Batman The Complete History: The Life and Times of the Dark Knight

Book Description

Following on the heels of Superman: The Complete History, author Les Daniels spotlights another famed crime fighter one who is perhaps even more popular than Superman. Batman, the Caped Crusader, the Dark Knight whatever name he goes by, he is recognized by millions of fans as the most enigmatic and complex character in the super hero pantheon. Driven by personal demons, Bruce Wayne has loosed his shadow self on the villainy of Gotham City for 60 years. In celebration of this anniversary, Chronicle Books is proud to offer the first definitive account of Batman's heroic exploits. Les Daniels covers it all from Batman's creation and runaway success in 1939, to the campy antics of the Adam West TV show, to the emergence of Frank Miller's very disturbed and very dark Dark Knight, to the billion-dollar movie franchise and beyond. Illustrated with archival comic book art and rare Batman paraphernalia, Batman: The Complete History also includes a comic book story colored by animator Bruce Timm especially for this book. Designed by Batman fan Chip Kidd, this history will please the hardcore fans, and win many new ones.

Customer Reviews:

Finally! A complete history of the Dark Knight!.......2007-01-08

This book is very thick, nicely done, and chock full of -Holy History Museum, Batman!- lots of amazing photos and comics. It tells you everything you ever wanted to know about Batman. If Bat-History were to be a subject in school, this would be the book in all the desks.

The reason that I only gave it four stars is because there is one very sick-minded and disgusting comic towards the back of the book, that's all about man/woman stuff that no kid should be reading. I tore it out as soon as I saw it, because it's a flaw in this otherwise amazing and beautifully constructed book on the Dark Knight. Also, go through this book with a black marker before giving it as a gift- there are some pictures in it of women who need to learn how to dress themselves better!

All in all, a PRICELESS volume.

Fine History of the Caped Crusader.......2006-07-23

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Les Daniel's history of the Batman concept as expressed in comic books and strips, television shows (animated and live action) and movies. As a young child I took great delight in the Adam West TV show--blissfully unaware of how really campy it was--the comic books, of course, and all of the Batman paraphernalia that was available in the 1960s. I picked up this book for nostalgia's sake, and did not expect it to be a very sophisticated treatment of the subject. It just looked visually like a lot of fun.

So, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Daniels takes his subject very seriously indeed. He plumbs the cultural antecedents of the Batman concept, and describes its realization in the comic book. He meticulously details the process in which the comic book stories and art for Batman were accomplished over the decades, paying particularly close attention to the key artists and writers involved in the process. He carefully explains the changes--subtle or not--made to the Batman concept over time, and reveals the business and artistic philosophies behind these changes.

It's fascinating to see how this cultural icon evolved over time, like a pendulum moving back and forth from the dark and creepy to the silly and campy. Daniels reveals Batman's role in the 1950s debate over the morality of comic books, and he explains how Batman's creative team sought to deflect criticism that Batman and Robin's relationship was suspect by introducing a "family" for Batman, including a Batgirl and a Batwoman.

Daniels deftly addresses both the art and writing of Batman and the hugely popular cultural phenomenon Batman has been over the decades. It might have been tempting, from a commercial standpoint, to have given a lot more attention to the live action television show and the recent movies, but Daniels treats all manifestations of the Dark Knight rather evenly.

I can understand the concern, expressed by others here, that the busy layout of the book distracts the reader. Admittedly, as I mentioned above, it was that eye candy that attracted me to the book in the first place. And, for me, I did not find all the illustrations and sidebars unpleasant distractions in a book devoted to such a primarily visual topic.

I highly recommend this delightful, and well researched and written book, to all readers who have an undying fondness for the Batman cultural icon.

