Book Description

Frank Sinatra's work has crossed decades and generations. From the early song hits right up to his recent death, the Chairman of the Board reinterpreted classics to make them his own. His acting career was equally successful, Jewell looks at the fascination of Sinatra, including his four marriages, his close association with the fabled Rat Pack, and his political allegiances from Jack and Bobby up to Ron and Nancy. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Come up for AIR
Derek Jewell's style of writing may be appealing to some, but to me he leaves much to be desired.
Pros:
-Almost no detail was overlooked
-1/4 of the book is an index
-useful for book reports
-well arranged
Cons:
-Written in a breathy style where there is no good place to stop
-hard to concentrate on, hard to keep reading
-facts were boring
-could have used more opinions or quotes
-hard to pick out information for projects
-small print

AMERICA'S SINGER OF THE CENTURY
FRANK SINATRA was one of the greatest entertainer of the previous century.While he made many movies, it's the singer thatwill be remembered best.The skinny guy who caused riots at the PARAMOUNT theater had a legendary career spanning more than fifty years.The story of his ascension is well documented;it's interesting to hear of the way his three arrangers each worked with him in a different way in his great CAPITOL days ,who with the new compact editions will remain big sellers for many years to come.While DEREK JEWELL talks about the controversy always associated with FRANK, he manages to keep in perspective the important facts and let aside the gossip which can get unpleasant ,since we all know FRANK was not an angel.It might not be the best book about him (there are so many available now),but it does the job accurately.Anyway,the legacy of THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD are the records.We are now fortunate us music lovers to choose in the collection what we like best about him ,and there are many treasures. ... Read more

Book Description

Sir Ernest Shackleton's South is one of the great books of exploration. It is a harrowing account of what he called "the last great journey on earth"--the Antarctic expedition in which his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice, forcing Shackleton and his men to make a 600-mile trek across the ice to land, a 700-mile journey in an open boat to South Georgia, followed by an epic crossing of the uncharted mountains and glaciers of the island. His story is superbly written, and from its first publication in 1919, it has never ceased to enthrall readers. Since that time, however, Shackleton's life--and his account of the expedition--have been dramatically re-evaluated by scholars and biographers. In this edition, journalist Peter King presents highly revealing annotations to Shackleton's text, offering a more detailed picture of what actually occurred and shedding new light on what still remains a magnificent drama of leadership. South is complete with 120 compelling photographs by Frank Hurley, the expedition's official photographer. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Literally Chilling!
My good friend Antonia Martin just gave me this book for my birthday. Antonia, you are an absolute Treasure!

I have become fascinated with the Shackleton story, not only for the awesome testament to dogged determination to succeed in the face of seemingly daunting odds that it is, but because apparently my Grandfather knew him quite well and worked on the planning of the journey back in London. Somewhere we have a signed original of the book from 1919 amongst Mother's belongings, back in England.

This is a bone chilling visual and literary step by aching step trudge through the most inhospitable place on Earth. As the Endurance, their ship, died so their own endurance was born. And what an endurance that was!

As my eyes wander the pages in the warm comfort of bed my mind is wind-whipped by the Antarctic blasts Shackleton and his team ultimately survived! It is quite simply one of the most amazing stories it has ever been my pleasure to absorb. I am in awe of the achievement described and pictured in this book.

Everybody should read it! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

It was awesome!
I thought it was a very good book for all ages. It inspired me to get out on the course and make the best of my game! I can't wait for the season to come! Plus, I am a HUGE Tiger Woods fan! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A superior edition of Shackleton's first book
This is a very nice, somewhat abridged edition of "Heart of the Antarctic." Compared with the Carroll & Graf trade edition, this does have some bits edited from the expedition preparations and the account of the Furthest South journey, but, unlike the Carroll & Graf edition, it has Professor David's account of the march to the South Magnetic Pole and an account of the Northern Party journey and so is overall a better text. The selection of pictures is decent, although there is one photo that I suspect is from the 1912 Scott expedition (of a tracked motor-sledge; the Shackleton expedition had only a car with it). The story of the British Antarctic Expedition is just as exciting as the doomed Endurance voyage, and I would highly recommend this edition to everyone interested in Shackleton and his adventures. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

The life of Frank Sinatra told in pictures and captions
"Sinatra: A Life in Pictures" is an oversized book by Tim Frew that collects more than 120 photographs from Sinatra's career in both music and movies, along with the personal life that made headlines because of romances with Ava Gardner and Mia Farrow.Frew declares Frank Sinatra to be one of the 20th century's most vibrant entertainers and is hard to argue with that claim when you look at a career that spanned more than six decades in music, film, and television.In his introduction Frew sums up the legendary entertainer's career, from his early idolization of Bing Crosby to his first performance on the stage of the Paramount Theater in New York City.Chapters are organized around the idea that Sinatra was able to reinvent himself to change with the times, moving from being the lead singer in several big bands to his solo career and his most memorable film roles.Sinatra's many love affairs and marriages are also covered, along with his longstanding friendships with his "Rat Pack" buddies and others.

