Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide

Book Description

Featuring all the favorite Looney Tunes characters, from Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote, this is the first visual history of the groundbreaking animated classics. Gathered from the Warner Bros. archives with illustrations by Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, and Mel Blanc, the film stills, sketches, story boards, and more in the Looney Tunes Ultimate Visual Guide are sure to enthrall cartoon fans both young and old.

Customer Reviews:

Nice resource, but with strange exclusions..........2007-06-28

I bought this book with the intention of finding out more about Warner Bros.' main cartoon characters, and that's exactly what it does for me. Apparently written to be released in conjunction with "Looney Tunes: Back in Action", Jerry Beck shows us a look at all of the recurring characters featured in the classic "Looney Tunes" and their careers. As someone who's trying to gather information on the characters, I learned quite a bit from this, such as who exactly was the original voice of Michigan J. Frog, periodic thespian and until-recently WB Network mascot. Imagine my surprise when I saw the old comic panel where Bugs Bunny reveals his real name! (Although that may not be canonical, since, as Beck points out, the pre-DC comic stories were quite different from the actual cartoons.) And since I've acquired all the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection" DVD sets released thus far, one of the most interesting things about the book is seeing the screenshots that show how bad the video quality is before the shorts get cleaned up for the DVD releases.

Of course, the book is not without its faults. There's a few mistakes here and there (one of which some other Looney Tunes fan mentioned when he reviewed the book on his website); for example, page 91 claims Elmer to be Daffy's tortured contestant in "The Ducksters", despite the accompanying screenshot clearly showing it is Porky whom the duck is tormenting there. Plus, they refer to the turtle Bugs sometimes races with the name Cecil *Tortoise*, despite the current comics labeling him as Cecil *Turtle*, and they claim the bulldog who sometimes beats up Sylvester is mainly named Spike when I've mainly known him as Hector. Also, I can't understand why they devoted two whole pages to the "Duck Dodgers" show on Cartoon Network (which apparently wasn't as popular as page 45 claims, because it got cancelled after 39 episodes), but there's not a single mention given to "Taz-Mania" or "The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries". And like JThree's review stated, I too would've liked it if they had said something about "Tiny Toon Adventures" in here, especially since, on page 106, Foxy's girlfriend is referred to by the name Roxy, which she wasn't actually given until their "Tiny Toons" guest spot. (And while they were at it, they should've also mentioned "Animaniacs" and "Histeria!" in there, since the "Looney Tunes" characters made occasional cameos on those shows as well.) And yes, since we do get four pages about "Back in Action", a nice two-page spread about "Space Jam" would've been a good inclusion too. It's because of these strange exclusions that I did not give this a five-star rating. Other than that, the book is still a recommendable read for "Looney Tunes" fans.

Buy it for the ACME catalogue alone.......2004-08-15

There seem to be numerous visual guides around by these publishers for all kinds of movies and television shows some of which are rather average, but Looney Tunes is a must have. Inside is a substantial amount of information on the major cartoon characters such as Bugs, Daffy, Taz, Sylvester, Yosemite, Wile E as well as minor less known stars such as Torpid Toad, Pete Puma, Cecil Tortoise and Gossamer. Learn that Daffy and Sylvester have the same voice, just that Daffy's is sped up and other interesting facts. The ACME catalogue is a must for any roadrunner chaser and modern movies with the cartoon characters is another interesting section. A must buy for anyone who has ever been a kid and owned a TV.

I LOVE IT.......2004-06-26

This is an awsome book.No Looney Tunes fan should be without it.It gives perfect details of each and every Looney Tunes character.You'll also see all kinds of merchandise from past and present.There is also mention of the original Road Runner comic book series,and how it differed from it's animated cartoon source.Plus a little bit of information on the latest movie Back In Action.

Perfect book for Warner Bros. cartoon fans.......2003-11-24

I have to admit I had reservations when I saw this at the store. I had not been impressed by the Superman volume or the other editions to come out under this series because so much of it was devoted to modern versions of the main characters. But this book is a visual treat, as well as being very informative about the history of the animated cartoon at Warner Bros. Many model sheets, cels, posters, etc. are here indepth throughout this wonderful volume.

