children, and rosiest sunsets in the world.

I found the marriage of political and advertising minds fascinating. Of particular interest is how certain keywords such as conscientiousness, vigorous, party unifier, newness, glamour, humor, warmth could create a television facade to hide a candidate's blemishes. This is a great book and should be used in the classroom to show how television altered how politics and campaigns are orchestrated in the United States.

Bert Ruiz

Joe McGinniss joined the Nixon campaign as an observer, and wrote this book of connected stories. Nixon's team had a number of advertising and TV professionals. The book lacks and index and a table of contents. The cover shows Nixon's face on a pack of cigarettes - an apt metaphor. They are heavily advertised, and bad for you in the short and long run. People know this, but they buy them anyway!

Chapter 1 shows Nixon taping commercials for varied markets. "I pledge an all-out war against organized crime in this country." But investigations into organized crime was later halted. Chapter 2 tells us that politics, like advertising, is a con game! Both promise more than they deliver. McGinniss says Nixon lost in 1960 because the camera portrayed him clearly (p.32). I think the TV audience judge he was lying, the radio audience took him at his word. By 1968 Nixon learned how to act sincere. He would appear mellow, not intense; respected, if not loved (p.34). Page 36 explains how this works: saturated TV advertising showing the candidate and giving the desired impression, followed by public appearances where he doesn't say anything. TV would be controlled to transmit the best images (p.38). Chapter 3 tells about Harry Treleaven, who worked on the 1966 campaign for George Bush; he was elected because he was likeable, and none knew his stand on the issues. More people vote for emotional than logical reasons (p.45). Chapter 4 explains the power of TV. "The press doesn't matter anymore: (p.59). Painting Nixon as mellow was their way to overcome the old Nixon. Chapter 5 tells how the TV shows were staged for each region. Page 64 explains the politics for a panel of questioners. The selected audience applauded every answer. Chapter 6 says that if Nixon could not act warmer they would produce commercials that made him so!

Chapter 7 tells how a commercial would "create a Nixon image that was entirely independent of the words" (p.85). "The secret is in the juxtaposition" (p.88). (Was this parodied in that scene in "The Parallax View"?) Once complaint was of a picture of a soldier who had scrawled "LOVE" on his helmet; a new picture was found with a plain helmet. Later they received a letter from that soldier's mother - Mrs William Love (p.92)! Page 99 tells why you never saw a farmer on this show. Or a psychiatrist (p.100)! Chapter 9 gives an insider's view to the commercial images and what they meant. Chapter 10 tells of seeking Wallace voters with a ballad. Another trick was to be seen as a friend of Billy Graham. Chapter 11 tells of Nixon's shrinking lead. How could a slick production lose to a rough-edged show? Chapter 12 rates a Humphrey commercial as "contrived and tasteless" (p.138), but also "most effective" since it showed HHH as a real person in open air, not being kept in a TV studio. Chapter 13 explains how a TV show worked. People would call in with questions; these would be passed to the staff. They would be scrapped, and prepared questions and their answers used (p.149).

The Appendix contains various memos from the campaign; relevant extracts from "Understanding Media" and its analysis. Page 187 notes the good appeal of "reagan". Reagan's personal charisma is noted on plage 189. Pages 218-220 explain the benefits of print advertising over TV. Page 233 mentions the strategy of a challenger: the candidate stands for change (you assume what that means). These memos concern Nixon's run, but are applicable to other candidates today. How much has changed since 1968?

First off, let's get one thing straight: McGinniss infiltrated the Nixon Campaign, pure and simple. Not exactly what you'd call honorable journalism.

That said, "The Selling of the President" remains the definitive case study of the first sophisticated use of television in American Presidential Politics. Having worked in political public relations for three years, the characterizations and quotes ring completely true. While the public was dismayed by the widening morass in Vietnam, there's no denying the fact that Nixon's very astute use of the tube helped catapult him into the office he ultimately disgraced.

Yes, mass media image-building is now the politician's stock in trade: Willy talking boxers versus briefs, the Veep doing the Macarena, and George The Elder fumbling at the checkout counter.

"The Selling of the President 1968" is written in tough, punchy prose, and chillingly accurate. I'm certain The Founding Fathers would flinch.

Highly recommended as a continuing reality check.

Roger Ailes started out as a whiz kid producer in his twenties who was given the responsibility of producing a highly rated, popular, syndicated network television program, "The Mike Douglas Show." From there he moved on to politics, using the same kind of marketing routines that Madison Avenue gurus employ in the cases of super market commodities. Joe McGinniss managed to sneak aboard the Nixon for President campaign without having his main purpose discovered, that of writing up what he observed. Had Ailes or any of his underlings known, McGinniss would assuredly have been instantly dismissed. Had candidate Nixon ever learned the response would, almost assuredly, have been apoplectic, given Nixon's all-consuming hatred for reporters of anything but a fawning bent.

