Dance Books

My two year old son asks me to read this book several times a day. It is such a wonderful celebration of seasons and the loving bond between parent and child. It is pure poetry. The illustrations are beautiful and unique.

This book certainly expanded my three year old's vocabulary! She recently began creative dance and loves the book. You'll find her dancing around outside singing, "Galoshes-galumphing, Galoshes-galumphing, Galoshes-galumphing!" Lots of fun!

This book is wonderfully descriptive and takes the reader through a beautiful journey through the seasons. It also emphasizes the influence special people can have in our lives. Recommended for readers young and old.

This book is a treasure for all who love the melody of words, and the syncopation of the dance. It reads like a poem, and gives a joyous, yet subtly nostalgic, paen to the dance, and the love between a mother and a daughter. I bought it as a gift to the students I have who are dancers, to read to them, and to bring into the world of dance. It is truely a musical book!The scratched illustrations dance in their own right, too.

Nice art and poetry. It's one of our favorites. I love reading it to my children.

This is a romance novel, an "elder lit" romance novel, if such a category existed. Perhaps it should. I applaud older authors (Williams was 92 when he wrote this book), or any authors, for that matter, who treat elders as real people rather than stereotypes and consider them worthy subjects for fiction.

Main characters Morgan and Dixie meet contentiously in an accidental physical collision outside the Whispering Pines senior residence. Morgan, 89, is considering moving to the independent living section, and Dixie, 79, works there part time.

All the usual problems of old age are present: bad previous family relationships, clouded pasts, suspicions, heath and financial issues, loneliness, hopes, plans, disappointments. At 89 and 79, Morgan and Dixie carry much more emotional baggage than most romance novel characters--but fortunately, more spirit and knowledge, much of it experienced-based, as well.

As they tentatively and gradually fall in love, Morgan and Dixie face their challenges together with the eventual help of Morgan's long-lost grandson. Youth and age combine for a positive outlook toward uncertain futures.

My pessimistic side tells me that this book's ending is unrealistic, yet we all can, and should, hope that our dreams will come true if we keep trying. The positive message overshadows doubts.

This skillfully-written book by a former journalist should be required reading for everyone involved in elder caregiving and everyone contemplating the issue of aging. It is honest, informative, and entertaining, a pleasure to read.

The book includes a Reading Group Guide which would seem to make it an excellent choice for Senior--and Boomer--book clubs.

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (1/08)

Mardo Williams, a career journalist, and award-winning author of "One Last Dance," is a highly effective communicator. His writing demonstrates a clear understanding of the reality of growing older. Williams connects with an audience of intergenerational readers as he gives them an insight into the aging process through a backward glance into the past, a glimpse into the future, and the challenge of the present. Williams delivers a clear message of the importance of family stability. This adds an important additional dimension, beyond the delightful entertainment value, to the book.

Eighty-nine-year-old Morgan was considering moving into Whispering Pines Retirement Center and Nursing Home when he literally bumped into seventy-nine-year-old Dixie, a member of the recreation staff at the center. The elements of romance, mystery, and suspense, all add to the message of hope threaded throughout the story of Morgan and Dixie as they enter a relationship based on economic needs in their later years.

Dixie kept secrets from Morgan regarding her medical background and indebtedness, while checking into rumors of scandal in business and family skeletons from Morgan's past life in Chicago. These two strong-willed people are set in their ways; Dixie and Morgan begin to experience change and growth as they discover a new appreciation for each other as their relationship deepens.

Unresolved emotional issues, financial insecurity, and the fear of the unknown plague Dixie as she struggles to find balance in her work, her faith, and loyalty to her friends. The complications of romance at this stage in life, medical expenses, house maintenance, and the loss of independence, all play a part in the dilemmas faced by Morgan and Dixie.

There is an unexpected plot twist when Tony, Morgan's grandson, is introduced into the story. He comes in with a flurry of vengeance, destruction, mistrust, restitution and rehabilitation.

