Arts and Culture Books

I'm a novice screenwriter and found myself completely encapsulated in this book. I wish I had it a year ago when I started my journey into screenwriting. The book in itself is the best classroom for getting at the core of your story and characters. I followed all the strategies and worked them through my script. What happened in the process were all my neurons firing with new ideas and twists. I was coming up with many versions of my script. It was exciting!

Far to technical to be useful for the beginning writer (im sure there are the exceptions out there). This seems to be broken down for the experienced writes struggling with their current projects. It has dozens of schemes to create characters and their scenes. In depth but lacks the simple straight forward inspiring tips and goals to send the new writer a' writing instead, it sends them scratching their head...or hiding under the cover depressed about themes and persona's.

His books and DVD's dwelve deep into his writing tools. I, like many, have read most of the books, and this is one of the top three I return to review. Mckee, Truby, Seger, Wright, and Tobin are all worth reading. Jeff's book is the most important, because it's crucial to find the spine of a story, and Jeff's tools are the best for finding it. All mention it, but Jeff's tools allow one to touch the heart of the story, so you write from the inside-out instead of the outside -- the most important, and the most difficult part of learning to write.

I have read many screenwriting books, but Jeff Kitchen's book is the one I always use on all my script development and script analysis projects. This book teaches you invaluable tools that transforms the way you construct your screenplay. Jeff Kitchen demonstrates the tools through hands-on approach, breaking down popular movies such as Training Day, What Women Want, Minority Report, Blade Runner, The Godfather and Tootsie. He also takes you through the process of developing a script from scratch using the tools. This book will definitely transform the way you approach screenwriting and transform you as writer. If you want to master this craft I highly recommend this book. It's awesome!

...oh and check out his other book Script Analysis and the 5 DVD set.Script Analysis: The Godfather, Tootsie, Blade Runner Jeff Kitchen's Full Day Seminar

There is a multitude of books that have recently become standard over the last twenty to thirty years regarding the mastery of screenwriting. Viki King's book "How to write a Movie in 21 days" is probably one of the most well known, as is "Screenplay" by Syd Field.

I think the truth about a lot of these books is that most people are looking for small, concise manuals that are easy to read and easy to cull the real gems from. From the way I've seen a lot of people approach screenwriting, most of it is typically haphazard. The bulk of people read bits and pieces of books and rarely ever any one book from cover to cover. If you can imagine a person shaking a book above their head hoping for gold coins, diamonds, rubies and other riches to fall from the pages then you have the correct visual. It's a classic blunder, but one that more often than not is the result of too much television advertising and not taking one's dream serious enough.

Jeff Kitchen's "Writing a Great Movie", is a rare book that most people can, and should read from cover to cover at least once. If you read it twice, then you'll be ahead of the curve. It's most likely the best book on writing I've seen bar none, and not just on screenwriting either. Using a system of `comparison and contrast' with different films like Blade Runner, Training Day, Tootsie, Minority Report and The Godfather to illustrate the strengths, the thread and the blood of good writing. Kitchen shows you many, many times over how a good story builds up on itself and how to successfully break it down to properly understand it, and how to identify the most integral aspects of it and use them all as tools.

I've been writing novels for about fifteen years and my approach to writing has changed drastically now and I couldn't imagine going back and abandoning what I've learned from this incredibly helpful book. Some of the help and advice is complex, like the information about Enneagrams and the Enneagram Institute, which sounds daunting and pedantic and like someone trying to cloak Scientology and Dianetics within a screenwriting manual, which is not the case at all. The information about the Enneagram does pop up in Scientology and does get a mention in Dianetics, but for the record was around a lot longer than the usage made of it by Scientology. It's good information and not something to skip past. You'll find this in Chapter 4, so don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.

Other information and advice is simple and easy to grasp and stuff that all writing teachers should tell their students, but probably do not. Another point is the use of index-cards to outline and detail your story, which works for both Screenplay and Novel formats and is a brilliant idea that gets good discussion and was something that many great writers have often used themselves.

As a historical note, and something not covered in the book, Nabakov outlined everything he did on Index cards, quite extensively, and is a resource that scholars of his work have to glean and sift through to this day.

Kitchen tells the reader to make good use of quotes, biblical passages, idioms, etc. as themes within your story which will give it heart. The information in the book is inexhaustible and worthy on many levels. He also uses every piece of advice he gives, to bring it back to the films mentioned above and is quite original in doing so, and a very original way to teach.

