Entertainment Collectibles Books

In Home, A Memoir of My Early Years, Julie Andrews reveals a difficult childhood in war torn Britain. Born to a mother with dreams of stardom of her own and a father prone to drink, she weathers the German's Blitz that ravaged London. Her parents eventually divorce and her mother remarries. Julie begins her performing career locally and eventually branches out to radio, music halls and eventually a command performance before the Queen (the youngest solo performer age the age of 12). Continuing to draw audiences Julie eventually accepts an offer to perform on Broadway and leaves for the US at age eighteen.

While her performing career was on the rise, Julie was not as secure at home. Even though she traveled and performed with her mother and step-father, her mother was prone to black moods and struggled with Julia's rising fame. Both her mother and stepfather had drinking problems. There are family secrets that could shake the family apart. Julie becomes the partial caretaker and support of the family at a young age and depended more and more on people outside the home to provide comfort and support for her. When opportunities to move on and go to America, these are the people who assure her that home will be taken care of, it is her time to go. This is a tender memoir that doesn't shy away from difficult memories. What makes this so heartwarming is the care she takes with her story. Clear eyed and honest, she tells an engrossing tale of a difficult childhood and the ability to find humor and good in those times.

Even though I was born 6 years after the release of Mary Poppins and this book is about Julie Andrew's life up to being hired for Mary Poppins, I enjoyed every single page! I have always been a huge Julie Andrew's fan; however, I had no idea about her life prior to her films. Her grace and humor shines throughout the book. It is also evident how much work went into it as the memories are described so wonderfully. I really hope she will follow up with another book to bring us to date to where she is today!

I adore Julie Andrews so this book was a huge disappointment. I was so looking forward to getting lost in her words. By page 5, I was beginning to skimread over her tedious and depressing genealogy. Only halfway through the book does she begin describing her acting career. The book ends as she signs up for Mary Poppins. Where was an editor to suggest that anyone other than a devoted fan would find the minutiae of her family troubles a dull read?

This memoir reads as if it were two different books. The part dealing with her early work in British musical theater (after her emergence from the dying music hall tradition) reads mostly, but not entirely, like a stereotypical "show-biz" memoir, full of good friends, great colleagues and generally lovely people. It is saved from utter cliche by two things: First, Andrews clearly portrays the hard, wearing and sometimes humiliating work that goes into performing at the highest levels (particularly while trying to establish one's self). Second, she portrays some of the nastiness that can go on in this world where your status rises and falls with each performance and your ego and self-esteem with it. Fear of failure is powerful and all-pervading.

Andrews provides a number of startling vignettes that are distinctly not of the "beautiful person" school. There is Rex Harrison trying hard to get the very young (around 21) Andrews fired from My Fair Lady during rehersals while she was struggling to find herself in the role. Harrison did not care one whit who (including Andrews) might overhear him or the obscene and abusive language that he used. There is Richard Burton dealing with the pressure of performance in Camelot by the occasional heavy drinking binge and appearing on stage while totally drunk. Burton, a famous and successful womanizer, also tried to seduce the younger Andrews and did not scruple to try to manipulate her into his bed by undermining her sense of security as an actor in working with him. Nasty stuff and there are other such stories involving lesser known people. It is worth noting that Andrews does not mention receiving any help from other cast members while Harrison was busy trying to destroy her. The great director Moss Hart, however, showed enormous faith and patience and worked one-on-one with her to save her confidence, her role and probably her theater career. She says that she loved him for it, and I do not doubt her.

The other book, though, is about her childhood; and the events that it relates are often bleak and occasionally harrowing. Born in 1935, Andrews clearly remembers the bombs falling on London during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz of 1940-41. Her mother was an accomplished pianist and her Dad (as she always calls him) a working man. Her mother was working as a pianist at a resort when she met another man and left the family to live with him and eventually marry him. The two of them formed an act for the British music halls (vaudeville). Her mother insisted that Andrews come to live with her and her new husband and Dad acquiesced. This was a terrible blow to Andrews because Dad was essentially the only source of love in her life that was reliable, responsible and unconditional.

Nonetheless off Andrews went. She neither liked nor trusted her stepfather whom her mother insisted that Andrews call "Pop." Her new parents were busy working on their music hall career and became successful enough to be "second top" performers, especially after they discovered Andrews's amazing voice and other talents. She became part of the act and traveled with them. Success did not last, however, because Pop had ever growing alcohol problems which eventually affected his work and made him unemployable. Money became scarce, and he reacted in a very typical way: he began first to have flaming arguments and then to beat first his wife and eventually their two younger sons. Andrews, in her room, overheard many of these episodes and felt guilt for not somehow intervening. She is certain that her mother, whom she believes was abused in her own childhood, sometimes deliberately goaded Pop until he exploded into violence.

Pop apparently never beat Andrews but did make sexual advances to her at least twice, once when she was about ten and again when she was about 16. Each time she successfully forestalled him; but after the second occasion her mother's sister had a lock installed on Andrews's bedroom door, a necessary precaution as the drunk and befuddled Pop tried the door just after the lock was installed. He never tried again.

Andrews's primary sources of love and comfort during these times were her Dad, her aunt (she of the bedroom lock) and her voice teacher. Only her aunt had some periods when she was around Andrews more or less constantly. Her Dad could not be, but he seems to have simply suffused her with love when he was able to see her.

