Video Books

This book is the best damn book in the history of mankind! The level of detail and craftsmanship is not to be believed. I bought fifty and handed them out on the street to change people's lives. There's a rumor that after reading this book, a scientist was inspired and found cures for 4 different diseases!

Actually, I bought the book and it's very cool. "Wild" Bill Abner is a gifted writer and his love of gaming comes through in every page.

Don't let the title of this book fool you, this is not your standard Almanac. Bill Abner has crammed more information into this title then I though possible.

The format is terrific with one page essays on the games of 2005, Closet classic's, older titles and of course my personal favortie the corporate graveyard. Besides being an incredible fun read, this book is informative. The little tid bits at the bottom of each page and the quotes from developer interviews just ads so much to the book.

No matter how much you think you know about games, Abner knows more and he will pass these gems of knowledge on to you in this title.

Sticking a date and the word "almanac" on this really does a bit of a disservice to this fine collection of essays. The word conjures images of data and trivia when in reality Bill Abner has provided nothing less than a compelling piece of gaming literature. This work functions as so many things: a state-of-gaming address, an introduction to gaming sub-genres, a guide to classic gaming and, as they say, "much, much more."

The unifying thread which keeps this collection from disorder and disorganization is the lively and straightforward writing of Bill Abner. Abner is an absolute authority on gaming who couples his knowledge with a witty and direct writing style that never threatens to get geeky or preachy. The enthusiasm and energy Abner brought to this project is palpable not only in his writing but in the breadth, and sometimes obscurity, of the topics covered. He places games into the context of the greater gaming world, extending back to its obscure origins in the late 70's and early 80's, rather than simply reviewing 2005. Best of all for the reader, his enthusiasm is contagious and will leave you smiling, reminiscing and certainly searching out several new games.

I was introduced to gaming in 1994 when my wife bought me a bargin bin PC football game at Target. The game was Front Page Sports Football Pro, and it led me to start playing PC and then console games. Along the way, I read Bill Abner's reviews and thoughts in the form of website or magazine reviews or usenet posts and message board comments. His thoughts were always well written and intelligent. If he liked a game, chances are it was a good game.

One game in particular was High Heat 2000. I had been on the outs with baseball after the last big strike and had not given much of a thought to baseball - real or in a game - for several years. Bill's reviews of High Heat 1999 and comments on the upcoming 2000 version made me interested in a game that apparently had depth and a lot to offer, and eventually that game even brought me back to the real game on the field. After taking that good advice, I started following his reviews closely. He always gives his honest opinions and never tries to oversell or undersell a game. When there were bugs in High Heat, he pointed them out. When the AI was questionable in a game, he made that clear in his review -even if he understood that his audience might not care as much as he did about the dropped passes in NCAA 2005. There were games that Bill disliked but that I ended up playing and liking, but that did not stop me from enjoying his perspective.

He does the same thing in this book. He gives his honest thoughts about the games he has played. In fact, the best thing I can say about this book is that there are pages about games that I could care less about and will never play - but I read them anyway. I am a limited gamer - mostly sports games with an occasional FPS thrown in for variety. But that did not stop me from enjoying his essays on adventure games or puzzle games or even children's games.

The reason is that he is a good writer. These essays and reviews are written by someone who is passionate about gaming and has the knowledge and imagination to convey his thoughts and opinions. He was faced with a difficult task - writing about a subject that moves faster than the speed of the internet and games that are old news a week after release. But what he writes is not old news. The games may be months or even years old, but the essays hold up. I have no doubt that I will discover a game from the pages of this book that I would not have played otherwise. It might be an old game I pick up in a bargin bin, or it may be a new game by a developer he brings to my attention in this book.

If you like playing computer or video games and you like good writing, this book is for you. If you want to learn about video games this is a great place to start. The book is well written and well edited. It is easy on the eyes - not an issue to many gamers but an old timer like me appreciates publishers who use a good font/font size and utilize intelligent layout and production values. It is also well priced. While you are waiting for that new game to appear on the shelves, you can spend your time reading this book.