If you're looking for "the" book on screenwriting, or writing in general, this book will take your efforts from the amateur realms, and launch it into the next level and bolster a real sense of skill and professionalism that it may have been lacking.

This book is worthy of much recommendation.

This is a must read for anyone who grew up watching The Twilight Zone. It's a comprehensive, behind the secens look at the spine-tingling tales that helped shape our way of looking at the world through a different dimension.

I highly recommend this rarity of a book! My favorite part was the 8 page interview with Bill Mumy who played in three episodes of THE TWILIGHT ZONE "Long Distance Call," "It's a Good Life" and "In Praise of Pip." - Three of my favorites. I really enjoyed the never before scene pictures of him as well. Also, another perk for me was the pic of Terry Burnham who starred in the episode "Nightmare as a Child" which would have to be one of the scariest episodes as well. I got a kick out of Bill and Terry both being in THE TWILIGHT ZONE since they both starred in one of my favorite childhood movies FOR THE LOVE OF WILLADEAN. All and all, this book is a must to THE TWILIGHT ZONE fan! It's chocked full of everything you could ever want to know about the episodes, behind the scenes and more! I just love this book and found out information on so many of my other favorite episodes. This was one of the best shows ever created for television and this book does it justice. Rod Serling would be proud of it, indeed! It's beyond another dimension!

This is a great book of the behind the scenes with many photos and insights from those around Rod Serling during the creation of the series and effects on the world because of it.

This was a program I had grew up on and I say thanks for the behind the scene cover stories and pictures.

Any book about The Twilight Zone has big shoes to fill. Marc Scott Zicree's The Twilight Zone Companion is the bible of The Twilight Zone and, moreover, one of the great books about a television show--any television show. Still, give Mr. Stanyard his due, this is a pretty good book.

Wisely, Mr. Stanyard has followed a different path that Zicree. After a few early chapters on history and analysis of the show, the bulk of the book is taken up by interviews. Over 150 pages of interviews with nearly 40 people involved in the show on various levels, from relatives like Carol and Robert Serling, to writers (Matheson, Hamner, etc.), actors, producers and directors. The last pages are a series of "appreciation essays" written by various people who feel their lives have been impacted by the show as well as speculations by people who knew him of what Rod Serling might have achieved had he lived longer.

Mr. Stanyard has also included a number of interesting photos and a few documents like letters and contracts. Most of the photos are backstage photos from the author's own (inherited) collection. This actually poses a bit of problem. Since the photos Stanyard received cover only a fraction of the episodes, there is a lot of repetition from certain episodes and a whole slew of some very great episodes that have no pictures.

In fact, if I were going to nail down one weakness in the book, it's repetition. Besides the pictures, the interviews also end up being somewhat repetitive as many of the people interviewed have very similar words of praise and descriptions of the show. We're all fans of the show but, with rare exception, the interviews are variations on a theme with not as much enlightenment as I was hoping for.

Still, for a fan of The Twilight Zone this is a difficult book to pass by. There are enough pleasures here to make spending time with this volume worthwhile. For newcomers to the series, I would suggest Zicree's book first.

This book gives you all the lyrics to his songs and there are pictures and paragraphs about them.

"The Doors: The Illustrated History" is the best photographic, visual book record of the band. Compiled by Doors manager Danny Sugerman, it is a fascinating, visually rich and enjoyable display of a band that changed rock music and the amount of praise (and criticsm) they inspired. The pictures are great, they are clear, close and informative and clearly show how Jim Morrison created the theatrical aspects we so see so often in today's rock music. We also get different shots of the man, as the wild, leather-clad Lizard King and as a lonely, quiet poet. The articles and reviews are fascinating because they take us back to a time and place, but they are also surprising to read when compared to what is written today about certain rock artists. In one article dealing with the New Haven arrest where Morrison became the first rock performer to be arrested at a concert, the writer calls the music of The Doors "satanic, sensual and demented." A sign of what was to come with artists like Iggy Pop, Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper and many others. Some of the reviews are especially well-written, like one where the writer says the Doors music evokes images like the eye-ball slashing in Luis Bunuel's "Un Chien Andalou." Like the music, the images are timeless, and evoke a poetic, deep persona who's presence is ever so strong in rock. Like The Beatles, The Doors are an unforgettable force, you hear them once and never forget. The foreward by Jerry Hopkins, who wrote "No One Here Gets Out Alive," is also informative and has interesting things to say about the resurgence of Doors music. This is a must for any Doors fanatic and anyone who has ever been touched by the music and words.