Andrews now became the main breadwinner for the family as her mother also slipped into alcoholism. Her mother informed her that if she failed they would lose their house, so there was plenty of pressure on a very young child. Her mother also one day took her to a house party and had her sing for the guests there. The party's host then questioned her closely. On the way home her mother informed Andrews that this man was Andrews's actual biological father. Her Dad, who loved Andrews's mother, had married her while she was pregnant and raised Andrews as his own child. This must have been shocking to Andrews but she does not make much of her reaction, and it certainly did not affect her relationship with her Dad.

We now know how deeply unsettling, indeed devastating, this sort of family background can be to the emotional life of a child and the adult that they grow to be. Some people can be emotionally stunted in various ways for life. Andrews herself is unlikely to be unscathed. The prose style that she employs in discussing these events is telling in this regard. She writes frankly and clearly about them, but she is guarded. Her tone is matter of fact, much as if she were describing what had happened to someone else. It is a tribute to her that she was able apparently to be not merely functional but greatly successful as an actor, a mother and a wife.

Julie Andrews' new autobiography, "Home," is a must-read for anyone who loves Disney, entertainment, England and great family stories. She is a consummate writer -- yes, she is one of the celebrities who writes her own books -- and evokes the mood, settings, and even the smells of her early life, from a dysfunctional but loving family and the last days of British Vaudeville to Broadway stardom and getting the role of Mary Poppins.

I was not aware that two Disney legends crossed paths twice in their careers. Julie Andrews performed in her first big stage variety show with none other than Disneyland Golden Horseshoe fixture Wally Boag. Boag also figures prominently in Steve Martin's autobiography, in which he fondly recalls Disneyland as his haven from an unhappy home life.

Julie's childhood had tough times, but she remained very close to her family over the years despite the bumps in the road. I'm glad she chose to focus in so much detail on her early career in this book, since many of us know little about the theatrical world she came from. Mary Poppins makes an appropriate stopping point since she suggests that her early experience led to her being uniquely qualified to play the part, which had a lot of music hall-style set pieces. The life she led after the movie made her an international star is really another story for another book.

I listened to the book on CD. Hearing Julie Andrews herself spin her tale in a warm, friendly way is a remarkable experience. Some of my friends chose to read the book first. I also bought the book to share with family and friends, and to have on hand for quick reference.

The Rejection Collection is a must for any book lover's collection. The concept of this book is particularly appealing - a glimpse into a cartoon artist's mind and into the standards of the New Yorker. By reading The Rejection Collection, you will have the rare opportunity to see into the childhood of each artist and discover the unusual, often brilliant, thinking process of the cartoonist. I guarantee that you will laugh out laud with each page. My husband and I regularly give this book as a gift - and always receive an exuberant thank you.

I love NY'er cartoons. These aren't rejects--these were too outre, too funny, too rude, smart, outrageous, on point... Just be careful to read these on or near well-upholstered surfaces. You'll hurt yourself laughing so much collapsed on a hard wood floor.

While the cartoons in this book are still New Yorker style, I found most of them not funny or to the point but besides the point - if there was any.
It became very obvious to me why these got rejected, and I strongly recommend to purchase one of the collections of cartoons that were not rejected.

Truly funny and very creative.. and I loved the "questionnaires" filled out by each cartoonist. Looking forward to all future R.C's.

Definitely funny! And while admittedly edgier than The New Yorker (language, bodily functions, gore), it's not offensive.

Even better than the cartoons are the accompanying photos of featured cartoonists and their clever responses to a (probably intentionally lame) questionnaire.

I received this book for Christmas and read it in one night. I couldn't put it down. Amy's talent for writing songs is reflected just as well in writing this book. She is truthful, insightful, funny and candid about her life and her career. I have been a fan of Amy for many years and I was really interested in reading about how she got to this place in her life. I was moved by the emotion that was involved in telling her story and I found myself laughing and/or crying at various points throughout the book. I couldn't put it down. I definitely recommend this book to all (even some older teenagers). Amy proves the point that "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven".

Even if you're not a fan of Amy Grant's gospel music, and even if you don't know of her midlife, second marriage to country singer Vince Gill, as a book browser you'd be tempted to pick up this book. The jacket pictures a smiling --- probably laughing --- and barefoot Amy, sporting a bohemian-style skirt and lacy shawl. The pose suggests that she's slightly vulnerable and inviting you into her life.

The title and subtitle don't promise full disclosure or a running narrative. And the text truly is a mosaic --- thematic and episodic chapters and journal reflections that skip around in time, revealing "pieces" of a life. The back-jacket well describes the prose as being "varied in texture."

Some chapters focus on her extended family: parents, sisters, nieces, aunts --- nearly all live nearby, clustered around Nashville. A tribute to an uncle killed before she was born feels like a eulogy written to and for Amy's family. This "Uncle Larry" chapter starts: "I love family. I love being identified in the context of my family."

Other chapters stay in the professional realm. A chapter titled "How Did I Wind Up Here?" is targeted toward her ardent fans. It recounts Amy's career path, naming singers who influenced her and people with whom she has performed or schmoozed.

The best material describes specific days and encounters: an impromptu visit to the Nashville home of an octogenarian fan; a day with her children at the Tennessee state fair; a personal encounter with a wild deer. A few of these narrative accounts give the back story of a particular song, such as "Hats" and "Missing You."