I bought this for my dad, who loves games but doesn't really know what's out there. I can tell him what I think he should buy, but this book was a perfect read for him. There was a lot of stuff I hadn't even heard of like the game Fate. Great stuff. Dad particularly liked the Bargain Bin stuff (good games for $20 or less.) It's a pretty big book but it's a very very easy, fast, and fun read. It's a very unique book. I dont know of anything else like it.

I personally enjoyed the grab bag essays and even though I already know most of the games discussed in the book, for a newbie gamer or for someone just getting back into the hobby this is A+ material.

A word of warning: this is NOT a book to buy if you want to dig deep into each game. Each game gets 1 page but there's SO much content in it I think it makes it a faster and better read. Plua you can go online if you want to get more info.

Also, this is not a book for people wanting all the dirt on the PS3. It's barely covered. Still, I think it's worth getting, particularly if you're not a super hardcore gamer.

This is one of the best film review books out there!!! Very funny and on point with their analysis of movies. Laughed out loud many times during the course of reading the book.

I highly recommend this book! It is as insightful and funny as their popular web site. Very nice to see movies reviewed from an African-American point of view.

I saw this title in a Book Club I belong too&something told me too just go for it&I did.this Book is fun&Informative as well.very detailed& i dug the Honesty&presentation...

I bought the book just because... I wasn't really *expecting* that much to come if it, although I do have the authors' website bookmarked for me to read before I visit the movies (about 3 times a week myself). Still, I bought the book, and in two days, the edges were all messed up. I had read it that much. Every person I showed the book took had to have the book snatched from them, since they were so into the book, and would just go from movie review to movie review.

The reviews are not stuffy or stodgy... like someone saying 'I'm so intelligent and I know better than you do what you should like or not like'. Instead, with the 3 Chicks (that just *happen* to be Black), it's like sitting across a card table or else at the family picnic and talking about what we like, don't like, and it's so easy to find 'Yeah, that's what I liked about it, too... and what I didn't like that I couldn't put my finger on'.

People reading the book were like me: they were hooked, quickly! I have just bought five more copies of the book to give as gifts - I want MY book for me.

.... my foot is tapping. I'm ready for the next volume, Ladies!

If you love movies, you'll love "3 Black Chicks Review Flicks." Besides being funny and presenting a great rating system, these women are intelligent and able to express themselves perfectly in talking about movies. Their reviews are honest and real and cross the boundries of sex and race, thus presenting valuable insight. This is 1 white chick who loves those 3 black chicks!

I bought this book a week ago. Although I haven't had time to study it all in depth, I already like it more than my other opening books. I already played the accelerated Dragon, without knowing a lot of theory.

Many Whites play some sort of move order to reach the Yugoslav variation of the Dragon. That's not possible against the Accelerated, since Black can play ...d5!. But there are many tactical points in those lines to make Black equalize or win a pawn right away, and I always missed them. This book will allow me to punish mistakes every White seems to make, and I like that most :).

Furthermore, this is an opening book with quite a lot of text. It starts out with an overview of typical plans for both sides, and in the analysis chapters, many moves are accompanied with a small line saying what the idea is. I know I played many moves from other books not knowing why...

And it is complete. Aside from the main Accelerated e4 c5 Nf3 Nc6 d4 cxd4 Nxd4 g6, it also covers lines like the hyper-accelerated (e4 c5 Nf3 g6) which I sometimes like to play to avoid 3.Bb5, in 23 pages!, and things like the dubious e4 c5 Nf3 Nc6 d4 cxd4 Nxd4 Nf6 Nc3 g6.

The authors are absolute Accelerated enthusiasts so maybe there is a small Black bias, but I think most people who want to buy this book play it as Black anyway. The opening is completely playable.

I am one of those people who doesn't play the Sicilian often, because of how sharp and bookish it can be. In particular, the Sicilian Dragon is something I play only in the least important blitz games, as there are so many variations, and one's king gets stormed so darn often. From hard experience, I'd known that the Yugoslav variation stuff doesn't work against the accelerated dragon, but I'd never known the move sequences nor how to deal with all those c4 Maroczy Bind situations. This book capably tells you how to play the Accelerated, how to turn back white's efforts to try the Yugoslav Attack, and how to deal with the bind. It has a nice chapter on the Hyper Accelerated, and a mildly throwaway chapter on the Semi Accelerated system with ...Nc6 and ....g6. This is a good book, easily understandable by a B player like myself. Well done.