I enjoyed Williams' use of humor and his descriptive language in developing his characters. These characters take on a life of their own as they convey the emotions of criticism, anger, frustration, love, and empathy for each other.

I highly recommend this book for every senior citizen, and for their children. Williams' writing is strong and reveals a deep understanding of the challenge of growing old in America. Inspirational and entertaining, "One Last Dance" offers the promise and hope of finding companionship, love, and meaning and any age and the challenge of living out your dreams.

Anyone--of any age--contemplating a relationship--of any kind--would benefit greatly from reading this charming, positive, poignant book. It's very close to being a text-book for managing a successful partnership or marriage, or even parenthood. There are a wide variety of life lessons to be garnered from its pages. You don't even have to be of `a certain age' to appreciate the wit and wisdom of the author who was 92 when he began this book!

At 79, Dixie was a very active, involved part-time worker at a retirement home, while Morgan was 89, and had come to that same home to visit a friend in rehab. They literally bumped into each other, leaving remnants of the birthday cake that Dixie was bringing to a friend all over both of them and the sidewalk. Sparks of all kinds flew through the air, some of them verbal.

He was taken by the slender, curvacious blonde with the big blue eyes; she was intrigued by the well-spoken, tall, white-haired gentleman. Before very long, there was another encounter, and another.

These two hardy souls were survivors, and in hardly no time at all, they had decided to survive together. The original plan was for Morgan to rent a room in Dixie's large house, to help pay the expenses, and provide companionship. They became better friends, thinking of maybe more than that, yet they each remained hesitant to share some of the important details in their past--as well as current--lives.

A third person enters their world, causing no little disruption, before bringing even greater happiness to the older couple.

Along the way, they learn important truths about each other and themselves. They learn to appreciate life's little blessings, as well as the bigger ones. They learn to compromise and not anticipate the other's opinions or thoughts. There is a wonderfully happy ending, but not without a bit more trauma along the rocky path to bliss.

The most important truth here is--keep going. Don't just sit and molder. Be active, be involved, you'll be ever so much more alive for the doing.

"One Last Dance" is delightful reading. It has humor, suspense, romance, complexity of character, regrets, yearning and hope. I repeatedly loaned my copy, gave others as gifts to friends and recommended it to everyone. We are all looking ahead or have already achieved the age of the lead characters, Morgan, age 89, and Dixie, age 79. The author's age of 92 when he writes "One Last Dance" is itself an inspiration and more importantly it lends authenticity to the story. The fictional account makes it clear there's more to look forward to but the golden years have as many complexities as those years that preceeded them.

I belong to a book discussion group and have been urging our group to make this one of our monthly selections. Being budget-conscious, though, we have been waiting for a paperback version or good buys on used books. I wasn't able to find the book in our local library, but a friend checked it out for me from the Columbus library.
What a delightful read this book was! I am a slow reader, wanting to picture everything in my mind before moving on. The book has lots of conversation, making it easy to read quickly. The storyline keeps one interested so I found myself not wanting to stop reading to eat or to do anything else. I finished it in a little over one day even though it is 419 pages long.
The book gives us characters who have their faults but are good at the core of their being. We share in their worries and in their triumphs over those worries. We learn the innermost thoughts of the characters, making them feel like our dear friends. We get a glimpse of what it will feel like to be 79 or 89 years old.
What a talented family the Williamses must be! The great writing and editing skills of the father and the two daughters are apparent in the product they have given us readers. How I would love to talk with those two daughters!

It's the greates visual experiens in body's beaty. As a dancer I want to thanks Howard's work.

...The embodiment of perfect human physical condition captured in a way that could not be imagined. OUTSTANDING!

Amazing beauty. This book makes me want to practice all aspects of photography. Waterdance was boring, but this one is true black-and-white tangible vision in print.

Any serious artist should have this text on their shelf. The simple anantomy of the human body is not enough as found in other similar texts, but this text offers not only dancers in motion but still poised with lighting that shows the muscles we completely miss in full light. The silver gelatin prints darken the skin enough to show each nuance. A must have.

It's art for artists.