It's obvious that motherhood and music are focal points of Amy's life. And her Christian faith, which has at times waned, is renewed. She talks of this poignantly in a chapter about motherhood, "On Children and Faith." She explains, "My most consistent prayer for my children has been, God, find them the way you found me. Give them faith to believe you." Here she describes a journey of grace and forgiveness in the midst of personal turmoil.

Between chapters, Amy has interspersed the lyrics of more than 30 songs, including several that are new and unrecorded. The book includes 16 pages of color photographs, and small family photos enhance the opening page of each chapter.

The last dozen pages of the book, "The Times of My Life," give a chronological life summary, which provides "a framework" for her mosaic pieces. She explains: "My intent is to show how quickly I was set upon a path I did not anticipate and how that shaped my life. If I do not have a unique stage persona that differs from the me who shows up at the grocery store, it's because I've never felt any demarcation between life and art, faith and day-to-day living." It's that persona that shows in the jacket photograph --- she looks like the artsy sister next door.

--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence

I just love to hear Amy talk. She is so real and expressive. She has such a way with words. The sound of her voice just adds so much more to the enjoyment of reading the book. I highly recommend the audio version, by itself, or to read along with the book at the same time. This is truely a priceless treasure for fans of Amy Grant!

I'm a fan of Amy Grant's music - Mostly her more pop stuff - and was interested in this book. So I ordered it, not knowing really what to expect. Well, it's a beautiful book written about Amy's life. She included song lyrics (new and old), poems and little stories about her career as well as her family. For those hoping for a tell-all, well, Amy is too classy for that, and instead focuses on the good and bad, and important parts of her life to convey deep and meaningful messages about love, family, children, God and life. Highly recomended!

I highly recommend this read. Although I enjoy reading biographies as well as appreciate the broad artistry of Amy Grant--singer, songwriter, actress, television host--this selection is a gem. Unlike the usual format of a bio, this one has much more...flavor. Grant's aptly named work, MOSAIC, intertwines intimate revelations with songs and poems that Grant has written--some previously unpublished. MOSAIC is such an enjoyable and inspiring read that I have read it, reread it, gave it away and had to replace several times already--and it's only been released less than a year!

I really enjoyed this book! I learned alot more about this incredible woman.Fun read too!

This book is very interesting, I love Sharon and she's had quite the odd life. If your interested in the Osbournes I'd recommend reading Sharon's book.

Nothing too much to say about this book except you should really like Sharon to pay the hardcover price for this read. It is interesting if you're really into learning about her life and her start.

...drivel about the excesses of fame; i.e., alcohol, drugs, adultery, the love of money. I cannot wax rhapsodic about a woman who accepts this behavior under the guise of "unconditional love". The best part of this book is near the end when Ms. Osbourne tells us her family members have gotten clean and sober.

very enjoyable read, learned a lot about sharon, the music business, and some of the life lessons she has learned along the way.

Excellent pictures, interesting information. This is a must have for Disney fans of the Haunted Mansion! It even covers Disney's other haunted mansions around the world, and the Haunted Mansion movie. Everything you ever wanted to know!

THis book was great! A ton of information on the ride! I couldnt put it down! It was great.

This book is a must read for ALL ages and ANYONE interested in Disney theme park attractions around the globe. Any Disney fan knows that the Imagineers are very particular about what is revealed to the general public in terms of how they make their Disney 'magic' and I was pleasantly surprised (being an avid Disney fan myself) by the research that went into the making of this book and the amount of knowledge shared with the reader - it DOES in fact reveal some secrets of the mansion and never before seen history of the making of the attraction. (It confirms and dispels some rumors about the attraction once and for all too!) A pattern of discussion is followed throughout the book as you are verbally walked through the mansion's corridors and rooms. Surrell consistently covers the Haunted Mansion in a logical order (Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris) in every chapter. He takes the subject matter full circle by including information about how the attraction was translated to the big screen, and gives the reader insight to how decisions were made pertaining to set design, costume design, and casting for the movie of the same name. If you want an intelligent, thorough and enjoyable read about a classic Disney attraction, and especially an insight to the magic that is Imagineering, this is a MUST READ!

Lots o' great info on both the Ride @ the Disney Theme Parks + the Movie [which I loath - sorry but the Haunted Mansion wasn't meant to be made into a 2 hour episode of the Fresh Prince of Bellaire, mmmkay ?] + the Haunted Mansion Holiday ....

Future editions should drop all reference to the Movie, then spend more time on the Haunted Mansion Holiday [Nightmare Before Christmas Holiday makeover] + recent "changes" that occured in 2006 [I'd make it a 5 star if they did that] ....

If you don't want to read the book, please buy it for the artwork
[best priced Disney Merchandise vs. what you will pay @ the Theme Parks] ....

~(^)~

You buy this book thinking it's a great "behind-the-scenes" resource, but it's not. Yes, there is some background information, but the book skips confusingly from park to park, and offers very little technical information on the special effects. The photos are all standard Disney promotional stuff...this book tells you what Disney wants you to know, and nothing else.

Go to doombuggies.com for a much better treatment of this classic ride.

Annoyingly inaccurate for most of the side missions. Completely missing some information. It was however helpful for some of the story missions.

