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Arts and Entertainment Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Arts and Entertainment
A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson
Published in Paperback by University Press of Kentucky (2005-09-16)
Author: Michael Troyan
List price: $22.00
New price: $14.19
Used price: $12.89

Average review score:

Biography at its best.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-09
Michael Troyan has a gift for biography. I hope he can collaborate with Turner Classic Movies to produce a video on the life of Greer Garson.
This book makes me wish I could have known Greer Garson. She loved and respected her mother, she loved her husband, she loved children and orphans and the disabled and disadvantaged. She loved her dogs, ranching in New Mexico, history, and she loved Texas...makes me love her even though I never met her. Good job, Mr. Troyan.

The Wonderful Greer Garson
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-26
Michael Troyan has done a wonderful job of putting together an informative and enjoyable biography on a fascinating subject. In fact, I found the book so delightful as to find it to be one of the best biographies I've ever read.

While there is no doubt that the charming personality of Greer Garson herself that radiates throughout the book has helped in the formation of my favorable opinion, I give much-deserved kudos to Mr. Troyan for being able to present his subject to the audience in such a friendly manner. By that I mean that throughout the pages, I could feel the presence of Greer Garson, and after having finished the book, felt as if I had just finished reading a letter from a long-time friend.

The first half of the book, which deals with Greer's childhood, life in Britain as a stage actress, and the later move to Hollywood, is generally a smooth and easy read. The toll of the grinding studio system and the competition involved for the popular actresses of the time are keenly felt and one can get a very good idea of the kind of position the actress was in at the time. Eventually though, talent perseveres and success follows. Detailed and interesting accounts of each of Greer's films are available and are a joy to read.

The latter half of the book is a particularly refreshing read because of the relatively vast amount of information about Greer's later life outside of Hollywood. Personally, I had not previously been aware of her various activities and hobbies and learned a great deal more about Greer Garson than when I first started out. A sign of a good biography is new information, and this one certainly has its fair share.

Now, all other traits aside, the most notable accomplishment of this work is that it does not read as a stiff, dull and fact-driven thesis paper, which is a pitfall that so many biographies of this kind can fall into. Rather, it is an intimate yet respectfully distant portrait of a lovely human being who was also a remarkable artist in her own right.

really well written
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-06
This book on Greer Garson I highly recommend. It's very balances and tells of the good and bad times in her life about her career andher fmaily. Though i must admit I wished it had mentioned more about her interests and personal life off screem. But overall it's really well written and interesting book about alovely screen actress. Greer Garson really had class
and a wnderful grace about her in all of her films

Curtain up on a wonderful star
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-16
Modern actors and actresses don't seem to have the charisma, style and elegance of yesteryear's stars. Maybe that's because most of today's actors are really nothing but pitiful celebrities striving to be what once was, when Hollywood was golden.

I long for yesterday when it comes to film stars: Betty Davis, Myrna Loy, Katherine Hepburn Ginger Rogers, and so many more. Oh, yes, and that includes Greer Garson. The beautiful and talented woman we thought was born in Ireland in 1908, was really born in London in 1904.

Author Michael Troyan delves into Greer Garson's life, as much as anyone could, given that she was an extremely private woman. He carries you through her intense desire to succeed as an actress, her `discovery' and career struggles to resist being typecast, all the way through her marriages, and to her death on April 5, 1996 at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital with Van Cliburn at her bedside.

I'd always thought of Ms. Garson as a brilliant actress who could get any part she wanted. I had no idea of her struggles with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. One of my favorite films is the record-breaking "Mrs. Miniver." I get chills thinking about her Academy Award-winning performance.

And while it felt a bit like voyeurism looking in on her life, I'm glad I visited it through Troyan's eyes. It was a satisfying trip. And the author did a marvelous job showing us a small part of the woman who was Greer Garson.

For a compelling look at one of the best actresses to ever grace the stage, big or small screen, read A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson.

Armchair Interviews says: This is a wonderful slice of our American film history.

Very good overall read
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-04
An excellent read if you're into details. For me, the details got a little overwhelming, but I so much wanted to learn more about this actress that I admire greatly. Sadly, as the author himself stated, it was difficult to write a biography because Greer Garson was a very private person and did not give many interviews or express many personal opinions in public. However, he richly details her movies, her public service, and others' opinions of her (and a good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold). I have always enjoyed watching her many films and am tracking down as many of them as I can on DVD so this made for a fine addition to my collection of her work. I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading and loves any of her many films.

