Entertainment Books

Bibi Gaston brings together many talents...writer, landscape architect, historian, psychologist when she shares the account of her search for her grandmother Rosamund Pinchot Gaston. This is a remarkable book, evocatively written, an incredible story of lives, events, and synchronicities and that illustrate..... what is too strange to be fiction is fact. I congratulate Bibi Gaston with enthusiasm on a unique accomplishment...a courageous overlap of memoir and biography...captivating beyond words, full of history and detail. The author invited the reader to join her on a journey of discovery....I was honored to be a companion.

A beautiful story, elegantly written. Reading like a grand fairy tale, the reader is reminded through photographs, letters and diaries that the story is indeed true. I think, perhaps, Ms. Gaston has given us a new expression for depression, sharing that her grandmother called it the "Cinderella Feeling". Artfully weaving past and present into the biography, Ms. Gaston shows us how personal passions follow generational lines, even when those passions are unknown to each other. Beyond the family history, this story includes government's and society's most important and famous with whom her grandmother interacted. While we tend to think of women's independence and strength as something of modern times, clearly Ms. Gaston shows us the current for this began in the early 1900s, with her grandmother unknowingly a beautiful torch bearer. I would highly recommend this book.

It might seem that most of us come from dysfunctional beginings and this author's family is no worse than many of our own memories of childhood. Perhaps that is why there is something so very touching about the method in which this book is written. There are essentially three stories here begining with Rosamund and including her son and granddaughter. There is a great deal of the life of high society in the 1920's to be found here as well as the interesting life lead by Rosamund Pinchot. However, the most poignant section deals with the author's memories of her father culminating in his death and the behavior of family members in that painful aftermath. Actually it is the way families treat one another and the legacies of that treatment, that is truly the centerpiece in this well-written book of memories. Yet, the author remains tender towards all of her closest characters and makes us want to do the same with our own life. There are deft turns of phrase to be found and some sections that you want to write down in your own diary as the truest words you have ever heard about your own self.

Bibi Gaston wrote this book about her grandmother, Rosamond Pinschot Gaston, a socialite and actress of the 1920s and 1030s who was once named "the loveliest woman in America" in a news story. Discovered at age nineteen by a theatrical producer-promoter, while on a cruise, Rosamond was best known professionally throughout her career for her first stage role. Her beauty and high social status combined with the unusual choice of an acting career kept her in the news, off and on, for two decades. Her life ended tragically with suicide in 1938 at the age of thirty-three.

Intrigued by the little bit she knew about her grandmother and puzzled because of the family's suppression of facts surrounding her life and death, the author devoted herself to unraveling the mystery of who Rosamond really was and why her life ended as it did. The book is based mainly on Rosamond's diaries which came into the author's hands in 2003 after the death of her father, Rosamond's son.

Early on, Ms. Gaston seems to focus on establishing the pedigree, privilege, achievements and connections the Pinschot family; integral to the story but rather dry because of the passing of time and the persons involved. After Eleanor Roosevelt, Elizabeth Arden, and George Cukor, not many others of the then-famous names included evoked more than slight recognition to this reader though certainly some others will have more reason to remember. The narrative gets off to a very slow start but improves in both style and content in later chapters when Ms. Gaston writes with first-hand knowledge about her father and other members of the family. The chronology of the story jumps back and forth in time from the 1920s to 2007.

In the author's wistful account of the glamorous stranger who was her grandmother, her longing to understand and feel connected is palpable. To this reader, Rosamond is a personality faintly drawn; a rather sad figure always surrounded by stronger characters and a woman whose life was, for the most part, simply reactive. Had more actual excerpts from the diaries been included, the story may well have been invigorated. The question of why Rosamond committed suicide is still open to conjecture though a possible explanation is suggested. Who Rosamond truly was remains somewhat of an enigma.

The loveliest woman kept me up late for several evenings.... Two accomplished young women, two generations apart. Neither with much luck in romantic relationships but each laying claim to her own story. As a devourer of biographies, the new historical tidbits were rewarding by themselves - a new Eleanor Roosevelt letter (who, according to Rosamond's diaries, planted kisses on her lips) - the role of a 28 year old socialite in FDR's 1932 depression campaign - good natured gossip about the personalities and affairs of the household names of the 1920s and 30s (including the author of "Goodnight Moon"). The Pinchots and the Gastons appear to be real life examples of the American Dream gone awry as a result of a focus on material and (sometimes quirky) social success - see Fitzgerald and Wharton for the fictional examples. Since Rosamond Pinchot was a suicide at age 33, the author's search for a psychological framework for Ms. Pinchot's personality is a big part of the tale. Spontaneous nude sunbathing (as an anti-depressant?) is only one of Rosamond's impulses. In sum - thorough research combined with loving empathy. Two unfinished stories, but a satisfying artistic whole. What's not to like about this book?

