Leonard Nimoy Books

Leonard Nimoy is an honest man, of deep feeling. You can read touching poems in this book by this warm-hearted actor. You can see that love is a very important thing in his life and he takes it seriously. I recommend everybody this poetry book with all my heart.

You all may love Mr. Nimoy and his performances as the unforgettable Spock on the original television series Star Trek, but there is no way you're going to be able to read this entire book of poetry...

without getting a cramp in your side from laughing so hard.

This is by far the worst love poetry I've ever encountered, made doubly so by it's lovable author. Enjoy!

I got this book for its kitsch value. "Ooooh, poetry by Spock! My Trekkie sweetheart will love that. AND it has a title similar to a phrase I use that my sweetheart likes." I also got him the CD of the best of Nimoy and Shatner. I gave it to him as an early Christmas present, and we sat in bed reading it together. I cried because it touched so deeply the things I feel for my man and the feelings I have about innocence and love. It was simply beautiful, and totally unexpected. I now want to get more of Leonard Nimoy's writing. I highly recommend this book, especially for people in love.

This is the first book of Mr. Nimoy's poetry that I have read, and I was captivated by the first page. As the title suggests, it is a book of poems about love and the joy of childhood. It has a very friendly and sincere tone that is easy to warm up to. I only wish it was not such a short book (though it is not too expensive, so it was not unfair)! I would warn away hardened cynics though; they are likely to think the poetry too optimistic ;-).

I gave my only cherished copy to my first love 31 years ago when we parted. Mr Nemoy's words, an intimate narrative of love that transcends place and time...vignettes of heart stirring reveals of lingering connection ... remind me, even now, that those we love deeply, become a part of us... etched indelibly into the landscape of everyday beauty, and the deep architecture of the soul. A disarmingly personal homage to the sacredness of loving.

If you've avoided reading Nimoy's poetry, give this little book a try. It is surprisingly sensitive and tender. Written in free verse, it nevertheless is a masterpiece of modern poetry.

FOUR SCIENCE FICTION CLASSICS is an exceptional compilation of the absolute best the genre had to offer in the 1940s and 1950s. It is composed of six powerful stories which transcend the decades in which they were written, stirring the heart and mind as powerfully now as when they were first published.

While these stories would shine under any conditions, the narrations of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy actually serve to further energize the prose. I was especially moved by the performance of William Shatner. Despite having been a fan of Star Trek for decades, I was completely unprepared for the depth and the brilliance of his vocal talents. Shatner's clear insight into the stories and their characters radiates with every word and intonation.

I could not more strongly recommend either an audio book or a science fiction collection.

I only wanted "Mimsy Were the Borogoves" and it did come separate on tape and even on vinyl at one time. It did not hurt to get the rest of the tapes. Foundation: The Psychohistorians is what the Foundation trilogy is all about and the newer foundation books you can read the separate reviews. The Martian Chronicles is ok but I do not want to spend time reviewing this section, as better reviews will be under the book description.

However Mimsy is a different animal. So I will say something about this. It is a small sci-fi story about a formula that allows you into an alternate universe that everyone used to have access to. The problem with getting there is that it requires a different paradigm and a formula. The paradigm requires a mindset that diapers as we get older and the formula is in front of us if we know where to look. An added plus is that it is read to us enthusiastically by William Shatner

What's beyond the psychic door to man's mind? Is it possible to see the future and visit the past? Can sickness be cured by supernormal forces? Do dreams come true? Can we contact the dead? Here are startling answers to some of the world's most baffling questions. Astounding, fully documented evidence that includes: A ghost who keeps perfect time; Miracle photos of spirit energy; The clairvoyant who tracked a killer; Nature's awesome mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. And hundreds of other mind-stunning wonders from a dimension beyond human perception...

The intensity, conviction, and humanitarianism that have made Leonard Nimoy a distinguished actor have been transferred into a moving and arresting story told in poetry and photographs.

YOU AND I is a fine and sensitive love story that builds with enormous power.

Whoever reads YOU AND I will wish to share its drama with others, and will never forget Leonard Nimoy's vigorous expressions of love unfolding from out of a lifetime of thought and feeling.
--- from book's back cover.

