Film Books

Easy to read and follow. A good value even though it doesn't come with a demo CD.

Nice book. I've been an NLE dabbler for a few years, but never very serious about it. After finishing this book, I feel pretty comfortable with avid xpress, which was pretty intimidating at first. Good, easy read. I would have liked color pictures, though...

This is an excellent, well-written guide to the Avid Xpress Pro system, and while it can't replace the extended Authorized Avid Education advanced editing course, it is a great overview of the many different topics covered therein.

But, more importantly, it covers many things not in the official Avid training guides - things that after reading this book one feels really should be, like practical tips, tricks, and notes for a more truly professional end project. I would definitely recommend this for serious editors and people who want to get into the deeper strengths of the Avid system... it moves quickly, and might be confusing for a complete beginner.

I am just finishing up on this book, and after two solid days I have gone from no experience with avid to very comfortable. I don't know how well a new editor would do with this book, but if you already know FCP or Premiere this seems like an excellent way to learn all of the key concepts you need to run an editing app.
This is the best instructional manual I have come across.

I make my living editing digital video and this book is by far the best instructional material on Avid Xpress Pro I've seen. There are tips and suggestions it would have taken me years to figure out on my own. I'm doing better quality work in less time. I wish I had found this book two years ago.

Not only does Ebert thoughtfully review movies, he writes so well that each essay is a pleasure to read whether we saw or will see the movie or not. These are reviews of his "best" movies for almost thirty years, as well as an explanation of how he came to be exclusively a movie reviewer. Funny, literate, and informative.

Roger Ebert loves movies, and he is a wonderful writer. He can reveal the essence of a movie with a poet;s touch, and he can point out some elements of the great mystery that draws us to an actor we might love, but not know why (thinking of his piece on Tom Hanks).

In one of the last reviewed movies in the book, "Crash" his writing helped me understand why a movie that seemed to rely so much on the most unlikely of fates, really deserved to be seen as a great movie. In the review of "Million Dollar Baby" which precedes "Crash", he shines a light on the heart of a movie that touched my heart, and does so with such simple and elegant precision.

It is easy to think of Mr. Ebert giving a thumbs up sign, doing battle with one of his guest hosts, or trying to find some way to indicate how much better than that a movie might be by using a series of adjectives or modifiers. Sometimes this has seemed silly, and inaccurate. For my wife and I, an unmodified "Two thumbs up" these days is as likely to reveal a mild stinker as something worthwhile and entertaining. Yet, I appreciate that he even writes an essay about another writer who decries such kinds of "criticisms and rating systems", doing so elegantly and non-defensively.

Yet when you read these reviews and interviews and let yourself be touched by them you can feel the author's joy and appreciation of the movies as well as his great understanding of this art form. That he is able to do this with a complete lack of pretense allowed me to fully appreciate the stand he has carved for himself as falling between the critic's movie critic and the people's movie critic.

If this were the last major work that Mr. Ebert creates in his life, he has performed a great service to those of us fortunate to pick this book up and read it. Thank you Roger Ebert. Two Thumbs pointing to the stars!

You know, there's a very good reason Roger Ebert won a Pulitzer. The man is an amazing writer. If you enjoy the pure pleasure of reading, and have a passion for the movies, you would be hard-pressed to find a better book than this to read.

The book is mostly a collection of writings by Ebert over the last several decades. There's some interviews with famous film folk, a collection of essays on subjects such as colorization, digital vs film, the need for a viable "adults only" rating, a few movie reviews, a discussion on the past, present and future of film review, and, most importantly, a serious love of the movies that comes through on every page.

I confess I am somewhat biased. Until I began reading Roger Ebert's fine website, I'd never heard of films such as M - Criterion Collection (Special Edition), Nosferatu, The Third Man - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Edition), or The Grapes of Wrath (I knew about the novel, of course). I'd also never had any real interst in, or appreciation for, movies such as Dark City (New Line Platinum Series), "The Bride of Frankenstein", Citizen Kane, or The Adventures of Robin Hood (Two-Disc Special Edition).

Fool that I was.