Alright, here's the skinny.

1. It's a reverse veiw map. So it looks the same as the view through your refractor with a star diagonal or SCT.
2. Rukl knows his business. The map is detailed, and shows you everything you can see.
3. It's laminated. It won't get damaged from dew or those inevitable drink spills.
4. The "hinging" system makes it easy to use. It folds nicely, isn't bulky, and is easy to carry, store, and use at the eyepiece.
5. At this price you can't go wrong just TRYING it.

Face it. This is a moon map that you will USE. If you don't need the reversed view (perhaps you prefer binoculars or the naked eye to a telescope) there is a non-reversed version available, too.

For price, performance, and just plain smart design, this is MUST HAVE if you're looking for a moon map.

I am workinkg part time for Planetary of University of Santiago of Chile, and when is necessary watch the moon by telescope, I was received many children to make excursions over moon surface. Then I was used this map, to locate place where astronauts from Apollo 11, put their feet first time on the Moon. I give to children locate trought mirror scope, many moon features: Seas, Hills, craters, until arrive aproximately over site, where man from earth, arrive there. Is very funny to children and adults too.
Fernando Franco Blü.
Rancagua, CHILE.

Both versions of this map are drawn by Antonin Rukl whose Atlas of the Moon in book form is currently the gold standard for readily available paper lunar atlases. While the scale is smaller here, the amount of detail will be sufficient for the vast majority of telescopic observers.

But what distinguishes these maps is how well they're designed. Laminated, folding in quarters and just about the perfect size, it's plain that Sky Publishing meant these to be practical and rugged.

Also, two very nice touches. The lunar surface features are repeated where the map folds so no details are lost "in the ditch". And each map quadrant shows the libration zones.

This map is excellent.

I loved this Mirro-Image of the Moon so much I bought two, one to hang in my bedroom and one to use at the Telescope. With my Celestron C8-SGT and the mirror image I'm not constantly correcting myself and can find eveything so much easier. And its laminated, when helps when the Dew and late night moisture comes in. I have about ten sky atlases, but only this one and another are laminated.

I decided to buy this Mirror-Image field map because I have a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope that also reverses viewed objects. I already had the true-image field map, but I had a lot of difficulty using it because I'm a novice of lunar topography. The reverse map made such a difference in my ability to see and identify landmarks. The map is laminated and folded, separating the moon into four quadrants. This makes it easy to handle and use without worrying about nighttime dew. I took it to an astonomy club star party, and showed several experienced amateurs. None had ever seen this particular map before. It got rave reviews from them too.

I recently started using this product in my free time and during piano lessons i take and have found the product very satisfactory if you'd like the piano part with the vocal line in it. the songs sound like the actual songs but are not ,however, written in the same way that they appear in the actual songs. this was a problem i encountered but many people may not be bothered by this fact. if you are not bothered by this detail the product is very good and i encourage you to buy it

When selecting piano music I always feel more assured when the songwriter is a pianist. Since Isaac Slade is a pianist the music we get to play is truer to the music we hear on their CD; another great example of this it Five For Fighting's "100 Years" by John Ondrasik. Most of the songs in The Fray's book are awesome to play and not terribly difficult. The rhythms are a bit tricky at times, but mastered with some devoted practice. Most of the songs in the book are in the key of Bb, Ab, and Cmin. I love the intro to "Hundred," classical stuff; listening to Isaac play it, and then myself, sounds spot on. Love it!

This product consists of excellent arrangements of music by the Fray. The arrangements are geared toward pianists with medium level skills but are useful also for other skill levels. Definitely worth the price...a wonderful addition to my music library.

I think this is a great piano book. The songs on piano sound very true to the originals. I get really annoyed when I buy piano arrangements that have a separate voice line, and the piano part sounds completely different and is just accompaniment to that, so unless you sing along it doesn't sound like the song. But on this one what you play sounds like The Fray.