Frew provides detailed, informative captions for the photographs, often supplying choice quotations from the people pictures with Sinatra (e.g., daughter Nancy and singer Rosemary Clooney in the pair of photos on p. 50).When Frew can note that Sinatra received his first film kisses from Gloria DeHaven and Anne Jeffreys in the 1944 musical "Step Lively" and add that Sinatra wanted to play the part that went to Paul Newman in "The Verdict" then you have to be convinced he knows the man, his music and more.When you consider that Frew tells the story of Sinatra's career entirely through these pictures and captions you have to be impressed with how substantial the end result.The book ends with a complete filmography and extensive discography.The book is geared more towards the true Sinatra fan versus less ardent admirers, who might not get all of the references. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This collection of articles and photos from Sports Illustrated  written between 1992 and 1996 chronicles the explosive entry on the scene of golf's newest poster boy.Tiger Woods, who has the kind of champion's grin you see only on athletes who are used to being described as "transcending the sport," may be the mosttalented golfer ever to pick up a club. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

HIS BEGINNING
Sports Illustrated put together a collection of some of its articles chronicling the rise of Tiger Woods from the years 1992 through 1996. Writers such as James Garrity, Jaime Diaz, Tim Rosafore, Rick Reilly, William Reed, and Gary Sickle share their special insight on this young golf phenomena. Everyone has their say in this three act drama.

Act I is aptly titled The Kid. Here we are given a snapshot of the young Tiger learning his trade while moving up in the ranks of golf history. Act II concerns itself with the young man on the rise as an Amateur. The reporting tracks his comebacks, successes and the never ending question of when he will turn pro. Act III, The Pro, introduces us to a new Tiger. Tiger has moved beyond his peers on the amateur circuit and now has debuted as a professional. How he does and what he will do in the future is yet to come as we read the articles concerning his progress.

This is a good picture book. If you want to start a conversation about Tiger Woods and his rise to golf fame, this is a fair start. The articles aren't all that exciting unless you love to hear the same old jargon and statistics about Tiger, time and time again. The book's photography is good and enjoyable. Sports Illustrated threw together a picture book of a rising star. The magazine could have done better but what you have is decent coffee table reading. ... Read more

Book Description

Who could have guessed that the Queen of Perpetual Perfection was headed for a fall?Connor and Downey, the wise guys who brought the civilized world Is Martha Stuart Living?, naturally.Long before Martha Stewart's ImClone troubles made the front pages, the humor duo had started spoofing it up in anticipation of her own previously-announced-but-now-postponed autobiography, Marth, Really and Truly. Now, in Martha, Really and Cruelly, the best-selling humorists deliver their own version of events leading up to the scandal. "Ours is exactly like hers" quips Connor. "Okay, maybe not exactly, but pretty darn ... well not even close, I guess.Never mind."From opening chapters on "Ancestors" and "Infancy," cunning, greed, and treachery stalk this faux autobiography. Written in "Martha's" voice, the book reveals early incidents of unethical playing-house tactics, questionable Kool-Aid stand practices, highly suspect home ec grades, and devious dating strategies. And that's before she's out of her teens!If anyone can take uncannily accurate aim at the Dominatrix of Domesticity, it's the errant Irishmen. Their breakout national best-seller Is Martha Stewart Living? was followed by the best-selling Martha Stuart's Better Than You At Entertaining and Martha Stuart's Excruciatingly Perfect Weddings. Together, the parodies have sold more than 1.2 million copies to date and continue to sell year after yet. According to the authors, their latest effort is "the fourth in the Martha parody trilogy." As for Martha's likely reaction to the new work? "It's a bad thing." no doubt. In the past, she has complained about Connor and Downey's relentless attention to her details. "When is it going to stop?" she whined to one television interviewer. "Not anytime in the foreseeable future," replies Connor, the smaller half of the comedy team, who has a beef of his own. "What really burns my creme brulee," he gripes, "is that every time we write a parody, she comes out with another book."Lauded by Publisher's Weekly for their hilarious parodies, Connor and Downey fill their latest effort with hilarious black-and-white and color photographs from Martha's "family" album. It all adds up to a scandalously successful package that will have strong potential as both a front and backlist winner. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Sinatra The pfotoral Biography
Perfect title for this book. The pitures were marvelous and as his life progressed, it was all shown in pictures. The authur gets an ''A', he was outstanding. I enjo-y ed reading and looking at pictures for the bad and good times of his life. It's worth reading. It was the first time I read a biography with so many pictures. Dee ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Just a collection of AP articles
This is a collection of articles and photos from the press covering Tiger Woods during the 4 continous major wins in 2000-2001. Though worth a reading, would recommend only for Tiger fans. ... Read more