As always Brady Games introduce a fansy guide for Grand Theft series. It shows all missions,weapons,items,..... ALL WHAT YOU NEED TO GET 100%

This is a review of this product: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Official Strategy Guide for PlayStation 2 (ISBN-10 #0744009162 - First Printing). Amazon may display this review on the page of another version of this product, for which this review may not apply. After reading this review, please click on the link so that you can be assured that the product this review applies to is the same one you thought it was for.
--------------------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** UPDATE **
BradyGames posted an update to their site with the missing information and error corrections (though it's not a complete list). See the end of this review for that updated information. You should still feel free to use the "Comments" feature to make this the official list of errors, as there are probably errors that BradyGames and myself may have missed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The BradyGames Grand Theft Auto PlayStation 2 guides have had errors in the past. For example, the Grand Theft Auto 3 guide is missing information on some of the side jobs and non-mission tasks; the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas guide has incorrect screen shots and information on the Photo Ops. However, this guide is the absolute worst I have ever seen. It seems that the only difference between the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and PlayStation 2 (PS2) versions of the guide is the text at the bottom of the front cover and the controls listed on pages 3 and 4.

The BIGGEST ERROR is that the PS2 exclusive content is not in the guide at all. These include 6 extra Unique Stunt Jumps, 5 extra Rampages (and 1 moved), and 6 extra Side Missions. The list is below, but for details see the PS2 Exclusive Content Guide (gamefaqs-DOT-com/console/ps2/file/938211/47835).

* Unique Stunt Jump 1 - Little Havana
* Unique Stunt Jump 2 - Starfish Island
* Unique Stunt Jump 3 - Vice Point
* Unique Stunt Jump 4 - Vice Point
* Unique Stunt Jump 5 - Vice Port
* Unique Stunt Jump 6 - Vice Port
* Rampage 1 - Little Havana
* Rampage 2 - Starfish Island
* Rampage 3 - Downtown
* Rampage 4 - Prawn Island
* Rampage 5 - Vice Point
* Rampage 6 - Ocean Beach
* Side Mission - Playground On The Dock
* Side Mission - Rush!
* Side Mission - Hyman Memorial O.D.T.
* Side Mission - Caddy Daddy
* Side Mission - Playground At The Park
* Side Mission - Crims On Water Wings

The SECOND BIGGEST ERROR is that the guide lists tons of Multiplayer content that doesn't exist in the PS2 version. Details about this are included in the list of errors I found below.

The THIRD BIGGEST ERROR would relate to incorrect mission-related information. I have not found much of it because I have just started playing the game, but I know that there are a lot of errors in there (all of which were undoubtedly in the PSP guide too). Some of the reviewers over here at Amazon have made mention of a few things (though I'm sure that there are many more errors).

Here's the list of errors I've personally found, though again, this should not be seen as a complete list of errors:

PAGE 1 - Table of Contents - The listing of "Multiplayer Scenarios" on page 30 (feature non-existent in PS2 version).

PAGE 5 - The "Custom Tracks" section (feature non-existent in PS2 version).

PAGE 5 - The "Saving Progress" section mentions saving to a Memory Stick and the Custom Tracks feature, both of which only apply to the PSP version.

PAGE 25 - The VCPD Wintergreen name is on two lines instead of one. (This is just a cosmetic error and not a PSP/PS2 difference, but I thought I'd note it anyway.)

PAGES 30-33 - All of these Multiplayer Missions are NOT in the PS2 version. Heck, the first paragraph even mentions PSP and UMD.

PAGE 37 - The "Story Mode Missions" section mentions Multiplayer content (feature non-existent in PS2 version).

PAGE 37 - Mentions 30 Unique Stunt Jumps and 30 Rampages - there are 36 Jumps and 35 Rampages in the PS2 version.

PAGE 37 - The Multiplayer Unlockables: Vehicles section (feature non-existent in PS2 version).

PAGES 38-40 - All of the information on these pages is for Multiplayer Missions which is NOT in the PS2 version.

PAGE 41 - The Multiplayer "100% Game Completion Characters" column/section.

PAGE 44 - The barber shop Red Balloon doesn't seem to be on the map. It should be a bit north of #20 listed on the map.

PAGES 48-51, 157-158 - Only lists 30 Unique Stunt Jumps, while the PS2 version has 36.

PAGES 52-56, 159-162 - Only lists 30 Rampages, while the PS2 version has 35 (and one was moved).

PAGE 62 - The Hovercraft side mission says that it is available at the beginning of the game. This is false. The craft isn't there at the beginning of the game and probably doesn't appear until after the bridges open up (otherwise you could just use it to get to the second island early).

PAGE 240 (LAST PAGE) - The "Printing Code" section says "For example, 06-1 shows that the first printing of the book occurred in 2007." It should say "07-1".

BACK COVER - An interesting cosmetic error is that the sample pages shown as 14 and 15 are really 84 and 85 with some slight design changes.

On several pages throughout the guide it says to press UP when in the PS2 version
it would be R3:
* PAGE 15 - The Ambulance description.
* PAGE 16 - The Cabbie description.
* PAGE 18 - The FBI Rancher, FBI Washington, and Fire Truck descriptions.
* PAGE 19 - The Hunter description.
* PAGE 21 - The Rhino description.
* PAGE 24 - The Taxi, VCPD Cheetah, VCPD Cruiser, and VCPD Enforcer descriptions.
* PAGE 25 - The VCPD Wintergreen description.
* PAGE 57 - The Taxi Driver "Details" section.
* PAGE 58 - The Paramedic "Details" section.
* PAGE 59 - The Vigilante "Details" section.
* PAGE 60 - The Fire Fighter "Details" section.
* PAGE 110 - The "Cancelling Empire Missions" section.
* PAGE 127 - The "Air Speed" section.
* PAGE 163 - The Air Rescue "Details" section.