I didn't notice a problem of songs being transposed. My favourite tracks are Look After You and Vienna, and I had no problem trying to play along with those. In fact, I just tried all the songs out and the ones that have been transposed are: All at Once, Fall Away, Heaven Forbid, Dead Wrong, Little House. These are all transposed by a semitone, for instance from B major to B-flat major. I guess they thought 5 sharps would be too tricky. The good news is that at least for some of them it's not too hard to transpose back to the original key on the fly- it's usually just a matter of adding a sharp to all the notes.

I still recommend it!

Bought this mainly because of two songs: How to Save a Life and Cable Car (Over My Head). I wasn't disappointed with those two. The arrangements are great and in the right keys. So I was really looking forward to the book as a whole.

Problem, there are very few mentions of this on the first pages of the different songs, but quite a few of them have been transposed, which isn't so fun when you were planning on playing along. So a bit misleading, especially if they plan on catching people offguard in a bookstore where they can't test the keys, but still a good buy.

Now that Hollywood has finally given Scorsese his due with what amounted to a career-Oscar, the time is ripe to read the revised edition of this superb book. The questions asked of the director are intelligent, not fawning, and his answer's are lengthy and fascinating. The generous space devoted to his childhood and early years help one better understand why Scorsese has been so attracted to a particular genre and how he executes it so well. This director is, of course, immensely knowledgeable about the history of film, and his comments on other directors' work are fascinating. A readable mine of information about one of the most important popular artists of our time.

I bought this book out of respect and deep admiration for Martin Scorsese. What I got was keen insight into a creative genius. The numerous interviews reveal a side to Scorsese that not many people see outside the camera. It's a lot more personal than that. When he talks about his movies, he ultimately parallels them to what his life was like at that time. So it's a fine blend of his personal life mixed with his professional life. There's also the obvious vibe that this man always was and always will be a student of film; his passion is infinite. Perhaps that's what makes him as influential and well-respected as he is.
You're the best there is, Marty!!

There are few filmmakers more brilliant than Martin Scorsese, and this book provides wonderful insight into the sources of his obsessions. Almost any book on Scorsese is worth reading, but this volume gives equal time to his less-appreciated, (but no less wonderful), films like The King of Comedy and After Hours. By far, the most informative book on Scorsese yet.

This reader felt almost privileged to read these interviews, lectures, and conversations with Martin Scorsese. He simply shares everything, and indeed he is, if nothing else, a true fan of movies!

The insightful words of Scorsese, arranged to parallel his filmography up through New York Stories, are annotated by the redoubtable editors Thompson and Christie. Scorsese is arguably the greatest postmodern artist, (and I would have to say the only postmodernist I unhesitatingly adore -with possible exception of Matt Groening), and the reader really gets to see how Scorsese constructs a film. His inspirations are as predictable as directors Pasolini and Powell, yet as diverse as Mahatma Ghandi and Little Richard. He loves all with equanimity and enthusiasm.

That's the joy of this book... the guy loves movies, loves making them, and all that energy just shines through.

Extremely valuable resource for the student of film, but good fun for the humble film buff, too. Bonus: interesting black and white photos you won't find elsewhere. Excellent (though naturally out-of-date) filmography appendix.

I absolutely devoured this book, essentially reading in two sittings a day apart. A rare and privledged look into the mind of Scorsese in his own words, followers of his work will be thrilled with the insights and anecdotes. Anyone half-aware of the man's work can recognize the thought that goes into it, but these interviews reveal the incredible depth and passion for film and its history that underlies his craft.

An essential read for anyone that considers her- or himself a film buff.

I loved this book because it is exactly the voice of wisdom you need when you're planning a wedding: smart, down-to-earth, funny (but never flippant) and--while respectful of wedding traditions--by no means beholden to them. At a time when weddings have more potential than ever to become surreal, this book is a great way to keep your footing.

It's utterly modern, in that it acknowledges frankly all the weirdo issues that come up (a dog as a best man? a bridesmaid who grew too fat for her dress?), but is grounded in an understanding that the rules of etiquette still apply whether you want to go formal or free-form. And, furthermore, that etiquette is not a punishing, restricting set of conventions, but time-tested guidelines that really do make everyone's wedding experience more comfortable.