Passion and Line is one of my very favorite books and I have thousands of books. It inspires me. It motivates me. It is the zenith of what the human body can be. I get chills each time I view this thrilling book. The hard work, the incredible discipline of the dancers is exquisitly captured by Howard Schultz. Bravo to the Artist Schultz and bravo to his subject dancers.

i could not put this book down.as big as it is,i read it in 2 days.so far i have read 3 books about burlesque and this one tops the cake.i rented this book from the library but now i will purchase it.this is a book you must own and the details in the book are priceless.

I just received this book in the mail, and i have only one word for it - Stunning.

This book is full of beautiful photos and sketches of original costumes, and there's a wealth of written information to go with the pretty pictures!
Even the presentation is lovely, i'm really impressed with the matte pink binding - it'll look great in my book case ;)

Go ahead and order this book, you won't be disappointed.

the book is very dazzling ,and it would be my ture love for the passed Age.

If the book title sounds familiar, it's because Liz Goldwyn's HBO documentary of the same name aired in July 2005 to much acclaim, covering the history of American burlesque. If you think you've seen it all in the show, think again: the book holds much more! Here are personal stories, career overviews, and biographies of some of the most talented genre stars. Burlesque history comes alive here as in no other collection, making PRETTY THINGS a 'must' for any holding strong in American arts history, from general-interest to college-level libraries.

An artistic design layout provides the reader with lots of photos and scrapbook pages of original costume sketches, fabric swatches, letters, postcards, and lots more. This visual collage is a wonderful piece of film toward understanding the life these women lived. Their attitude and sex appeal as we know it only disguised the reality of their life, tough working conditions and a career contingent of youth and beauty eventually leading these women to fall on hard times and in the end forgotten.

Hey, this book is the closest thing to actually seeing Riverdance live or on video...but I definitely prefer to see it live!

This terrific book begins with a history of Irish music and dance, which are "celebrated as a metaphor for life." Included in this background was information about the 17th century cake dance (the dancers ate the prize) and the 18th century emergence of the solo or step dance. This was the most important development in Irish dance history. In the late 1700s dance masters traveled around Ireland teaching complex steps. The Gaelic League was formed in 1893 to promote Irish culture. The first ceili (dance event) was held in London in 1897.

The second part of the book was about Riverdance (the show)-- the original story is based on the life of a river: small and quiet at its source, then feeding and nourishing the lands it passes, and finally rushing out to sea at the estuary. The show was planned to have a soft choral opening and a big finale. It was designed as a seven-minute interval during a Eurovision song contest and got a standing ovation from a roaring audience. Thus, Riverdance "the phenomenon" was born in a Dublin theater in 1994.

From there on, it was expanded and developed into the stage show as we know it today, complete with a premier Spanish flamenco dancer, a six-person troupe from the Moscow Folk Ballet, African American tap dancers, and a choir from Atlanta, Georgia. It also made stars of its first two principal dancers, Michael Flatly and the beautiful Jean Butler, both Americans. Flatly, in fact, was the first American to win the World Irish Dancing Championships.

A "great swell" of national pride resulted from Riverdance's exploration of the internal and outward journeys of the Irish people. Riverdance rescued Irish dancing, reinforcing its sensitivity with simple costumes while utilizing generations of skills and traditions.

A lovely and beautiful book.

I first saw an advertisement when "Riverdance" was showing on PBS, and I wanted a better inside look at this amazing show. I then looked it up in the library. I discovered a real look at how it really began, and how it spread to Canada, the United States, much of Europe, and most recently Japan, among many other places. If you want to discover exactly how much work is involved in putting together a dance show, I recommend this book to you.

It gives wonderful insight of the influences and origins of traditional Irish music and dance. It also tells the story of how Riverdance developed and became a theatrical phenomenon. It is filled with pictures from the the stage and behind the scenes. I enjoyed this immensely it helped provide me with inspiration and insight of the works. I would recommend this to any fan.