Excellent overview of the Batman's history.......2005-12-19

This book chronicles in great detail the history of the Dark Knight, from his comic book debut in 1939 to the various media incarnations of today. While this book does not include Batman Begins or the Justice League animated series, everything that came before is laid out in vivid detail, with some excellent photographs by collector Chip Kidd, who previously collaborated with author Daniels on Batman: Collected, a book about the various Batman products that have been marketed and sold over the years. This is an excellent item to own for fans of Batman of any age (reading skills desirable). Final grade - A

Horrible design........2005-07-09

This is a real tough book to describe. It's packed with great comics art, paintings, photos, animation art, rare interviews and information. There's a ton of Bat-material from every media, and a comprehensive chronology of the Caped Crusader's comic chronicles. BUT--the layout is strictly a frenzy of "look what I can do with Quark!" Copy jumps several pages at a time to accomodate ridiculously enlarged Bat-heads and sidebars, completely derailing the reading experience. I know some may consider this chaos trendy and artistically modern, but its just the same old "pop art" condescension towards "kiddie books." Obviously readers cannot cope with page after page of words and relevant illustrations, so the "Award Winning Designer" has pumped up the volume with lots of big cropped images and 7-inch wide columns of copy in reverse-type sidebars (the nuns should whack his knuckles with a ruler for that alone--"BAD, BAD, designer.") Content is definitely A+. Presentation is strictly art school C-. This book is worth it for the rare and exciting artwork, but it really could have been so much better. When will the comic companies stop being so ashamed of their product? Books like this just contribute to the presumption that comics are hyperactive adolescent trash and the readers are unsophisticated cattle with the attention-span of gophers who will buy any incomprehensible crap that insults them. Wait a minute...

DC also released a calendar book using the same design aesthetic. Guess what? Same cluttered, crappy, childish look. My advice? Don't buy either product and let them choke on a couple thousand copies. Problem is, they won't blame the design, and will just assume that the Batcraze is over. You really can't win, because the "designer" probably has an MA, and we're all just stupid comic fans. Guess who can't be wrong?

Life & Times of the Dark Knight.......2005-05-13

This book serves as a comprehensive "biography" of Batman's long and wonderful existence looking out for the good folks of Gotham City. From creator Bob Kane's conception of the hero in 1939 to the campy TV series starring the venerable Adam West, up through the more recent movies (good and bad), and the very dark Dark Knight of Frank Miller, no stone is left unturned.

The book covers all phases of the character and his various transformations and includes some excellent comic book art (the book's strength), movie stills and photos of rare and unusual collectibles.

If you're a fan of comic book art or simply love the character as I do, this is an enjoyable and entertaining book.

Batman : The Complete History: The Life and Times of the Dark Knight

Average customer rating:

Batman : The Complete History: The Life and Times of the Dark Knight
Les; Kidd, Chip Daniels
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Batman | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OLWB66

Average customer rating:

Batman: The Complete History The Life and Times of the Dark Knight
Les; Kidd, Chip Daniels
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books Llc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Batman | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000MYSERA

Customer Reviews:

Searching.......2003-06-01

I need to know if there is a photo of a mural of a gorilla cracking through a wall with fruits hanging all around him, in this book.
Help!

Amazon.com

Who hasn't known the sickening, demoralizing feeling of being falsely accused? In The Real Thief, William Steig explores this injustice with the keen insight of a good psychologist and the skillful pacing of a brilliant storyteller. Gawain is a goose, a guard for the new Royal Treasury, and intensely loyal to the honey-scented, gruff, fatherly King Basil the bear: "He wanted to please him, to stay forever in his gruff, good graces. Everyone did. Basil was a popular king." The Royal Treasury consists of jewels, medallions, and precious crowns of historical interest--and the only creatures who have keys to the Treasury are Gawain and the King himself. One fateful day, Gawain discovers to his horror that the pile of rubies is smaller than it should be. He hurries to tell the King, and they both rush back to count them: "Sure enough, there were only 8,643 of the red gems when there should have been 8,672." Day after day, treasures continue to disappear, including the world-famous Kalikak diamond!

