Ron Howard Books

When I first found out about this book, I immediately came to Amazon and read the reviews listed with this one. I must whole heartedly agree with my fellow reviewers that this book is filled with a lot of never before seen photos and information about George Lucas that the public has never had access to before. It is graphically beautiful. When I first received my copy, I literally couldn't put it down for hours. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about the man behind the Star Wars saga.

This guy has got it together - a great look inside the creative process and genius of the modern film maker. Absolute must have for a Star Wars fan or anyone wanting to learn more about the cause and effect this one man has had on the film industry, movie making, motion pictures and the technology to bring them to life - far beyond any one else has ever done before..... travel into hyperspace with this book.

By now, most people have seen one George Lucas film, just as they have most likely seen a film by Steven Spieldberg. This wonderfully photographed and informative coffee table book has everything you need to know about the directoral genius and the history of his films. It all began in the late 60's, when he and Steven Spieldberg graduated from USC in Southern California. They would both go on to become leading American film directors. Lucas's first attempt at film was a successful student film- THX 1138, a chilling science fiction film about a futuristic, militant society akin to George Orwell's 1984. Already, there are signs of his most recognizable movie Star Wars as in that film a young man defies the oppressive regime and attempts to rescue himself but fails to do so. In the mid 70's, Lucas had already created the storylines for his Star Wars saga. It is a 9 part saga. We have seen Episodes 1-6. Beginning in 1977 with Episode 4 A New Hope, the film that won him instant fame. The book recounts the making of the film on location, the casting of Mark Hammill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford- actors who at that time were in need of a successful film role. The book even details original scenes that were cut off. In 1980, The Empires Strikes Back was released and it proved to be the highest grossing sequel of a film ever made. 1983's Return of the Jedi, as wonderfully made as it was, has never been as successful as the first two, though it raps the saga nicely. In 1999, Lucas released Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, the first installment of his space opera which tells of the growth and downfall of the young Anakin Skywalker who becomes Darth Vader. 2002's Attack of the Clones dealt with the Clone Wars and the budding romance of Padme and Anakin. 2005's Revenge of the Sith describes the Sith takeover and the destruction of the Old Republic and extinction of the Jedi, all except for Yoda, Obi-Won and Padme's twins Luke and Leia. Lucas had a hand in the making of Spieldberg's popular Indiana Jone series. We have seen how he has become a film-maker who relies on great stories and the magic effects of cinema and computer graphic/digital technology. He is the only director who can point us to the path of how future movies will be made.

This book is filled with rare and beautiful images from the Lucas archive. If you're interested in George Lucas, there is no alternative. The story is pretty good, although a little limited. If you combined the images from this book with the detailed story in DROIDMAKER (subtitled- George Lucas and the Digital Revolution- which i just read straight through and LOVED), I think you'd have the perfect Lucas book. Still, i highly recommend this.

Excellent book about Lucas' life and projects. Special focus is of course on Star Wars and Indiana Jones. The Star Wars (original film) is the best chapter and there is some excellent stuff there - including segments from the first draft of the film and how the story changed from the first and final draft. This tells the real story about Lucas and his incredible path from the shy film student to the man that would change film making forever. A must for all fans of films. This is a truly interesting book with some great pictures and it is very easy to read. Highly recommended.

I found Ms. Gray's study of Ron Howard to be a highly creative and attention-grabbing presentation of a man with a constantly developing and fascinating career and personality, ranging from his child-actor beginnings through his current reputation as a successful director in many genres. The book brought to life his early years in the Andy Griffith television series and "The Music Man." The author's treatment of his recent film, "A Beautiful Mind," is especially moving and insightful and tied together Howard's consistency and creative exploration in all of his work. His ever-present optimism, human decency, energetic habit of taking on new challenges, and loyal respect for others in his life and his work is presented in a very appreciative and in-depth way.

Beveryly Gray is truly a wonderful biographer. She captures the tone and warmth of Ron Howard throughout the book. Beverly also puts you "in the know" for the locales, such as Greenwich, Connecticut, where Ron Howard moved to partially shield his children from the "glamorous temptations of the film industry." This is a book for people who want to take a walk with Howard and really get to know what drives him. It's warm, friendly, and low-key, just like its subject. And a great read! Well done, Beverly! Oh, by the way, did I mention Beverly also teaches film at UCLA Extension. A wonderful, warm person in her own right.

One of the advantages of an "unauthorized" biography is that it should offer a more creative and exciting challenges to the biographer and a much greater illumination to the reader.
There is always the danger when a biography is authorized that a conflict of interest may arise and the truth may be compromised.

Beverly Gray's unauthorized biography Ron Howard From Mayberry to the Moon..and Beyond is a "putting the record straight" kind of a book, wherein some of the myths that have been prevalent in the press for so many years are explored and set aside.

Many of us have grown up with Ron Howard the child actor Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show, and then as Richie Cunningham of Happy Days.
Today, Ron Howard is a well known Hollywood film director and producer, who directed such films as: Through the Magic Pyramid, Night Shift, Cocoon, Willow, Parenthood, Backdraft, Far and Away, The Paper, Apollo 13, Ransom, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Academy award winner, A Beautiful Mind.

Gray practically begins her story from the cradle. Howard was born of parents, who themselves were actors, and at eighteen months he captured his first acting role as a crying baby, thanks to the efforts of his father.
Throughout his life, his parents, Rance and Jean Howard, played a tremendous role in shaping his life, and at the tender age of five years his father had imparted in him professionalism and basic acting techniques that have remained with him throughout his career.

As we read Howard's "unauthorized" biography, we are amazed at the extensive research that must have gone into the writing of this book, most of which was gleaned from Howard's interviews with the media over the years, as well as the author's interviews with many of his associates.
One advantage of writing Howard's biography in the prime of his life is that almost everyone is still around from his youth and his filmmaking career.

Practically no stone is left unturned, as we trudge along with the author from Howard's early childhood until his present day directing achievements.
We learn of his successes as well as his failures, and very often we are privy to some little known facts about him.
As an example, Howard was in awe by director George Lucas's talents and counter culture approach to filmmaking, as was in evidence in the film American Graffiti, where Howard had been asked to improvise scenes with other actors.

Movie buffs will surely appreciate the four appendices included at the end of the book that provide a timeline for the actor, filmography as an actor, filmography as a director and producer, and his major awards and honors.

One deficiency I found with the book, and one that is very prevalent in many biographies, is the creation of a narrative pattern that relies on the chronological tick of events; the day- by -day or year- by- year pattern should have been re-imagined. If the author had made Howard's story more innovative, it would have been more attractive to its readers.

Norm Goldman-Travel Writer and Editor Bookpleasures

Did you ever want to be Opie when you were a kid? I did. The thing about Opie was that even when he got into trouble, and he did get into trouble, everybody still liked him. Beverly Gray, in Ron Howard From Mayberry to the Moon, presents a good case that the same is true of Mr. Howard. Everybody in the motion picture business likes him, that is if you exclude a few pretentious critics (and even they probably like him, just not always his happy endings). Nice guys do NOT always finish last.

Howard did not cooperate with this biography because "he felt himself to be in midcareer and not ready to participate in a long range assessment of his accomplishment." OK, fair enough. Keep that in mind while you are reading, but do read it.

From Opie to Richie to director, this is a detailed portrait of a man whom everyone agrees is a real mensch and who is wildly successful. It is also fascinating, and adds to Howard's charm, to realize who loyal he is to his family and friends, yet how honestly he treats them when casting projects. Simply put, if he feels they are right for a part, they get it; if not, they don't. That takes quite a bit of respect and love - from the actor and the director.

Gray's extensive interviews bring out some interesting bits of trivia about Howard. Her prose flows nicely and her organization is excellent. Maybe in another forty years or so, she can write an update - next time with Ron Howard's input.