"Riverdance," the exuberant Irish dance phenomenon that's sweeping both sides of the Atlantic, has swung its way in a scant few years from a seven-minute interval sequence in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest to a record-breaking stage spectacular. It's an audio, a much-in-demand video, and now a glossy richly illustrated book. Riverdance: The Story opens with a comprehensive history, an account "of an ancient Irish tradition in which dance and music are celebrated as a metaphor for life," then segues into the creation of Riverdance: The Show. Virtuoso Bill Whelan, who has written original music for 15 W.B. Yeats plays, ideated the piece - selecting a river's life as his overall theme, with the male lead dancer representing the land, and the female star embodying the river flowing through the land. He then composed the score for the original sequence and came up with the name "Riverdance." Neither John McColgan, director, or Moya Doherty, producer of the segment, dreamed of the reception it would receive: "It was seven minutes that shattered the hermetically sealed world of television, seizing the attention and igniting the imaginations of 300 million viewers." As the last note rang out the 3,000 member audience (made up of delegates from 25 countries) leapt to its feet, led by the usually staid Irish President, Mary Robinson. Tumultuous cries of "Riverdance! Riverdance!" filled the theater. The rest, to use a fatigued phrase, is entertainment history. The abruptly dissonant departure of audience-pleasing star Michael Flatley is not euphemistically described by the author . When Flatley did not renew his one-year contract, mediation was unsuccessful. A final volley from the multi-talented first generation Irish American is described as demanding control of the show. "I would like complete control over all that I do and all that I am involved with in this show," he wrote. "This includes what I wear, when I dance, and which dancers I choose to dance with." Finding his conditions unacceptable, the decision was made to replace him. Twenty-seven year old Colin Dunne learned only 1 day before curtain time that he would be taking over the starring role. That night the show received a standing ovation. Flatley went on to form "Lord of the Dance," an extravaganza enjoying enormous success. Nothing is overlooked in this meticulously conceived volume - themes, music, cast, production, and predictions for the future all receive studied attention. Author Sam Smyth, a columnist with the Irish Independent newspaper in Dublin, has filled his book with stunning full-page photographs of the phenomenon that has won millions of hearts and imaginations. "Riverdance" fans will love it. - Gail Cooke

As a voracious reader of books on stars, I was wonderfully entertained by Edwin Howard's new book, Seeing Stars. The book is written in an easy reading style, full of interesting facts and insights about some of the movie stars who have dominated the screen for the past 50 years. What is most amazing is how Mr. Howard became friends with many of the stars that he covered. This is obviously a testament to his own personality and his ability to connect with stars as people and not just as Hollywood names. This is a must read for anyone who wants an inside glimpse of celebrities as diverse as Cary Grant, Elvis Presley, Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman or John Wayne. I even got several copies to give as gifts to friends who love the movies!

Edwin Howard's "Seeing Stars" enables one to pick a favorite star celebrity and to discover what it's really like to have a one-on-one conversation with them. From the silent stars (Lillian Gish) to Martin Sheen (West Wing) and all the others in between, Edwin gets us up close to the star.

For example, I learned how John Grisham deals with unexpected celebrity; John Wayne's political views and his thoughts on ballet (yes, ballet!) Howard doesn't mince words, he tells of his interviews with the stars in a "what you see is what you get" kind of manner. He has learned how to get close to famous people and earn their trust but as veteran newspaperman his writing rings true.

I read Mr. Howard's wonderful book, and was struck by the feeling of being there personally for each interview. Make no mistake, you are there as each star is warmly and artfully brought to life. A must read for fans of the biggest stars of our time and the best writers too.

Edwin Howard's Seeing Stars is a celebration of a professional celebrity seeker, beautifully written with passionate insight for his abundance of subject matter - such as calling "John Wayne the Grand Canyon of movie stars" and Lucille Ball "the Niagara Falls." Throughout the book, Howard has seasoned his original interviews of some of Hollywood's most famous stars with personal observations and evaluations of their films and careers. This reader learned so much and was inspired to want to see again films in which the stars appeared. This reader-friendly book, with candid photographs of many of the stars, is a must for the cinema loving public as well as for theater/cinema libraries - and the personal book shelves of students studying these disciplines.