I particularly liked the "Dear Elise" questions from real people that end each chapter...they have a wonderful "oh my god, what are they going to ask her next?!" quality that is quite suspenseful. And the advice is terrific.

I wish I had this book when I planned my wedding. Elise MacAdam's advice will help brides cut through all of the conflicting and outmoded advice about wedding rules and etiquette so they can focus on planning the wedding that's right for them, not the one that would make Emily Post happy. Elise tells you all about the rules so you can decide which ones you want to ignore or break. I think this will be my go-to engagement present for friends from now on.

Something New is different from other wedding books in that it sheds light on all kinds of sticky situations that come up, that people don't normally talk about, and it gives you a road map for how to handle yourself. I also found it uplifting and think that in the end, it will help brides put their dilemmas into perspective and focus on what's important. I'm going to give it to all my engaged friends from now on!

This is a wonderful book for those who want to know more about the actors who play on Friends.

The pictures of the actors are very good.

This was an awesome book that any Friends lover would love to have in their collection. I loved reading every bit of it and had it read in a few days if that long. Very interesting stuff in there. We have all 10 seasons and watch them quite often. We will never get sick of watching, learning about or hearing about our FRIENDS!!!

This is perfect for any Friends fan. It has interviews, photos, episode guides, summaries, biographies, trivia, and so much more. This book is amazing. I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it because it is just so great. The design is fun, the words are inspiring, and it is all just truly nostalgic. If you really love Friends, then you need this book!

I bought this as a gift for my sister for Christmas...she is OBESSED with the Friends show. The book had tons of great pictures, intervies, and information. I loved the picture on the front cover...all of the Friends stars look so beautiful! Then, on the back cover, it is amusing to see a completely opposite picture, all of hte Friends stars from one of the earlier seasons dressed very casually painting grafitti on a wall :-)

Any Friends fan will find something of interest in this book!

I like the Series even more after i lookes into the Book and read it.
Lots of Pictures and Information.
A friend who i purchased the book as Present also looks the Series again with the book in the hands and find always new things, that i never realized before (and he saw friends over 8 times!)

recommendable.

This is a really nice songbook. My sister and I are now working on the "Piano Duet". It sounds just like it did in the movie. Highly recommended.

THIS WAS A WELL PUT TOGETHER BOOK ON STAX RECORDS, I HAD WONDER WHAT HAPPEN TO STAX RECORDS,THIS BOOK GOT RIGHT TO THE HEART OF WHAT HAPPEN AND WHY IT HAPPEN. THIS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST BLACK RECORD COMPANY RIGHT ALONG THE SIDE WITH MOTOWN THAT MADE GREAT MUSIC.WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD MUSIC GONE TOO?

I agree with the reviewer from 2003 who said that he seemingly transcribed interviews. While he's clearly a passionate fan, the author's writing is very poor and curiously, very little editing seems to have been done. Its so bad as to be embarassing at times.

He clearly lacks the ability to contextualize all that he's decribing beyond the level of a middle school social studies book. Not just on a national/international scale but portraying the bevy of personalities and reltionships he volumniously lists.

Another major problem is that while seemingly every last personality however tangential to the history of Stax is introduced, there is very little reason for a lot of them to be introduced! There are simply too many people introduced over the course of the book and we're expected to remember eveything about them when they're brought up again 30 pages later.

Basically, the author comes across as a passionate fanboy lacking in writing ability and the ability to analyze what he has discovered. All that said, its an interesting book, albiet one that lets Al Bell off the hook for destroying Stax.

Rob Bowman's work is the definitive work on the history of the Stax Record label. I doubt there is anyone affiliated with the company who he has not interviewed. It is also very well written and impossible to put down.