This book supplied lots of practical information. A "must have" for the dedicated chess player.

The Sicilian Dragon is an exciting opening to play as black but dangerous too. This is an excellent book for those who love to play the Dragon. Dragon players should add this one to their opening collections. It contains some tactical themes too. Shows how to play against whites setups, including the Maroczy Bind. Very solid and theoretical. Advanced players will find this one useful too.

In an earlier review about "Chess Openings for Black, Explained (A Complete Repertoire) by Lev Alburt", I've stated that GM Dzindzichashvili left out the line starting with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Qa5 as on his 4th DVD of "Roman's Encyclopedia of 40 Essential Chess Openings" featuring also the Accelerated Dragon. Instead, he only treats the main line where Black plays 7...0-0, not 7...Qa5 (assuming that it was him who wrote the part on the Accelerated Dragon - read my review there if you wonna know why I think this is so).

For people who have this DVD, I've got good news: the book "Accelerated Dragons" (Everyman Chess - by J.Silman and J.Donaldson - first published 1998 and reprinted 2004) contains 38 pages (!) devoted to this particular line. Note: instead of 13.a3 a5 (Dzindzi's recommendation) they only mention 13...b4 and 13...a6, so maybe 13...a5 really is part of Dzindzichashvili's (later?) revelation on this line...

Accelerated Dragons also spends 22 pages on the Hyper Acc. Dragon (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6) although there's one little error on page 296; the authors mixed up two games. They wrote: (after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 Bg7) "4.dxc5 Na6? 5.Bxa6 bxa6 6.Qd5 Rb8 7.Qe5 and Black resigned in a few more moves in Braley-Pupols, Match 1970", but this way White simply drops his queen to the bishop on g7! The actual move order came from a Smith-Morra Gambit (in a friendly reply from J. Silman regarding this matter, he didn't mention which game exactly though): 1.e4 c5 2.d4 g6 3.dxc5 Na6 4.Bxa6 bxa6 5.Qd5 Rb8 Qe5.

Summarizing: in the book "Chess Openings for Black,explained" the "Anti-Yugoslav Variation" (with 7.Bc4 Qa5) is lacking completely, although on DVD 4 of "Roman's Encyclopedia of 40 Essential Chess Openings", GM Dzindzichashvili recommends this line to be used as a major weapon for Black after White plays 7.Bc4.

One thing Dzindzichashvili and Silman/Donaldson have in common: they both give the line 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 (2...g6, Dzindzi, but this transposes) 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0-0 8.f3? (their evaluation) Qb6 9.Bb3 Nxe4 which, according to them, wins a pawn for Black after White plays 10.Nxe4 Bxd4 (Dzindzi, page 62) or 10.fxe4 Bxd4 (Silman/Donaldson, page 11).

This assessment is probably wrong (I've read this in a review on "Chess Openings for Black, Explained (A Complete Repertoire)" written by "A.J. Goldsby I "A.J.G."". He says:

'Also - on page 62, there is another oversight. After 8.f3?, Qb6!; our team of authors provide the following comment: "Black threatens ...Nxe4 and ...Qxb2. White does not have an adequate defense - for example: 9.Bb3, Nxe4!; 10.Nxe4, Bxd4; and Black wins a Pawn." All this might be true, but 10.Nxe4? is a terrible move, ('??'); White has to play 10.Nd5!, with a fairly good game. Play could then continue: 10...Qa5+[]; 11.c3 Nc5; 12.Nxc6 dxc6; 13.Nxe7+ Kh8; 14.Nxc8 Raxc8; (Fritz confirms that this is Black's most solid move in this position.) 15.0-0. ("+/=") White is slightly better due to the two Bishops, the computer confirms that Black cannot play ...Nxb3; anytime soon, as this releases the WR on a1. (Bobby Fischer reached this position as early as 1958!!!) See the contest: GM W. Watson - GM M. Chandler; ICT / Lloyds Bank (Open) / London, ENG/UK; 1984. (All this was adequately covered in a book on the Accelerated Dragon - published a few years ago, written by IM's John Donaldson and IM J. Silman. There was also a good book on this opening by GM's P.H. Nielsen and C. Hansen, published in 1998, I believe.)'