Beck has written extensively about the WB cartoons before, so DK made a great choice in picking him for this book. Even though the targeted audience for this series is kids, the adult, like me, will love this beautifully put-together homage to the best cartoons to come out of Hollywood. I am so glad very little in this book talks about recent efforts; instead, they chose the Golden Age (the 30s, 40s, 50s) and I couldn't be happier.

Beck comes through!!!.......2003-10-05

Jerry Beck's Looney Tunes Book for DK Publishing comes through as a real winner. With more "in-jokes" than DK's previous Disney edition, this text is sure to please.

The work shows. From the (every character who appeared in a WB cartoon)painting/picture that appears on the inside cover to the comic book covers chosen, this is a fun read.

One of the best "jokes" and keeping with the personality of the characters, Daffy appears on the last page of the Bugs section, announcing that "this is where the real fun begins."

It's great. Some of the "extras" which include humerous sections on the Road Runner cartoons, and a mentioning of some of the gags used in those animated flicks.

Fun for the kids, and I'm sure Beck must have enjoyed putting this together. These books are great for the youngsters to get an overview of the history of WB, and the same for the Disney edition.

Beck also spends a bit of time on the new Looney Toons film coming up, and the recent Duck Dodgers series. It would have been nice if a few pages could have been spent on Tiny Toons, which did have some ties to the older characters. Two pages on Space Jam would have been nice.

Hmm. DK has done Disney and now Looney Tones, I wonder if DK will do Woody Woodpecker/Universal animation next. Maybe Paramount's Popeye. I'd hate for this one to be the last of these. ...

Average customer rating:
Modern Photojournalism Origin and Evolution, 1910 - 1933

Manufacturer: Collier Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GREN1Y

Average customer rating:
Modern Photojournalism: Origin and Evolution, 1910-1933
Nachum. Gidal
Manufacturer: Macmillan Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0025443003

Average customer rating:
Modern Photojournalism: Origin and Evolution, 1910-1933
Tim N. Gidal
Manufacturer: Macmillan Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBSRTI

Average customer rating:
Modern Photojournalism: Origin and Evolution, 1910-1933 (Photography: Men and Movements, Vol. 1)
Tim Gidal
Manufacturer: MacMillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006C95J4

Average customer rating:
Modern Photojournalism: Origin and Evolution, 1910-1933
Nachum. Gidal
Manufacturer: Macmillan Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O901O2

Book Description

Casper Beech is a corporate drone. One day his boss sends him in for neural imprinting but a computer glitch loads the wrong file, and Casper is programmed with something that has nothing to do with his job. Instead of learning a new software package, he learns a new way of thinking - a mindset designed by a secret government agency for use in enemy nations, and never meant to be unleashed in the United States. Lethal government agents seek to correct the error in a steadily-escalating conflict, while Casper struggles to survive and to find out just what was in the Spartacus File.

Customer Reviews:

Young Adult Fiction.......2006-10-12

I guess this was OK for what it was. I just didn't know it was written for young teenagers, so I was disappointed. If you want to teach your children about the evils of big government, then this may be the book for you. If you are a fan of Lawrence Watt-Evans' other books, then you are probably too old for this one.

Surprising Dystopian Read.......2006-04-24

I never expected to see a serious dystopian novel from Lawrence Watt-Evans. I knew he had a dark streak, as demonstrated in his extremely troubling Brown Magician series, but he's best known for intelligent, light fantasy not for works of political vision - at least not until he teamed up with Carl Parlagreco to write The Spartacus File.

The Spartacus File is more than just a dystopian novel, it's a polemic very specifically aimed at negative trends in current American society. There's no question that the storytelling and characterization suffer because of this, but the result is a novel which has the minimalist feel of classic dystopian works like Slan, The Day After Tomorrow and The Brave Free Men, where the story to a large extent takes a second seat to the message.