The King is flummoxed. He calls a meeting of his Royal Cabinet, who finally persuade him that the thief must be his faithful Gawain, whom he loves like a son: "He sent his councilors away and slumped in his throne, dejected. Having listened to an opinion he didn't really believe but was forced to respect, he grew confused and fell into muddled ponderings." That very night Gawain is rousted out of bed at midnight and dragged to the castle dungeon. A trial is held a few days later, and the innocent goose is found guilty, his name disgraced forever. He hates the ones he had trusted and loved for seeing evil in him that isn't there, and he flies the coop before he can be locked away. The real thief? That is for the reader to discover. In this simple fable of justice, loyalty, friendship, and betrayal, Steig again manages to portray a reflection of life so heart-rendingly accurate it's uncanny. Children will be on the edge of their seats throughout this powerful, suspenseful tale, and visibly relieved by the happy, forgiving ending. (Ages 8 and older, excellent for reading aloud) --Karin Snelson

Customer Reviews:

Teacher's Point of View.......2004-04-17

This book was a wonderful experience for my 4th grade class. It demonstrated how one action, no matter what the motive, can affect others around you. My students liked predicting what would happen next and they also liked the "surprise" ending. The story was full of mini lessons that the students didn't mind learning because they were enjoying it so much!
Very easy for my low readers to follow, yet challenging enough for my higher readers to keep interested. I would definitely recommend this book.

Review by a fourth-grade boy.......2003-01-21

This is a story about a goose who gets blamed for stealing treasure which he didn't steal. The best part was when you find out who the real thief is. I might have given it five stars if all the characters were human.

One of the best children's book I have ever read!!.......2001-12-17

I am an avid reader and this is the one THE BEST children's book I have read. Great moral and ethical values for a child to learn at an early age. Loyalty, honestly, and integrity are more important than money, and position. Also, when life seems to turn against you, sometimes your friends turn and run also. Can't understand why this book has not become as popular as James and the Giant Peach which was made into a movie and written by the same author. This was far far better and I think should be required reading for every child. Also the words used by the author will probably challenge the average reader and might possibly require a dictionary sometimes to be nearby. Which is not bad either.

Unfortunately it does not seem to be in hard back. A book you'd want to keep in your library even after your children are grown. Mine are now 19 and 17, so I am buying it for gifts for other children. Excellent book!!!

Great Story!.......2001-09-15

Imagine that you are the Chief Guard of the King's treasury and things are disappearing from the treasury. Now imagine that you are falsely accused of taking things from the treasury by all your friends. Last, imagine you are forced to run away and live in a cave in the woods with home-made furniture and shoes. If this sounds interesting to you, you should read The Real Thief because all of these things happen and more!

The Real Thief - cute characters, cute story!.......2000-04-03

A book about a Chief Guard (Gawain the Goose) in the Kingdom of King Basil (a bear) who is falsly accused of stealing. Find out who the real thief is in this cute story filled with different animal characters and a neat plot! Another fun read!

Average customer rating:

Can a boy go from duck to swan?
Duck Prince
Hilarious! Great!!

Duck Prince 4
Ai Morinaga
Manufacturer: Central Park Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Manga | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Fantasy | Manga | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1586649345

Book Description

Reiichi wants to be a cool guy that acts smooth with the ladies. But first he has to be comfortable around women, so he takes a part-time job at a public bathhouse. But when the girl he secretly loves makes a surprise visit, his calm and cool exterior gets put to the test!

Customer Reviews:

Can a boy go from duck to swan?.......2006-05-07

Duck Prince Transformation by Ai Morinaga seems like an interesting idea. An ugly boy goes into a coma and comes out of it handsome. But the story is not so simple. First, it seems magic has to do with his transformation. Also, the girl he liked as an ugly duckling seems to dislike the idea of people being so vain as to change how they look on the outside.
The whole story seems a tad off - the plot line and characters seem forced. Which is why I took one point away.

Duck Prince.......2004-08-06

Definitely an underrated one- having just read Duck Prince, I came online to check it out and found no fansites, character shrines, nothing, which surprised me considering even the worst titles have some sort of following.

Duck Prince wins you over as you read it- you can't help but feel sorry for ugly Reiichi, especially if you remember Umino from Sailormoon and how he was treated. With a farietale adaptation as the main thrust of the story, it's easy to imagine that this one would be very predictable, but there are lots of twists and asides to further complicate the story.

