Entertainment Books

The New Tax Guide for Artists of Every Persuasion: Actors, Musicians, Singers and Other Showbiz Folk, Visual Artists and Writers, by Peter Jason Riley, CPA is an indespensible tool, that I'm glad and relieved to have found. This book isn't meant to be a substitute for the advice and skill of a professional accountant and it doesn't give you a step-by-step of how to fill out tax forms. You don't have to be a millionaire, it's okay if you still have a 9 to 5 job, and it's okay, if you're not on a national show or whatever, and it's okay if it's not a regular source of income... if you spend money while pursuing work in an arts-related field (whether it be headshots, guitars and picks, ballet shoes, paintbrushes, or faxes) and you can prove that you at least occasionally make or have the potential to make money from your art (sales of your work via CD, DVD, etc), pay from contracted jobs, etc), you owe it to yourself to explore the legitimate options which can relieve tax stress from your personal filings, or to help improve your efficiency if you're already claiming expenses for your art on your tax returns.

This book meant to give you a better idea of the nature of tax-related issues for working artists, to make it a little less daunting, to show you how to keep proper records in an efficient way, to reduce errors and penalties, reduce taxes on legitimate business expenses, and even to cut down the time and money you would spend with a tax advisor. Even if you can't afford to see a CPA for a current tax year, what you will learn from Mr. Riley's book will prove invaluable and eye-opening as to pointing out the considerations you should be aware of when doing your taxes yourself (but remember, it's probably always going to be better to have a pro look at it.).

Mr. Riley's book is essentially an update of the book "New Tax Guide for Performers, Writers, Directors, Designers, and Other Showbiz Folk", written by the late of R. Brenden Hanlon. Since Hanlon had been deceased for some time, it could not be updated with the information artists would need to stay current with tax laws. Mr. Riley contacted the publisher and worked with them to make a follow up to Mr. Hanlon's original, with the same goal - to help Entertainers and other artists to understand taxes better. As noted from Mr. Riley's longer title, the book strives and succeeds at being even more detailed, while accounting for the variety of artist types.

After a brief introduction, Riley provides two chapters that every reader is advised to dig into. These chapters cover what you need to know about Income - the different types, the basic forms involved, how self-employment taxes are calculated, estimating advance tax payments, and then all the different types of deductions you can make (from a percentage of your home expenses, if you work from home, to travel, equipment, start-up costs and more). Mr. Riley gives crucial tips such as what, how much, and when to write off certain items.

The next set of chapters are presented almost in a "Choose Your Own Adventure" manner. If you're a musician... read the musician chapter. If you're an writer... read the writer chapter. And so on. Each of those chapters address the specific considerations, rules and benefits as they apply to your specific profession, followed by links to Internet resources and a handy Expense checklist, as it applies to your work and which you can copy and use during the year. As the different deduction types are listed, with descriptions, Mr. Riley was also kind enough to note beside each one, what types of recordkeeping you should be prepared to have on hand to verify the amounts, should you be audited later.


After you've read the chapter of your profession, there are closing chapters for all readers. These cover how to set up your business properly (from a legal standpoint), how the audit process works, how to keep great records to verify your claims in the event of an audit, and your rights as a taxpayer. It also covers how to choose a tax advisor, and how to plan the timing of deductions, as well as your retirement.
It's capped off with an Appendix filled with more expense report spreadsheets you can use for your recordkeeping, and even a handy mileage reference sheet, for those of you who tour or otherwise commute to different cities by automotive transportation. I first learned of Peter Jason Riley from his awesome Website, which is also listed in the book. Like the book, Riley's Website has different sections addressed to different entertainer types... but you can actually download the spreadsheets in Excel format, already preformatted so that you can just enter in the numbers from your receipts, W-2s, 1099s, etc, and the calculations will already be done for you... you then just print that out, and take that and your receipts to your tax preparer... and you should be good to go.

The only thing the book is truly missing from being even more valuable is an index page. There is a table of contents, which is helpful, but in cases where you might want to reference something specific, such as the specific forms/schedules that you would be making the deductions on, or a certain term, you may have to painstakingly re-read a chapter to find the info that you need. Not to be nit-picky... as it certainly would be a lot of work (and extra pages) for a book on a complex topic, but the problem is just that in most sections of the book, there are no paragraph breaks, making it more difficult to spot some passages that you might be looking to reference.

The version I have reviewed is the First Limelight Edition, published in January 2002. I needed the book in a hurry, and the newer edition wasn't in stock at the time I ordered, so I went with the older one. But I did find this book to be so helpful and am still learning a good deal from it about a month and a half after purchase, that I do still plan on buying the updated version.

All in all, I think this book would make a great companion to any books that do address how to actually approach filling out forms, or even to help you along if you're using a service or software like TurboTax or something similar.