The novel is sent in a near future where the United States has evolved into a single-party corporate dominated state with a strong police aparatus where people are at the mercy of their employers, under the thumb of politcial oligarchs and at the mercy of covert police units which can make dissenters and troublemakers disappear. The Constitution is still theoretically in force, but after a major economic crisis it's been suspended and superseded by the needs of the all-powerful state.

Casper Beech is a cog in this machine-like society, overworked and undervalued and totally cowed and submissive - essentially a slave to the system. Then he's called into his boss's office and told that they're upgrading the software he uses, and to keep him up to speed he's going to be sent for neural programming to learn the new software instantly. Like a good sheep he takes the treatment, something goes wrong, and he's imprinted with a much more complex skill set accidentally downloaded from a covert government project.

What follows is a fast-paced, bare-bones narrative of Casper's efforts to stay alive while the government tries to eliminate him, and his coming to terms with the programming he was given - the 'Spartacus File' of the title - and acting on its compulsion to attempt to overthrow the government of the United States. Or as he interprets the purpose of the program, to return the nation to its Constitutional roots.

The most interesting element of the novel is the distinct perspectives which different characters have on the state in which they live. The mysterious government agent Mr. Smith can't understand how an American could accept the imprinting of the file which is supposed to only work on someone who's suffered a lifetime of slavery and persecution. From his perspective America is still a free society founded on individual rights, but the reality as revealed to Casper by the Spartacus File is quite different. The weak point of the novel is the extremely abrupt conclusion. After establishing the basic situation the novel abruptly leaps forward 16 years to a very unsatisfying conclusion.

Where the novel succeeds the most is in recreating the spare style of dystopian science fiction of the previous century. It reminds me of early Heinlein and Van Vogt. The extrapolation of a troubling near future is all too believable, and the somewhat one-dimensional characters fit with the style as symbols more than unique individuals. The ending is negative and somewhat contrived, but I could live with that if it didn't end so suddenly and unsatisfyingly. I'm not going to go into details of the plot, but I started off reading avidly, unable to put the book down, at least briefly convinced that it might be a dystopian classic. But the ending left me annoyed and unfulfilled. I don't expect this kind of novel to end in glorious triumph or heroic martyrdom, but in this case the conclusion was too abrupt and contrived to be convincing or satisfying.

Nonetheless I think The Spartacus File is worth reading if only for the critique of trends in contemporary society, but there are other dystopian novels of the past generation which I would recommend more highly, particularly An Enemy of the State by F. Paul Wilson, which has just as strong a message, but is a much more enjoyable read.

Book Description

A longtime industry insider and acclaimed Hollywood historian goes behind the scenes to tell the stories of 15 of the most spectacular movie megaflops of the past 50 years, such as Cleopatra, The Cotton Club, and Waterworld. He recounts, in every gory detail, how enormous hubris, unbridled ambition, artistic hauteur, and bad business sense on the parts of Tinsel Town wheeler-dealers and superstars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Clint Eastwood, and Francis Ford Coppola, conspired to engender some of the worst films ever.

Customer Reviews:

Lightweight, Entertaining Look At Hollywood's Disasters.......2007-09-08

Fiasco is a good overview of some of Hollywood's most notable failures. Parish spares no one in describing the unchecked egos, ulterior motives, and inability of anyone in charge to say no that made these failures as spectacular as they were. While it could get monotonous reading the same mistakes being repeated endlessly, Parish does his best to keep the stories interesting by making his writing unchallenging and light. In fact, if it weren't for his annoying habit of changing a person's possessive description from their first name to their last name and back (often within the same paragraph), Parish's writing style could be described as perfect for the topic.

Film and business students could probably gain additional insights for their fields of study by reading this book. But, for most of us, Fiasco is a gossipy, enjoyable read about very bad decision making.

Another solid book from the prolific Mr. Parish.......2007-07-02

When I see James Robert Parish's name in the "by..." line on a book cover, I know that whatever else it is, it's going to be solidly researched and sharply written, with lots of clear-eyed and often pungent observation. It is even so with _Fiasco_, wherein Mr. Parish chronicles the history of many of the most notable multimillion-dollar bombs of the last four decades, from "Cleopatra" to "Town and Country". Parish is both sympathetic and unsparing in his analysis of the decisions and actions that led to these movies' failures, and he spices his reportage with loads of anecdotes.