Now thanks largely to Roger Ebert I've began to really develop a love and passion for movies in ways I never thought that I would. Just looking over my recent purchases on Amazon, I see things like Babette's Feast, Russian Ark: The Masterworks Edition, All About Eve, All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal Cinema Classics), the "Godfather" films, and many others. Roger Ebert really opened my eyes to the glory of film, and helped me to understand why something like "Sunrise", is a glorious movie and something like "White Chicks" is not (hint: the abscence of anyone named Wayans helps).

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like movies, buy it. If you like reading good writing, buy it. If you even think you might like this book, buy it! You'll be doing yourself a favor.

Nice to have a comprehensive retrospective of Ebert's work in a variety of topics and formats. I have enjoyed his reviews, especially in the inclusion of sociological, anthropological, and philosophical observations. Ebert embodies the tradition of great literature as "Lies we tell about those who never existed, in order that we may learn the truth about ourselves." Ebert is worthy reading for many more than even the broadest categories of film enthusiasts would encompass.

Finished the book in just under two days - he's my favorite author on cinema and this one didn't disappoint!

I would reccomend this book for all people who love the Backstreet Boys as much as I do.

I love to play hit songs on the piano, and I love the BackStreet Boys. This book is giving me the notes to their hits, and it's very easy to play. You can sing along while you play the piano too. I'm sure you'll love it !

I learned to play piano,(although all my music acreitablity still goes out the window)souly just to play their gr-8 songs,etc...that book showed me how.All my friends just love singing with it!And the layout is very well done. It rocks! KEEP THE BACKSTREET PRIDE ALIVE! YEAH!

And a few days ago, I saw a copy of the BSB music book. I bought it (of course) for $20 or so and my next voice lesson, I had brought it. My teacher likes the music and lyrics so now I bet he's practicing. I had let him borrow it (and it's PAINFUL.) and before that, I would study and practice singing and following the right key and pitches. It sounds great on the piano and lets me know all the lyrics. I love practicing BSB music, and I bet you would too! :)

This is the best. i never liked taking piano lessons but now since i got this book i love it. I LOVE BSB!!

This is an incredible resource that was greatly needed. Phillip Stewart has created a comprehensive and fascinating repository for history buffs, documentarians, and anyone who needs to research the documentary film during the Great War. It boggles the imagination that Stewart was able to conduct research on all of the over 900 extant films and provide a logically organized digest for the rest of us. I highly recommend this book.

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (10/07)

Philip W. Stewart has researched, compiled and edited this listing or catalog of historic films of action taken during World War I. The U.S. Army Signal Corps were given the assignment of obtaining photographic coverage of American participation in the War. In the introduction, Stewart reiterates the earlier statement of purpose for the filming made by K. Jack Bauer in 1957. The photographic coverage was ordered for propaganda, scientific, identification, and military reconnaissance purposes, but primarily for the production of a pictorial history of the war.

The book is divided into two sections. Part One covers U.S. military operations from the years prior to the war beginning in 19l4 and through to the returning of the troops in 1918-1919. Included in this section are films related to post-Armistice training, films relating to Allied and enemy activities, and the parades and events celebrating liberty. There are films from Washington D.C., Paris, London, and Brussels featured in these festivities filmed in 1918 and 1919.

As a U S. Navy veteran I took special note of the films related to Naval Operations. There are films featuring submarines, U-boats, destroyers, battleships, our convoy activities, and the return of the fleet in 1918.

Part two is made up of a listing of films featuring civilian activities. Several films cover the years of Woodrow Wilson's administration, his cabinet, the decisions he faced and the treaties he signed. A number of films were made of his trip to Europe in 1918 on the ocean-liner George Washington. He visited France, England and Italy. Additional trips to Europe were made in the following year. Many of the events and receptions attended during these visits were captured on film and are included in the listings.

Films featuring industry as it related to the war effort are also included in this section. The manufacturing of ordnance material, military aeroplanes, gas masks, and shipbuilding are all included.

Other patriotic activities, holiday celebrations and liberty loan drives are featured. I found the films covering the memorial services at Arlington National Cemetery, and the Burial of an Unknown Solider of particular interest.