Before I wrote this review, I wanted to give BradyGames the chance to do the right thing: recall the first printing, release a new correctly-written version, and offer replacements for all those folks who bought the vastly-erroneous first printing. In other words, wanted them to make a *REAL* PS2 version of the guide and give me a copy in exchange for the absolutely almost-useless "PlayStation 2" guide I bought that they currently have on the market (which they should recall and destroy - or rebrand as "for PlayStation Portable").

Sadly, BradyGames not only chose NOT to do the right thing, they chose to simply ignore my e-mails altogether. Instead of boring you with the details, I tried for a month to get a hold of someone on the BradyGames staff via e-mail and phone. I found many of the personal staff addresses, but received no replies from any one of 21 staff members. Going the phone route was useless as I could not find their direct line - just customer service call centers for other departments of their parent company Penguin Putnam.

Based upon the lack of response from BradyGames, it is obvious that they don't care about the products they release or their customers. Since the faulty product in question bears the Rockstar Games name, and is about one of their games, I thought that maybe they could help. After all, I certainly hoped that Rockstar would care more about their related products and have more respect for their customers than BradyGames does.

So on May 18, 2007 I sent a message to Rockstar Games (usa-AT-rockstarsupport-DOT-com) telling them of the situation. The next day I received a reply from James Brett which said, "Thank you the e-mail to ourselves here at rockstar support but we are only a technical support team and will not be able to help you on this matter unfortunately." Okay, that's understandable. I sent a reply asking who I can contact at Rockstar that *would* be able to help me. Obviously that would be someone in the main or corporate offices, and surely they have e-mail addresses. If the support department can't help me, then I'd like for them to point me in the right direction. I have yet to receive another reply, and I doubt that I will.

At this point, there's really nothing else I could do except to warn people of the massive and major flaws found in the PlayStation 2 version of the Vice City Stories guide and advise them not to buy it. If BradyGames doesn't want to listen to me, maybe they'll listen to the poor sales.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** UPDATE FROM BRADYGAMES**

Over two months after the book has been released, BradyGames finally posted some updates on their site with the missing information and error corrections. Of course, this is only a "patch" for the problem, and not a solution. They should recall all copies of the First Printing, add this new information and corrections, and offer revised copies (Second Printing?) free-of-charge to all of the people who bought the error-ridden First Printing. It isn't nice to make the customers download and print out several pages of new information and make hand-written corrections.

Here is the information from the BradyGames site:

[in the addresses below remove the spaces, replace DOT with . and remove the dashes inbetween p-d-f]

PS2 Updates

* Rampages (7.6 MB)
bradygames DOT com / content / images / 9780744009163 / errata / rampages DOT p-d-f

* Six New Stunt Jumps (4.8 MB)
bradygames DOT com / content / images / 9780744009163 / errata / uniquestuntjumps DOT p-d-f

* Five New Pastimes (3.2 MB)
bradygames DOT com / content / images / 9780744009163 / errata / pastimes DOT p-d-f

* Yellow Markers are now Pink Markers.

* References to Up should be R3.

* Page 5: No Custom Tracks in PS2 version.

* Page 14: 37 Sniper Rifle and 38 Rocket Launcher are not available until eastern island is opened.

* Page 25: The Violator boat is not included in Vehicle Showroom.

* Pages 30-33: No Multiplayer in PS2 version.

* Page 35: Bulletproof Sanchez ($4000) is unlocked at your first safe house for completing Conduct Unbecoming.

* Page 35: Bulletproof Ventoso ($2500) is unlocked at the Downtown King Knuts for completing From Zero to Hero.

* Page 35: Marquis ($4500) is unlocked across from your first safe house in the water for completing From Zero to Hero.

* Page 35: Skimmer ($4500) is unlocked at the dock behind the Clymenus Suite safe house for completing From Zero to Hero.

* Page 35: Squallo ($4500) is unlocked in the water behind the Compound safe house for completing From Zero to Hero.

* Page 62: Hover Craft Race 1 (Pastime) Availability should be after completing From Zero to Hero.

* Pages 37-41: No Multiplayer Unlockables.

* Page 73: You get the Pistol inside the barracks instead of the M16.

* Page 77: Round 4: Assault Rifle. You need to score 2000, not 2500. Round 5: Sniper Rifle. You need to score 2500, not 3000.

* Page 77: "See #17 and #18" should be "See #7 and #15."

* Page 95: There is always a Regina parked on the sidewalk outside Louise's sister's place.

* Page 99: You do not get New Multiplayer Mode Content for completing To Victor, the Spoils.

* Page 122: Reward: None for Jive Drive.

* Page 135: There is no Multiplayer in the PS2 version.

* Pages 154-155: The screenshots for Red Balloon 73 and 81 have been swapped.

* Page 190: The Bovver '64 is unlocked for purchase at your safe house for completing White Lies.