I'm somewhat of a new Doors fan, particularly of Jim Morrison. The hair and the pout drew me in first, then the music followed. When I found this book, I knew I had to own it. I was not at all disappointed. Sugerman has done a fantastic job of compiling the hundereds of pictures and newspaper/magazine articles from over the years into this informative collection. The progression over the years of Morrison's rise to fame and eventual downfall into drugs and self-desctruction is adeptly demonstrated. A must-have for any Doors fan.

Danny Sugerman is someone in the Doors "family" that alot of people don't think very highly of. He has made a pretty good living out of Jim Morrison's death and continues to this day to fuel the many myths he helped create with his contribution to "No One Here Gets Out Alive". But if it weren't for Danny.....The Doors would not be selling so many records or books or anything on Morrison. Danny has helped keep "The Myth" alive. This is why The Doors are so popular today. Having said that, no single person worked harder to keep the Doors name alive in the 80's than he did- for that I respect Danny.

This amazing compilation of cuttings, reviews, photographs and articles was collected by a young Danny during the height of The Doors success whilst working as Jim's assistant-answering Jim's fan mail.

Beginning with the bands first forays onto the LA gig circuit the fledgling Doors took the rock press by storm with their doom laden sound and extremely smart lyrical imagery. From the Whisky to Miami via the Singer Bowl and New Haven we travel along on the dark journey to oblivion that was the Doors turbulent and sadly short career as seen through the eyes of the press and a young teenage kid. As it happened live and uncut.

I absolutely love this book. The introduction and the photographs are worth the price alone. This book has the lyrics to all your favorite Doors songs plus poetry (lyrics) from Jim Morrisons' spoken word album "An American Prayer." It has also got interviews and a behind the scenes look at what went on during some of the recording sessions as well as definitions as to just what Jim meant in some of their songs. The discussion about the meaning of The End is great. This book is a must for Doors fans from the most ardent to the just curious. The book is not one that will be looked at once or twice and put on a shelf. It is a facinating read no matter how many times you read it. The Doors: The Complete Lyrics increased my respect and admiration for the band, and Jim in particular, 1000 fold.

As a Dukes fan,I was thrilled when this book came out-it's about as official as you can get for an"unofficial"companion book. If there's anything you've ever wanted to know about the show,the actors,or even the General Lee,you'll find it in this book. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoy this book. It is based on the show. I will enjoy reading it over and over again.

A must have for any fan of the dukes of hazzard! Without a doubt all things behind the scenes are here in this book from john and tom's leaving and there return and a lot more. Buy this book!Every episode plus the first reunion movie[sorry second reunion excluded] is in this book. What more can i say other than this Buy this book!!!!

This is a great read for any Dukes of Hazzard fan. The author gives a detailed history describing Waldron's inspirations for the show, facts on the personal and acting history of each cast member, as well as an episode by episode discussion of all eight seasons! Even guest stars are discussed. I found out many interesting unknown facts about the guest stars which made the show even more fun to watch (for instance, I didn't not know that the lady playing the character of Sherry Tolliver in the episode 'The Rustlers' was the future Mrs. James Best.) The author then ends it all by giving updates on each member of the cast. Hats off to Hofstede for a job well done!

An EXCELLENT synopsis of all 145 episodes, laden with background and backstage gritz'n'grease which kept me awake until 2:30 a.m. checking it all out. The only thing keeping it from 5 starz was, although there are photo-shots galore of the cast, there was little else by way of visual viagra. For instance, no display of Main Street Hazzard County, or the Boar's Nest, Flash, Daisy's jeep Dixie, or even a full-length of the General. We have the partial on the cover in front of (a partial of) the Hazzard Garage, but that's it. Still, this old boy's worth its shillings for its literary content, after all, it IS an "unofficial" companion. Hot pursuit!

Once you get past the strange layout (described in other sections), this is a great edition of Henry V. It is easy and fun to read and offers valuable insights (not just for students either). Well worth a flutter.