This book is one of a kind. It is destined to become an important resource for historians, media researchers, documentary producers, and students of films. There are 957 reels of footage shot during the years 1914-1918. These include the WWI era documentary films, in record group 111, held in the U.S. National Archives. Philip W. Stewart has produced an important work in his book "Battlefilm."

A truly comprehensive resource and research tool. The author and publisher have done a remarkable job expanding Mr. Bauer's "List" and creating a reference source that is valuable and up-to-date. This is the perfect addition to my or anyone's aviation history library.

This book helped me find exactly what I was looking for for my documentary! This is a great and well organized resource!

This reference book describes, in detail, films taken during the first world war. The book is very informative and interesting. It provides a glimpse of the past.

Most Oscar-related books offer only limited pictures and focus on winners, not also rans. This excellent reference volume corrects those two oversights. It is filled with pictures representing the best of Hollywood--all contenders for Oscar's Best Picture are featured with a movie poster representation. Includes some rarely seen poster art, foreign posters, and multiple sized images. Excellent reference and enjoyable volume to pick up over and over.

This beautiful collection of colorful poster art provides a history of Hollywood and American popular culture in a volume that's a delight to leaf through. As with all of Bruce Hershenson's poster books, this one is a tremendous value!

All of Bruce's books are full of wonderful images, but this one offers something extra - a history of ALL the films nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. If you are a film buff, or you just like beautiful images you will love this book. Every year since the inception of the awards is listed and each nominee is displayed in brilliant color. A wonderful refrence source.

A must-have volume for any cine-buff and film historian! This book, along with its companion first volume, "Academy Award Winners' Movie Posters" is part of movie poster maven Bruce Hershenson's exhaustive multi-volume series of books highlighting the history and beauty of what much of mainstream America has only in the last ten years begun to recognize. And that is movie posters are a "popular art" form that can stand proudly next to all other styles of art from gothic to modern, from expressionist to impressionist. Great film art borrows from all of these styles and this volume, which focuses only on posters associated with Academy Award-nominated films, illustrates innumerable examples. A fine book for any collector (get the hardcover edition if you can, it's harder to find; if Amazon doesn't have it, it's available from Mr. Hershenson directly at mail@brucehershenson.com)!

Like all of Mr Hershenson's books of film posters, this one is full of great reproductions of classic film posters. Movie poster collecting is both popular hobby and big business. For dealers and collectors alike, Mr Hershenon's books give all those interested in the hobby and business of movie poster collecting a ready-reference to images of great film posters for great and sometimes not-so-great films.

The world is a complicated place, and one of the ways we try to make order out of chaos is by dividing things into lists. Even with Amazon, users are exposed to myriad lists: not merely the best seller lists, but also heaps of lists by customers who create rosters of books, movies or other items organized in a particular fashion. Certainly the list has been around for a long time, but it really became a phenomenon with The Book of Lists and its successors. One of the newest of these books is The Book of Lists: Horror, and following its format, I present my review in list form.

SECTIONS OF THE BOOK:

1. Movies ("Fear on the Silver Screen): This section, taking up just over half of the book, is filled with lists created by various people associated with the horror genre. Among other lists, there are the horror films that most influenced Ray Bradbury's youth; the five common tactical errors made in horror films (e.g., confirm your kills); ten movie fates worse than death; and the top ten horror movie surgical blunders. Some of the lists are weak, others are interesting, and no doubt you will find your own movies that fit in a list (for example, I would include one character's fate in the movie Wolf Creek to fit into the "worse than death" list). The real strength of this section is that it can give you a number of ideas for new movies to see.

2. Books ("The Literature of Dread"): This section takes up another quarter of the book and many of the same comments apply as with the movies. Of course, for every horror movie (using the very loose definition of horror in this book), there are probably a dozen books, so there is even a greater chance that the lists will neglect some novel or story. When we get a list of five horror novels set in Venice, you can tell that this section may be stretched a little further than needed.

3. Music ("A Little Nightmare Music"): This section is brief and appropriately so. And there's no reference to Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London.