The best thing about Duck Prince is it never forgets it's a romantic comedy- virtually all of the characters have comedic value in some form or another, even Reiichi's beautiful love interest is a little more than a by-the-book shoujo, tending to admire boys that look like her grotesque lapdog. (Normally I can't STAND shoujo characters, but Yumiko has a quality that can't help but make you like her,) Even in more serious moments the mood is lifted by plenty of jokes and the use of supderdeformed characters and face faults.

The art is gorgeous, doing well to highlight the transformation from ugly duckling to swan, and the heavy inking and attention to detail is a refreshing change from many titles in the same genre. A clever twist is to include a Barbie-esque "black-faced girl" as one of Reiichi's beautiful tormenters, a commentary on trends and pop culture istelf. She is made to look equally beautiful and trendily ridiculous, while Reiichi, while ugly, manages to produce some pretty heart-rending expressons on his simplified face.

I haven't been this won-over by a manga for a long while- the story might seem a little slushy and over sentimental, but once you start reading, I guarantee you'll be sucked in.

Hilarious! Great!!.......2004-06-04

Wow! I can't believe how wonderful this manga is! Its absolutely one of the best I've read in awhile! This is one of those books that is completely overlooked simply because no one has ever heard of it before, and the title is pretty wierd too. However, intrigued by the cover (I mean, come on, the guy's hot), I decided to read the back and see what it was about. The story seemed interesting so I bought it and read it the same day.

Basically its about a short ugly guy with glasses and horrible hair named Reiichi. Trust me, he looks pretty darn bad. Everyone picks on him and makes fun of him, including his family. There's only one girl that treats him nicely, and he falls in love with her, only to find that she thinks he's cute because he reminds of her of her pet dog. Lol.

Well, basically, the dog turns out to be some kind of prince who was turned into a dog by a sorcerer. He grants Reiichi a wish letting him become this absolutely beautiful man. Now everyone is completely fawning over him and has no idea who he used to be. And Reiichi just wants to be with that girl that was kind to him before. The only problem is, he keeps changing back into his dorky, ugly self every time he tries to put a move on her.

For one thing, this manga is hilarious! I mean, its probably one of the funniest things I've read in awhile, with elements that can appeal to both males and females. The art is gorgeous, and so is Reiichi (drool). Despite the fact that it has had little publicity and few have heard of it, I really hope people give it a chance. They'll be surprised just how good it is!

Book Description

When Brian De Palma agreed to allow Julie Salamon unlimited access to the film production of Tom Wolfe's best-selling book The Bonfire of the Vanities, both director and journalist must have felt like they were on to something big. How could it lose? But instead Salamon got a front-row seat at the Hollywood disaster of the decade. She shadowed the film from its early stages through the last of the eviscerating reviews, and met everyone from the actors to the technicians to the studio executives. They'd all signed on for a blockbuster, but there was a sense of impending doom from the start-heart-of-gold characters replaced Wolfe's satiric creations; affable Tom Hanks was cast as the patrician heel; Melanie Griffith appeared mid-shoot with new, bigger breasts. This riveting insider's portrait provides a timeless account of an industry where art, talent, ego, and money combine and clash on a monumental scale.

Customer Reviews:

Great blow-by-blow account of movie making.......2007-01-16

First rate account of the making of Brian De Palma's Bonfire of the Vanities. Salamon, at the time a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, received what appears to have been total access to director De Palma, the actors, costume designers, cameramen, and practically everyone else involved in the making of the movie. The level of detail may be too much for someone looking for a quick account of what went wrong in the making of this film, but I found it all fascinating. The only other book I know of that provides a comparably detailed inside look at the making of a movie is Lillian Ross's Picture, which was an account of the making of John Huston's Red Badge of Courage in 1951. A fair amount has changed in movie making since this book was written. For instance, Salamon devotes considerable time to following the second unit director as he attempts to set up some difficult shots, one involving the landing of a Concorde jet at sunset. These days, I imagine most movie goers would assume such a shot was actually cgi. I read the Da Capo Press 2002 reprint. (Interesingly, the subtitle of the book changed from "The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood" to "The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco." Probably an indication that this film had been largely forgotten by 2002.) The reprint edition has an afterword that briefly discusses the reception of the book -- Bruce Willis was livid -- and the impact of the film on the careers of De Palma and the other people who are the focus of the book. Unfortunately, the photos from the first edition are not reproduced and the quality of the printing is a little off. Whatever reproduction technique was used imparted a bit of waviness to many of the lines of text.