Go get the music CD "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" by Rick Wakeman right after you read this great little book by Jules Verne. You won't be sorry.

This book starts off strong with the Verne's classic style and wit. The initial pages are entertaining, fast-paced and set the premise for a potentially wonderful novel. However, the story quickly slows down as preparations for the trip take entirely too long. In the version I read, the actual journey doesn't begin until page 90. Then, once the journey begins, it is rather uneventful. Verne also puts in too much geological information for the average reader to appreciate. It becomes quite tedious reading about the content of various mineral deposits, composition of the substrata of the earth, etc. While some such material is interesting, Verne goes over the top. This novel fails to display the extent of Verne's talents. For a better taste of his writings, I would recommend "Around the World in 80 Days" or, if you can digest a much longer work, "The Mysterious Island."

Journey To the Center of the Earth was always one of my favorite movies and after all these years, I finally read the book. The book is not like the movie at all. Honestly, I liked the movie better however that is not to say I was in any way disappointed with the book. It moved along quickly and drew me in such that I couldn't put it down and so read it in one sitting. A geologist, his eager young nephew and an Icelandic guide make their way to the earth's core following the footsteps of a previous mysterious explorer into the dark subterranean world of weird plants, animals, rocks and unforeseen dangers. There was no woman with them as in the movie but a female companion might have spiced it up a bit. The Icelander didn't have a pet duck along as in the movie but he was an indispensible partner in the venture. All in all, it was adventurous and fun and worth my time. I enjoyed it very much. Sure glad I finally read the book!
Betsy

Note: Some immature Mormon has been slamming my reviews because I wrote some negative reviews of books attempting to defend the Book of Mormon.

So your "helpful" votes are greatly appreciated. A short review is not necessarily a bad review if it leads you to a great novel. I've just noted the general theme. Thanks

A group of adventures with an old map travel to Iceland and find a cave. They enter the cave and follow a path to the center of the earth, where they find an inner world of strange creatures. Just suspend your belief, and sit back an enjoy this wonderful tale. I experience it first as a movie way back in 1960. Later, I read the novel. Don't miss it.

The concept of a hollow earth was not new in Jules Verne's day (mid-1800s). Its most prominent advocate was Capt. John Cleave Symmes, who advanced the theory in about 1818. Symmes was so convincing that in the 1820s he got twenty-five members of the United States Congress to vote to fund an expedition to the North Pole, where they would enter the center of the earth through a 4,000-mile-wide cavity in the earth.

It was then believed that the Lost Tribes of Israel lived on the North Pole behind a wall of ice. This theory found its way into the revelations of Joseph Smith, who in the Book of Mormon and later, said that the Lost Tribes would break down the ice and return from the "north countries."

Also, check out "At the Earth's Core," by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Land of Terror (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)

It had been many years since I had read a Jules Verne novel, and to be honest, I couldn't recall his skill as a writer at all. When I dug this book off of my bookshelf I admit, I was simply bored and looking for something mindless to read while the children fought over gluing cotton balls to construction paper.

I admit that it took my mind a while to re-acclimate to the writing style of the time, not that it was difficult to read, it was just far too easy to skim. So, bringing my mind to a screeching halt, I sat down and began to truly read this wonderful novel. Let me begin with saying that the science in the novel is extremely outdated but at the time of it's writing, was plausible. If you can get your mind past the huge hurtle of your current scientific knowledge, you can appreciate this book for what it is: a brilliant science fiction/adventure novel. The conventions of the time include misunderstandings of the makeup of the earth, and the propensity to marry one's own cousins.

The book is written in the form of a diary at times, and a retelling at times, of events that had passed previously. The voice of the book is the character Harry, nephew and assistant to Professor Von Hardwigg. The novel begins with the professor's discovery of a secret parchment which when decoded gives the location that a previous explorer used to enter the bowels of the earth. The immediately set out to follow in the footsteps of this great explorer of centuries before. Joining them is Hans, the apparent superman of Iceland. He never complains, rarely talks, and saves the lives of those around him on a regular basis. I cannot help but to believe that this is Verne's ideal man, his "Adonis" if you will. The Professor, though he loves Harry, is a closet ADHD case hidden behind a brilliant and stubborn mind. There is great adoration for his nephew, on those occasions when he stops moving or talking long enough to notice him. Harry, who is telling the story, is easily written off as a coward; however he is so much more than that if you take into account the beliefs of the time. He is following his uncle on a dangerous journey into the unknown to a place he does not even believe exists. (Harry's beliefs are far closer to the reality that we understand, however in this novel they are all completely incorrect)