Arts and Entertainment
An Accidental Cowboy
Published in Hardcover by Thomas Dunne Books (2003-10-01)
Author: Jameson Parker
List price: $24.95
New price: $14.95
Used price: $3.63

Average review score:

Great read!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-25
This was a wonderful story, both entertaining and heart-wrenchingly honest. I've always admired Jameson Parker as an actor - I admire him even more as a man! Loved, loved, loved the book!

wonderful book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-04
I am still in the middle of reading this but I have enjoyed so far and the dekivery was amazing it took less then a week to recieve it Lenore

Worth the money!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-18
You never would have known an actor from the 80's would turn out to be a modern day cowboy. Well, it seems that Jameson Parker has. You always wonder what happens to a person after a successful tv stint and now we know. The parts in this book that explain the shooting incident were intense. True, the wounds turned out not to be life threatening. Be that as it may, how would any of us react to looking down the face of a gun and watching as the bullet comes straight for us. I can understand where the PTSS would come in later in life. This book is recommended for anyone who wants a good read about cowboy life, life's ups and downs, stress, loss, ect. It is extremely well written and will hold your attention. Bravo, Mr. Parker. I already own Absent Friends and anxiously await further works from Jameson Parker.

A great read!
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-07
I loved this book. I have been a fan of Mr. Parker since he starred in "Simon and Simon" in the 80s, and always wondered what had become of him. In "An Accidental Cowboy" I found out.

I commend him for writing about things that he probably would have rather forgotten -- his depression, his suicidal thoughts, etc. It is very hard to explain things you do not know yourself. And to open yourself up to total strangers, even when you don't have to look those people in the face, is especially difficult. Thank you for being so honest.

The stories about ranch life were very entertaining. Even people who have never been on a ranch before should find them fascinating. I grew up on a farm in Oklahoma, where we had cattle and horses, and I was caught up in the day-to-day life of the California cowboys. I will never forget this book, and I hope anyone else who reads it enjoys it as much as (most of) the reviewers here did.

Well-written and THOROUGHLY enjoyable!
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-27
I've read a lot of books, and while many of them may be fun to read, they are not always well-written. This book is both. I grew up on a farm and thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Parker's account of ranch life. His account is witty and fun to read, as well as being right on target with how cowboy life really is. At the same time, Mr. Parker has a wonderful grasp of the English language. His descriptions are easy to visualize and some of his comparisons are poetic as well as funny/heart-rending depending on what he is depicting. All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read and one that is worth reading a second time.

Arts and Entertainment
Elia Kazan: A Life
Published in Hardcover by Knopf (1988-04-12)
Author: Elia Kazan
List price: $24.95
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Collectible price: $24.95

Average review score:

A Show Stopper
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-03
Elia Kazan was arguably one of the most influential people that theatre has ever produced. He had an amazing life through his art, and outside of it.

Here, at the age of 77, past the point of modesty, conceit and pride, he tells his remarkable story of learning his craft, harnessing his incredible God-given talent, and channelling his drive into success.

We learn about his trysts and liasons with other icons, his marriages, his faults and missteps.

He owns up to many things that have not made him proud, including naming names during the deplorable McCarthy communist witch hunts of the 1950's.

He talks openly of his failures as a parent and a husband, his infidelity, and his loss of faith.

He also recounts his many astounding successes in film and theatre, including the many great actors and actresses he worked with.

His honest self-assessment is a breath of resh air.

This is one of the greatest autobiographies I have ever read.

A Master tells his own story...
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-19
This is the best show-biz biography I have ever read. Poor, Greek immigrant, Kazan fought his way up the entertainment ladder to direct my favorite movie (On The Waterfront) and my favorite play (Death of A Salesman). Along the way to these achievements he was an original member of the Group Theater; he relates his experiences there including an in-depth retelling of his relationship with Lee Strasburg. He met prectically everyone in the business from an aspiring Marylin Monroe, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Arthur Miller and what seems thousands of others in the theater and movie world. His antecdotes are fresh and revealing, even those that may be common knowledge. Of particular note are the chapters devoted to the making of Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront. His work with Brando, who was seldom better than when he worked with Kazan, is discussed. Along with his great movies and plays, Kazan tells his side of the House On Unamerican Affairs controversy that swirled about him until his death. While the book is massive at 864 pages, it is over too soon. It is a rare, literate portrait of the man Kazan, who changed American movies and theater forever-- and for the better.