Seeing Stars' introduction is a perfect tune-up for what is to come - by first defining what an interview actually is: "biography in a hurry"... and very informative about where the word interview comes from: "to see each other" from old French. The book's opening chapter on Mae West, who invited the author up to her apartment, whets the appetite to read on. In subsequent chapters, one is introduced to sharp, witty and appropriately catchy chaper titles - salt and peppering the interviews to follow. With Howard's flare for words, his interviews are absolutely delicious! The chapter on Patricia Neal will bring a tear to the eye. Wait until you read the final words Howard writes about Elvis Presley!

Let's hope Edwin Howard doesn't stop seeing more stars in the future. This 260-page book seeks a celebratory sequel.

Why are so many of the best American writers Southerners? Edwin Howard is a Southerner and a brilliant novelist and his gifts show through also in the intimacy and warmth of these extended interviews with his fellow Southerners William Faulkner, John Grisham, Patricia Neal, Dixie Carter and Joanne Woodward. In spite of the catchy sub-title, don't mistake Howard for your usual "celebrity seeker". He is a serious writer, and even his short pieces are remarkable for their depth and penetration. And for their frankness and raw humour, because the death of many of his subjects has allowed Howard to print things they said that couldn't be printed in their lifetime (at least not in his Memphis paper). Mae West is even earthier and John Wayne tougher than you imagined - though her main interest is a healthy diet and he loves ballet and considers himself a liberal. Others like Sophia Loren, Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant are as we know them but more so. I skipped some of the interviews at first because they were with actors who didn't interest me (I won't mention names - they may be your favorites) but when I finally read them I found that in Howard's hands they had become interesting. My personal favourite, though, is Lucille Ball; I particularly like her answer to Howard's question, "You don't mind being considered a legend, then?" This is a wonderful book; read it and find out what she says.

I have been a cinema fan quite while, silent films more recently as I research. Finally, I see a book on the market where the author actually sought out former stars and interviewed them!
We get a sense of their personalities and the whole era through this book;
I recently bought SILENT PLAYERS, thinking it a similiar book but many of the subjects were dead before the author wrote it and those who are quoted have little or nothing to say. The chapters are one page at most.
I hope for more good reading. It is sad now but I imagine all the silent players are gone. Are there any still alive? If so, who are they and have they been interviewed?
Another good read is the new bio of Valentino. He must have been quite the loverboy!

I ENJOYED THIS BOOK VERY MUCH AND THE AUTHOR FOUND SOME NEAT SILENT FILM PERSONALITIES TO TALK WITH. GOOD INSIGHT INTO WHAT THOSE EARLY YEARS WERE LIKE BUT FOR WHAT I PAID FOR IT I FEEL THE BOOK SHOULD AT LEAST BE RELEASED IN HARDCOVER. STILL, IT WAS ENJOYABLE.

Mr. Villecco interviews 12 former silent film players and a director Andrew Stone. We learn about the early scandals and first Academy Awards and early working conditions. It is fascinating. These pioneers really worked, often under undesirable conditions. As far as sex, drugs and rock and roll, the 1920's were no different. Read the chapters on Baby Peggy, Anita Page and Pauline Curley! It's also amazing that Villecco was able to even locate living silent stars. Are there any left?
I rate this book 5 stars-the photos and filmogs are also wonderful.

"Silent Stars Speak" is a superb book! This is a treasure chest of information about Hollywood's roots. Tony Villeco's interviews with the 12 stars are facinating. He's done a marvelous job, giving us a glimpse into the past. Since many of these stars have now passed on, he's captured wonderful memories and a bit of history as well. It was a joy to read, as well as informative and insightful. The book is full of beautiful, vintage pictures that truly take the reader back to the magical era of silent films. Tony Villeco has created a work of art, in this wonderful book. One can only hope to read more from him future! Bravo!