Upon entering the depths of the earth many hardships and terrors await the three, ranging from dehydration, starvation, dinosaurs, many falls, getting separated, raging storms on underground seas and volcanic eruptions. I won't go into great detail suffice to say that the movie, though highly entertaining, does no justice to this story. Spray painted iguanas with horns are far from what is described in this book. If you have spare time on you hands, this is an excellent read and I would highly recommend it to anyone. There is a reason that this is considered "Literature."

4 of 5 stars.

Ask anybody, old, young, family, friend...if he knows about Mr. Spock: the answer will always be yes. Not anybody has seen a Star Trek TV show or movie but anybody knows about Spock the alien. Why?
Why is star Trek the only serie that has become a legend and has been played for more than 40 years, hundreds of episodes with different casts ?
Because of their creator Gene Rodenberry, because its vison of the future and better world was loved by millions of people, because of the unicity of their actors, especially the first ones, responsible of the creation of this worldwide cultural phenomenon.
So it makes sense to read this actor and art director Leonard Nimoy: Mr Spock has a lot to say here and made a great book, with fun, emotion, philosophy and a mine of information about the creator of the serie, the directors, other actors, etc - must read !

Mr. Nimoy, are you Spock, or are you not Spock? You wrote this book and also wrote another book saying the exact opposite. To write a book saying one thing and to write a book that says the exact opposite is NOT LOGICAL!!! Logic, logic, logic. Fascinating. No, how about stupid. Vulcans don't show emotion, so you should not feel insulted by this review, or will you? Since you can't decide if you are Spock or not hahahaha.

This is a really enthralling book, I read it in a week! I literally could not put it down. It is a history of how Spock came to exist and how he affected the actor's life. Nimoy has done an exellent job showing how Spock was not just a character on tv and movies, but a part of himself. Get it now!!

Star Trek fans will love this book, and non-fans should like it as well. Many celebrity bio's are so Narcissistic you can't finish. Although there was some ego present here it was not overbearing. The first chapter was slow, but it picked up after that. The conversations between Spock and Nimoy are worth the price even to a modest fan of the original series. There were moments when you felt like you were on the set with him. Which made me feel like going back and re-reading all of the Star Trek novels. He also was kind to others in his industry who at times were rather nasty to him. I feel he is an underated actor. His two seasons on Mission Impossible and his episode on Columbo are worth viewing. I give it four stars.

Well written. Mr. Nimoy remains humble and grateful for the success of the show. I am impressed; the book was an easy and yet extremely interesting read. Coming from the perspective of someone who grew up with the show - I enjoyed the details I never knew. Also, growing up without much financial resources (money) Star Trek -for some reason- gave me hope. May you (Mr. Nimoy) and the rest of the crew - live a long and prosperous live. Thank you for the years. May God bless Scotty.

Content: Spock and Q engage in a debate regarding a potentially life-extinguishing asteroid headed toward Earth.

I bought this at a library book sale and assumed that it was a serious debate since the two actors look rather serious on the cover (hint to book artists: cover design should give indication of book content). Listening to this tape was like listening to one of those old radio broadcasts from the mid-20th century era. Spock's final words, "Say goodnight, Q", even echo the old George Burns/Gracie Allen dialogs which ended with "Say goodnight, Gracie". Although the program is supposed to be humorous and even witty - it disappoints due to the unsophisticated silliness which permeates the dialog. Nimoy and deLancie are fine, it is the material that is not very good.

I did enjoy this CD but the debate between the two men sounded so scripted that it took some of the pleasure out of the experience. Unless you're a hard-core Trekker,this isn't for you.

This is a very funny, very witty exchange by two of the most misunderstood beings in our galaxy. This one is as good as the sequel is awful. Stop after you've heard this one. It is a masterpiece!