Stax Records had such an incredible history in one of the most important eras of 20th century popular music in America. Starting out as a country/pop oriented label by a country fiddle player turned into an R&B powerhouse. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, it was ripe. Artists such as Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Otis Redding, Booker T. & the MG's (the Stax house band along with the Mar-Keys), Albert King, Sam & Dave among others recorded with the label during the '60s when Atlantic distributed the label. Those were the label's glory days and had they continued with Atlantic when that company was bought by Warner in 1967/8, Stax could have lasted much longer. From 1968 to 1975, the second half of Stax's history saw drastic changes in the activity at Stax, both musically and personally. Johnnie Taylor, the Staple Singers, the Soul Children and Isaac Hayes and many others thrived on the music charts. Other than Volt, Stax spawned more subsidiary labels like Enterprise, Partee and Truth. The label with a new logo was being distributed at first by Gulf-Western, then bought back and then finally with CBS which led to Stax's ultimate demise. Much financial difficulty too long to get into brought Stax's downfall in 1975. It's such a shame that Stax is seeming to get less and less attention, partcularly nowadays as this kind of music is increasingly disappearing from oldies and mix radio stations. Motown was practically the big competitor for Stax. Motown had a polished sound, while Stax had a more tougher and freer sound. It seemed that during Stax's golden days, they made such quality-filled music though their record sales couldn't fully complete with Motown. If the attitude of making good music up front would have been held first and foremost, Stax could have lasted so much longer. This book is an in-depth and very informative read about the history of Stax.

There are a gazillion books about "The Motown Sound" out there, but this is the only book that I know of about the company that briefly usurped crown of being the Crown Jewel of Black Music in the early 1970s.

As I see it this book is actually several different books in one: a history and chronology of Stax records; a biography of Al Bell and Jim Stewart; a comparison Northerners and Southerners (black AND white); and a case study of the nature of race relations in the South that may actually be a bit different from the stories most of us are accustomed to hearing... Regarding my final point, I believe that the Stax's racial composition is what made it so different from other companies. Here was a company in the heart of the deep/rural South, founded by whites and eventually controlled by blacks; a company in which the similarities of poor blacks and poor whites brought them closer to each other; a company in which whites were just as instrumental (pun intended) in the financial and musical success as blacks; a company who had one of its first major successes with a band that was half-black and half-white...in the early 1960s no less. These are all unlikely elements for any kind of success story, particularly one beginning in the context of the post-World War II Deep South. To partially--but by no means TOTALLY--describe the rise and fall of Stax, one might recall a common saying among blacks who participated in the Great Migration: "In the South, white folks to care how close you get, as long as you don't get too high; in the North, white folks don't care how high you get, as long as you don't get too close."

Speaking from the perspective of someone who is a fan, a musician, AND a social scientist, this is a great book. The musicians out there will appreciate the details of achieving the "Stax" sound from Steve Croppers dirty guitar strings to Al Jackson billfold-on-the-snare. Fans will appreciate knowing about the inspiration behind the songs and the details about some of their favorite musicians.

The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson: The Pretty Boys and Dirty Deals of Henry Willson.
By Robert Hofler
Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Carroll & Graf; Reprint edition (August 22, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0786718023


Robert Hofler's book is not about Rock Hudson. It's not about Troy Donahue, Alain Delon, or Rory Calhoun although these and many other Hollywood stars (mostly male) feature heavily in the four hundred and twenty pages of "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson: The Pretty Boys and Dirty Deals of Henry Willson".
The story recounts the career of one of Hollywood's most successful film agents--Henry Willson--and it's not pretty at all.
Willson, while he lived, was a man of simple contradictions. Born on the East Coast of the US, he was socially an ultraconservative, politically a Republican and as gay as a holiday table. If one defines a pederast as a person who prefers sex with those between the ages of seventeen and nineteen then Henry is your man. Willson hated effeminate men, often ridiculing them openly and loudly in the swank restaurants and clubs that make up so much of Hollywood legend, yet he loved young boys and he made them famous. If any loved him in return none admitted it. He made them wealthy and immortal in films. They left him old, penniless and forgotten in a charity home.
Artful seduction of naive ambition, career blackmail, and bodily assault all play a part in Willson's wheeling and dealing in the Hollywood of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.
On reading "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson: The Pretty Boys and Dirty Deals of Henry Willson", I felt I was sitting in an easy chair while an old friend confided secrets long forgotten. Of course none of Robert Hofler's stories about the young and famous men of Willson's casting couch were secret--even when they occurred.
Hofler's writing is witty and I love that, but I confess that I found his cutting from an event, say, in 1960, to another in 1940, eye stopping.
For those who love to read about the movie stars of yesteryear, this book is right up your alley. If however, you are looking for details on the sexual exploits of The Rock, save your money.