This play is best known for the St. Crispian's Day "Band of Brothers" speech given by King Henry just before the battle at Agincourt. It is a powerful speech that rallies people at all times and everywhere. Sir Lawrence Olivier made a film version in 1944 during WWII and Kenneth Branagh made another as recently as 1989. You can count on there being more versions. Epecially so when computers can help them make spectacular battle scenes (that aren't really in the play) with less expense.

Audiences love this play and they should. There is a lot to like and enjoy. I think upon repeated readings Henry becomes a more equivocal character than he seems at first. And readers of the King Henry IV plays will know him before he became King Henry and know something deeper about his personality.

And of course there is the whole bit about the drive to France being sponsored by the Church to avoid confiscation of property by the Crown. Moreover, there is the slaughtering of the French prisoners, and his treatment of Falstaff (who dies offstage in this play). This isn't revisionist stuff, it is right there in the play, but it is easy to miss the first time you are trying to take in the play.

In any case, this Arden edition is the one to buy and read from. Why? Because it has the most authoritative text, but that is only the beginning. It also shows variants between the early sources. The notes at the bottom of each page of the play are simply fabulous. The editor includes not only helpful notes explaining what might be obscure in the text of the play, he provides sources Shakespeare probably used such as Holinshed and makes for some very interesting study. There are also some helpful notes on how various scenes have been performed over time.

And to make this sound more like an infomercial, you get more! The introduction provides great background material on the play, its sources, and how it has been performed throughout history. After the play, there is a photo reproduction of the first Quarto from 1600 and it is fairly readable. There are also a couple of maps showing the path of the English Army from Harfleur through other towns on its way to Calais and makes clear how they had to pass through Agincourt.

There is also a helpful genealogical table so you can see the confusing claims used by Henry and the French nobility to make their claims. And there is a doubling chart so you can see how theater companies can perform all the roles with fewer actors.

This is a great edition as are all the plays published by the Arden Shakespeare. The amount of work collected in these volumes is stunning and they will enrich your experience of the plays tremendously. I can't recommend them enough.

This play more than any others in the histories glorifies Englishmen and England. His characters in this one are larger than life, but each has their own limitations and flaws. The play covers the time of the Battle of Agincourt when the French King Charles was so sure of victory that he sent a messenger to Henry to ask him to give up and to pay a ransom before the battle. On the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, the English were outnumbered five to one, Henry's troops were on foreign soil and riddled with disease. The scenes where Henry dons a disguise and goes out amongst his troops to bolster their confidence are great. The English managed to triumph in this battle where all was stacked against them mostly because of Henry's leadership. This is such a sweeping story that it is hard to condense in a few words, the plot of the play, but it is a wonderful example of Shakespeare's skills as a writer.

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.' What more need I say? Henry V is an imortal classic of western literature. And this edition is complete and accurate. See the film if you want, but be sure to read the words at least once. They are inspiring.

"Now, if these men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the King that led them to it."

Particularly poignant poetry in these times of pompous presidential sabre rattling and wars based on questionable facts.

My Name's Friday is an enjoyable romp through the world of Jack Webb. From his days portraying hardboiled radio detectives Pat Novak and Johnny Madero to Hollywood Success, Failure, and a big comeback, Friday takes us through the highlights and lowlights of Webb's life.

Michael J. Hayde comes to the book with a great deal of respect for Webb and his work, which is an essential element in a work such as this. Hayde's work first and foremost is a Webb fan book. He gives a synopsis of each of Webb's movies and then provides a critique of them. While appreciating Webb's contributions, Hayde spares no criticism of the late 1950s Dragnet episodes, Pete Kelly's Blues, and other less than successful Webb projects. While I don't agree with all of Hayde's criticism (I loved the "Night School" episode and he didn't), his criticisms are reasoned and measured rather than spiteful. Whatever criticism Hayde has for Webb is mild compared to the well-deserved critique he slams down on the 1987 Dragnet movie with Dan Akroyd.

If there was one criticism I'd had of Hayde's book, it was where he went from TV fan to armchair psychologist, buying Webb's statements that he didn't miss having a father around as a youth. I actually after reading the book and of Webb's difficulty letting himself act believably on screen particularly in romantic scenes, as well as history of broken marriages might not have been influenced by never having a father around. Kind of off-topic from the subject of the book, I know. However, if one is going to engage in psychology, it shouldn't be done haphazardly.