This reviewer obviously skipped page 11 of "Accelerated Dragons", but I do get the impression he knows what he's talking about concerning White's refutation of 8.f3 Qb6 9.Nxe4 (by playing 10.Nd5 instead of 10.Nxe4 or 10.fxe4).

So, except for a few minor errors in "Accelerated Dragons" and the inconsistency between Dzindzi's DVD featuring the Accelerated Dragon and his new book (as I've explained above), the two books "Accelerated Dragons" and "Chess Openings for Black, Explained" together should provide a pretty thorough guide to the (Hyper) Accelerated Dragon.

If you are truly serious about the Silent Film Era,then this book is a must for your Library.

The author (who has since died) is very thorough in his research, from start to finish. The B&W photos are also fun to look at.

You might,though, find some of the chapters a bit "dry"...but then, most comprehensive history books (on any big topic, as this one) can seem as such.

Note that this film history book was written in the 1970's, so possibly a few more films may have been discovered or have been restored by now. Still, this 1970 film history book holds up very well , even in 2007.
The actual silent film "facts" presented by the author have not changed all that much since the 1970's, since the silent film experiences from the 1900's to the 1920's have basically remained the same. Infact, the author lists a thorough time-line in the appendix of this book, listing most American silent films that have been found and restored in the last century! Quite a feat in itself, and so interesting!

This book is a classic. If you own only two or three film books, this should be one of them. Everson was the man. He saw everything, and what's more, he understood what he saw. There is no better introduction to the world of silent film.

This 1978 book from the late, great William Everson is , in my opinion, one of the five best books ever written on the subject.Any serious scholar of silent film should have a copy. Highly recommended!

I am so glad that Da Capo put this old Oxford University Press book back in print. I had read it back when I was a teenager in Chandler, Arizona and found its descriptions of these elusive films fascinating. For instance, this book was the first place I had heard of FW Murnau's excellent Sunrise, which is now a favorite of mine. Get this book for your private Silent Film Genre Reference Library.

This book, written by the late film expert William K. Everson, is one of the best that you will read on silent film. Everson covers the entire silent film era from its beginnings to the coming of sound. This book focuses on the artistic successes more than the business end of the topic. While he completely covers D.W. Griffith's career, he also champions other early directors like John Collins. He covers interesting topics like art direction (or the lack of) in many early films. While the scope of the book is American films, he devotes time to the influence of European films and filmmakers on American films.

This books is an excellent introduction to silent film, yet a person familiar with the topic will not be able to put it down either.

Kael's endorsement was good enough for me. The categories are so witty and ingenious, I wanted to solve all of them, but I'm just not maven enough. I hear S. Sondheim had no problem, though.

Really enjoyed this book! Challenging, great photos... even the scoring guide pays homage to cinema in a clever and humorous fashion.

If you're the kind of movie-lover who can reel off the entire Bette Davis filmography in your sleep, this is the book for you! DiLeo knows his stuff inside out, and the wicked complexity of his quizzes will keep even the most knowledgable reader happily amused for hours. The best movie trivia book I've ever seen.

And You Thought You Knew Classic Movies is extremely challenging for even the most accomplished movie buffs. The quizzes are fun! Most of the time I had to peek at the answers - I learned a lot about my favorite old movies. Thank you John!

Had so much fun doing the quizzes in this book flying across the Atlantic with my husband, I was in New York before I knew it. Had to buy it for my friends. It's fun anytime but especially now with the Academy Awards this month.

I am amazed with the art department for Superman Returns. The designs for The Daily Planet and Lex Luthor's yacht are simply beautiful. Absolutely pick this up and see just how much went into the design of Superman Returns. It's super!