The New Tax Guide For Artists Of Every Persuasion: Actors, Directors, Musicians, Singers, And Other Show Biz Folk, Visual Arts And Writers is an essential, core reference for anyone who makes their living in any aspect or field of the performing arts, the visual arts, or the literary arts. Succinct, accessible, superbly presented information is enhanced with a listing of useful IRS publications, descriptions of the most relevant IRS forms, and blank spread sheets for recording earned income and keeping a monthly travel expense diary. If any part of your taxable income is derived from the arts, then The New Tax Guide For Artists Of Every Persuasion is an invaluable reference for you -- even if you have already engaged the services of public accountants and financial managers to assist you.

Though the author is clearly well informed about tax strategies, this book doesn't sufficiently address the needs of fine artists. The book seems to make the assumption that careers in the fine arts are straightforward. The book includes sections for specific disciplines, but those are not very in-depth. I did not get much more information from this book than I got from a general tax guide.

I got this cookbook years ago from my mom, and loved it. Lots of favorite recipes there. Now I give it as a gift and everyone just loves it. And it's fun with all the pictures and quotes.

This is an awesome book. I made the "honest Cherry Pie" and the family ate it up. Serve with whip-cream or Blue Bell Homemade vanilla. (Blue Bell is a Southern/Texas brand of ice cream.)I also gave each of my step daughters a copy along with my daughter. The book show you "Down-Home cooking" at it's best.. Bravo Aunt Bea!!

I think the black and white episodes of the Andy Griffith Show are probably the best examples of American TV ever made, so I was thrilled to order this book. There are no photos at all which makes it tedious to flip through. Also, every recipe insists on having a character's name in the title. It's cute for the first few pages but gets tiresome very quickly. I can't imagine Ernest T. Bass cooking anything and if he did I don't believe I would want to try it. However, there are many, many pieces of dialogue reproduced exactly as they were said on the show and it is delightful to read them! How funny simple American dialect can be... This book is a fun momento of the classic Americana sitcom, but don't expect to cook much from it.

Being from a small town and now living away from it this book is like having my little aunties giving me their secert recipes... God rest their soul! I wish I had been old enough to ask them for them personally, but I found a lot of them in these two books. This is one of the two Mayberry cookbooks I own.

I bought this book from amazon last year and was very let down. First of all, the quality is poor- the pages are very thin- it looks like cheap copy paper printed at a corner shop (the print quality is not great), especially with the cheap plastic ring binders.

This book is not an official recipe book filled with actual recipes used on the show. It's not even all Southern cooking since some of the recipes are not even from the south. Many sounded very unappetizing. Too many recipes called for canned soups and other ready made items as opposed to being made from scratch. I didn't see many recipes that looked like it would produce what Aunt Bee served on TV. I agree with the reviewer who said that using character names for the recipes got very old.

I gave my book to Goodwill.

Lucy's shows have been analzyed in book form so often that you would think that one of the actual writers of the show would produce a book of incredible new insight into the comedian. But instead this is a dull, ego-centric going-through-the motions memoir that produces little new material.

The author brags a lot about her involvement with Lucy's various series but brings little depth to the standard stories that are told. For example, a chapter is "devoted" to "Lucy Isn't Pregnant, She's Expecting." You'd expect there to be a fascinating story of the battle over using the word pregnant but instead it's just nine paragraphs devoted to the entire second season which included the pregnancy. She does reprint the original script wording that was censored, but then admits that she doesn't remember when the "edict came down" to change the word pregnant and doesn't recall the details of when or why it was changed!

When it comes to the major flop "Life with Lucy" (which she wrote), she almost ignores the show. Near the very end of the book she spends FOUR WHOLE PARAGRAPHS on it and spends most of her time praising it! She obviously doesn't get that the series is considered one of the biggest sitcom flops of all time.

She also offers the small tidbit that she was married to Quinn Martin, one of the greatest TV producers of the 60s and 70s. Yet she onlys mentions him in FIVE SENTENCES. (She does spend more space on her second husband.)

This woman appears to have allowed success to go to her head and uses much of the book to brag (she claims to have broken down barriers for women in the business, when in truth there were previous TV female pioneers like Gertrude Berg and Irna Phillips), yet she provides no insight into why these series were successful. There are a few interesting stories but much of this is actually covered better in many of the other books about Lucy.

It's always great to read about the behind the scenes of the I Love Lucy show...I knew most of what I read already, but REALLY enjoyed the photos from the author's collection.

I was in my 20's when Lucy and Desi first aired. It is simply
the best comedy show ever and that includes the writing. I always
wondered just who these superb writers were. Now I have found out
due to this excellent book. The show was so very funny, you do
wonder what people wrote the lines but then you also know that
they had to have Lucy. Her timing was better than I ever seen in
any actor and actress. Thank you, Madelyn, it was indeed a joy
to read your rememberances.