Info from: bradygames DOT com / bookstore / product DOT asp?isbn=0744009162
(click on "Errata" in the grey "More Information" box)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I bought this book two days ago and I think that they did'nt even change the guide from the PSP. All the screenshots are on the PSP. Many of the Jumps, Pampages, and missions are wrong. DON'T BUY.

As usual having any decent guide for a Grand Theft Auto title is more than useful and this guide still has some very helpful maps and guides to the various items and activities found in Vice City Stories. The most glaring issue is that this is a copy of the PSP version guide - it even has the multiplayer elements left in it and doesn't cover the PS2 specific elements in any detail (or at all). Helpful, but a lazy effort from Brady unfortunately.

Received book that was listed in Very Good condition--Book arrived with binding completely torn away from book-front and back pages glued together for what reason I am not sure. Wrote seller, never received reply. Would not buy from this dealer again. This was a purchase that virtually needs to be thrown away.

I recently became interested in a pair of pearls and did a lot of research on them. I bought a pair of Mikimoto pearls and then bought this book. I really enjoyed learning more about pearls and other famous jewelry.

I paid $175.00 for this book before I discovered amazon.com and the wonderful prices. Even so it is worth every dollar I paid and it is a book to treasure. Elizabeth Taylor has a truely stunning collection of jewels and such a vast amount but she knows each piece and the story behind it. The book is filled with stunning photos and is interesting to read. I was not a great fan of Elizabeth Taylor before reading this book but since then I have read more about her. You will not be dissappointed.

This book has many expensive pieces of jewelry in it, and the stories behind the pieces. Most of it was bought by Mike Todd and Richard Burton, the "two loves of my life", as Elizabeth puts it. Her two greatest loves were the ones who bought her the most jewelry. I admit, I was touched by the stories of what Richard Burton was like as a husband. I think those two would've been the greatest together, if only they could've worked through their problems and conquered them.

I also think most of this jewelry is big and gaudy, not something I'd want to wear. I often wonder what it was about Elizabeth Taylor that made men want to buy her so much jewelry. Beautiful? Certainly. A compassionate, loving woman? Sure. But was she worth that kind of outrageous spending? Make your own judgments.

This book surpasses any written bios of Ms. Taylor. She has masterfully catalogued her acquisitions with quality photographs and a synopsis of who gave her each of the gems and when. I have never appreciated the art and beauty of jewelry until I've seen this book (I never could afford to!).
Elizabeth Taylor and her life has always intrigued me but this book is mesmerizing: Imagine, a man will tell a woman he loves her with extravagant jewelry. And, let's face it, don't we all fantasize that?
By the way, she also catalogues the Cartier-Burton Diamond of which she no longer possess.

I have never seen a collection of Shirley photographs and memorabilia as extensive as this one.

The pages are chock full of photos I've never seen before, and I've been a devoted fan since the 50's! If you adore Shirley, this book is something you must have. I absolutely love it.

This book couldn't be better! The pictures of Shirley Temple are absolutely gorgeous and they are all throughout the book in both color and black and white from the time she was a baby until her later teen years. If you want pictures of the best child star ever, this is the book to have.

An EXCELLENT book about Shirley Temple full of FANTASTIC photos and history of the greatest child star! Kudos to Rita for a fantastic job!

This book is a must for anyone who is a Shirley Temple fan. Those not familiar with her work might find it interesting as well. Rita Dubas has done a wonderful job here. The layout is beautiful, showcasing many photos of Shirley (some of which I'd never seen before!) along with oodles of photos of Shirley Temple memorabilia from all over the world.

It's a fascinating glimpse into the world of yesteryear, when a sweet little girl was the most popular star in Hollywood.

Representing all the children of the world, Shirley Temple gave us the Silver Screen View of the Divine Child, the closest thing to Heaven. She spoke for us who became aware of her as children, felt our child like feelings and made us feel that no matter the circumstance, Love would conquer all. And we loved her for it. How could anything be wrong when you looked at that Angelic face, with her sparkling eyes and precious dimples. How can you not smile at all those bouncing joyous curls.

She was not just a face on the screen but our friend, our secret playmate. Besides that Shirley grew into a beautiful woman, skipping anything wild or rebellious, always full of grace. She opened her heart to the welfare and humanity of all peoples. Her whole entire life has been about enriching this wonderful world we live in. The ideal child became the ideal role model. However rare that is, her light still shines through, warming every heart, young or old, benefiting every new generation.

This book honors Shirley like no other. Adorable photo after photo, exquisitely designed and written. Rita Dubas treats us with her vast knowledge and love of this tiny star. Rita shares rare collections of past memorabilia, not usually seen in the typical collector books. She displays them, so that your eyes dance over them and you feel lost in a wonderland, not unsimular to the way Shirley makes you feel when watching her movies. All your troubles dissapear for the moments paging though this book . . . . . this tribute. Bravo Rita! Bravo Shirley!

Connie Marshall, Artist

This is by far the best edition of the Beatle record price guide to date. The collaboration of Perry Cox, Frank Daniels, and Bruce Spizer is a home run. It's very well organized with many photos. If you're a collector or a seller you need this book!

This is an excellent book for any serious Beatles collector. Perry Cox really knows what we, as Beatles fans, want in a book. A lot of nice photos and useful and interesting info. Definitely a must have!

