Product Description
The world's first in-depth guide to the exciting newmedium of DVD-Video, listing more than 2,400 DVDs on the market, DougPratts book is likely to remain the best guide to films on DVD fora long time. Why? Because Doug is the most experienced journalistdealing with movies on disc. As the editor for seventeen years of TheLaser Disc Newsletter-now The DVD-Laser Disc Newsletter-andthe author of Laser Video Disc Companion, Doug has seen it all.

The DVD-Video medium has exploded in the home entertainment market. Ithas had the quickest introduction of any consumer electronics productso far. Thousands of movies are now available on DVD-Video, and DougPratt has watched-and reviewed-nearly all of them.

Doug's witty and engaging commentary lets you know right away whethera DVD is worth investing in. He knows the technology cold and he tellsyou straight out how well the publisher has transferred the movie tothe new medium. He also provides useful insights on all aspects of theprogram content.

If you've just bought a DVD-Video player, or if your new computer cameequipped with a DVD drive, you must have Doug Pratts Guide toDVD-Video. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Ho Hum
I have an old "Rating the Movies" by the editors of Consumer Guide & Jay Brown, first Copyright 1982. Each review had a short synopsis to allow for maxium reviews. Doug Pratt goes on about things I couldn't care less about, limiting the number of available entries. These two references have about the same number of pages, although the Consumer Guide version is 8 1/2 by 11 allowing for even more entries. Further, Doug's version includes foriegn films and Adult movies. Waste of space in my eyes. Seems to me these days quality fades.

Technology at its simplest.
I have to admit, I am not technologically inclined but after reading this book, anyone can understand DVD video.I learned much and it made me think further about purchasing the whole DVD setup.

Please add rating summary
This is one of the very few books available for DVD review.( the only other book I know is a special issue from Widescreen Review but it is not as complete ) Mr. Pratt uses the same format as his previous book-"Leaserdisc Review".As a LD & DVD collector,I find hisbook rather useful but sometimes hard to read.His review style is verygood which generally cover 4 areas; film, video quality, audio quality andbonus feature. But for some titles, Mr. