Gregory Peck Books

This audio version of the Bible makes the New Testament easily accessible to everyone. Both the tone and pace of delivery make it great when travelling, walking, driving or just meditating. You can also grab your Bible and read along. The narration is very soothing and makes reading the Bible a lot of fun. I highly recommend this audio series

I only listened to part of one tape, but I was impressed and am considering buying it. The content is, of course, amazing. But the words are delivered by the deep sound of Gregory Peck, who somehow sounds like he actually went back in time and experienced what he's reading. It's authoritative! I felt like I was listening to a prophet, not an actor.

This unabridged reading of the New Testament in the King James Version is exquisite in its beauty and simplicity. It has no background music, except for a short piece at the end of each book, and Gregory Peck's resonant, gorgeous voice is perfect for the poetic cadence of the text. One of the 20th century's finest actors, Peck's rendition has depth and subtlety, as he skillfully reads the Scripture with gentle emotion, and perfect enunciation.

No matter how many times one has read the Bible, hearing it in an audio version adds a new dimension to the text, whether one just listens, or reads along with it. There is a new layer of understanding that comes with hearing the entire Scripture that brings a fresh insight into certain passages. I have read several translations, and though some are very illuminating (I am partial to the Amplified Bible), I find none quite have the power and beauty of the King James Version.

Oscar winner Peck (1916-2003) recorded all 22 hours of this New Testament in 1984, in a log cabin that was a part of his property in Los Angeles that he used as a retreat and office. Produced by his son Stephen, it was a project that Peck, who said that his faith was "an anchor to windward" throughout his life, found very rewarding to complete.

I have had this wonderful set for a couple of years. Mr. Peck reads the Word with strength and clarity. I prefer not having music or sound effects in the background - so this rendition is perfect for me. Hearing the Bible read seems to give me a different perspective. I always feel refreshed and encouraged after I listen to these tapes.

Audiofile may think that the performance is "tired", but Peck's reading of the New Testament is exactly what I wanted. No musical score, no cast of thousands; no overblown, Shakespearean dramatization. Just God's word, read clearly and simply. Gregory Peck was a fine choice, and I never tired of hearing his voice.

The only reason I rate this 4 stars instead of 5 is that I would prefer the NIV or even the NKJV over the KJV, but this is the only version that Audible.com carries (as of 10/2002).

A very well done edition, well narrated, with lots of expression and appropriately paced for thoughtful listening. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Gregory Peck was NOT one of my favorite actors. Then I read this book. Now I can see the value in his movies and in his acting. This guy was a grad of UC Berkeley. He was an intelligent person. His movies were choses as "intelligent movies". He studied acting with some of the best "method" teachers that ever lived. I believe you'll go away after reading this book with a renewed appreciation of Gregory Peck and ditto for his movies. Recommended.

Gary Fishgall's GREGORY PECK is an admiring and uncritical look at the actor. Perhaps the only balance is provided by Peck's own words:

"I've had my ups and downs. There have been times when I wanted to quit. Times when I hit the bottle. Girls. Marital problems. I've touched most of the bases."

About those bases, Fishgall is protectively reticent.

However, as a Gregory Peck fan all of my adult life, this bio, while not leading me to more than a superficial understanding of the man, is a comprehensive examination of his life as an actor, first in live theater and then in front of the motion picture cameras. The author's progression through the decades of Gregory's career is methodical almost to a fault. A useful section at the end is a filmography of fifty-three feature films and four television appearances, with the availability of each in either videotape and/or DVD format noted. (The list is perhaps somewhat out of date. For example, MACARTHUR's availability is listed as video only, but a DVD edition now exists.)

Perhaps the highlights of the book were, for me, the trivia revealed. Did you know that Robert Mitchum (co-starring in CAPE FEAR) has a photographic memory and can learn his lines by reading the script just before a scene is shot? Or that while shooting GUNS OF NAVARONE on Rhodes, where, as one journalist put it, "The food is awful, everything shuts up early, and unlike most Greeks, the islanders tether their daughters and let the goats wander free", co-star Anthony Quinn kept the stars from dying of boredom with several portable chess sets brought from home? And best of all, the child star (Harvey Stephens) that played Damien in OMEN literally got the part after demonstrating to director Richard Donner a certain demonic streak - he punched Donner in the gonads.

Fishgall obviously did a lot of research. On page 260, however, he flatly states that California's incumbent Democratic governor, Edmund Brown, won re-election in 1966. Since actor Ronald Reagan was, in fact, the winner - a victory which catapulted him into national political prominence, and eventually led to his election as President - I found the author's factual failure on this small point to be appalling, and perhaps called into question the accuracy of other material in the book. I mean, I wouldn't expect a recent Golden State high school graduate to even know who either Brown or Reagan was, the quality of general education these days being what it is. But should the author of a major, fact-based text make such a gaffe?