Still, the book is incredible fun as a fan resource and provides a rare glimpse at a radio and TV genius that's been typecast as a stiff clown. Read it to recapture a vital part of America's television history.

This is an excellent book. While not a true biography, it does take a look into Webb's personal life because Webb was such a workaholic that it had an effect on all that he did and who he was.

Unless you're an old time radio fan like me, you may not know that Webb started early and young. He had many outstanding shows before Dragnet and even Dragnet started in 1949 on radio. For a while, it was on both radio and television at the same time.

Webb was in many ways a brilliant man. Yet he had many failures --- both in his business life and certainly in his four marriages.

To say he was an interesting man may be an overstatement. But his body of work is so extensive, that one has to be impressed.

I started to become interested in Webb when looking for metaphors for my own writing. I didn't want to use stuff that everyone knew. And I kept hearing them on his old radio shows --- especially the ones written by the incredible Richard Breen.

I liked Webb's delivery and unemotional approach to acting. In most people, that would be considered bad acting. But somehow with Webb it was something special.

This book makes Webb and his entire career, his stock of actors and his many incarnations come to life. While his life was short, he accomplished so much.

Dragnet started on radio in 1949 and still today, in 2007, I know of no one who doesn't know what it means to hear, dum - de-dum -dum. And few people do not know of Dragnet and at least seen it on television. To me, that's amazing.

This book dwelt mostly with Webb's body of work and not his personal life or his personality. It does deal with it to some extent. But if you're interested mostly in that area of Webb's life, you might prefer another book.

The book has an excellent and exhaustive appendix that included a list, along with dates and other valuable information on each show on both radio and television. The appendix also includes other valuable informations. Well worth saving.

For Dragnet fans and Webb fans or those who are interested in radio and/or television history, this is a must-read. Oh, it has lots of great photos too.

Highly recommended.

I found this book to be an OK read. The only problem I had was that toward the end the tone of the writing shifted as the author sought to be a Jack Webb apologist. There are excuses made for the way the Dragnet of the 60s portrayed drug users, and there's almost an indignant tone taken over Dragnet spoofs such as the Dan Ackroyd film and even Nick at Nite promos!

The reason the Dragnet of the 60s became such a ripe ground for spoofing (besides the rapid fire patter) was indeed the portrayal of drug users. The series basically equated marijuana use with LSD and heroin, which is a laughable premise. The author's defense of the "Blue Boy" episode was particularly humorous. I remember seeing one of the participants of the drug party in that show actually physically trying to climb the walls. Talk about heavy-handed and unintentionally funny!

That said, I still found the book worthwhile reading, I'm a fan of Dragnet, both for Jack Webb's innovative style of shooting and the campy humor. It was interesting discovering things about Webb's radio show and some of his films that I had not previously known. I was easily able to overcome any minor annoyances with the tone shifting at the end.

I bought this book expecting fluff based on the reviews. I am a big fan of Dragnet the radio show but did not think the book would cover much of it in depth. I was wrong. Although it spends more time discussing the television series and movies, I was happy with the information on the radio show.

This book details the Dragnet radio show, both Dragnet television shows, and Mark VII movies. It does this through the central person in all of these productions, Jack Webb. However, the reader also learns about the regulars on the shows, and we get to know a bit about them as well.

"My Name's Friday" does not claim to be a biography on Webb and if that is what you are looking for, this is the wrong book for you. If you are looking for a bio of Jack Webb, there are many other books that you would probably enjoy more. However, If you are interested in the multiple incarnations of Dragnet and Pete Kelly's Blues, this is the book for you.

In addition to the main text, the appendixes include titles and brief descriptions of each Dragnet radio and television show in addition to police terms used in the shows and movies.

This is a must if you are collecting the radio shows, original TV series, or the '67-'70 version. A lot of the 50's series is on DVD, but they are scattered on all sorts of compilations. This book helps keep track of what you've got. I particularly enjoyed hearing from the extras that Webb used religiously.

But beyond Dragnet, there's a lot of interesting stuff here, how Webb was a jazz nut, including his foray into recording with his spoken-word "You're My Girl" album.

I think it's very interesting how he worked with ex-wife and her husband on Emergency! Many paramedics credit Emergency! with inspiring them to join this service. He obviously loved police and emergency services and his hometown. It makes you wonder, if Webb had lived, what his creative reaction to say the LA riots and the OJ trial would have been.