THIS BOOK REALLY SURPRISED ME.THOUGHT IT WAS ABOUT ROCK, BUT THE OTHER STARS THAT ARE IN HERE WAS A COMPLETE SURPRISE.
COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN........A LITTLE REPETITIVE AT TIMES- BUT WILLSON'S LIFE IN HOLLYWOOD IS A RARE ONE OF A KIND LOOK AT WHAT STRAIGHT MEN WILL DO FOR A SCREEN TEST

The book is so entertaining! I was sad when I finished reading it. Henry Willson might've done a few dirty deals in Hollywood, but the story reveals he was hardly any worse than many others in that era of Hollywood.

Robert Hofler's "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson" is a magnificently- written and searingly honest biography of actor's agent, Henry Willson.

Mr. Willson, a Hollywood reporter turned agent during the golden age of Hollywood (when the so-called "Dream Factory" was literally in full swing) emerges as a larger than life tragic and sympathetic figure.

Described as a homely homosexual man, with an expertly trained eye for spotting male beauty, he more than compensated for his paucity of good looks by elevating himself, by sheer will and talent alone, into one of the most powerful and influential starmakers in the motion picture industry.

Thought of by many as being a predator who sexually preyed upon innocent, naive, and unsuspecting young men - the opposite, actually, was quite true in retrospect.
While they might well have been naive in the ways of Hollywood, itself, these young men were certainly all well-enough versed in the ways of life to know exactly what it was they really wanted, and what they would be willing enough to submit to in order to achieve it. Nobody twisted their arm. Nobody forced them into doing anything that they, themselves, didn't voluntarily consent to do in the first place.

The question then arises - if Mr. Willson stands guilty of unfairly taking advantage of all the young men that he so carefully nurtured and fashioned into celebrities - why would he so strongly have felt the compelling need to always travel that extra proverbial mile in their behalf, fighting tenaciously, with every fiber of his being, to secure for them the very best of everything in their career and personal lives.

After he had used his very own money, invaluable amounts of time, and unique salesmanship skills in turning them into the successful commodity that they eventually became - they then proceeded to drop him like a hot potato when they no longer had any need for him. When the veritable truth of all these realizations come together, a disturbing, yet vitally important, thought is left to ponder. Who, indeed, appears to have been the most severely emotionally damaged victim (or victims) here? The stable of "pretty boys" he had groomed for stardom? Or the desperately lonely man who, in a futile effort to belong, spent a lifetime trying to fit in by surrounding himself with beautiful people. It was almost as if constantly being in their presence, managing their careers, and sometimes even their personal lives, compensated, somewhat, for the good looks he had been denied, and had the intoxicating power to elevate and place him on an equal playing field with all of them. As hard as he tried, never truly did he ever belong. He was an outsider who always remained on the outside. A physically unacceptable outcast in a self-contained world of superficial beauty, with only looking-in privileges. Yet, his is the character of main focus here, and the driving force that literally propels this mesmerizing biography and sends it crashing clear through the roof.

Most of the so-called "stars" who appear in this biography emerge as rather vain, shallow, unfeeling people who can only be momentarily true to those who give them exactly what they think they need at the very moment that they think they need it. At least, Mr. Willson had feelings enough to show his deep hurt and devastation each time one of his boys (clients) dropped him and went on to someone else who they thought could do more for them. (As most of them later found out - changing wasn't always the better route - and their careers suffered bitterly because of it.)

That Henry Willson suffered immeasurably because of these betrayals, goes without saying. That he died alone and penniless, goes without saying. That he was the better human-being, definitely goes without saying.

With master strokes of an artist's brush, Mr. Hofler has vividly painted the unique and unforgettable portrait of a flawed, but generously big- hearted man, who, at one time in motion picture history, cast a giant shadow across the make-believe landscape of Hollywood. A fairytale state of mind where much heartbreak, sadness, and the unsightly debris of wrecked and shattered lives, that can never be resurrected, are to be found haplessly scattered along the confection-laced, but treacherously dangerous, highway that runs directly through the very center of its heart and soul.

Robert Hofler's "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson", is a stunning, skillful, and insightful biography that stands as one of the finest ever written. For a fascinating, in-depth, behind the scenes look at the shady workings and double-dealings of an unscrupulous Hollywood in the days of its early beginnings, this biography is a definite must read.

Henry Willson came to Hollywood from the East Coast and became a part of a group called the Puppets, which consisted of young people seeking to become involved in the ever burgeoning field of talking movies.