I read Beverly Gray's book on "Ron Howard: From Mayberry to the Moon... and Beyond". I found it to be very easy to read, very entertaining and full of interesting stories about Ron. Ms. Gray was objective, diplomatic and kind, never to offend any party involved. I thoroughly enjoyed the book so much so that I finished reading it in one and a half day while sun bathing in Del Mar, California recently.

Mike Gottfried grew up with a overriding dream in his life--to coach college football. And that is just what he did, and very successfully, until he was unexpectedly fired. Toward the end of a stint as a college football analyst at ESPN, he discovered an even greater thing than a passion--a purpose. Gottfried started and continues to head an organization that seeks to fill the hole in a boy's spirit that is left when he has no father to fill that hole. Gottfried knows that hole well, it is one he has himself. His father died of a heart attack when he was 11. A number of coaches, a brother and other men help fill that void in his own life, but he knows many boys are not that fortunate. Gottfried makes it plain that he knows what he does is a ministry and the purpose that God put on his life and not something he merely stumbled onto by himself. This is an excellent testament to how God can use a person's hurt to bless someone else, and they both win.

This book made me laugh and cry and brought a deeper understanding of all the emotions of growing up without a Dad. I'm so thankful for Mike Gottfried and the work of Team Focus! Go Coach!

This book takes you to small town USA into a boy's life who has suddenly lost his father. It shows an overcoming spirit and the ability to reach through his own pain to touch other's lives. I think Mike Gottfried can reach young men world wide with his Father's heart.

The coach tells a very inspiring story and informs us with some very good stats on the power of fathers. This is an excellent read for any father - football fan or not.

Mike Gottfriend speaks from his heart in this inspiring book. I intend to buy more books to share with school personnel and church ministers so they can have insight on what my sons go through on a daily basis. Anyone who wants to learn more on fatherless boys and the struggles they have must read this book. It encourages and motivates me as a mother and I'm grateful that Mike truly understands and cares. My sons love Mike and wish they could find more men like him. They now have a book that they will treasure for a lifetime!

I am looking for someone that knows something about old books like the home garden handbook published in 1927

This book is amazing. It excels (no pun intended) not just in showing solutions, but even more important, it provides concepts and a way of thinking about solving Excel problems.
If there is one book about Excel that I recommend reading cover to cover, this is it. Even though it covers Excel 95, it is now, 10 years later, still actual.

One of the excellent book of Excel. However it is out of stock. I lent it from the library and can't find it from any book store. I hope the publisher will re-printed it.

This book doesn't deal the basics. It gives you everthing about advanced options and solution strategies. The cd-rom is very good, with many excersises and solutions. I wanted to have read this book earlier.

I am a heavy duty user of Excel and I support users of the application too. This is one of the best books I have seen on Excel's most powerful features. The chapters on array formulas and range names are the best I have read on the subject. This book is outstanding. I am here writing this review because I was hoping to order a copy for work.

I didn't want the book to end! It was fast paced, full of twists and turns. The topic and depth of knowledge by both Lawson and Speers gave it a very real and eerie context. I felt like I was in the airplane at the controls with the lead character. Not a normal place for me to be, but the way they wrote the dialogue I was right there with them. Deserves to be a best seller! Can't wait to see what these characters are up to in the next book! A must read!

This book has so much going for it, various characters, plots, sub plots, etc. It moved along and reminded me of the James Bond series of books written by Ian Fleming. The authors collective backgrounds made it not only a great adventure but truely showed their vast knowledge of subject matter.
A great read! I look forward to reading the next chapter of the Mallory chronicles!

First, to be fair, this is my kind of book. It's a guy book. Not that women would not enjoy it (strong female character), but it's about men- bonding, trust, flying, loving, losing, joy and despair. About being a man, a soldier, a husband and a father. Corny? Perhaps. Could I pick at the book because it's sentences are a little awkward or simplistic? And using flashbacks works well on the screen, but for me (read: village idiot) not too well in books with multiple characters. But that's like avoiding road racing because the harness wrinkles your clothes. I started this book on a Thursday night one chapter, Friday night, another, and woke up with the flu on Saturday. And read the rest of the entire book.