No better book to describe how a movie is produced.......2006-07-22

The Devil's Candy is the story of the making of The Bonfire of the Vanities. It is the best (and possible only) book in recent times to describe how a movie is made, in depth, from inception to casting to production to editing to screenings and focus groups through release and box office.

The subtitle, "The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco" is misleading. This is not a book that analyses why a movie production went wrong. It is a journalistic look at how a movie is made, any movie, and this book uses the example of the Bonfire of the Vanities because that happened to be the production Julie Salamon was invited to observe from beginning to end. Tellingly, the original version of the book was subtitled instead "Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood" and the new subtitle was obviously added for the paperback version to try to pump up sales.

Most of the other reviews have said this book is for industry insiders, but it isn't. For insiders, there is nothing new here. This book is for people on the outside who want to know how the movie industry works. And what we learn is that for all the glamour, movie production is mostly meetings and sitting around sets doing endless takes of scenes that eventually get cut.

Assuming you're interested in learning how Hollywood works, from the endless scouting of locations to who is responsible for carrying the director's thermos of coffee, you will be educated. This book, at more than 400 pages, goes into gory detail, from just about everyone's point of view, from the director to costume manager. It's written as you would expect from a journalist on the banking desk at the Wall Street Journal (before she became the movie critic) - straightforward, inclusive, and accurate, not the breathless style with plenty of italics and exclamation points characteristic of showbiz books. But it is also the weakness of the book. There is too much detail that isn't important, too much describing the color of every carpet in every room visited, what kind of shoes everyone wears, and who is holding De Palma's coffee thermos at at every moment, too many people's points of view to keep the narrative flowing.

Overall, if you're looking for a juicy, fast flowing story about Hollywood disaster, you will be entirely disappointed. However, if you want a textbook on how a movie gets made, want to learn how Hollywood really works, this is *the* book.

Students of the Industry Only.......2004-06-18

This is an exceptional documentary analysis of what goes on in the making of a film. The author, Julie Salamon, was given the opportunity to follow Brian De Palma for the total duration of a very difficult film project, Bonfire of the Vanities, the remake of the famous Tom Wolfe novel. It is an exceptional replay of everything that happened from original purchase of the rights to the novel, to the publicity and reviews of the famous movie, to the ultimate collapse at the box office. One only wonders how this book would have read had the movie been a success.

While I really enjoyed this book, I would not recommend this book to anyone that does not have an intense interest in Hollywood and the making of movies. Excessive time is spent poring over the roles of line producers, second unit directors and production assistants. The book gives you a great understanding not just of the stars but also what it takes to break into the business and what the career path can be. Particularly as it relates to De Palma's assistant looking for an assistant producer credit and the second unit director looking to break out and become a director of his own films. In addition, it does touch on the stars, both actors and director, and how their idiosyncrasies shape the movie and its making.

This is not a short book. So if you are looking for an exciting page turner, this is not for you. You will spend many pages following the tale of obtaining rights to shoot at certain locations, tales of screen tests of local judges, and boycotts and publicity by Bronx politicians.

Overall, this controversial book detailing separation of the haves and have-nots of the 80s becomes an even more controversial movie with screw-ups in producing of the movie and casting of the roles. But if you want to know what Hollywood is really like and not what just is on the screen, this is the book. You will learn why making movies is so personality driven. For the movie fans, Tom Hanks comes off as the incredible good guy he appears to be. Melanie Griffith and Bruce Willis are not so lucky. But maybe the most interesting personal portrayal is of De Palma. A creature of the 70's decade of the auteur, his portrayal is of a troubled genius that struggles with communication skills.

I strongly recommend this book if you have a detailed interest in the business of film. If not, take a pass as it will be too detailed.