Fans of the film SUPERMAN RETURNS must have this film book: it covers all the concepts and developmental art which served as the movie's foundation, pairing over two hundred works of art - costumes, locations, sets - with interviews with the director, screenwriters, artists and costume designers involved. Sketches and color stills accompany reviews of the plot's progression and choices in production. THE ART OF SUPERMAN RETURNS packs in the color and the depth and is the perfect accompaniment to the movie.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I really liked this book because it gave you a behind the scenes look into the film through Pre-Production artwork. I especially enjoyed all the artwork where Superman gets into a spaceship on krypton, this scene was cut out of the movie. Over all the Artists did a good job in recreating the Superman Univerise, the book supports there efforts! A must have for your (art of) Collection:)

Matt

This is a magnificent book. If you were swept away by the artistry of the movie "Superman Returns" like I was, this book is a MUST. Big photographs from the film, sketches, paintings, and storyboards galore abound in this excellent coffeetable edition.

Among my favorites are:
*A full page painting of Superman lying unconscious in a crater in Metropolis Park after falling from space
**An almost 2-page painting of Superman lifting New Krypton out of the ocean, complete with tidal waves and green Kryptonite-laced lightening
***Photos and details about the new Superman uniform - like that it is actually fit for a 9-year old boy, then stretches onto a 6-foot-three Brandon Routh so that there will be absolutely no wrinkles
****Great explanation about Superman's story-opening trip to Krypton and his starship, complete with awesome paintings and photos from deleted scenes
*****Insight about the art deco design of Metropolis - why we just can't take our eyes off of that COOL Daily Planet Building

Superman fans will be happily consumed by the book's artwork and text that will broaden their knowledge and scope of the film. It is a nice size, probably worth more than you'll pay for it, and will definitely become a collector's item! To be re-read often!

One of the best cross-promotional items I've seen based on the new Superman Returns film is "The Art of superman Returns" from Chronicle Books. This 160 page, hardcover book with dust jacket is simply breathtaking as it takes readers behind the cameras of the recent blockbuster film with hundreds of pieces of concept art, storyboards, models and miniatures, paintings, sketches, costumes and photography. It serves to show in vivid depth the amount of detail and planning that goes into making a big budget film like Superman Returns.

The Foreward by director Bryan Singer brings this home right off the bat as Singer is shown standing in the midst of a miniature version of Metropolis, surrounded by buildings taller than he as train tracks and weave all around him. It's a fascinating photo. Full color paintings show Superman's rescue of the stricken jet. Storyboards bring the rooftop standoff sequence to near life as the machine gun pours bullets at the Man of Steel to no avail.

Moving to Smallville, we see the Kent farm recreated in perfect miniature and you can't help but marvel at the skill of the model and miniature artists as no detail is too small for them to include in their work. Once painted, you'd be hard pressed to guess that you were looking at a model, and not a real farmhouse and barn.

One of my favorite parts of the book was a look at Krypton. The Krypton of this film, while similar to the earlier Superman films, is a bit darker and edgier. Superman's Fortress of Solitude gleams compared to earlier films where it was sort of a dull white.

Throughout the book, author Daniel Wallace provides even more detail about the creative process behind the various creations of settings, scenes, and costumes. Metropolis, with all its art-deco accents is truly a sight to behold. Wallace is aided by comments from the film's screenwriters, production and costume designers, not to mention Bryan Singer himself. This is one of those books designed for the avid fan or collector, or even those who might be interested in getting into film work themselves.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

The book provides insights into the making of Cocteau's classic film. The incredible film obviously stands alone, but knowledge of the period and the various aspects and difficulties in making it adds to one's appreciation.

Some have found Cocteau's litany of illnesses that he (and others) suffered while filming "Beauty and the Beast" tedious and skipped over them as seemingly irrelevant. Unfortunately, those who do may miss the entire point of Cocteau's artistic esthetic, namely, the necessity for the artist to suffer and triumph over all adversity for the sake of his art. The suffering is part and parcel of his art, suffering is art, just as "Beauty and the Beast" suffered during the filming and triumphed as a lasting work of art. Cocteau was allied to the Surrealist movement (though distancing himself from it) and his suffering at the time mirrored the enormous technical difficulties encountered while making the film. The entire surreal struggle of Cocteau, of others involved and of the film itself is wonderfully captured in his journal and any serious student of the film will profit by reading it.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has seen Jean Cocteau's fil version of "Beauty and the Beast" The book is the diary of the film. There are some great photos in it as well.