Possibly the greatest autobiography ever written
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-12
One of the most honest, compelling, brilliant, wise, stunning books I've ever read. Kazan's life was awe-inspring, and to have it retold with such lucidness and unflattering candour is a gift for the ages. Not only was he one of the greatest theatre directors and film directors of the 20th Century, he writes like a blessed demon. This was a spellbinding, page-turning read. Immersed in its pages, I learnt so much about life, America, directing, theatre/cinema history, and myself. I also learnt more than I've ever known about how men think (wish I'd read this years ago).

It's such a pity Kazan's life has become simplistically defined by one act, and his artistry overshadowed - ironic, too, considering he made films with a deep, compassionate, liberal humanity. You can look at his life through through the prism of that one act, or read this for a much richer, fuller, deeper understanding of Kazan - the good, the bad, the ugly. And the genius.

This book made me want to live my life more fully, view myself less vainly, and create my work more honestly. Can't ask for more than that.

Perhaps the best of all 'Show-Business Autobiographies'
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-17
I was truly surprised by this book when I read it some years ago. I was surprised by how engrossing and powerful it was , all the way through. This man lived a tremendously interesting life, rich in great creative challenges and triumphs, rich in meetings and experience with remarkable people, rich in sexual adventures and complex human relationships. The story of how the child of Greek immigrants came to become the director of two of the classics of the American Theatre "Death of a Salesman" and a 'Streetcar Named Desire" and of two of the great American movies, "On the Waterfront" and " East of Eden" is told with remarkable frankness and perceptiveness.
Kazan does not come across in this work as a saint, but rather as a truly strong person who took what he wanted from life, even if this meant hurting others. His personal and inner torments however too make up an interesting part of this story.
One more point. His writing follows the rule of Henry James and is always interesting. This is a work whose richness in anecdote and event are so great that it fits into the 'couldn't put it down' category.

Yesterday/Today: Right Wing Uses Same Tactics
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-05
With a former Supreme Court Justice warning the USA today (March 10, 2006) about starting down the road toward a dictatorship, it seemes fitting to re-visit the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the 1950s when the right-wing was trying to scare our citizens into giving the government supreme power, just as neocons are trying now.

Elia Kazan defends his decision to name names during the Hollywood Hearings of the 1950s, saying that his ideas toward the Communist Party had changed and he thought the higher ups (maybe from Russia) were dictating policies to the American communists in the movie business.

Maybe so, but he also admits the Hearings already had all the communists' names and admits they were only showing their power to control people here in Hollywood,using intimidation to instigate the blacklist. In real life, the USA government was the bully, not the old, tired communists of the 1930s.

If so, then why did he ever think the movie he directed, "On The Waterfront," was a good analogy for what he faced? The USA government caused the black list and precipated suicides and family break-ups in their Hollywood investigation.

It was the mob who caused the deaths and intimidation in "On The Waterfront." Is Kazan saying that Congress behaved like the mob? Or that the mob behaved like Congress?

Granted, Kazan was a great director, brilliant at times. But to him the bottom line was the bottom line, and to keep his position as an all-star director, he had to name names. While he tries to seem noble, the reader can see his 'reel' motivation was money and his career. So what if he named names! He was working.

Today, we see the right wing using similar tactics in the Bush administration: questioning people's patriotism, using smears and mud-slinging against opponents, trying to get people fired if they disagree with neocon policies, keeping a blacklist of university professors who oppose them, and most recently, equating the AARP group of loving gays instead of our troops.

After reading Kazan's book, I did gain a firm insight into right-wing politics, and these politicians use juxtaposition of images to label their opponents. Right-wingers still don't care if they distort the record. To them, winning is everything.