Despite its shortcomings, GREGORY PECK satisfied my curiosity about the legendary actor, and then some; I don't think I need to read further. On that basis, 4 stars is appropriate.

Peck's acting life earns a thorough description, movie by movie, director by director. His early life receives a bit less. Born in 1916 in La Jolla, he had a lonely, almost dysfunctional childhood, including boarding schools, distant parents, a favored grandmother, a short-lived dog for a pet, and a University of California education. He quickly moves from college in California, to a scholarship to acting school in New York, to three short, failed Broadway plays, to almost overnight success in Hollywood, kicked off by his role as a priest in "Keys to the Kingdom".

But the story is more of a diary or summary of events, including things like profits from his La Jolla Playhouse venture, calculated to the penny. Casts of summer stock plays and Hollywood movies are cataloged. Every radio broadcast seems to merit a mention.

But the story is often a bore. Peck, who apparently had some form of editorial input to the book, chimes in at times with one-sentence descriptions of people, events, and movies, but it reads more like a scribbled note he added to the Fishgall's draft text. His life, including children, affairs and failed marriages, are sidelights.

If you would like a life catalog, read this book. For entertainment and a more human portrait, watch "Twelve O'Clock High".

I have to admit upfront that I'm a Gregory Peck fan. So my bias is clearly towards any author who does a good a job as Fishgall did.

The book covers Peck from ancestral antecedents, through childhood and adolescence, and into adulthood and a long career. As the previous reviewers mentioned, the book is a detailed and meticulous review of Peck's career, step by step, play by play, and film by film (and all the other things he accomplished). The book contains all sorts of information about the whys, wherefores, and reasons thereof that drove Peck to make the career moves that he did. And there is much information regarding how Peck prepared for roles, what movitated his performances, and how his relationships with co-stars/colleagues affected him and them.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I learned a great deal about Gregory Peck and, unbelievably since I was already a fan, appreciate the actor even more.

The one thing the book lacks is, perhaps, more about the personal life of the actor. I'm sure this has little to do with the efforts of the author. Gregory Peck was well-known to be an extremely private person during his lifetime, and I have no problem respecting his wishes now that he is gone.

Overall, I highly recommend the book.

A nice overview of a popular public figure who is a little more complex than you might expect and not quite the lofty figure of his managed public image, but nevertheless a decent human being, like most of us. The narrative moves nicely including interesting details about the films Peck made and his relations with directors, writers, and fellow actors and the women in his life. An easy read.

A book that just goes on about herself and people she know's --if you are a Fan this is a must to own ..

I had read Miss Bacall's previous book, so thought to myself,for the price that Amazon was selling it at, so be it. I'm buying! What else could this great legend say however? A lot. The book was filled with many more personal stories and interests than I suspected it could be. It is an excllent book on one of the last of the great legends in Hollywood. I loved the book. Got her to sign it too, she was most gracious.

Follow Betty Bacal, the shy daughter of a Rumaniam immigrant, as she becomes stage struck, trains as a actress, has an overnight success modeling for Vogue, and is transformed by director Howard Hawkes into Lauren Bacall, the newcomer who sweeps Humphrey Bogart off his feet.

Bacall's tale is irresistible, and she tells it well. The story of her transformation at Howard Hawks's hands into the Slim of "To Have and Have Not" is all the more delicious because Bacall remains, while the cameras are not running, an inexperienced teen who misses her mother and her family in New York. Bacall's off-screen innocence contrasts strikingly and delightfully with her knowing on-screen persona.

Bacall's account of her romance and marriage to Humphrey Bogart is graceful and moving. Bacall quotes Bogart's letters to her during their courtship: these reveal his stunned incredulity at finally finding love after a lifetime of romantic failures. Their marriage is a sweet reward to Bogart after years of domestic strife, and his gratitude at finding happiness and fatherhood in midlife is tremendously affecting. Bogart's gallantry and courage in his final illness reduced me to tears, as did Bacall's despair at losing the love of her life.

By her own account, Bacall's second marriage to Jason Robards was not a success. She cares for her children (two by Bogart and one by Robards), but they do not appear central to her life. The great loves dominating Bacall's post-Bogart years remain her mother and the acting profession. Bacall's dedication to her craft is evident, both on stage and on screen, and she remains ever grateful for a good role-- a gratitude that grows more poignent as she ages.

Any weaknesses? A few. Then Some, penned 27 years after By Myself, doesn't live up to the magic of the first installment, although one must admire Bacall's spirit in producing it. And Bacall's rather cursory depiction of her children leaves the reader wondering about the status of her relationships with them. But these criticisms are minor ones when measured against the charm and drama of Bacall's story.