4. Miscellaneous ("A Miscellany of Terrors"): This grab bag is the largest of the minor (last three) sections. Comic books, TV horror hosts (such as Vampira) and even drinks are here (Zombie or Bloody Mary, anyone?).

5. Fan Submitted Lists ("Shrieks from the Gallery"): This section has lists from non-pros, but even the ones from kids sometimes surpass the ones elsewhere in the book. The nicest list here includes a bunch of old pulp covers; they're fun to look at, even if the pictures are a bit small.

Overall, this is the literary equivalent of a bag of potato chips. Even if not every list is spectacular, you can't stop with just one. There may not be a lot of nutritional value, but even a guilty pleasure is a pleasure nonetheless.

love books of lists, love horror genre....mix 'em together and you get a winner! FIVE HUGE STARS!

You dont need to love horror to love this book. If you even have a passing fancy for the dark side you are in for a treat.

This book is the best Ive read for movie information. Its has a large selcetion of lists ranging from the best deaths in a horror movie to what are Stephen Kings favorite horror stories. The number of horror stars is amazing. There are writers, mucians, directors and actors. I highly reccomend this book to any fan of horror or just movie information.

I am a huge fan of the horror genre and lists so i knew i would love this book. It is interesting on many levels. Many familiar faces of the genre created lists in the book that are both entertaining and informative. I guarantee you will be making lists of your own after reading this book with movies, books, or music that sound appealing to you. It is also great to hear what people involved with the genre think. All the lists are given generous description so even the most diehard genre fans will learn something new. I highly recommend this book, whether you are a fan of the horror genre itself, a lover of lists, or you simply enjoy entertainment related trivia. Just trust me this book is for YOU!

The 4th Edition of the Camera Assistant's Manual by focal press author David Elkins is a must have for the beginner as well as the seasoned pro. From how to set up a darkroom, to threading diagrams on all "in use" cameras, to lifelong useful tables and charts, this edition has it all.

Nothing comes close to David Elkins' book. It's that simple. This is the best, most complete book on the job of the camera assistant. PERIOD. If you are new to the job of the camera assistant, this book is an absolute must have. If you are a seasoned "vet" who has years of experience working on motion picture sets, again, this book is an absolute must have. Elkins' total description of every aspect of the AC's job is so consise, it's like a classroom in a book. Loaded with every conceivable diagram and chart, and covering every motion picture camera currently being used, this book goes well beyond your typical "job description" type tome.

The bonus materials alone make this book invaluable. Along with the companion website, the reader has vast amounts of precious material available for when the job calls for it...label templates, charts, manufacturer links and contacts, the list goes on and on and on. The best part is the writing style is clear and informative, almost like Elkins himself is teaching you as you go.

Look no further than this book. It's all here.

The Camera Assistant's Manual is a must have reference book for both beginners and experienced professionals in the camera department. If you are a beginner, this manual will teach you all of the basics as well as the advanced details of camera assisting. Although not a substitute for actual experience, author David Elkins also coaches you on how to act efficiently and professionally on a set. This can save you countless embarrassing blunders on your "first barbeque." But before learning all of the AC's duties, the reader is introduced to the basics of cinematography and a complete overview of the camera department. This is extremely helpful - allowing the beginner to understand the "big picture" first. If you are an experienced professional, Elkins gives you hundreds of tips and suggestions that will add to your knowledge base and help your job go smoothly. This 4th edition contains the most complete and up to date camera diagrams, tables, and formulas of any single reference source. Imagine your relief when you have to load and thread a new camera for the first time. The Camera Assistant's Manual is worth it's weight in gold.

I bought this book when I was hired to AC for a project on equipment I had never worked with before. For one of those, "Holly crap! I agreed to do a job I only know how to do part of!" moments, this book is great. Every question I could think of was answered thoroughly and I mean THOROUGHLY. If you want to learn exactly what the responsibilities of an Assistant Camera Person are and how best to execute them read this book! If you are a working AC and want an easy to read, text-book style reference this is it.

David Elkins's The Camera Assistant's Manual, Fourth Edition is the best technical book around, and one of the best books on movies, period.