Arts and Entertainment
The Independent Film Producer's Survival Guide: A Business and Legal Sourcebook
Published in Paperback by Schirmer Trade Books (2005-02)
Authors: Gunnar Erickson, Mark Halloran, and Harris Tulchin
List price: $24.95
New price: $15.51
Used price: $13.99

Average review score:

Should Be Used As A Textbook
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-16
I purchased this expecting some advice on legal issues, but this book is so much more. It talks you through the whole process of producing a film from start to finish, including valuable information on finding investors, attaching stars, behind the scene terminology, production advice, sample legal forms and what do with your film once you've made a cut. All of the advice is indispensable. This is a must have for any independent film producer, especially those new to the industry. It should be taught as a textbook in film schools. The most helpful book on producing I've stumbled upon yet.

Indispensable
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-06
I highly recommend this book. As a first time amateur independent film producer, with about 30 film books resting on my shelf, I believe I was constantly thumbing through this one the most during preproduction. This book contains so much useful information and helpful insights, it's almost like having an industry consultant right there with you. Unlike other books, there weren't a lot of sections where they seemed to rush on to the next chapter without exploring the present topic in some depth.

Great Resource
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-02
If it's not already, this book will soon become the industry standard for substantive knowledge of the film business for independent filmmakers. Deal points, standard contract provisions, the often technical and confusing jargon, and the historical context for many industry practices are all covered here in comprehensive yet concise fashion. Topics of interest that are covered in depth include standard talent and producer agreements, developing a screen play, financing, and digital distribution. The book was a tremendous asset to me when I had to help an independent filmmaker comply with complicated federal securities laws in order to raise $200,000. Highly recommended.

jeffbrownlegal@gmail.com

Lawyers not producers
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-16
It was a book with that gave you a good background on how film production works from a legal perspective. So you should read it if that is your concern. The authors are lawyers, not producers.

Excellent book - idiotic title
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-22
This book is a serious but very readable approach to educating filmmakers on the maze of legal hoops that must be jumped through in order to create a film. Indispensable resource to have.

Arts and Entertainment
It Happened in the Catskills
Published in Paperback by Book Sales (2001-08)
Authors: Myrna and Harvey Frommer
List price: $4.99

Average review score:

A WONDERFUL BOOK ABOUT THE CATSKILLS - BBC RADIO!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-06-19
The Frommers are terrific interviewees and their book is a history and an entertainment resource about the Catskills - what else would we expect from oral historians of their rank.

GREAT!!!!!!!!! Yakov Smirnoff
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-15
GREAT INSIGHT INTO WHAT THE CATSKILLS WERE ALL ABOUT

WONDERFUL - - -Chicago Tribune
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-14
WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF REMINISCENCES

WONDERFUL ====VARIETY
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-01
wonderful oral history - - -covers a lot of territory

Engaging Book Is Nearly As Fun As The Era It Celebrates
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-04
While working at the Nevele Country Club, one of the many legendary Catskill resorts covered in this magnificent document, I briefly met Myrna and Harvey Frommer while doing their research. They probably don't remember me, I was too young at the time to offer the kind of history they were looking for, but the pair's enthusiasm and obvious love for the area's resorts and their unique (now long gone) familial atmosphere was readily apparent. When I finally got to read this book, it provided me with a sense of pride for being a part of its history. There's even an ancient picture of my father playing sax in the old Art Kahn Orchestra! But aside from personal connections, this book stands as a definitive oral history of an era. The people interviewed are true insiders, some of them legends in their own right among Catskill lore. And while the book provides some deep sociological perspective concerning its ethnic background, the authors know how to balance this with charming, amazing and often sidesplitting anecdotes. If you ever spent a weekend at Grossinger's, The Concord, The Nevele or one of the dozens of small bungalow colonies, this book will wash you in warm memories. And if you didn't have the chance, it will make you wish you did.

Arts and Entertainment
Louise Brooks: A Biography
Published in Paperback by University of Minnesota Press (2000-07-10)
Author: Barry Paris
List price: $22.95
New price: $14.64
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Average review score:

Everything you ever wanted to know about Louise Brooks...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-30
This is an extremely thorough, even-handed and well-written bio. The author's approach is intelligent and his research and references are extensive.

One learns that Brooks began as an upper middle class wildchild from the plains who determined early to be a great dancer. She had talent and determination. But Fate along with timing made it possible for her to escape Kansas for New York City at the tender age of 15 (!) to train with a premiere dance company. She seems never to have gotten past being that wildchild and was, at 17, dismissed from the troupe for unacceptable behavior. Soon she was a dancer on Broadway, including a stint with the Ziegfeld Follies. Next stop, the movies!