Now, let's face it; you won't be carrying this price guide with you to garage sales. No, this will be the reference book that stays at home. And what a book it is! Similar in size to Bruce Spizer's record books on the American Beatles' releases, this baby is published in a hard-cover format on nice glossy paper. The color photos are wonderful for fans to view the items, and the whole book is entertaining as well as informative in terms of accurate prices. Some of the color on some pages seemed to have a purplish haze to them, but hopefully that is remedied on new issues. Overall, a top-notch job by Perry. Now, Perry, what I would like to see from you is a price guide on international pressings. Maybe concentrating on the UK and Japanese pressings since many of these are collectible. Also, tell Bruce he's not done yet. He may have called his last book "Swan Song" as a way of saying goodbye, but I'm sure many fans, including myself, would like to see him tackle all of the British pressings.

for many many years,perry cox and bruce spizer have done thier best to uphold great quality items on beatles reference subjects.
they have finally started to do it in a very good way by showing COLORFULL scans of every capitol or apple product you can think of is the united states.
perry worked his butt off on this book.
why am i giving it 4 stars instead of five?
one reason.
nothing is included from canada(he gives credit to another book on that subject)which would have really been helpfull on the capitol issues..but spizers books covers canadian lps and 45s.
also bootlegs are missing..and many times there were infamouse ones that would make a good fan laugh ..like "how do you do it" on the swan label which was never released but would have been a hoot to see here.
knowing this book was never intended to show boots it is forgivable but two or three pics wouldnt have hurt.
other than that,there are guides to show you what lps were issuerd on what label variations and finally some good pricing.perry has been a seller of beatles records for many years and in this book he shows you just how incredible the beatles were to not only groove to,but to collect.a MUST for any beatles fan or collector!
also other formats are finally addressed and treated with respect(reel to reels and 4 tracks especially!)

This 6th edition from Mr. Perry Cox & Frank Daniels continues the long tradition and reputation of Perry's top price guides with the highest degree of research, knowledge, sources and listings available anywhere!

First, I give my strongest praise and congratulations to the co-authors (Perry and Frank), along with additional kudos to Mr. Bruce Spizer who contributed the Foreword, layouts, editing and publishing in this beautiful edition (and yes, I own most of his incredible "labor of love" books surrounding The Beatles records). These gentlemen are what we collectors consider "The Source" when it comes to being specific, detailed, precise and answering the tough questions that come with collecting what I consider "the greatest music memorabilia of all time".

Secondly, I would like to take a moment and get personal about Perry Cox and what he means to me in this business. I have done business with Perry since the early 1980's (when, at that time, I was just a young sailor in the U.S. Navy and spending as much of my extra money on my #1 passion - Beatles records and memorabilia). Perry immediately befriended me and has been more of a "mentor" and a "personal confidant" during these 25 years of our friendship. He has yet to steer me wrong or not provide the tough answers throughout all these years and I greatly admire his passion, dedication and genuine love for the hobby more than anyone else that I have had the pleasure of sharing this excitement with in this hobby. I remember back in the 80's and most of the 90's when I would receive Perry's "mailer lists" that he religiously mailed out to those of us on his distro list. Receiving those lists in the mail has long been replaced with the technology and real-time convenience of the internet (specifically Ebay), but I will never forget what those first 15 years were like when we couldn't see the items and relied on Perry's specific details on each item for sale in his mailer list! Times they were a-changin'. Regardless of the resources, Perry has always been top-notch and quickly became my favorite source (which he remains to this day). I have since retired from the U.S. Navy after 21 years service and now live in the Tampa area - but I still email Perry whenever those technical questions need to be answered (or merely for his advice on items I am considering for my personal collection). Bottom line is that I give my full and unconditional recommendation (without hesitation) to any source that Perry endorses in this hobby - and his price guides are legendary among the amateur and professional collectors alike - across the board! Thank you Perry for your deep friendship over the past 25 years my friend.

Next, I would like to humbly thank both Perry and Frank for recognizing me under the "Acknowledgements" section in this price guide. It is a labor of love for all of us and all I can say (after all these years collecting and sharing knowledge, experiences, etc.) is "How cool is it to have your name inside the actual book of your favorite lifelong hobby?" It is a dream come true and I am touched for that recognition! I have had the unbelievable fortune of meeting all four Beatles in person throughout my life, along with being stationed in London for two years with the U.S. Navy, and having my name mentioned in this book completes a long journey for me (for a little boy from Flint, Michigan who originally watched those "four lads from Liverpool" tear it up on that black & white television while dancing with my mother and older sister)! Little did we "Flintoids" know that we would also be treated to our own hometown heroes just six years later from "Grand Funk Railroad". Imagine that...

As for the 6th edition of "The price guide for The Beatles American records", I would like to echo some of the wonderful comments from Mr. Robert York of Tacoma, WA (scroll through the reviews and you will find his detailed analogy of this new guide). I agree that it is very fitting that this book is the same size and lines up beautifully on the bookshelf with Bruce Spizer's books (not a coincidence I assure you - these gentlemen do all the extra work to ensure high quality products from start to finish). This new guide also has more colored photographs and layouts than I've seen to date and it is absolutely gorgeous. It starts out in the inner cover with many of the single (45's) in their respective picture sleeves in bright colors - and ends on the back inner cover with all 24 American Beatles' albums (in order of release) all in color as well. Everything in between these covers is simply magic and very nicely laid out! I am a stickler for detail and for making things "make sense" and this book does exactly that. One of my favorite things is the color-coding throughout the book. The authors got it right and made this very easy to use for all hobbyist - and the outer edges of the pages are actually color-coded so that the user can go right to the appropriate section he/she is seeking (without having to thumb around and find things aimlessly). The guide is broken down into sections, starting with Beatles singles and EP's, then Beatles albums, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Pete Best and George Martin, Apple, Dark Horse Records, Compilations, and ends with Vendors (and those who paid to be sponsored in this publication).