This book has all the information you need to find where the various shortwave stations are located and what will be on at different times. I am happy I got it to go along with the shortwave radio that I purchased.

This is one of the books I included in the present I bought for my 20-year-old grandson along with the Sony Broadband radio. This book is interesting and opening the world of broadband radio to my grandson. He finds it very useful.

I have been reading this book for 10 years, & find it invaluable for any info about new & old equipment.Great info about stations & broadcasts from around the globe & program schedules.Also good info for newcomers to sw. Highly reccomend as a gift for anyone that you might want to share your hobby with.

Exelent, Idon't know why people by brand new books, thers amazon
Jose

.. also full of confusing graphical pages so you can not resolve what is the comercial and what article!

Once again the graphical arrangement of comercial, articles, content for example which you can not find quickly and the the rest of the book is not in accordance with the technical content of the book!

After some time of digging you can find everything what you need but again: it is very confusing book becuse of the similar colours of the comercials and articles!
For stars because of that!

It is more accurate for local frequecies than WRTH!

Enjoy anyway!

I have the hardcover edition. I collect Robert Crumb's works and this is a favorite of everyone looking at my collection. It you are an art student this along with his Gotta Have'Em Portraits of Women by R.Crumb is good resource material. I'd give The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book in (hardcover) ten stars if I could. I have not had the opportunity to look at the soft cover version but I would bet it is well done.

I just picked up the hardcover edition yesterday at the bargain section of my local bookstore. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. It's in chronological order of R. Crumb's work broken into chapters. Each chapter starts with a write up by him telling about what was going on in his life at that time, and how some of the drawings came to be. I find him to be a fascinating artist. He bares his soul in his work, not really caring how he appears or what people think.

This book is the ultimate Crumb. You won't be disappointed if you love his work.

Just about every huge page (this book is big!) is filled with inspired color drawings from the legendary underground artist. Crumb gets very personal in this book, it's incredibly honest and, at times, deep. He takes the reader on a nostalgic journey through his childhood, life, and career. It's about growing up, finding the artist within, and adjusting to the insanity of the world. Or, you can simply read it for the edgy, often sexual comics. Either way, this is a big heavy book that is hard to pick up, but harder to put down.

A generation ago, American poets such as Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, John Berryman, and Anne Sexton gave birth to a genre that's come to be known as "confessional poetry." Their verse revealed intimate facts about their lives that simply weren't spoken of in polite company: fears, phobias, sexual hang-ups, pettiness, depression, suicidal tendencies. Some of their work wound up being rather pathetic, more confessional than poetic. But when it was good, it invited readers to face their own demons.

Robert Crumb, whom the art critic Robert Hughes has called the "Breughel of the 20th century," is a confessional artist whose chosen genre is comics. For 50-odd years (with the emphasis on "odd"!), R. Crumb has explored his many identities and personae in thousands of sketches, drawings, and paintings. The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book is actually an autobiography put together from a handful of the work Crumb has produced over the years. It's interspersed with essays by Crumb on his childhood, school days, the hippie scene in San Francisco, his marriages, his "personal obsession with big women," his spiritual yearnings, and his love of old music. Taken together, it's a fascinating portrait of a man who's dared to explore some of his deepest and darkest places, and to do so (at least sometimes) publicly.

Crumb believes that the pivotal moment in his personal and artistic life was the period in the mid-60s to the early 70s when he dropped acid on a regular basis. Although he sometimes worries that he might've fried his brain, he also thinks that the LSD trips liberated his psyche and helped him break through to new and deeper levels of creativity. The LSD was, he tells us, his "road to Damascus."

Perhaps. It's true that Crumb's work has changed over the years--it's become more brutally honest, more introspective, darker and at the same time funnier. Perhaps the LSD had something to do with it (although, personally, I quite dislike some of the work that comes from that period, finding it rather flat and silly). But I suspect that the single greatest influence on Crumb was his childhood and his family, especially his brother Charlie, who seems to have been just as much a genius as Robert. Crumb the man really is the child of Crumb the boy. The LSD may've helped Crumb get in touch with the raw energy generated from those days.