A wonderful book. "Diary..." details Cocteau's seemingly insurmountable obstacles in creating one of the greatest-ever fantasy films. Includes plenty of on-set photos. Compulsively wonderful reading, and highly recommended for the price.

Cocteau's diary on the making of his most famous film - "La Belle et la Bête" (1946) - recounts an almost endless series of obstacles that he encountered during its production. From illnesses (everyone involved seemed to suffer some significant ailment or injury during production) to production problems (bad film stock, unworkable cameras) to union disputes, the film was almost plagued from the start.

At times this litany of woe and frustration can be quite tedious - when Cocteau goes into a detailed discussion of his ezcema and other physical maladies, I tuned out. But it's still a fascinating look at not only how he pulled all the elements together (although his entries for the editing process are rather short) but also what filmmaking was like during a difficult time in French history. His depictions of his stars, Jean Marais and Josette Day, are quite interesting too. And the book shows perhaps better than many textbooks how the different talents on a film set contribute to the final result.

The book probably won't be enjoyable to those who haven't seen the movie (at least a few times) but for those who really admire this film, this behind-the-scenes look is a real treat.

Yeah, I've read hetero and gay porn columns and reviews, subscribe to Adult Video News, etc, but this is the most fun I've had finding behind-the-scenes stories about what happened on the set.. and other funny stories. I like this, even though it's dated.

I've read Gay Chicago and Sticky Remote and RAD Video and all of them have a biased slant of reviewers of guys who seem to only give reviews if people SLEEP with them. Don't trust them, go to someone who seems to have a reputation for fairness and objectivity. You can't just give your FRIENDS good reviews, like others do. That's why Mickey Skee has a book, and others have nothing, or just one version of their books.If you want it fair and funny, this is it.roland!

"I found the book very, very interesting and well written. I liked it so much ... I ordered a couple more for friends." -Joseph B. Martin (Los Angeles)

The Sticky Remote Guide, The Adam Gay Video Annual Guide, and Sabin's Gay Adult Video Guide are all worthwhile books. The first two are great for their photos and recommendations as well as their brief synopses of lots of films. Sabin's guide is very useful for containing info about a huge number of older films, and is very helpful to those who look for videos based on specific performers. The reason you also need Mickey Skee's book is because of the in-depth coverage and behind the scenes information he gives you on the best recent films. The photos are quite nice too. Definitely worth the investment.

"It is an excellent book!" -Gary Philip, Skinflicks

Outstanding book.

The book was far more than expected. Delivery was prompt. Good Service.

Thank you.

I just received this book after ordering it here on Amazon (super fast shipping, by the way) and I was immediately impressed with just how comprehensive the entire manual is, how easy the instructions within are implemented, and the way in which everything is explained so even an idiot such as myself can follow along without stumbling. This is the book which SHOULD HAVE come with the Camtasia Studio v4 software when I purchased it just a few months ago.

Of course, TechSmith has just released v5, but I've not seen enough reason to upgrade this time around (I previously owned v3). I highly recommend that you purchase this book.

I would also recommend purchasing Bill Myers' DVD video training on Camtasia which you can find here on Amazon or at his website www(dot)bmyers(dot)com.

Daryl Wilson
Founder, Aladdin Studios

A valuable book for those interested in getting the most out of Camtasia 4. The author culls from his extensive Camtasia experience as he walks the reader through various exercises, expertly weaving in tips and tricks along the way. While the book could do with a heavy copyedit (experienced writers will cringe at the author's frequent use of unnecessary words), the book's substance is well worth the cover price.

I have literally shelves full of computer books.
This is one of very few I've actually read cover-to-cover.

But the book is structured so that for the most part you can read any one chapter without missing out on information that depends on a previous chapter.

I've even wound up taking some of his hardware advice. Otherwise, I never would have thought to purchase a preamp with as dorky a name as "Audio Buddy"...LOL...

If you're using Camtasia Studio to produce instructional or sales videos - or considering using it - this is the book you need.

I fall into the newbie category and had to come up to speed very quickly, using Camtasia Studio 4 to record and produce several video podcasts of PowerPoint presentations for my company. I bought several books and read "how-to's" on the internet, but this book turned out to be my savior. If you buy only one book, this one should be the one.