The book is humorous in many respects, while the overall result of the effort reported, selling a candidate who would ultimately become the only U.S. president to resign in disgrace, is anything but funny. "The Selling of the President" gives us an indication of how far we have plummeted in presidential campaigns where spin control dominates over critical substance. For instance, just twenty years after Nixon's 1968 victory over Hubert Humphrey, George Bush was elected by exploiting the American flag and a Massachusetts rapist named Willie Horton. The 1984 campaign of President Ronald Reagan stressed the theme of "Morning in America" despite prolific evidence that the temporary prosperity proudly exploited resulted from a credit card spending effect linked to an irresponsible tax cut which ultimately left America in serious debt.

The ultimate value of McGinniss' book is learning just how cynically Ailes and the spin control brigade seeks to manipulate American voters. To readers of George Orwell the pattern will contain a distinctly familiar ring.

William Hare

Comprehensive guide to Media aesthetics.
References and examples could be updated, but overall covers every aspect of media aesthetics and production.

I was an Army broadcaster for nearly thirty years, commanding major audio-visual activities and the largest radio-television network in the Defense Department, located in central Europe. In these assignments, all of Dr. Zettl's texts were used as our training gold standard. When I managed the Army "audiovisual school", the Soldiers Manual and other texts for television production were written with his principles, theories, and practices in mind. As an educator pioneering a film and TV school in a large college, all my TV courses in production were Zettl-based. I found that many leading industry executives (who's who among top networks) began their early education - as I did - in colleges that used the Zettl TV Production Handbook. In TV hands-on assignments, I continue to use his lighting templates and theories. I admonished my students to never cash-in his texts at the end of the course, but to keep them as references.

I have the essential text series: Video Basics, TV Production Handbook, and most especially, Sight, Sound & Motion. The best DVD on the subject ever produced is his own Zettl TV Lab 3.0.

I can't imagine any professional without the "Bibles" of visual information and TV production. All are well worth the price if you are career-minded, or a current industry member but learned your trade "on-the-job". The texts will not only provide context, but with details and information to help you throughout your career.

I love that you offer these books so inexpensively. If I went to my universtiy bookstore I would have paid three times as much. I can use my own money without having to use loan money to pay for books!

The book is totally new and under very good condition, and the dilievery time is much earlier than i expected.

This text thoroughly explains the intricacies of applied media asthetics in a concise and completely accessible way. It is a well organizied text that ehances its presentation through the use of many illustrations. I believe that this is the best text on the subject and that it has been since its first edtion.

This book provides a ton of images from the sets of our favorite sitcoms. I was surprised to find some of the sets from shows I'd completely forgotten about (Murphy Brown) that had gorgeous sets.

My one complaint would be that some of the articles reference items on the set that aren't pictured. The Will & Grace designer refers to a painting that isn't shown in the book, but is featured on the set.

That aside--this is a great buy. I keep it on my coffee table by the remotes as a conversation piece.

I absolutely love this book!! If you are a TV fanatic like me you will like this book too. It shows you different sitcom homes and the decor and talks about how they are decorated and gives you pointers if you want to decorate the same way.

This book was well stocked with information on not only how these imaginative places were decorated but also where to purchase them in reality. I have sometimes saw an item on TV and wondered where it could be found and this book tells you. It is definately a read more than once book. I thouroughly enjoyed this book.

Overall, the book is good and gives access to information and pictures you cannot find anywhere else. However, I expected more pictures and less text. Pity that some of sitcoms mentioned were not illustrated at all. I bought this book specifically to get decent pictures of Frasier's filming set but was disappointed - the set is so fabulous it almost deserves a separate book on itself, and all it got was a couple of less than perfect photos.

Sitcom Style provides an in-depth look at the process, styles and techniques utilized by set designers to make the unknown television character immediately familiar to the television audience. The book strikes a perfect balance between trivia on some of the most famous pieces of furniture ever seen on television, such as Archie Bunker's chair, and close ups of the actual technical diagrams used by television producers.

Ms. Friedman's lucid explanations on the relationship between a television character's projected personality and a set designers choice of furniture and layout, provides valuable insight into the design of any living space. Detailed deconstructions of various sets, such as the open layout of Frasier's sophisticated living room or the use of a club chair to project the assured confidence of Murphy Brown, end up being valuable guides in how to project your own sense of character in your personal living space. The inclusion of a buying guide at the end of the book with accompanying websites and phone numbers is helpful as well.

While the book already does a great job of providing decorative insight along with television history, one would hope the author would do another book with even more home decoration tips. My only detraction would be the failure to examine some of the more popular canine abodes on television.

Strongly suggested as a holiday gift to anyone who enjoys television history and trivia, home decoration and style, or both!