It's one of those books that once you are finished you begin to wonder how another book will hold your interest. All of a sudden all the books you were thinking of reading next become, well, tarnished.

I had a great time, thanks for the ride!

The Hidden Empire is a fast-moving, intriguing novel which combines the military, religious and political worlds in a fascinating way. The authors' extensive backgrounds with the military and intelligence communities are evident as they write a book which, throughout its complex story-line, evolves as a truly believable plot. Deke Mallory and the other characters become indelibly imprinted on the mind of the reader.

A great collection of stories of the old pulp character, Anyone with an interest in the old pulps of the thirties and forties will enjoy this book. I'm glad to see a resurgeance of interest in these characters, A new series of reprints of the Spider is also on the way. Well worth the price. Buy it!

I have not gotten my copy yet, but feel I should make some comments on this book. It is great to see a resurgence in interest in the pulps. I hope we see new stories with The Shadow, Doc Savage, The Phantom Detective, G8 and His Battle Aces. These were great action packed series. Great escapism. Love it!!!

As long as there are those who still recall and love the glory days of the hero Pulp Magazine, the heroes will never die! Reprints were our only contact with the Master of Men, the Violent Avenger, until the release of this action-packed trade paperback! Pulp authorities such as Will Murry, Joe Gentile, and C.J. Henderson have cooked up a brand new batch of two-fisted tales that will make the true pulp fan slaver and drool. The earth-shaking artwork is a more realistic version of the Spider as described in the old magazines, but as he seldom appeared on the covers. This collection is a Royal Flush. You can't beat it. It leaves the true pulp fan longing for other hero collections: Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Avenger, G-8, The Green Lama, etc. Now if I went story by story, I might ding a few authors, but as a cillection, solid pulp! Quote the Raven...

Perhaps one of the most interesting setting books for Werewolf: the Apocalypse, this book ventures into Egypt, the ancient homeland of the Silent Striders. After a wonderful piece of fiction telling the tale of Nepthys, kin to the Silent Striders who fell into vampirism and the punishment she recieved, this book starts out with a nice introduction to the themes and mood of the setting, complete with a lexicon of Garou specific words for Egypt, the Middle East and Africa. The next chapter covers the history of Egypt from the Garou's point of view (with input on the Mokole and Bastet), starting from Set and Osiris' war in ancient Egypt to the coming of Islam to the British, French and Turksih occupations to the modern era. Theres even a nice little timeline of Egypt's history with dates, and a chronology of rulers (the various Egyptian Dynasties, the Roman and Byzantine Empires, Arab Caliphates, etc).

In the subsequent chapter we get a look at major elements in Egypt's culture, politics, geography and environment including a look at Islam, political parties, indigenous wildlife, minorities like the Copts, ancient ruins, cities like Cairo and Alexandria and places such as Lake Nasser or the Sinai. More importantly, there is an examination of the supernatural side of Egypt, including a look at the Tuat, Egypt's unique cultural spin on the Umbra, which includes four Umbral Towers (one for each element and direction, spiritually marking the boundaries of Egypt's borders) and the Twelve Hours of the Night (twelve Umbral Domains from Egypt's mythology). There is also a look at major Garou and Wyrm Caerns in Egypt. The next chaper goes onto to cover major NPCs for each Tribe, including Cairene Glass Walkers and Bone Gnawers, the Silver Fangs of House Wise Heart, Bedouin Uktena, Red Talons in the Western Desert, Sufic Stargazers, British Fianna and, of course, the Silent Striders.