Lauren Bacall is now in her 80s. Her memoirs span over 60 years of cinema and stage history. Her story is well worth reading for those who appreciate American theater and film. Highly recommended, especially for those interested in the private side of the Bacall-Bogart saga.

I am someone who did not read the first book. As such, this was all new to me. I can honestly say that the beginning of this book was the BEST autobiography I have ever read. Never, have I gained such insight into the things I longed to know about a "star" and their associates.

When Lauren Bacall describes her growing up in New York I can see and feel all of those locations. I picture her handing out programs in the theater. I am in the room with her, and nervous, when she is meeting Bette Davis. I fall in love with Humphrey Bogart, just based on her descriptions of the early romance. She truly taps into my first love. As such, my spirit is crushed with her during his last days. I feel her upset, joy and bravery all through the book. This is outstanding, personal, and descriptive writing.

I do agree that the last chapters of the book bring the book to a terrible halt. Still, this book is unfairly rated by those who read the earlier book without the stale ending. 75% of this book is still the earlier book-- the 5 star book. The ridiculously low ratings are especically unfair, when most are based on the Bacall's statements about our current president and have nothing at all to do with her book!

I am giving 4 stars, and recommending the earlier (5 star) book simply because the ending of this one reads like an endless obituary. I will pass this one on and pick up the first one as I know I will want to read it again. It is wonderful!

In fact, I dare you to try and read it without revisiting a Lauren Bacall/Humphrey Bogart movie and feeling like you are there.

As others have mentioned, the "By myself" portion of this book was excellent. What a fascinating life, from her upbringing in New York City to her discovery and preparation for stardom by Howard Hawks, to life with Bogie and the years of work after his passing. She was very honest about herself, her frailties and insecurities. She's also very honest about the quality of some of the roles she has taken, which I appreciate. I must also note that she must have dug very deep to recount the last year, and particulary the last few months, of Bogie's life. This intimate account is crushing - it broke my heart.

And like others, I was less impressed with "And then some". The sense that I got was that she was not necessarily name-dropping, but trying to impress upon the reader the importance of her friends in her life, and the void their passing has left. And as a mild liberal I may agree with some of her political viewpoints but would never consider hoisting my beliefs on others. I do not think that in she was skillful in conveying her point in this portion of the book.

Nonetheless, I am glad I read the book. I might have missed it altogether had the newer edition not come out. What a life!

An extremely well writen bio of Gregory Peck. The author provies both complimentary and critical analysis of the man which I find absolute in a bio. The photos are well placed.
This is a good book.

Very well written, well-documented information
Bit dry with a lot of chronological information
Dispels a few myths about his 'charmed' life in La Jolla
Shows him to be a very decent hardworking actor and person with principles
Would recommend, but would be best for a true fan of his

This was simply one of the best books I have ever read [and I have read a lot!] Not only does the author let you into Peck's life from the beginning until the end, but also adds a lot of "Hollywood scoops" that keeps you on your toes wondering what will surprise you next. There is none of the blatant " I did this, I did that" that I found while reading Ginger Rogers' autobiography. Gregory Peck was and is a Hollywood icon. To me he will always be "Atticus Finch:" a man who represents the good that is deep inside all of us. This book is a treasure!

This should have been a well-written book about a fascinating man. But it never quite captured the sense of Mr. Peck. Part of the problem may have been the distracting and numerous typos, grammatical errors and an annoying habit of veering off onto subjects that were only slightly related and which are already the stuff of Hollywood lore, written about MANY times before.

I just can't seem to understand why Ms Haney chose Gregory Peck as her subject when she obviously does not even like him. I assume biographies of the stars are written for the their fans and though I appreciate truth but the lot that appears in Haney's book seems to be gossip. What was she thinking?? Looks like she collected snippets on Greg Peck's life from gutter journalists and printed it out in the book.

She seems to be a big fan of his first wife though, as the demise of their marriage is firmly laid at Mr Peck's door. His other sin seems to be falling in love with his second one and moving on with his life with her. Well here is a news flash for you dear author, in instances like a divorce, it takes two to tango. We never seem to understand from your book as to what was Greta Peck's failing as a wife that led to it.

Also half baked accounts of his son's sucide are quite jarring. Again the author seems to think that it was Gregory Peck's stature and achivements that led his son to his demise. What was he suppose to do? Become a hermit & run to jungles so that his son would not be plagued with inferioty complex?

Really star bigraphers like Ms Haney should stick to what they do best...write for useless glossies that the twits of the world love so very much and leave book writing to the more accompalished writers.