Being admittedly "selfish and stubborn" as well as volatile, Brooks tore through New York, Paris, London, Hollywood, Berlin and back, living it up and burning bridges all around. By age 25 she was finished in terms of ever becoming a movie star or great dancer. She eventually disappeared into a gin bottle, was reduced to dance instruction, retail sales and finally "love for sale."

This is all fascinating enough, but her late-in-life resurrection as a rediscovered silent era "icon" (based mostly on films made in Europe in the late 20's) and as a newly minted writer is the surprising twist toward the end of an otherwise bleak life story.

Her work in Pabst's "Pandora's Box" ought to provide Brooks all the immortality any actress could desire. She is spectacular as Lulu and deserves every accolade. She was a beauty, but there were other beauties of her era who achieved greater stardom - Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow. Her "black helmet" hairstyle was well suited to her looks, but it's more likely that Colleen Moore actually popularized the look, having been a superstar of the 20's (which Brooks wasn't)and the iconic "flapper." As for her skill as a writer (with reference to "Lulu in Hollywood"), I find Brooks interesting, insightful and even poetic, but there is an underlying note of bitterness that undermines any claim of objectivity. And, considering her decades of gin guzzling, I question her ability to be very accurate 40-50 years after the fact. For me, the mystique and power of Louise Brooks comes down to her performance in "Pandora's Box," her primary and glorious claim to fame.

Read "Louise Brooks" by Barry Paris and form your own conclusions. Don't miss "Pandora's Box." The Criterion Collection DVD boxed set includes Kenneth Tynan's 1979 profile, the TCM production, "Looking for Lulu," a 1970's interview with Brooks and other extras.

Biography and history
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-28
This book is an expansive overview of the life of Louise Brooks and also of the early days of the movie industry. Very throughly researched, it gives a nuanced look and the beautiful, brilliant and maddeningly self-destructive icon. It also is a wonderful history of the entertainment world in the 1920's and the personalities who populated that world. A must-read from fans of Louise Brooks.

A jam-packed book about Louise Brooks
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-17
Several books have been written about Louise Brooks, but this book is probably the most concise and most thorough of them all. The book starts off with Louise's birth and it describes all the people that helped to make Louise so interesting and famous. There are many black-and-white photos of Louise, from the time she started in show-biz (at age 4) to Louise in her later years, just before her death.

Since Louise Brooks had such a fascinating life, it is not a surprise that this book is so long. Each Chapter basically covers a chunk of her life, and each Chapter describes (in detail) the characters that encountered & shaped Louise, and also all the Theatre and Movie productions that Louise was involved in.

An exemplary biography worthy of its subject
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-09
This is what a biography should be: insightful, understanding, offering a measured & complex view of its beloved subject. And what a subject Barry Paris has in Louise Brooks! Her beauty, her intelligence, her compelling charisma all shine in these pages, giving us a multi-faceted view of this ravishing star. For someone who had never heard of Louise Brooks, this biography will send him or her in eager pursuit of her all-too-few films & her own writing -- and both are of the very highest standard.

It's clear that Brooks never did anything without wanting to give her all, to make true art out of it, a work of beauty & meaning that would stand the test of time. And the same could be said of this superb biography. While Paris clearly adores Brooks (and with good reason), he never succumbs to blind hagiography. Nor does he stumble in the opposite direction of pathography. His purpose is to explore the life of a fascinating woman, and to present it to the reader as thoroughly & lucidly as possible. He succeeds on every level. Louise Brooks emerges from these pages as both a flesh & blood woman, and as the dazzling, mysterious icon she became to countless admirers.

In short, the best book on Louise Brooks you'll ever find, most highly recommended!

An excellent biography.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-19
I have not yet read this entire book, but just glancing through it when it arrived I would find that I have just read twenty pages or so whenever I openned it up. I can't wait until I read it cover to cover.