A good biography of one of the brains behind the Lucy factory. Knowing the limitations and talents of Lucy helped make the Lucy icon what it is today. Giving Desi credit where it is long overdue, and busting a few myths that Lucy herself liked to perpetuate, this is a good read of behind the scenes and one of, if not the first, female comedy writers.
Her trials as one of the first female writers doesn't seem to stop her excellent comedic writing abilities and reminds all of us how hard it was for those first female TV writers. Perhaps this is one of the reasons Lucy was so funny - because she had Ms. Pugh there to bring the male writers up (not down) to reality.

Having read tons of other books on everything tied to Lucy, I was especially happy to come across this memoir of what I consider to be one of television's best writers. Ms. Davis writes succinctly but thoroughly and entertainingly about many of her memories associated with what many people consider to be television's all-time best sit-com. It is a great, fun read for anyone interested in "I Love Lucy."

The 2nd edition to this gaming reference series makes a fine coffeetable book or for a quick browse for short snippet info on gaming titles. By all means, this is not a book of in-depth reviews, the titles are covered very briefly (summarised) and categorised according to genre/replayability value/plot sypnosis. If you need comprehensive info on gaming titles, you'd do better on gaming mags or websites. However, it remains a good collector's item as most of your favourite games are included with nice colored screenshots, which makes it a fine addition to your gaming library for all gaming fans. I was very impressed by this 2nd edition in that it included some very recent games which I thought would not make it in before the release date. The only disappointment is that the 2nd edition came in paperback whereas my 1st edition was a hardcover.

I was privileged to be sent an advance PDF copy of The Book of Games Volume 2 by author Bendik Stang, and having now completed my reading of this volume in one evening, I am eagerly looking forward to the print version. The Book of Games Vol. 2 has matured exponentially over its previous incarnation, which I feel is very appropriate as Volume 2 has a very pointed focus on the maturity which the videogame industry as a whole is experiencing. While I am still disappointed in regards to the lack of coverage in regards to the Guild Wars properties, that is largely due to personal bias, as I am a casually hardcore Guild Wars player. Now that I have my only truly negative viewpoint out of the way, let's move on to the good stuff.

I was extremely impressed with the amount of research which had obviously gone into the production of Volume 2, as well as the new features which had been added for the individual game listings and ratings. These additions show that the authors listened to those who took the time to give them feedback on Volume 1, and as such have made themselves a part of the gaming community in a way which some authors never achieve, no matter how knowledgeable they may be on their topics. Another interesting sidenote was seeing another book which I am in process of reviewing featured in a sidebar in this book. As a journalist with a heavy research addiction, I always consider how useful a publication will be to me on my endless quest for knowledge, and The Book of Games Volume 2 passed that consideration with ease. There are many, many sources for further reading and education.

While The Book of Games Volume 1 was a handy reference for the parents and relatives of gamers, Volume 2 fully opens up the changing videogame industry, from development to tournaments and beyond. The authors have successfully put the industry into a nutshell - one which gamers, teachers, parents and even grandparents will appreciate. This volume has every component of the videogame world between its covers, and takes a look at every aspect in a well-worded, well-researched, and well-presented manner. Every chapter contains evidence of how videogames have become an integral part of our lives in the 21st century - from those who pick up a quick game of solitaire to those who travel the pro-gamer circuits. One photo I could immediately relate to was that of Norway's Olav Undheim, winner of the 2007 World Cyber Games Grand Final Warcraft III Tournament. I saw that match, along with all of the other events held on that final game day in Seattle this past October. I was there when Olav hoisted that $ 20 000.00 cheque over his head at the medals presentation - and that's what this industry called videogaming has at its core - a vibrant, global community - one which we experience at our own annual LAN tournament, and one which The Book of Games Volume 2 has opened to the world.

I think that this book will do more to bring an understanding of the videogame culture to non-gamers than any collection of web sites and media articles could possibly do. Parents everywhere will benefit from this book, while gamers will embrace this book for the validation it brings to our gaming culture. The Book of Games Volume 2 is an excellent counter-weight to those who vocalize loud and long their negative views on the gaming industry as a whole. I challenge those who, without really understanding what videogames are truly all about to pick up this book and read it. Understand what draws those of us who game into our multi-pixelled worlds. The artwork is amazing, the music is incredible, and the passion insurmountable. As the owner of a company which has been trying unsuccessfully for three years to obtain a business license for a digital media centre for youth in our hometown, I would love to see the members of our Township council who oppose us, as well as those in the licensing department who insist on calling us an arcade, read this book. The Book of Games Volume 2, I believe, will become a very useful tool for those of us who are not only proud members of the gaming culture, we support the up and coming designers of tomorrow and all of the possibilities the world of gaming has opened to them, whether they become game designers, engineers, architects or even doctors.