My only quarrel - and really, it's more of a quibble than anything else - is that Mr. Parish didn't cover the flops of the pre-1960 years (of which, he notes, there were plenty). Then again, as he states in his foreword, those older movies are really outside the scope of his thesis, which is that the decline of the old studio system is one of the major factors that has led to so many out-of-control movie budgets over the last forty years (even when the movies in question are big hits). As such, he's chosen, quite reasonably, to limit his analysis to films made since 1960, and by golly, he's got plenty of material to work with! Incidentially, another reviewer questioned why "Heaven's Gate" and "Bonfire of the Vanities" weren't considered in this book. Mr. Parish explains why in his foreword; those stinkers are already the subject of books - which he highly recommends - and he wanted to cover movies that hadn't often been considered in the context of fiascoes (which is why he devoted a chapter to "The Wild Party", which he himself acknowledges is not really a _terrible_ movie but includes as an example of out-of-control filmmaking).

If Mr. Parish were in the habit of issuing online updates to his books, he could probably write a whole new chapter on the current movie "Evan Almighty" (as of early July 2007). That film is shaping up to be the big flop of 2007, and judging from the reported budget alone (as well as from other things I've heard about it), it's proof positive of the propositions he advances in this book. A must-have for anyone interested in why movies do or don't succeed. (And Mr. Parish even quotes one of my all-time favorite aphorisms about movies, William Goldman's "Nobody knows anything". :) ) He might also have pointed to the success of "Transformers", which, even though it had a $150 million budget, its makers also exercised close control over the spending (in fact, director Michael Bay reportedly cut his own portion of the budget by 30 percent in order to reallocate the money to improve other portions of the film), and has been rewarded with a smash first week.

Entertaining and informative.......2007-05-14

FIASCO is certainly not for everyone, but it's a book that definitely and deftly illuminates some of the mishaps of "modern" (post 60's) cinema. The real joy of this tome of cinematic miscarriages is that Parish's style is so breezy and easy to read, that the reader can take in the vast historical, biographical, and economic data in a way that remains accessible and, dare I say, fun.

What really impressed me about the book is the fact that Parish so effortlessly condenses so much information into such concise vignettes. He breaks off into little modes of expository anecdotes about a particular star or producer or moment in history that he's brought up, gives you the gist of what you need to know (including various tidbits that I would imagine are difficult to drudge up elsewhere), and then goes back to the main point without a lurch.

Surely, most cineastes already know about the movies Parish discusses in his book, but there's a lot more there than you'd expect...

flopola in more ways than one.......2006-09-20

An interesting concept semi-doomed by a few built-in flaws and not a few glaring typos.

Yes, you can hardly write a book about disastrously expensive films without including movies like Cleopatra, whose financial follies have already been covered ad nauseum for decades. But where are the chapters on such spectacular misfires as Myra Breckinridge, Hello Dolly, The Little Prince, Jonathon Livingston Seagull, Howard the Duck, Heaven's Gate and Bonfires of the Vanities?

Case in point: As interesting as its offscreen travails may have been, The Wild Party (a scarely-remembered Raquel Welch "art" picture budgeted at under $1 million) was simply an unsuccessful film, not even in the same ballpark as the monumental bombs that are supposedly the book's focus. (And can this picture really have been shooting, as the author claims, from May 1974 to July 1975?)

Typos aside, this book's biggest problem is that most of the material is old news to readers most likely to want to read it.

Fiasco is a Fiasco.......2006-08-04

I really anticipated reading this because I'm fascinated by Hollywood failures. Unfortunately the pedestrian writing style and the use of the same format to describe the story of each film very quickly grew irritating. The author's constant switching between protagonists' given names and surnames 'Kevin decided to star in.... followed a sentence later by 'Costner now felt' or whatever, and the peculiar use of the words 'entry' and 'performer' for 'film' and 'actor' left me unable to concentrate on the stories. The endless potted biographies of scriptwriters and producers appeared to be padding. The later chapters on Hollywood stars' inflated egos had potential but because of the stilted writing style, it never got anywhere. Very disappointing.