Tony Villecco writes articles on silent and sound films for CLASSIC IMAGES magazine and he has assembled twelve of his articles for this book. Subjects range from clild actors Baby Peggy Montgomery and Jean Darling to major stars like Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and even a director, Andrew Stone. The book has very detailed filmographies of each person profiled, except for director Stone. This book is a fast read, and it would be a great introduction to someone who is new to silent films. Many of the people profiled in the book had long careers in sound films also. The best parts of the book are when he interviews some little know people like director Stone, actress Pauline Curley, and actress Priscilla Bonner and they actually talk about their careers and filmmaking. Sometimes the subjects just give us a list of the many people that they worked with and don't give us much detail about their experiences. In fairness to the author, his subjects were all very old at the time and may not have been able to remember that many details. If you are really interested in interviews with silent film stars, Kevin Brownlow's THE PARADE'S GONE BY and William Drew's AT THE CENTER OF THE FRAME are much better. Baby Peggy's story is told much better in hour autobiography, HOLLYWOOD' CHILDREN.

A very nice throughly researched book on the early days of live televised science fiction. Throughout the book the author compares Space Patrol with Star Trek although the series has much more in comon with Irwin Allen's Lost In Space tv series of the mid 1960s since Star Trek served little more than a political platform for Gene Roddenberry's extreme radical liberal views.

This is a very nice book for those of us who grew up watching Space Patrol. Well written - information on the show, its production, the cast as well as the products that you could get by sending in 'box tops', etc.

Wonderful photos of the cast, as well as models of the sets/rockets and props. A chronological listing of the TV shows as well as the Radio ones. Very nice addition to a collection of information on Science Fiction on the airwaves.

Bassior's book is an intimate slice of history. On the surface, it may seem trivial to examine the story of a hit TV show from half a century ago, but in her two decades of unrelenting research, the result of Jean-Noel Bassior's dilligence (while maintaining her career as a top-level journalist) is a book that set out to document an ephemeral pop culture phenomenon, and became a supremely positive inspiration to a generation who went on to live lives by a sincere code of ethics, and some of whom made Neil Armstrong's "small step" possible. Inside the story, the star of the show, Commander Corry turns out to be actor Ed Kemmer, a bona fide World War Two hero.

In short, this book is a unique, intimate look at a pop culture phenomenon, and the remarkable people who made it happen.

At first I thought that the price of the book was excessive, however, upon deciding to spend the money I feel it was well spent. If you, like me, grew up with early television this book will take you back to a time when the world was simplier and TV was a miracle.

The author of "Space Patrol: Missions of Daring in the Name of Early Television" has taken a long and loving look at one of the best Sci Fi programs of the 1950's. The information gathered is informative, refresing, and above all (to my knowledge) never before put in print. The interviews with former cast members is a delight, and the behind the scenes look gives you and idea of how the then infact television industry operated.

I recommend spending the $49.00 and take a trip back in time and re-live your youth with Buzz Corey, Cadet Happy, Carol Carlyle, Major Robinson, and Tonga... its worth it.

Some might think it's a waste of time to read a book about a television show that one never saw. But, although I never saw an episode of "Space Patrol" (it had gone off the air before I was five years old), this is one of the best books I've read in years. A 20-year labor-of-love, it clearly reflects the author's interest and dedication to the subject. She managed to interview virtually all of the surviving cast and production crew members, and their anecdotes bring the story of this live-action television series from the early 1950s to life. It's packed with details about the characters, the performers, the production challenges, the sets, the special effects and the marketing of spin-off toys. Even better, it examines the positive effects that "Space Patrol" had on children of the time, some of whom, inspired by the show, grew up to be NASA engineers, "rocket scientists" and astronauts. Back in the days of clear-cut moral values and before political correctness reared its ugly head, the "Space Patrol" crew served as excellent role models for the first of the baby-boomers. Reading this book will transport anyone who grew up in that era back to a simpler time when the world was a more pleasant place to live and when there were well-defined good guys and bad guys. It's a great read about a fascinating subject--highly recommended.