Arts and Entertainment
Special Effects: The History and Technique
Published in Hardcover by Watson-Guptill Publications (2000-10-01)
Author: Richard Rickitt
List price: $75.00
New price: $50.00
Used price: $49.97

Average review score:

Good book for overviewing special effects
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-26
This is a good book to overview the special effects for making movies. It includes history and technics for almost everything but not details. However it is impossible to include details in a book so readers need to find out the details from other resources. Overall this is a good book for gaining knowledge in special effects.

a great gift
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-06
I got the book for my boyfriend. He loved it.The book has a lot of interesting and useful information even if you are just a movie-lover, not a movie-maker

The Best Book Ever
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-01
Special Effects is THE BEST book you could wish for on the subject. I have a shelf full of old, an mostly inaccurate books about special effects, but with this new book I could throw the rest away. Also, don't bother with magazines like Cinefex anymore, which are very dry and heavy going. this book is a pleasure to read and has interviews with everyone who is important in the business. There are hundreds of cool photos as well which makes it very good value. Anyone who works in special effects, or is just interested in the movies should read this book. Congratulations to the author Mr Rickitt who has condensed 100 years of movie magic into a single lavish book. Dont take my word for it - BUY IT!

A coffee table book for the geeks in all of us...
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-05
Yes there is great history and education in here, but the mass of photographs tells a truly beautiful tale. The artists illustrated here are for the most part the true pioneers of creating magic on film. Going into a project with truly no proven technique must have been terrifying and adrenaline pumping. Our techniques have greatly improved but since the advent of fully cg fx, the pioneering aspect is minimal. It is very well written but I can't call it a page turner since I spent so much time staring at the pictures. Great for fans and professionals alike.

Why is this book out of print?
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-01-27
I'm a film studies tutor and reccommend this title to all of my students. Why has the publisher/author allowed it to go out of print? This is the best book ever written on special/visual effects and one of the best introductions to film making and film technology generally. PLEASE REPRINT THIS BOOK and ideally, make a softback edition at a price my kids can better afford. THANKS!

Arts and Entertainment
The Spice Girls: The Uncensored Story Behind Pop's Biggest Phenomenon
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Ballantine Books (1997-10-29)
Author: Anna Louise Golden
List price: $4.99
New price: $3.01
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

fantastic
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-07-03
This book is great.I have every single spice girl book,poster,cd,magezine that has come out since the spice girls started.I even have all the spice girl merchandise.I am a spice girl die-hard fan.This book I would rate one of the better spice girl books.I even have the spice girl book that is out of stock.It was really good also (because the spice girls wrote it themselves).

good
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-06-18
just realy good

ALL ABOUT THOSE WICKED GIRLS
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1998-12-26
I THOUGHT THE BOOK WAS PRETTY GOOD IT GAVE ALOT OF INFO. BUT IT ALSO TELLS ALOT OF HISTORY ABOUT ENGLAND.BUT I GUESS I WOULD RECOMEND THIS BOOK!

It was a fascinating book on the then FAB FIVE!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1998-12-06
It had tons of detail and cool pictures!If you liked those other phony Spice books you'll love this REAL book about the coolest band today,THE SPICE GIRLS!!!

I'M THE SPICE GIRLS BIGGEST FAN BUT.......
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-02-13
this book was not that good, it was just the same old stuff I allready know (nothing new) why can't someone make a book that doesn't borr you to death! I can write a better book! You know what I think i will, thanks for the idea!

Arts and Entertainment
The Sudoku Code: 200 Sudoku Puzzles. One Answer. Can You Find It?
Published in Paperback by Sterling (2006-04-28)
Authors: Francis Heaney and Frank Longo
List price: $6.95
New price: $3.34
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Fun
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-18
Challenging fun. Just enough of a challenge but not so much that you can't do it. Fun. Thus saith husband, doer of sudoku

More Sudoku books than I can count, and yet this one manages an interesting twist
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-18
First let me say I have too much Sudoku. I love this particular logic puzzle, and have collected a dozen or so different books of them. A couple I purchased when I was in the hospital and didn't have access to my original book. A few more I purchased because of some interesting variations in the puzzles. The point is, I have no reason to buy more Sudoku books for a long time unless something special about it compells me to.

The I saw this book. Kind of a cheesy way to cash in on a popular book and movie currently out, and the puzzles at hand really relate in no way to The Da Vinci Code. But they did throw in a twist that caught my attention. Basically, working your way through the book, another puzzle is slowly decoded and revealed. I think it's a nice approach that keeps this from being just another Sudoku book. Definitely a nice book to have for any Sudoku enthusiast.