Average customer rating:

Excellent for Music, Sociology & Religions students!!!

Traces of the Spirit: The Religious Dimensions of Popular Music
Robin Sylvan
Manufacturer: NYU Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Popular | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Music | Pop Culture | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0814798098
Release Date: 2002-07-01

Book Description

"Sylvan's thesis furnishes far more of the same valued experiences than is usually realized: ritual activity, communal ceremony, a philosophy and worldview, a code for living one's life, a cultural identity, a social structure, a sense of belonging, and crucially, Sylvan argues encounters with the numinous."
—Journal of Religion

Most studies of the religious significance of popular music focus on music lyrics, offering little insight into the religious aspects of the music itself. Traces of the Spirit examines the religious dimensions of popular music subcultures, charting the influence and religious aspects of popular music in mainstream culture today and analyzing the religious significance of the audience's experiences, rituals, and worldviews. Sylvan contends that popular music subcultures serve the function of religious communities and represent a new and significant religious phenomenon.

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork using interviews and participant observation, Sylvan examines such subcultures as the Deadheads, raves and their participants, metalheads, and Hip Hop culture. Based on these case studies, he offers a comprehensive theoretical framework in which to study music and popular culture. In addition, he traces the history of West African possession religion from Africa to the diaspora to its integration into American popular music in such genres as the blues, rock and roll, and contemporary musical youth subcultures.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent for Music, Sociology & Religions students!!!.......2006-03-09

We read selections of this book in my Religion & Popular Culture class. It was excellent. The author carries the theme of African music and it's influence on the rest of our modern music through the whole book and I dig that. It's time all people realized the positive impact our African brothers and sisters have had on music and spirituality. Rap & Hip Hop aren't all about gang violence, and Rave culture isn't all about drugs. This book explores how people relate to music as more than just a good time, but as religion. Music shapes so much of our world today and there is so much negative feedback about the subcultures Sylvan writes about in this book, it's awesome to see new, positive light shed on them .

Book Description

Fairy lore concerns beliefs about elves, dwarfs, gnomes, trolls, mermaids, brownies, pixies, leprechauns, and many other beings found in world folklore. While such beliefs stretch back to antiquity, they also appear throughout contemporary popular culture. Written for students and general readers and extensively illustrated, this book is an introduction to fairy lore from around the world. The first part of the handbook defines and classifies different types of fairies. It provides numerous examples of fairy lore along with excerpts from different traditions, then examines various approaches to the study of fairies. A final chapter looks at the presence of fairy lore in literature, art, film, and popular culture. The handbook closes with a glossary and a bibliography of print and electronic resources for student research.

Fairy Lore: A Handbook (Greenwood Folklore Handbooks)

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Fairy Lore: A Handbook (Greenwood Folklore Handbooks)
D. L. Ashliman
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

Excellent synopsis... perhaps due for another edition?.......1998-07-21

As with the previous reviewers comments, this is a great synopsis of the broadcasting world in Malaysia. It would benefit from a revised edition, particularly to reflect the efforts of RTM to expand to the new media formats (Internet broadcasting, etc.)

Excellent history, but requires updating........1998-06-02

The book provides excellent background knowledge which is useful to anyone in the region's broadcast history, or anyone interested in regional broadcast network developement. The research is in depth, and explores all governmental and cultural influences which steered the path of broadcast in the Malaysian-Indonesian archipelago. However, the information requires updating for Malaysia at least, as the addition of two new private terrestrial stations (Metrovision and NTV in Kuala Lumpur) and the two competing Pay TV services (Mega TV [cable] and Astro [satellite]), and the planned privatization of RTM2. For history, Broadcasting in the Malay World is a valuable reference, but hopefully Drew McDaniel will be authoring an updated version in the near future to reflect the current state of the industry in the archipelago.

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