Dave manages to cover every aspect of an assistant's job, no matter how obscure or infrequently encountered. But the completeness is only one aspect which recommends it to any aspiring or working cinematographer.

Written in a clear, conversational manner, Dave manages to demystify both the jargon and the sometimes strange job of an assistant. His accounts of procedure for both first and second assistants clarify what we in the business call "industry standard": the accepted, professional way of conducting yourself and doing a job. Outside of a job on a
Hollywood set, it is nearly impossible to learn these classic, time-saving routines. And unless you've been a pro in the business, you're not going to know about such things as the relative merits of Magliner and Rubbermaid carts for hauling equipment.

The book covers the general characteristics of film, cameras, and lenses in such a way as to give a general technical education. Dave also gives a valuable overview of the camera department and its place in film production overall.

What many readers will find most useful are the sections on troubleshooting, the diagrams and threading patterns of every currently used camera, and the wealth of forms and lists to organize the on-set work.

I've tried to give a good idea of what the book covers, but it contains much, much more. I've been using The Camera Assistant's Manual since the first edition. This is the biggest and the best version. I only wish that, when I started as a camera assistant, I had had access to such a clear, helpful book.

My half-hearted browser's interest in Cassavetes needed a kick in the seat of the pants, I now realize, and reading this book shows me how much I failed to appreciate him while we were lucky enough to have him around. The format is eye-opening. Cassavetes speaks, and then the author. The constantly shifting P.O.V., and the frisson between the truth Cassavetes himself presented, and the unvarnished truth as discovered by the author, makes this book constantly stimulating and endlessly arguable.

Cassavetes life and films are worth a serious look-see -- and this book is an EXCELLENT place to begin that-- if only because he is that rare individual who absolutely refused to accept mediocrity in himself and others, both as an artist and a committed liver of life. He went for the burn every time out, and could often be an ornery s.o.b. when he detected that people were simply going through the motions in their life or art. (The book is rife with anecdotes that literally make you wince and leave you wondering "Could I have long tolerated this behavior in a friend or family member?") He seems never to have thought "I'd better not burn my bridges here", or practiced any of the other forms of incremental, over-thought cowardice that most of us do.

Cassavetes was driven like no one else; he never made a lazy, easy commercial film. He let his life and films commingle, letting the cameras roll for hours, shooting thousands of feet more film than he could use, afterward sculpting it into a shape that could be released. (He said film stock was the one part of his film making on which he would never scrimp.) His films were, probably more than any other director's, explorations of life.

Cassavetes lived life so completely that it might be truthful to say he did something the average person would call foolhardy nearly every day of his life, in some way or other. But in spite of this, or because of it, it's impossible to come away from this book without an awakened admiration for him.

Absolutely necessary reading for those interested in American alternative cinema and not only. The book gives a brilliant picture of USA's one of the best directors ever.
Highly recommended for everyone. No other book shows Cassavetes in this light. Packed with interesting material, as good as Cassavetas' cinema itself.

Ray Carney's "Cassavetes on Cassavetes" is a wonderful introduction to Cassavetes' work. I found it to be a great read - amazingly free of academic jargon or fancy terminology. It was hard to put down! And with incredible photos of the wild-man at work. A must for every fan of indie film as well as aspiring directors and artists - and also for students of life! If you want to know even more, I'd also recommend Ray Carney's massive web site devoted to Cassavetes and indie film. Any search engine will take you there. It has wonderful behind-the-scenes information about the making of Cassavetes' work. If you want a volume to provide ongoing daily inspiration and encouragement regarding the artistic process, buy this book. It is a book you will go back to again and again and again...