I whole-heartedly give The Book of Games Volume 2 a five star rating, and if there have been this many improvements in the series just between volumes 1 and 2, I can hardly wait until I get a look at Volume 3 which will be out in November 2008. To the authors I say "this is a work to be proud of, a job very well done."

Once upon a time there was a cowboy nurse from Texas, who met a blue-eyed marine. And as they say folks, the rest was history. The marine was only in Texas temporarily, training at a nearby base when he first met his future cowboy at a bar over a game of pool, and in no time at all the two started flirting and circling and making claims. The cowboy drug home his marine and the fun began. The two men made the best of their time together - many, many times. The nurse had a special talent that just drove the Jarhead wild, and the cowboy couldn't get enough of his blue-eyed marine. Then as it always happens all good things must come to an end, because it was time for the Jarhead to leave and return back to his permanent assignment in South Carolina.

The cowboy naturally missed his marine, not to mention he had a powerful need for those blue eyes, so he packed-up his bags, loaded Grimm the dog (because everybody knows a cowboy always has a good dog) up in his jeep, he kissed his Momma and Daddy good-bye and left his beloved Texas behind. The cowboy was nervous and knew he was taking a chance, because the Jarhead was a "love 'em and leave 'em" kind of guy. Their reunion was heated, and they indulged and indulged and indulged. This was the reason why the Cowboy had left his beloved Texas and he was staking his claim. They had their conflicts as all couples do, but they made-up and made-up some more. But the worst was when the cowboy found out his blue-eyed marine had a special appetite for baby-green marines. There's a lot of adjusting to be done for both men, while there's plenty of good times and bad times as they try to make a life together.

If you're a fan of the other Jarhead books, this is a must read. This is where it all started. Alex "Rigger" Roberts, the cowboy nurse, and Sergeant James "Rock" South, the blue-eyed marine, spend most of their time indulging in their favorite pastime, if you know what I mean. And I mean very often, very explicit and very hot. We briefly meet Rig's parents, who have bigger parts in the other books, but the scenes with his parents in this novel warmly establishes the loving relationship Rig shares with his parents. Rock may annoy some readers with his I'm a "stud" attitude, but Rigger left Texas for a reason and that egotistical magnetism was part of the attraction. The novel spans two years, indulging us in many romantical moments, but don't expect "the roses and chocolate thing." Although there are plenty of other moments, significant moments, like how the boys got their nicknames, their first home together, meeting Rigger's parents and a very meaningful gift.

A word of warning for anyone who's not familiar with this author or this series. The books are heavy on the sexin', the first book more so than the others, but Sean has a way with characterization, and his Jarheads are some of his finest creations. While there are moments here, don't expect a whole lot of storyline, although over the series, which covers 20 years, there is quite a bit happening with these guys. Sean has created something special with his Jarhead series, capturing a true sense of love and devotion, hooking my heart from the very beginning when Rig first met his Rock over that heated game of pool on Valentine's Day night.

Other Jarhead novels in chronological reading order:

Don't Ask, Don't Tell - The Beginning
Personal Leave - Family issues
Three Day Passes - Richard makes three
Tempering - The boys deal with the fallout after a hate crime
Out of the Closet - Rock retires and the boys move to California
On the Sand - The boys are Livin' and Lovin' in California

Also, there is an anthology of twisted fairy tales Torqued Tales with Sean's "Little Cowboy Riding Rig," a naughty tale indeed.

The official reviews imply that conversation occurs in this book. This is not the case.
I bought this thinking that it was a gay romance story. It is, BUT it is a story that is very hard to grasp. Mostly because the characters spend most of their time having sex. Every scene in the book, but 2, is them having sex. It isn't exactly wordy sex either. The real story is in how they treat each other during sex, how it started, where they were doing it, and what they did when they were done. I thought it was an innovative and interesting way to tell a story (also, who calls hot sex a negative?). It was a little out there for me though. I need a little dialogue or even a thought stream or two, call me a traditionalist. Thus, 3 stars. Interesting way to tell a story, just a little too out there for me.

I purchased this book back in April because I just recently became interested in these types of books (I'm a serious yaoi(boy love), and homosexually themed novels fan). I was a little disappointed, well more than a little. The book in my opinion is a PWP(plot?What plot?)Rig and Rock get together for one night and apparently Rig is so impressed with 'Rock's tool' that he leaves his hometown of Texas to follow after him. Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of sex in my books and while the whole story is dripping with sexual encounters; it soon becomes monotonous, repetitive, and feels empty. I especially disliked Rock's severe case of "I'm a sex god and god's gift to men" type of personality which sometimes made it difficult for me to even finish reading the novel. All in all, I thought it was okay and I purchased another 'Jarhead' novel in the series but I guess I found the first one not giving me enough of an incentive to start reading it yet. I'll get to it eventually. I have read other works by Sean Michael and have truly loved them (Need, A Private Hunger, and a few others) which is why I did a search for his other books and found the 'Jarhead' series. I guess that's why I found this book lacking after reading some of his other works.