I would also like to add that just before the color-coding starts in this publication, the authors have compiled some of the most important pages that will benefit collectors ten-fold (these pages are priceless, trust me). They have added sections on introduction, Market Analysis, Beatles records worth $1,000 or more, Grading records (very important especially for newcomers in the hobby), Acetates and Test Pressings, Promotional Records and Markings, Sealed Albums (which I have been involved in with Perry over many years), Capitol Inner Sleeves (nice explanations on what sleeves go with which albums, etc.), Records from other countries, Capitol-Apple Labelography (these are truly valuable pages here because it is so detailed and collectors need to become aware of all the differences on these labels), Capitol-Apple Tapeography, Pressings of "A Hard Day's Night" on UA (this is not testable, because 99% of us would fail the exam), Beatles U.S. Discography (you'll love this section and is perfect for "quick reference" or when creating your own personal spreadsheets, discography, or collections), and the last item in these white pages before the color-coding starts (and perhaps among the most important of all) is the "How to read the guide listings" section. This section specifically educates the reader on the Spizer Identification Number (which Beatles author/historian Bruce Spizer developed this numbering system for identifying items pictured and described in his books on The Beatles American records). This numbering system is quickly becoming popular among collectors and I would not be surprised if Mr. Spizer's system will one day be the universal standard for identifying all Beatles' American records (I have almost finished numbering my own personal collection with his numbering system and it just makes good sense)! Again, those white pages (pages 1-43) are some of the most valuable and educational sources that you will ever find on collecting Beatles American records (the price guide is worth its price for this information alone, not to mention pages 45-316 "the meat and potatoes" of the entire price guide).

Lastly, I highly recommend this price guide to everyone interested in gaining knowledge on Beatles American records, their history, how to identify exactly what you have, and it is simply the top-notch book available anywhere on this subject. A superior book cover-to-cover and I am so impressed with various elements throughout this guide. It takes the reader on a journey itself and you will experience the roots, growth and unbelievable spectrum that The Beatles records went through from the start to present day. After traveling through these pages several times I found myself in many different stages of my life, in retrospect, thinking about where I lived when a certain album was released or what girl I was sharing those moments with, etc. An incredible 5-star book which should be owned by all Beatles hobbyist (I own three myself and had to ensure I got the low serial #'d edition in the slipcase signed by all three gentlemen mentioned above). Purchase the guide, you'll be amazed at the weatlth of knowledge, perspiration, inspiration, dedication, and how cleverly laid out it really is! "I read the book today, oh boy..." and Perry, Frank & Bruce "made the grade". Cheers!

After I purchased this book I contacted the author, Mr. Moore to ask him about collecting autographs by index cards or by photographs. He was prompt and very informative with his reply. If you want questions answered about auotgraph collecting, get in touch with him, you will be happy you did.

The reader and reviewer who wrote this book is the ULTIMATE has it right. This book is everything an autograph collector needs. Besides the thousands of celebrity addresses, this book backs up the names with celebrity facts. If you want a complete history of actors it is there under the website named in the book, if you want other facts to write to the celebrity about it is there. (the book has celebrity hobbies, celebrity charities, celebrity birthdays, celebrity hangouts and a lot of useful facts about celebrities)This is the only celebrity directory I will ever need. The price of this book is well worth it!!

I have known David Moore for many years and he is the only author of celebrity directories that uses and updates his address list on daily basis. For me, here is a list of celebrities who I have contacted and received autographs through the mail. They are: Sarah Jessica Parker, Bill Gates, Roy Clark, Gillian Anderson, Nicholas Cage, Bill Cosby, James Garner, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Gary Trudeau, Olivia Newton-John, Brandi Chastain, James Watson, Sandra Day O'Connor, Harmon Killebrew, George Bush, Betty Ford, Jimmy Carter, Leann Rhimes, Muhammad Ali, Angela Landsbury, Reba McEntire, Jay Leno, Faith Hill, Tommy John, Tom Hanks, Michael Eisner, Nolan Ryan, Tony Bennet, Colin Powell, Robert Duvall, John Mellencamp, Whoopi Goldberg and many others. If you want excellent results and great customer service, I highly recommend David Moore's book.

I am an autograph collector and I was happy to see how complete this book is. I collect astronauts who have walked on the moon, hi-tech business people such as Bill Gates, movie actors like Tom Hanks and baseball sluggers like Sammy Sousa and Mark McGuire. They are in this books with thousands more. It is well organized and I liked the extra features of sample letters and questions & answers about autograph collecting. It is a very good reference for autograph collectors.

I e-mailed the publisher to ask for an update of a celebrity address. He was fast with an answer. He also mentioned he has started a new service to autograph collectors. He will answer any question on the subject of autoghaph collecting for FREE!
I will use the e-mail address for finding out autograph prices, how and where to buy and sell autographs plus anything else I can think of. A great offer!