Ray Carney's done a great service to film fans by bringing Cassavetes' scattered talks and interviews together into a coherent statement on art. Carney shows how Cassavetes' whole process of filmmaking was tied to his outlook on life. Combative, spontaneous and deliberately amateur, he aimed for situations where writer, actor and viewer are all left without direction, forced to respond to the story as individuals rather than reach for pre-approved 'social codes'. He savagely edited his films to defy audience expectations, usually rejecting versions that the studios, his collaborators and even his wife liked best. Some of Cassavetes' statements made me wonder if he did this to edit some part of himself--the Greek immigrant son made good, with the blonde wife and kids and Hollywood home. In some ways he was an insider desperate to stay on the outside. Conflict was fun for him, he thought America needed more of it, and the messy collaborative 'families' he built around each film were his alternative to the button-down corporate society he fought against all his life.

As Carney presents him, Cassavetes wasn't out for the money, the glory, the ego or ultimately maybe even the art. He wanted fun, he wanted friends and he wanted people to really live as individuals. Are there folks like this around anymore? We need them more than ever.

If you're intrigued at all by the work of John Cassavetes, this book is well worth your time. The book itself is a collection of interviews Cassavetes gave through his entire life, edited into chapters that correspond to the movies he talked about. The excerpts themselves are pretty interesting, but it is author Ray Carney's commentary in between quotes that really makes this book worthwhile. Carney gives us the back story, and fills in the missing parts, but he also sets things straight when John rambles into fiction. It's easy to see that Cassavetes liked to talk about his work. There are over 500 pages on roughly a dozen films.

If you are new to Cassavetes and read this book, you'll want to view his films. I have only seen a handful myself, but his total commitment to getting them made is so impressive that I feel ashamed to have not seen more. I saw my first Cassavetes film in college and felt that it was interesting, but a little over the top in places. As I get older, I think that real-life might be more over the top than I first realized.

John Cassavetes passion for making movies shines through in this volume. Ray Carney's insight tells the rest of the story. If you are interested in independent film making, this book is a must.

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.

This is a great reference book for all of Dusty's recordings. It includes the Where and When of each song she ever recorded.

paul howes is the ULTIMATE springfield fan. he hasn't spent hours listening to every syllable springfield ever sang. he has spent his life. and then some. because more than a few of the recordings he disseminates were not released to the public or are parts of tv specials springfield made during 40+ year career.

and his love for dusty and her unique, one of a kind voice is captured in page after page of this healthy tome that devotes itself to her recordings.

even when he doesn't like the performance or the arrangement, he still maintains impartiality and great respect for a woman that was loved, idolized, almost forgotten then reclaimed by her new and old fans from all over the world.

and this book is a perfect reading companion for when you are enjoying one of springfield's wonderful interpretations of a song she made her own.

and the beauty of that--there's more than a few.

Here's what we Dusty fans waited many years for. Several more compilation CD's and a couple more DVD's have been released in the U.S., U.K., Australia and the rest of the world since this comprehensive overview of Dusty's career was published in 2001, so the book is only complete up to that point. No matter, because these pages cover all of the known, individual studio recordings she made, including several alternate versions, album session outtakes and single mixes that have turned up over the years on various collections. There are many live television and radio recordings floating around out there, many of which have yet to see CD or DVD release, but this book is as complete a volume as we could have reasonably hoped for. And the pictures! There are many photos here I had never seen before, making this book even more of a special treat. The casual listener who is only familiar with Springfield for the four or five songs that get endlessly recycled on the radio could probably not care less about this book, but for us rabid fans, this is indispensable. Highly recommended, and nothing in here to disrespect the woman whose real legacy is a catalog of great music, NOT a string of sleazy tabloid stories. Avoid DANCING WITH THE DEMONS, a badly written "biography" which I won't even dignify with a negative review.

Paul Howe's excellent book (now in 2nd ed.) is now available for preorder through The Dusty Springfield Bulletin and also through amazon UK. US fans are waiting for amazon to offer it here. PLEASE !!
[...]
Let's Talk Dusty!

Dusty Springfield was a legend in the music industry. She was tough and a perfectionist without apologies. This book is about her music legacy and not about her personal problems with addiction or her sexual orientation. There's more to her person than who or what she sleeps with. Dusty was one of a kind. She died too soon at 59 just when she got awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) on her deathed and died two weeks before her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Sadly, there is one honor that I think she should receive and that is the Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording. If I only had $25,000 dollars to spare, I would do it for Dusty.