If you liked the other "Jarhead" books, this one is interesting because it tells how the two basic lovers, Rig and Rock, first got together. If you like the way the author writes about sex in his tales (tails?), you'll probably find this one way hot! The book puts about 15-20 % into plot line and about 80 % into sex scenes that are not soft-core. I didn't mind the sex, though it became much too predictable, scene after scene of the same thing, the boys into the same roles, never swapping positions or roles. Rock is, if anything, too stereotypical, but he's an awfully attractive (to some) and sexy dude. I wished the author had spent more time turning the characters into three dimensional figures and less throwing themselves into bed. Sex is a great way to start a relationship, but there has to be a lot more than that or it doesn't last. Decent read; I'll read the others. Not great literature.

I FOUND THIS FIRST BOOK IN SEAN MICHAEL'S JARHEAD SERIES TO BE MY FAVORITE. IT IS WHEN ALEX MEETS THE TALL GOOD LOOKING, BLUE-EYED MARINE EVERYONE CALLED ROCK. THEY ARE ATTRACTED TO ONE ANOTHER AND END UP IN THE SACK, WHICH BY THE WAY ISN'T UNUASUAL FOR ANY OF SEAN MICHAEL'S CHARACTERS. THAT'S WHAT MAKES THEM HOT! ALEX FALLS HEAD OVER HEELS AND DEVASTATED WHEN ROCK HAS TO GO BACK TO SC WHERE HE'S STATIONED. HE WAS ONLY IN TEXAS FOR TRAINING. HE TAKES A CHANCE AND TRANSFERED(HE'S A NURSE) TO SC TO SEE ROCK AGAIN. ALEX TELLS HIS PARENTS HE'S LEAVING TEXAS BECAUSE HE CARES FOR THE MARINE. WHEN ROCK FINDS ALEX WHOM HE LATER CALLS RIGGER ON HIS DOORSTEP HOLDING OUT A PIZZA HE INVITES HIM IN AND THAT BEGINS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWWEN RIGGER AND ROCK. TWO EXCELLENT CHARACTERS. IF YOU HAVE READ ANY OF SEAN MICHAEL'S BOOKS YOU KNOW HE IS ONE HOT, SEXY AUTHOR. IF YOU HAVEN'T LET ME INFORM YOU NOW HE'S VERY EXPLICIT IN DETAILING SEXUAL EVENTS, AND HE USES THE F WORD QUITE OFTEN. IT DOESN'T CONCERN ME BUT IF THIS BOTHERS A READER THAN LOOK ELSEWHERE FO READING MATERIAL. IF YOU ENJOY HOT EXCITING SEX THEN JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON BECAUSE THIS AUTHOR WILL DOLE IT OUT TO YOU 100% ANOTHER BOOK OR AUTHOR I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IS "BAREBACK" BY CHRIS OWEN! NOW THERE IS A BOOK YOU'LL NEVER FORGET.

I try to pick up something new from each poker book I read. As I am a new student to the game, I have found the starting hand chart found in this book to be extremely helpful. The chart lays out what hands you should play from what positions, and under what conditions (unraised/raised pot).

But beyond this chart I have to agree with Bartman_9 in that internet poker is pretty much live poker without tells. There were a few pages of specific internet related material and internet tips here and there but not much at all. If you want to play serious online poker and you are somewhat of a beginner, then this book would be a good cold call, however don't expect it to impart an online silver bullet. You can't go wrong with this book, 3 stars.

The book contians standard information, is written somewhat blandly, and doesn't reveal anything the myriad other poker books have already covered.

I do like the cover though.

I went to the bookstore specifically for this book, but was rather dissapointed when I looked through it. So, take my review with a grain of salt, b/c I only spent approximately 20 minutes reading through the various chapters.

The boom in online poker has brought with it an equal boom in how-to handbooks for internet players. The problem is that they're all pretty useless, for the very simple reason that:

Internet poker = real life poker - tells.

Save for some marginally informative behavior like speed-of-play (and you don't have to be a poker genius to figure those out yourself), decisions in online poker are never based on tells, which actually reduces the complexity of the game and makes internet poker an excellent tool to learn the game: it's one less thing you have to worry about.
Therefore, you really don't need a handbook on internet poker, any good Hold'em strategy guide (like Sklansky's Hold'em Poker and Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players) will teach you all that you need to know.
That said, Matthew Hilger's book is a good guide for beginning players and offers some handy charts on starting hands and probabilities.
If you're just starting out and you've never read a book on Texas Hold'em, you might as well begin with this one, but if you've already studied the game, you'll find nothing new here.