Excellent Read for Hollywood Biz buffs.......2003-01-10

If you are like me and you like books on the business of Hollywood you will love this one. I do not like books by Hollywood "insiders". They tend to write the books for nothing more than to pump themselves up and trash actors/studios, however books by journalists tend to be more even handed. Hit and Run is probably the best book on Hollywood ever written, The Devil's Cany is now second. What makes this book great is that it explains what the jobs of certain people are. For instance I didn't know what a second unit director was till I read this. Not to mention that the story about the adaptation of Bonfire of the Vanities makes for a great tale.

Great read if you're curious about the movie business.......2002-04-18

Julie Salamon was lucky enough to get in at the beginning of what was anticipated to be a great film, and turned out to be one of the biggest critical and financial failures for Warner Bros. The book Bonfire of the Vanities was so popular and written in such a style that taking on the task of adapting it to film was a true challenge and doomed to fail. And fail it did. Salamon also gives a background of the steps it takes to get a picture made from buying the rights of the book to marketing the finished picture. She details the different roles of the movie set, answering the age-old question, "What does a grip do?". You gather a great understanding of how difficult it is to make a picture by studio standards and how the hierarchy on the set works. Fascinating insight from an outsider let into the circus of making a major motion picture. Brian De Palma must curse the day he agreed to let her chronicle the journey.
Also, I have to recommend reading Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities. You can understand why he wanted no part of making the film adaptaton of his infamous book.

The Devil's Candy: The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco

Average customer rating:

The Devil's Candy: The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco
Julie Salamon
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSRTNY

Book Description

From gangsta rap to narcocorrigos and beyond, this unique book is the first worldwide presentation of contemporary cases of music censorship. With an accompanying CD of banned music from around the world, the book also includes a discussion of the causes, methods and logic behind contemporary attempts by governments, commercial corporations, and religious authorities to prevent people from hearing certain kinds of music and, in particular, the content of particular songs. Cases come from a surprisingly wide range of countries, including Israel, Turkey, North Korea, Mauritania, Mexico, France, South Africa, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Cuba, and the United States, and more. In addition to presenting a large number of specific instances, this volume also explores the logic behind these concerns--including two instances where censors explain, in their own words, what they were doing--and the implications of a digital world for music censorship in the future.

Customer Reviews:

A Bunch of Objectivist Whiners.......2007-02-05

I read this book because I am writing a paper on censorship. This book is against cesnsorship of music, and I agree with it. This book does give some good facts and examples about why Uncle Sam should not decide what we listen to, but the people put this book together put a lot of foolish things in this book. There are weak arguments and the authors are whining about things that are not even cesorship, just general every-day people showing their disagreement towards an artist or something. They are being complete hypocrites by trying to shut up the general public because of what they believe in.
But besides the annoying whinings of these authors, this book also gives pretty good examles of censorship in other countries. But still they just whine about it, and they leave out a big fact about why things get cesnored in other countries all the time. It is because they do not have a constitution like we do. A lot of people don't have the same rights as us in America. Sometimes they whine about how a TERRORIST group burded peices of works, and this book called it censorship! For one that is not cesnorship and these people in other countries do not have the rights like we do.
So all in all you might beable to pull something out of this book that is not completly weak agruments and whinings. In my paper I was arguing for their opinon but I was also diagreeing with a lot of its content. Its not worth twenty bucks.

A magnificent contribution.......2004-09-02

Shoot The Singer! is a magnificent contribution to the body of literature on the topic of arts-suppression.

Of its many attributes, the book's greatest strength is the multiplicity of voices presented. Considered as a whole, the book is an inspiring compendium of testimony to the important roles music plays in societies around the globe.

I learned much from many of the essays, but found a few particular pieces - those by Marcel Khalife and Rania Elias-Khoury come to mind - to be far beyond merely educational. Though leavened with sadness, their messages are in fact, nothing less than inspirational. In the sense, that is, that these writers so gracefully articulate the challenge mankind faces in confronting (or working around) the censorious traditions and/or trends common to many lands.

Freemuse has, once again, provided the world a fine service. Bravo!