The fourth chapter looks at major storyteller devices in Egypt, such as Jackal Fever, the Eaters of the Dead, the Egyptian Umbra, Sutekh's Curse and a secret Rite developed by the Children of Gaia that allows the Silent Striders to briefly return to Egypt. Theres also an examination of the Ahadi, an alliance of African Fera which includes Egypt in it's territory, and a look at the native Shifters of Egypt (Mokole, Bastet, etc), as well as some information for games set in ancient Egypt. Following this is a chapter on various antagonists in Egypt, such as the vampiric Followers of Set, Endron Oil (a subsidiary of Pentex), the Black Spiral Dancers, the Ratkin of Suez and even a few horrors unique to Egypt. This book does a wonderful job covering Egypt (and the Middle East in general), especially with the metaplot of the Striders trying to retake their homeland from the Leeches. Not only that, but your players can get in on everything from Jackal Fever and the fall of House Wise Heart to the sealing of the Ahadi. A great resource, and it fits in well with other Mummy and "Year of the Scarab" products in representing Egypt and the Middle East.

Since I started playing Werewolf: the Apocalypse, one of my favorite tribes has always been the Silent Striders. They are so enygmatic, so tragic. Now, there comes a time for this tribe to get payback! The coming of the Red Star has given hope to the Striders to gain back their ancient homeland. And they have allies in this war!

From the moment you take this book in your hands, it's amazing. It has one of the best cover arts in any Werewolf product I have ever seen (except, perhaps Werewolf: the Dark Ages). The book details the role of the denizens of the World of Darkness in Egypt, from the point of view of the Garou; it tells us more about the Curse that was laid upon the tribe; their connection to the origin of the Setite vampires; a very special kind of Bane that haunts the Egyptian deserts and their relationship towards other supernaturals (other Fera ans the Mummies, for instance).

If you are a fan of this tribe, or if you want to take your Werewolf chronicles into the lands of sand, buy this book!

I instantly felt a great spirit of humility in Cal Pierce's account of how the Healing Rooms have been re-established. This book is not so much about Cal Pierce, or even the Healing Rooms, and definitely not about some hyped up philosophy or phony "name it and claim it" ideals. It is not about the seemingly select few that have "healing ministries" as if healing belonged to them. Healing belongs to God, and it operates wherever His presence is! This is an account of what happens when God's people simply understand and believe who He is as Jesus the Healer, and make room for Him to work. I believe you will be challenged and blessed by this book -- let it plant the seeds of pure faith into your heart and mind, and come to know our Great Savior and Physician better. You can visit [...] for more info on this ministry, or to locate a nearby Healing Room.

At first sight, you might think that the author was just copying some formula used 80 years ago. But, as you read on, you discover Cal Pierce's heart and the sincerity of God's call on his life. You quickly see that this book is the manifestation of God raising up an army of believers that are going to tear up Satan's kingdom and destroy his weapon of sickness!
This book takes you on the spiritual journey of one man as he journeys from the promise to the possession of that promise. It's good to know that there are men and women of God that are not afraid to "walk on water" and step out boldly and say, "God has a calling on my life". He also delves into the healing power of God's Holy Spirit through them that believe in the name of Jesus Christ. I was truly inspired upon reading this book.
If you have a call of God on your life, you need to read this book. If you need a healing, you need to read this book. If you want to be aware of the coming healing revival that God is getting ready to pour out over the US, you NEED to read this book.

This book by Ron Rose is a must read for all new or soon to be Dad's. Each of the 30 chapters is broken down in to four sections 1) a bible verse 2)an up to date story which reflects on the verse 3) a sample letter a fictional father might write to their child and 4) 2 pages for your reflections to journal concrete ways to make a difference in your children's lives. What I enjoyed most is that it takes very little time each day and is very easy but meaningful reading. Some of the topics include:overcoming deficiencies, giving undeserved love, nuturing your child's faith and controlling one's anger. I initially thought that this would be a book that I would read and then never go back to, but as a father of three now, I go back and review my journal notes at least twice a month! This is the one present I always buy for my first time father friends!

I found the story between the two characters to be most interesting. You were learning about that particular time period without even knowing it. The sceneary was breah taking and i highly recommend seeing the flick and reading the paperback.