For those claiming that this is a beginners book, I say you must be quite confused about what constitutes "beginners" material when it comes to the discussion of Limit hold 'em. Also, for those who claimed the book is "boring," why do you buy poker books? To be entertained? NO! You buy them to learn how to win at poker. They are instructional manuals, not bedtime Wilbur Smith novels!

One of the questions that needs to be asked when considering whether a poker book is merely average or exceptional is; "Could I read this book and nothing more and become an excellent, winning poker player?" In this case the answer is a resounding "YES!" Lets just be clear, Hilger is very successful middle to high limit player and this book provides the knowledge to play anywhere from low to middle and high limit games. Almost all of the hand examples in the book are taken from actual hands played at 20/40 or 30/60 games! I personally would go so far as to say that this is a better book for even the middle limit player than either "Hold 'em for advanced players" or "Middle limit hold 'em" which are considered by many to be the two best books for the mid to high limit hold 'em player. (It is my humble opinion that both those books are somewhat overrated. Of course I'm only a low limit player so what do I know? :)) Some might say that is blasphemy but I've read all of them and that's my opinion.

Hilger does a fantastic job explaining the conceptual ideas behind each topic in very basic language, he then provides several very clear hand examples to illustrate the concepts at work coupled with very solid reasoning explaining the logic and thought processes behind each play. Finally, he provides a comprehensive summary at the end of each chapter that really sums up the meat of that chapter. He covers everything one needs to know to play a winning game of hold 'em and does it in simple language that is easy to understand.

This is a great book and is almost as good as what I consider the best book on Limit hold 'em- "Small stakes Hold 'em" by Ed Miller and co. As in the case of SSHE, the only thing missing from this book is a chapter on shorthanded play but hey, you can't have everything right?

Five stars and easily one of the top 5 books on limit hold 'em on the market today.

Teaches the ins and outs of poker and will help any beginer improve his game. The flop chart is the best asset,follow it and it will help eliminate alot of beginer mistakes. not for advanced readers, but if you are an advanced player Middle limit poker by ciaffane is the best book out i feel for the advanced. This book and the ciafane book are the only two poker books you need if you are beginer or play poker at all. Has turned around my bottom line dramatically

This is the tragic story repeated again and again of Edie Sedgwick, born into historically noted and millionaire family.
This book has many more pictures than some of the other books.Also,many pictures of her before becoming Andy Warhol's muse.
Co-written by David Weiss, who also co-directed Ciao Manhattan! It is a familiar story of beauty and drugs and the dismal consequences.She seems emotionally fragile, breaking apart from page one to the end.
It is tragic but readable and each the photographs speak a thousand words.
She has a fascinating kind of face which doesn't hide or betray her feeling.I love this just for the pictures.
Who other than she could have brought such elegance to a t-shirt and fishnet stockings.
If you prefer more pictures,this is the right book you.
For more personal history of her life, Edie:American Girl would be better

I adored it...full of photo's I'd never seen before of Edie...new quotes, etc. Really gave me insight into her whole vibe & electricity. major fun! and it comes with a great CD with an interview.

I loved this book. Edie Sedgwick really is about expression whether it's her clothes or her face. A force to be reckoned with. She was a colorful character and photographed better than most models today and then. Love her and love this book.

I just recieved this some days ago, after much expectation on my part, having read the book Edie several times (and watched the movie Ciao Manhattan, though that is subject of another review). The photos on this book are amazing (to say the least), I don't know where they came up with so many and with such good quality. You can see so much of Edie's energy and you can also clearly see why so many people were so enamored and enchanted by her, there is just something she transmits that is very attracting (and tragic, Wuthering Heights-like), even after all these years. However you can also see the dark side in many of the pictures, which is also a well known side if you know even just a little of her story.

The text on the book is only so so (not because of the quality, it's just not much new info here), mainly because the definitive text in my opinion is Jean Stein's, however it is well worth the read.

I find it very interesting that so many years after her death and the Warhol days are over, a book like this can still be published and that so many of us still flock to buy it. Indeed Edie is an icon of the past century.

Edie: Girl On Fire is chalked full of rare pictures and new commentary from the people who knew Edie the best, her husband, friends & family. The co-author of the book, David Weisman, not only shares never-before-seen pictures of Edie but, also marvels at the Edie obsession some 36 years after her death. Weisman & Painter do an excellent job of portraying the real Edie through pictures & stories shared by Edie's family & friends. They don't romanticize Edie as being an victim. In fact, they show that Edie was just like the rest of us. A flawed human being who was trying to find a place in the world during a turbulent time period. Edie's flaws are not glossed over or explained away. Instead, they show what a disturbed and lost young woman she was. Weisman himself knew Edie personally for years. Weisman saw Edie at her zenith and watched her fall apart and ultimately lose her life because of her own addictions & obsessions.