Willson had sound instincts when it came to identifying with current tastes. He began as a stringer writing freelance columns about the New York stage while an undergraduate at Wesleyan College in Connecticut. With the Depression making stirring inroads he saw that Broadway was fading while public demand increased to see films.

Soon Willson moved into the agency field, discovering Lana Turner and Rhonda Fleming, but it was in the field of discovering young male talent where his fame and unique impact on the industry would be achieved. Discovering handsome male faces that brought audiences into the theaters and prompted young females to swoon was more than just a business to Willson. It was a labor of love borne of his strong attraction to them as a homosexual man.

He knew that caution needed to be employed in propelling to stardom's number one popularity position among actors a former truck driver from Winnetka, Illinois who gained international fame as Rock Hudson. Willson, a well bred man from a wealthy family whose father had been a leading executive at Columbia Records, assumed the role of surrogate father for Hudson as well as other stars of the Willson stable such as Rory Calhoun, Tab Hunter and Troy Donahue.

In addition to working hard to cultivate relations with those in the industry in positions to propel his clients toward stardom, the flamboyant and highly witty Willson played as hard as he worked, enjoying a good time and sex with many of the handsome men whose destinies he guided.

Since so much of promoting the young performers involved meeting people, Willson took them to local spots such as the famous nightclubs Ciro's and Mocambo as well as dining and drinking establishments such as Cock and Bull, Villa Frascati, Scandia and, at the end of his career, Panza's Lazy Susan, run by an acting client, and where he socialized with the likes of mobster Mickey Cohen.

Willson's excesses, particularly when it came to drinking, ultimately led to his demise, along with a changing studio structure. Within the wildly party atmosphere of Hollywood, along with the concurrent atmosphere of career tension, the Willson propensity for alcoholic consumption and drugs combined with voracious sex were traits he held in common with protégés Hudson and Donahue.

This is a work that captures the cinema capital in the same close-up fashion that Otto Friedrich's "City of Nets" with its focus on forties' Hollywood also did.

I bought this book couple of weeks ago and I am done with this book!! It is very interesting book; it is like a mini encyclopedia. This book is big, but for someone who knows basics about chess need not to read the first 120 pages. I finished the first 120 pages in less than 2 hr. This book well explains the principle, strategy and tactics of the game. Worth reading it, it will never make you an idiot as some of the reviewer's told here.

Brilliant book. Don't let the title fool you. This is one of the most well-written books about chess I have come across, and the drills are great. It's probably the best beginner book you could read; most beginner books just tell you how all the pieces move and leave it at that. This book actually goes through the various tactics like forks, skewers, uncovered attacks, etc., in a manner that is understandable and fun. Then it moves onto positional considerations. I improved my game by several hundred points by using the techniques I learned in this book, and it made me want to go out and read more books about chess to further develop my skills. HIGHLY recommended!!!!!

Primers on chess are notoriously poor, since many mediocre players (e.g., Pandolfini) consider themselves qualified to write them, and some cynics (e.g., Schiller) churn out primer after primer on the assumption their victims lack the skill to realize how bad they are. There are, however, exceptions: primers by strong players which respect the reader, such Capablanca's and Purdy's. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess" is such a book. The writer (a stronger player than Schiller or Pandolfini can ever hope to be) does not repeat others, but gives thought to what beginners REALLY need to know--and it shows.

He deals respectfully with the history of chess, giving important facts without (false) "fun" anecdotes about the "insanity" of champion X. Even his "why play chess at all?" section is fresh, without any waffle about the "beauty of the immortal game of chess": chess is a fair game where opponents on all levels are easy to find, and it is never boring. THAT is what beginners need to know. The same care is seen in the choice and presentation of the technical material. For example, Wolff deals with space and weak squares, crucial to those who want to become decent chess players, but which most primers simply ignore.

It is no insult to Capablanca's or Purdy's classic primers to say that, finally, a better book for beginners had arrived. Like those primers, it is a book by a very strong player who gave much thought to what beginners really need to know. But it also brings the reader up-to-date on issues (computer chess especially, but also more recent chess history) that the earlier books, of course, couldn't deal with.

Highly recommended.

I learned a lot in this and there were a lot of diagrams for visual learners.

Concisely written that slowly guides players who want to gain a better understanding of how to strategically play (or better yet, at least have a chance vs. more knowledgeable players). Well layed out. One can ease through the text as the information is presented at a liesurely yet practical pace. Refreshing and not overbearing.