Beware....this is addicting!!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-07
As a Sudoku enthusiast I have a hard time finding interesting Sudoku books. The square grids have become a bit boring so I went on to the variations (circles, snakes, mazes, etc). So when I saw the grids in this book I fully intended it to be one of "those" books that you pick up here and there to work on a puzzle. But no, I too was consumed. It was like reading a book where you couldn't put it down. The codes build and I wanted to know what the next phrase was going to be. I worked on it every morning to wake up my mind and only intended to solve one puzzle...... an hour later and I'm still going! It does get hard so I too would say it's for a more expert solver but it is not impossible. I managed to solve it and sent for my button hoping they would say how many have solved it. Oh well - ENJOY!!

The Pin At Last...
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-18
I bought this book for Christmas-2006. I wasn't much into Sudokus but the cover and cultural climate of the time caught my eye and thus I caught on very quickly.

Well, I just received my 'Solved The Code' pin today, along with a letter from Francis Heaney (co-author) who included a personal inscription in the note (Thank You!). I feel - well - accomplished, fulfilled. Whole.

Seriously, the last 6 months have been a blast. I now consider myself a Sudokruiser - one who can solve a grid in minutes. I recommend this book to obssesive/compulsives, like myself. But be prepared to say 'so-long' to your obligations and family as sudokus can be very addictive.

If you can't finish the book and need the final answer, here it is:
The final answer is...

***uh - what the???? **** ahhhhhhhhh!

[Sorry, the author of this message was just eaten by a great white shark - Amazon Editor-In-Chief Whitley Seymore.]

I love this book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-06
I've done Sudoku puzzles of all kinds and as much as I love them, they have become very easy for me. I can do them in pen. Once I purchased this book there's a challenge at every page, and with no answers in the back of the book the only way you know if it's right is to complete all 200 puzzles. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!

Arts and Entertainment
U2 Live: A Concert Documentary
Published in Paperback by Omnibus Press (2003-11-01)
Author: Pimm Jal de la Parra
List price: $29.95
New price: $15.98
Used price: $6.95
Collectible price: $29.99

Average review score:

The U2 fan Bible
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-08
If you are in a group of hardcore U2 fans, and you say, "the U2 bible" or "the Pimm book", they will all know which book you mean. For collectors, bootleggers, and general fans, this is THE book. While Pimm has sadly passed away, well known U2 insider Caroline Von B. has taken over and kept this tradition alive. This is the U2 book that the U2 crew take on the road. Need I say more?

Boom-Cha Goodness!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-01
This is the ultimate compendium for the true U2 fan. Not only does it document every single show they've ever played but it gives a lot of background and behind the scenes info on the albums. When I found out this updated version of the book was coming out I got excited and now that I've received it I was not disappointed!

Essential for the U2 fan or U2 collector
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2004-05-16
This is the updated version. The first book that came out covered U2 from their earliest stages up through to the beginnings of the Popmart tour. This one carries us through the Popmart tour right through to the end of the Elevation tour. Pretty much every U2 show ever played is covered to some extent, whether it's just with a setlist or a lengthy review. Each tour has a page or so dedicated to an overview and then each show is detailed to some extent. If you're just a fan of the band you'll get a kick out of many of the shows details (the pizza order/delivery from 1992 being fantastic). If you're a collector of shows this book is to U2 fans what Deadbase or those Tapers Compendium books are to Grateful Dead fans. It's either a lot of fun to read or a rich source of information. Just a blast.

On a side note most of the book is written by Pimm Jal de la Parra. I'm not sure if it says it anywhere but apparently he had passed away during the creation of this updated version. A few people had gotten together to finish it off for him. They most certainly did him proud.

The Best Document of the U2 Live Experience
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-24
Hands-down the best book for collectors, fans, completists and trivia buffs. Compiled from thousands of sources by devoted but objective fans, this book is a good read, reference book and very interesting look inside each tour. As a long time collector, I have always heard that if a setlist exists in this book, there is a recording of that show, somewhere in the world.

A must for any U2 fan!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-12
This book is hard to put down! Every U2 gig is detailed from setlists to attendance. Lots of photographs, some that have never been seen before. I love it!


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