This tape is very funny, a joy to listen to, although if you aren't very familiar with the history of Star Trek, you will not understand many of the jokes. The premise is that an asteroid is on a collision course with Earth and Q has the power to prevent it. Spock has traveled back in time in an attempt to convince Q that humans are worth saving. A challenge is issued and the two engage in a verbal battle of wits, logic, personality and intelligence. Riddles are stated, puns and subtle insults are thrown and humanities flaws and successes are cited.
Spock remains his logical self, although he allows a bit of a sprite to appear in his personality. Q is still the trickster, yet he allows some of the respect he has for Spock to show through. Recorded in front of a live audience, the performances of Nimoy and de Lancie are excellent. The writing is also superb, many of the jokes and personal barbs are subtle and you must pay close attention or you will miss them. Spock wins the debate and Q moves the asteroid away from the Earth so it will not collide with it for another two decades or so. "Just so that humanity will have something to challenge them in the future." I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this tape two times in quick succession.

I found the audio tape absolutely hilarious. It was a non-stop laugh. I would highly recommend.

I remember when I first laid eyes on Grace Lee Whitney. It was an airing of the Star Trek episode "The Man Trap". At the time the only woman I know who's on the show was Uhura, so I thought she was one of those girls-of-the-week guest stars. I was pleasantly surprised to see that she was a recurring character in the show's early episodes..in fact, one of the main characters. I never understood why her character disappeared and it was a shame, as Yeoman Rand character certainly added a lot to the show, especially in episodes like Miri, Charlie X and The Enemy Within.

Grace Lee Whitney's autobiography is easily one of the more overlooked of the Trek bios as even though she was a major character in the show, and it is also one of the more disturbing and eye-opening.

Grace Lee Whitney was adopted by the Whitney family while still an infant. I have to said that her adoptive mother was a real "B", as she revealed to Grace while she was in her early teens that she was not her "real" mother. This seem to marked a turning point for Grace as she embarked what became a life-long quest to fill that sense of emptiness and belonging. Being born with an addictive personality, booze, drugs and sex naturally and coveniently filled that emptiness.

Grace had a career that any actor would kill for. While not famous, she was a prolific actress and worked constantly. When she was casted as Yeoman Rand in Star Trek, it seems she has finally find a surrogate home she can called her own. That came to a crashing end when Yeoman Rand was written out of the show. Sure, actors loses jobs and get written out of shows all the time, for the most part, they moved on. But not for Grace Lee Whitney. Star Trek became her lifeline and for years afterward, Whitney tried to numb her anger and sorrow with more booze, drugs and sex. The rest of the book chronicled her continual descent and eventual recovery and her road to sobriety.

After reading the bio, I have to say that Grace Lee Whitney doesn't give herself enough credit for her recovery. Her story could have easily been a "poor me a victim of 400 years of oppression" story, but instead, she blamed no one but herself for what she went through (yes, even when she was sexually assualted by an un-named TV exec, she realizes that she should have known better than to place herself in such a vulnerable situation). Her story could also easily have ended like that of Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, Judy Garland, James Dean and even Elvis Presley. We easily could have been reading her obituary, but instead luckily, we are reading that she is alive and well and probably more happy than she has ever been.

In any case, her bio reminds us that in the end, where we eventually ended up is the result of the choices we make. Life is not fair and some people are dealt with a better hand of cards than others..in the end, we still have the freedom to choose where we're going.

It would be easy to ignore "The Longest Trek" as perhaps being the least significant of Trek biographies, but that would be a mistake. Yes, it's a biography of a minor original Trek actress who lasted only one season and in a rather "fifth wheel" role at that, but fortunately for readers the stories of Grace's pre-Trek Hollywood days are damningly interesting, while her post-Trek days are interestingly damning.

As has been noted elsewhere while the book is an autobiography, its main purpose is to serve as a mea culpa for all the disservices done to her friends, lovers, self and career due to alcoholism. But not just alcoholism - in a broader sense Grace suffers from an addictive personality, which when combined with a rather naïve outlook serves only to reinforce her problem. These issues alone could have resulted in an extremely ponderous book on recovery and religious conversion (is Grace simply trading one addiction for another?) but fortunately it's an interesting trip that probably would not have been written if not for the fact that Grace has little to lose by doing so.