Alex McNeill's "Total Television" is one of those reference works which is useful both for settling trivia arguments at parties and for helping those engaged in serious scholarly study of television programs and their impact upon popular culture. As of this review, "Total Television" is in its fourth edition.

The book is basically an alphabetical encyclopedia of thousands of television programs in every possible genre: dramas, sitcoms, game shows, cartoons, and more. Each entry lists the series' air dates, principal performers, and other relevant data.

In addition to the main body of encyclopedic entries, the book includes a wealth of supplemental features: lists of Emmy winners, a chronological gathering of one-shot specials, and more. Particularly interesting are the programming grids, which show the nightly lineups on each network for each night of the week. You can turn to a season (say, 1951-52) and see what choices the American TV viewer had each night! This feature is great for historians.

Although most of the entries on each series are brief, McNeill spends more time and space on certain series of outstanding impact. These extended articles on "All in the Family," "CBS Evening News," "Dallas," "The Ed Sullivan Show," and more are truly fascinating.

TV has been derided by many with such epithets as "the Boob Tube" and "The Idiot Box." On the other hand, it was praised in an episode of "The Simpsons" as "teacher, mother. . . secret lover." McNeill captures TV in all of its facets: from the depths of inanity to the heights of cultural significance. This book is a great achievement whose reputation, I believe, will increase with future editions.

This reference is superb in it's completeness. Anything you want to know about any program broadcast from 1948-1996 is in this 1251 page book. The 88 page index of names of performers appearing during those years is unbelievable. It includes specials, miniseries and the top 20 rated shows for each of those years. I use this reference at least 2 to 3 times a week.

Where this book is not as easy to use as Brooks and Marsh's "Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows"(see my review for this one), it offers more-as far as the addition of daytime shows and more explanation of the entries. I like the other guide mainly because it's a good quick reference for prime time. However, if I'm really interested in detail or, again, a daytime program-like some Saturday morning cartoon of my childhood-then this is the one to get. I have both books, actually-for reasons specified here.

First, we might note that "... To the Present," in the book's title, means through late 1995. So nothing in the last ten years is included. For years, I have enjoyed "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present" by Brooks and Marsh. I prefer the format of the Brooks and Marsh book to that of the NcNeil book--e.g., the cast is in list form, which makes for easier and quicker reading; the showing time is also included. The chief advantage of the McNeil book is that it includes daytime TV, which the Brooks and Marsh book does not.

Alex McNeil's "Total Television" is the Mother of all TV reference volumes. If you can't find it here, it ain't worth knowin' about. How he was able to compile all this information covering 50+ years of TV is beyond me. Crack open this book at any page and you will be reading for hours, probably days.

the product was received promptly.

i needed it for my class and had 2 business days before my next class, and it arrived on time.

This text has become the guide and standard that other authors are using in updating their books on the same subject! Crannell's analysis and exercises for accent reduction have been especially helpful to me in my work with international clients. The additional material on voice and presentation is of great value for everyone looking to improve their oral skills. The format of the book provides "lectures", vocal exercises, listening skills and practical homework to habituate new skills. This is a real gem for educators, performers or business communicaton professionals.

If there is any one book that can help anyone improve the quality of sound and articulation of the spoken word,this is it!If you apply yourself to practicing along with the tapes you will notice a difference in making your communication more effective. If your in any college studying voice and articulation and do not have this book go and purchase this text and share it with your classmates and professor. You will be glad you did!

If there is any one book that can help anyone improve the quality of sound and articulation of the spoken word,this is it!If you apply yourself to practicing along with the tapes you will notice a difference in making your communication more effective. If your in college studying voice and articulation and do not have this book go and purchase this text and share it with your classmates and professor. You will be glad you did!

Ten years later, this book still comes in handy! Everything from accent reduction to improving the quality of your speaking voice is covered in Dr. Crannell's text. I highly recommend this book to anyone who uses his/her voice often- particularly for work. Voice and Articulation would also be extremely useful for a person studying English as a second language. This is one book you need when it comes to the voice and how it is used/misused.