Book Description

This book will show you:

Why certain video poker machines offer the highest potential payback of any games in the casinos

How to recognize games that offer over 100% payback

How to avoid the deceptive short-pay machines

How big a bankroll you will need in order to have any desired chance of hitting a jackpot

How to evaluate the contribution comps and promotions to a game

and most importantly . . .

Precision Play - how to quickly and easily make the optimum draw to maximize your win rate — without having to memorize long tables.

This new second edition introduces Dan's Attractiveness Index and contains information on games that were introduced since the first edition was published.

Customer Reviews:

Video Poker:Optimum Play.......2007-01-31

I was very impressed with the amount of good info packed into this book.

Excellent guide for the player.......2007-01-13

Paymar's book is pretty much the definitive handbook for video poker play today. He discusses every factor involved in beating theoretically beatable games, and at least stretching your dollars and getting the most out of your play in the rest.

Dan disects each of the most popular games in detail, as well as multiple variations of each, and some of the older machines you might still run across. Each is subjected to computer payback and play analysis, and this runs to quite some length (and strictly speaking is not necessary reading). He streamlines all of this information into shorter hand flowcharts on how to play each hand to maximum potential, something which comes as quite a relief after going through his exhaustive and detailed optimum play discussion.

Further, he delves into just what the stats mean. If a game is technically beatable over the long run, what does that tell the player? Well, it means frankly a full-time career of playing video poker, all day every day for months, at almost unbelieveable speed and rapidity and of course with perfect unerring accuracy. It is not easy or simple, and I can't even imagine that it would be fun. Moreover, one's potential edge in even the very best game, with the best payback, is so microscopic, that the fluctuations in the player's bankroll, even with only slight statistical blips, are huge. Don't even think of playing full time at a quarter machine with less than $50,000 to start. His advice in this area is depressing but honest and frankly about the most important stuff in the book.

If the only thing this book does is to show the reader how to shop for a 'good' game and refuse to play short-pay ripoff games, it will be well worth the money. If your play improves as well, that's a bonus. Regular video poker players will benefit by reading this book.

A solid title worthy of any video poker player's consideration.......2007-01-03

I strongly suggest any fledgling video poker player read this manual to learn the basics of the odds and strategies necessary to conquer the casino video poker machines. An excellent basic, introductory text, Paymar also sells video poker training software and strategy cards that are a must for the budding or even serious player. I contribute much of my success at the game to the precepts in this book.

Mastering Video Poker is not easy !.......2005-03-03

This is an excellent book. It details the steps necessary to become an expert player, a professional player of Video Poker.

Optimal play is NOT perfect play. Mastering a trade is not easy. Discipline and practice are the watch words of all good Video Poker players.

Book has good info but tough read........2004-03-25

The book has really good information. The problem is that is painfully boring to slog through. I have noticed an improvement in my VP playing. I am playing longer and not losing as much still in search of that magical royal.

It took me over 2 weeks to get through this book and it is only 200 pages.

Customer Reviews:

Nearly everything you wanted to know.......2005-02-07

I was raised on the original STAR TREK, and still have a fondness for it, so it was a bit deflating to find William Shatner was, and apparently still is, a bit of a pompous twit who couldn't tolerate the idea that Spock might have more lines than him in an episode. Indeed, he insisted the last line be his. Fortunately, nearly everyone else comes across as a a bit better than this. Overall, if you're interested in STAR TREK (and really, who isn't, with its influence on not only American culture, but the world), this is pretty much a must-read book. For example, I have no memory at all of TREK being turned into a cartoon after the original series was cancelled. But it was. The only problem I have with the book is that it appears in parts to have been hastily written, but still, I found it absorbing. You probably will, too.

Trek: The Unauthorized Story of the Movies

Average customer rating:

Trek: The Unauthorized Story of the Movies
James Van Hise , James Van Hise , and Hal Schuster
Manufacturer: Movie Publisher Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1556983751

Average customer rating:

The Unauthorized History of Star Trek

Manufacturer: Harper Prism
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Average customer rating:

The Unauthorized History of Trek
James Van Hise
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000SSU9Z0

Average customer rating:

Unauthorized History of Trek
James Van Hise
Manufacturer: Harpercollins (Mm)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OETAEE

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