Grace is not a deep thinker - she tends to stop analyzing things once she comes up with a rationale that fits the way she'd like them to be, and when it comes to her understanding of other people's motivations, of religion, of cause-and-effect... the simplest explanation is often the chosen one. One can only consider that "The Executive" was already aware that she was to be written out of the series before making his detestable (re-)casting couch pass, that the writers were never quite sure what to do with the character of Janice Rand, and that her lengthy grudge against Roddenberry for not sticking up for her is the main motivation for the rather hypocritical character-assassination chapter where Grace the Sexually Unfaithful Alcoholic Converted Jewish Atheist Turned Dry Born Again Christian lambastes Gene for being a secular humanist in an open marriage. Oh, the irony.

It's best to stop here - much more could be said, but my main thrust in writing all this is to hope that readers will not be scared off by the religious or recovery overtones and enjoy the book. I would have liked to have read more about working with the rest of the Trek cast (only Spock & Kirk receive much mention) but it's fascinating reading nonetheless.

Grace Lee Whitney was a large part of Star Trek in the beginning and I always wondered why she just disappeared from the series..Well, this very insightful autobiography tells you, along with other very interesting anecdotes about her involvement with the series. Yeoman Rand was an interesting character and it would have been neat to see where Grace would have taken this character if she had been allowed to continue in the role.

It's quite revealing how Grace plunged into the depths of alcoholism and other addictions and how she literally "ruined" her career in Hollywood with a bad reputation. However, it's quite inspiring to read how she pulled herself out of this hole and gradually came in touch with her religion and the realization that she needed to change her aberrant behavior and start respecting herself again..For anyone who has experienced great lows in their life, they should read this book and be inspired!

Of all the autobiographies written by former castmembers this is the one that is most heartbreaking..however it does have a happy ending! For all you Trekkies out there this is a must read!!

Grace Lee Whitney writes this book for "Star Trek" fans, certainly, but what she says to addicts -- and those whose lives are affected by them -- is far more powerful. I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Whitney and reviewing this autobiography for The Detroit News when the book was first released. I was struck by her graciousness and kindness, but I was also struck by the gritty strength she conveys in this book. Frankly describing incidents like her hit-and-run on Grand River Avenue in Detroit, and her guarding the bathroom door of a Chicago club while the heroin-addicted Billie Holiday was getting shot-up inside, she just puts it out there, none too concerned what her cult-TV fans will think of her. You've got to appreciate that. And it's pretty clear, throughout the book, that her motives are not to make herself look good, or bad, but to shine a light on the effects of a gruesome and very common illness.

Grace Lee Whitney sounds like a warm, charming, witty, delightful person, and I enjoyed her cautionary tale of substance abuse in the life of a working film actress (not a "star"). In addition, it was great to read a female account of the Star Trek phenomenon NOT written by a woman hell- (or heaven!) bent on proving she is a better man than any or all the men in the known universe.

I think Ms. Whitney was mis-served by her publisher or, perhaps, her collaborator, however. Her book is choppy, repetitive, and contains some misstatements. (Was the character's name "Uhura" or "Uhuru"? How many kids does Shatner have?) A good editor or ghost writer could have limited the meandering, tightened the focus, fact-checked, and improved some of the diction without losing the author's own voice. This is not a criticism of the author (who is a professional actress, not a professional writer) but of the people who printed the book. It is insulting to literate readers to find the equivalent of the following sentence on virtually every page of this book: "I was a green kid wearing bobby sox with my high-heeled shoes, taking it all in with my youthful fascination." (p. 29) (No, I did not red-pencil the book as I read--I opened to a random page to cull that example.)

I'm writing this because Ms. Whitney has points to make about religion and the human spirit that risk getting lost beneath the bad prose. Many educated (perhaps over-educated) people who might benefit from her points will, sadly, refuse even to consider them as they are written; these are the people who know they know everything and turn down their noses on the literary efforts even of C. S. Lewis and Thomas Merton. There is definitely a sharp mind and an excellent psychologist within Grace Lee Whitney, as are shown in her analysis of Gene Rodenberry and some of her throw-away points (such as the religious nature of Star Trek to some of its fans). By her own account she is a person with a lot of energy and perseverence. She deserved the help of someone who could have produced a book that might have transcended both the "Star Trek" and the "Twelve Step" genres.