One of the best parts of the book is the pictures. After years of seeing the same Edie pictures over & over, there are finally pages & pages of glorious "new" pictures including scrapped "Life" magazine photoshoots and newspapers covering one of the many fires that Edie started at various hotels due to her speed usage. Another awesome part is the cd of audio interviews Edie conducted towards the end of her life for what would be her last movie "Ciao! Manhattan!" (made by co-author Weisman). Edie talks about her many drug trips and her time at the Factory. She's candid, well spoken and heartbreaking. When listening to this cd of Edie's voice and looking at the pictures, you almost want the ending to change. You want Edie to pull through all this garbage and rise from the ashes like a phoenix. Just like any story, the ending never changes and there's really no happily ever after.

This was the BEST book that I have read in YEARS.
The book held my interest.
The story was great, along with the ending.
It was not a fluffy gloss over of the twins, but an honest bare-bones account of their lives.
It was happy, uplifting, tragic, and sad in all.
The book truly made an impression on me.
I think about these two girls often.
It's been 100 years on Feb 5th 2008 since they were born.
Buy it & read it.
You will not be disappointed!

I just could not put this book down. These girls were vulnerable, tragic, and strong and heroic all at once. The author reports of a life I cannot imagine. Very well written and researched. DO NOT start reading this book unless you have all night to do so.

It may sound unbelieveable, but The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton is the best book that I have ever read. I am surprised at how emotionally involved I became with regards to the twins triumphs and tradgies. The book kept me in suspense from start to finish. I think that the author (Dean Jensen) did a fantastic and brilliant job of really getting you to know the sisters individually. He also touched on things going on in history at the time to help create a realistic and interesting setting. Great photos too. It was also fun to read the book and then watch Chained For Life. So wonderful to see the twins perform. I am encouraging all of my friends to read this incredible book.

According to taste, Dean Jensen's "Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton" can be read as tragedy or triumph. After being on display almost all their lives, the Siamese twins at the end lived in quiet obscurity, clerking in a grocery. All their lives they had said that was how they wanted to finish.

However, they had also wanted husbands and children, and they never got those.

Unlike most Siamese twins, who have to deal with an array of deficits and health problems, Daisy and Violet Hilton were normal in every other way. Not just normal but, as we'd say today, gifted and talented.

More remarkable than the link of flesh at the base of their spines was their sunny disposition, maintained somehow despite an infancy and childhood that was extremely restricted by a stepmother who didn't want anyone to see them for free.

Their charm was their salvation. Although they were wickedly exploited, over their lives they repeatedly attracted devoted friends who rescued them time and again. These never were able to rescue the twins entirely from the exploiters, or from their own sad inability to judge boyfriends, but they kept the Hiltons from utter degradation.

Jensen interprets their lives as an endless search for love, which he -- and they -- interpreted as romantic, sexual love. That escaped them, but they did enjoy and attract affectionate love, which, it may be, they were always too distracted to quite recognize.

Jensen tells the story at a glacial pace but with plenty of detail. He rescues an amazing story. In the `20s, the Hilton Sisters were as celebrated -- and, briefly, as highly paid -- any of the characters of that wacky decade. Somehow they failed to make it into the popular histories along with such comparatively dull stars as Shipwreck Kelly.

The Hiltons' story is a gold mine of irony, but Jensen is not an ironist. By a odd accident, the women ended up in the same place, North Carolina, where the first famous set of Siamese twins, Chang and Eng, had enjoyed the kind of life the sisters had longed for: surrounded by children in rural domesticity. Jensen fails to make the connection.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, perceptibly hung over, possibly still drunk, eyed the Hilton sisters over breakfast at MGM Studios. Daisy and Violet had just strolled into the commissary, taking a single empty chair across from him. Daisy picked up a menu, and without looking at her sister, asked Violet what she planned on ordering. Fitzgerald turned pea-green, ran outside, and retched. The sisters were at MGM to star in the film Freaks.

Daisy and Violet Hilton were pygopagus conjoined twins, united by a "cord of flesh" near the base of their spines. As described in Dean Jensen's biography, The Lives And Loves Of Daisy And Violet Hilton: A True Story Of Conjoined Twins, they were also clever, beautiful, and eminently likable women. And yet, Fitzgerald's reaction to them was uncommon only in manifestation. For something in the sister's irregular form converted even their most trivial activities into enchantments. In merely wanting breakfast, Daisy and Violet inspire our unseemly fascination, exposing us as gawkers, or moralists, or miserable, inconsiderate drunks.

Born in England, Daisy and Violet were just infants when the Brighton press proclaimed the occurrence of "an extraordinary freak of nature." They were toddlers when championed by Harry Houdini. At sixteen, having conquered American midways, they attempted a transition typically blocked to "sideshow freaks": they tried to make it in Vaudeville. In their first performance, Daisy and Violet sang, played instrumentals, and charmed the crowd with tosses of brown curls. Then two young boys, dressed in tuxedoes, joined them onstage. Each took a twin by the hand. Music swelled and the foursome began to glide across the stage, "locked in a pas de quatre." The sold-out crowd erupted. They stood in applause. They cried "tears of joy." They dashed toward the box office to secure tickets for the next show.