Crumb has become notorious for the sexuality of some of his comics, and has taken his share of political correct knocks. But The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book makes clear that the bottom line of much of his art is his existential need to explore and expose the shallowness and absurdity of much of modern life. Above all, as he tells us (p. 247), he wants to tell the truth, not only about himself but about us as well. Whether it's in the pages of "Zap" or "Weirdo" comics, or in panels featuring Shuman the Human or Mr. Natural, Crumb continuously questions racial, sexual, cultural, and artistic conventions, pushing the envelope as far as it can go and frequently causing readers discomfort. There's also a longing on Crumb's part for deep meaning in a universe that appears crazy. This most often reveals itself as nostalgia for bygone days (his love of "old" music, for example), but also more explicitly as a yearning for a god that he can no longer fully believe in and frequently mocks.

Reading R. Crumb is an intense experience. Like all good art, his stuff can make one laugh with joy or send shivers down the spine. The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book is a good place to start if you're just discovering Crumb, and an equally good collection to help long-time admirers get some idea of the big picture of Crumb's work and to better appreciate its depth. It's also a good catalyst for getting in touch with one's own multiple identities.

This book is stunning. Simply stunning.

This is the latest collection to my Pixar artbook. Almost immediately, I wrapped the book up to protect the cover from the elements. The bright green cover is made of cloth-like fabric and attracts dust easily. After picking it from my desk from photographing it, some parts of the cover had already became dirty!

Old school photos, high resolution renders, great writing filled the pages made of high quality paper stock.

It tells the history of Pixar animation studios before there was Pixar animation studios, all the way up to the Disney bought-over. It stops just right before Ratatouille or there would probably be more written on Brad Bird. You'll find the true meaning of passion, determination and the love for their art.

If you've owned other Pixar artbooks, you'll be pleased to note that there are quite a lot of new, never-been-printed photos in the book. You're going to see tons of new images.

There are some photos of the pages from the book on my blog. Just do a search on "parka blogs infinity beyond"

Dear animation lover. This book will restore your faith in the power of passion. With a never failing belief in the craftmanship of delivering a great story Pixar showed the possibilities of a good marriage between art and technique. Off course, some luck of being in the right place at the right time counts as well.

The book starts with the original background of the pixar machine as a calculating machine to the point where Disney takes over.

I also have almost every Pixar art-of book there is, but the movies described in the book (including all the shorts) are mostly viewed from a Pixar company point of view. This way you get a great overall view.

As it is my dream to come close to the Pixar company, this is probably the closest you can get the heart of Pixar when you are living far away...

Great book,
have to read a lot but very very interesting.
Great image quality and edition.
I'm loving it!


Martina,
Buenos Aires
Argentina

If you're at all a Pixar fan, or even an animation fan, this book deserves a place on your shelf!

The content of the book is as high quality and colorfull as the company it describes. Also the author did a good job at documenting the history of the company.

However, in the making of this book someone made a couple of mistakes. There are tens of images which have unacceptable 'pixelation' (i.e. blockiness due to overstretching of digital images). Especially the full page spread on p. 220 jumps out with pixels blown up to almost milimeter size!

This is quite dissappointing to me, especially as it is the artwork of a company which spearheads the way in digital imaging! I can imagine this is a slap in the face of some of the artitst and it would definitely not pass through their quality system if the book was produced by Pixar.

Overall the majority of the images in the book are very well reproduced, so I take the couple of handfull of bad apples for granted.

A great book. Shows stunning photos of the TV show "24" being filmed for seasons 1-3. I highly recommend it for any true "24" fan.

Excellent content for 24 fans, from Season 1 to Season 5, with plenty of professional pictures of very high artistic quality, to get insights into the show cast, crew and into some of the most challenging scenes.
You have a look at off screen actors relaxing and having fun while waiting for the next shot or discussing about it or trying to focus on their lines.
Finally you feel the strength of that "24 family" Kiefer Sutherland writes about in his nice foreword of the book.
Also excellent quality of the editorial format.

Get this book. Especially at the price, you can not go wrong. If you are a fan , get this book. If you've never seen 24 before, watch it , and then get this book.

I have become an avid "24" fan and really loved this book. I highly recommend it to any fan of "24".

Loved the book - came with a CD which I haven't seen yet. Unfortunatly I read it all in one day - but it is great to get a glimpse of how they put together this amazing show and a sneak peak at all the interesting people that make it work so well.