All of Bruce Henderon's books are worth a dozen times what he sells them for; flawless, stunning reproductions of great movie posters. Buy them ALL!

As previous reviewers stated, this is a marvelous book, & it does have far too many Disney & Popeye posters in it. Considering the wealth of other 'vintage' cartoon posters that are around (even just searching on the net), Im suprised they didnt have a better selection for us to look at. Otherwise, Im very happy to have this book, and I'd LOVE to see a volume 2 some day!!!

I'll be truthful: I received Bruce Hershenson's CARTOON MOVIE POSTERS as part of a "grab-bag" special he was throwing a couple of years back. My tastes lie in the somewhat more arcane area of Horror & Science Fiction posters. What would a guy like me who covets copies of posters like BEAST WITH 1,000,000 EYES want with...harmless, namby-pamby kid's stuff? Plenty, as I soon discovered once I opened this excellent book. First-the reason I had been so unaware of cartoon posters, especially ones from the seven minute variety, is that so many of them are practically extinct. Cartoons, being the VERY bottom of the bill, were treated as 4th-class citizens, and if the studios bothered to make a poster at all, there weren't very many of them and the vast majority of those were tossed. What a shame! This book, which contains close to 400 exqusitely printed images, is an absolute riot of color and imagination that easily rivals any of my beloved fantasy pieces. Starting from cartoon pioneer Windsor McCay in 1911 and ending with the X-rated FRITZ THE CAT in 1972,(and touching on all points in between), Bruce includes examples ranging from the obvious (Disney, Warner Bros, & Fleischer) to the wonderfully obscure (there are several pages of pictures from Ub Iwerks'fairy tale cartoons from the 30s that are gorgeous, more than a little strange, and as rare as hen's teeth.) If you have even a passing interest in movie posters, it is mandatory that you order at least a couple of Hershenson's poster volumes. If you are a rabid, hopeless poster fiend like myself, they are invaluable for both reference and entertainment. Everything about them is first-rate: the printing, the choice of posters (ah, those 30s & 40s Disney 1-sheets...!)the short, inobtrusive, well-written snippets regarding the history of various posters: it's very tough to find fault here. This is the perfect gift for hard-core poster geeks and casual film/cartoon aficonados alike. Five stars all the way, and...abbah-dee, abbah-dee, abbah-dee....That's All, Folks!

Everyone has their own favorite film genre (animation, action and adventure, science fiction, etc.). Next to crime/film noir films, animation is mine. The beautiful thing about this book is the unexpected. Rather than delve into the standard Disney fare (which is included in great detail nevertheless), this book includes artwork from posters from "lesser seen or only mildly popular" titles. Besides Disney, everything from Fleischer to Avery is represented, works of art that can only be bought for thousands of dollars today at many of America's high echelon auction houses. If you are the least bit interested in the jaw-dropping beauty of what has become a lost art -- the exercise of drawing images associated with the advertising of a Hollywood film -- this is the book to have. This book 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 animated films, illustrates innumerable examples whereby despite the restrictive nature of the genre (cartoons), not all posters went in the same direction in terms of style and presentation. From Pinocchio to Popeye, Hershenson and Allen have built an incredible archive (and legacy) of images in all of his books, capturing a period (when all posters were drawn by hand and then printed, as opposed to today's method of using photographic stock and manipulating them digitally and printing them by the thousands) that would otherwise be lost forever. 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).

This review can easily apply to any of the books in the Bruce Hershenson edited series of film poster history. Hershenson rightly treats film graphics not just as pop culture artifacts but true works of art. His books are filled with a curator's eye for superior choice and reproduction, each poster in striking color and with a clarity of printing that rivals most any coffee table art book. Somewhere between advertising and illustration, film posters, like book jackets and record covers, inhabit that imaginative and atmospheric zone where one art reflects another. It's not just the history of film or the history of film design, it's a history of twentieth century Saturday afternoons and Saturday nights. How often we would go into the dark theatre armed only with the ideas and ideals of the posters outside, and then return to them afterward, perhaps with nodding affirmation or smirking disillusionment, but still a vision of what could be. This series of books should be subtitiled: THE FINE ART OF ANTICIPATION, for no matter if expectation was filled or emptied by the films behind them, their posters kept on shining.