Such reactions, sparked at the sight of something as natural as teenagers dancing, explain Daisy and Violet's legendary success. It also inversely illustrates the more common, less noble, response they elicited: dehumanization. Given away by their unwed, terrified mother, the twins grew up chattel to guardians whose parental interest stopped at exploitation and appropriation. Even their first memories, "the movements of the visitor's hands which were forever lifting our baby clothes to see just how we were attached," recall their tragic position: trapped between those who used them and those who wanted only to look. Their childhood was replete with threats of being sent to the "asylum for monster children." They spent most of their time confined in a room - lest someone catch a free glimpse. Years later, while in the office of the attorney who would eventually emancipate them, Daisy and Violet were recounting their upbringing when they were interrupted by sobbing. The stenographer had begun to cry.

Curiously, the empathy wrought by Jensen's faithful portrayal of Daisy's and Violet's lives is no prophylactic to the rubbernecking its details will inspire. It is easy to chastise the surgeons who wanted to saw the sisters apart, but upon the discovery that when Violet got drunk - which she often did - Daisy would get "a little buzzed," the teratologic glee is irresistible.

This conflict resonates loudest in Jensen's chapters discussing the sisters' love lives. Readers will no doubt be moved by Daisy and Violet's inability to find lasting love outside themselves. They will decry the twenty-one states that refused, on moral grounds, to permit Violet to marry. They will disdain the reporters who pressed their eyeballs to the keyhole of Daisy's bridal suite. They will blame the public responsible for this media circus when her introverted husband runs off. And yet, when the reader's friends discover the Hiltons were conjoined twins, and ask the question that everyone asks, the reader will will be quick to answer: Yes, Daisy and Violet had sex, lots of it. Even Jensen, unflaggingly sympathetic as he is, seems unable to resist this salacious urge, ending his story with Daisy and Violet's most enduring "trebling," a burial plot shared with a man whom they never met.

Had Daisy and Violet not been conjoined twins, their biography might well resemble that of those other Hilton sisters, circa 2050. The Hiltons sought and eventually rebuked public attention. The Hiltons learned those well-worn lessons of fleeting fame and wasted fortune. Such comparisons phosphoresce in Jensen's exposition, which can, at varying times, feel either rudimentary or dispensable. Yet, Jensen avoids melodrama. He evokes the Dickensian far more than he uses it as an adjective. And he is delightfully adept with anecdotes, a skill put to memorable use recounting a world populated by the likes of pugilistic bandleader Blue Steel; "flimflam man extraordinaire," Terry Turner; and a villain who actually named himself, Myer Myers. And besides, Daisy and Violet are not those other Hiltons. They were world famous: the Royal English Twins United, made singular by a slip of Mother Nature's hand, "grown together the way tomatoes on a vine sometimes do."

A great book....even if you don't cook. Huge amount of history tidbits on all our favorite cowboys and cowgirls come along with these great recipes. Most recipes are very easy to use with ingredients you generally have on hand. Five stars!

My husband bought this for me for Christmas. Since then I have bought several for gifts to friends from the old cowboy movie era. What a hit!

We use this all of the time. It has recipes that you can actually prepare and they really taste good.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I'm a big fan of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, and was delighted to see pictures of them in there, and actual recipes from the real people! Not only are the recipes real cowboy food, but the facts, trivia, and other neat stuff in the book is just as much part of the book as the recipes! The sections are labeled in a very western-y style: Appetizers are "The Frontier", Beverages are "Watering Hole", Soups and stews are "Stir-ups", and so on.
There's a whole section on chili, one of my favorite foods! I was very excited to find "Gene Autry's Texas Chili", and several from Roy Rogers too. There's recipes from all the greatest cowboys in there; from TV stars to rodeo champions, to just ranches who still love the American cowboy and his great food. There's a recipe from the show Gunsmoke, called "Gun-smokin' Chili", which I thought was really neat! The desserts are great as well (just like everything else in the book!). From pies to cakes to cookies and ice cream, it's got it all! I really love cowboys, and I am a cowgirl myself. I have my own horse, and wear a cowboy hat, boots, a leather belt and a big belt buckle with a horse on it every day. This All American Cowboy Cookbook really hit the spot! I can't wait to show it to my friend, who is also a cowgirl.

I just love this cookbook! It has great recipes with directions that are easy to follow. Only trouble is I enjoy reading all the stories and comments so much that I forget I'm looking for something good to cook up!
I'm ordering 2 more as gifts for my trail riding buddies!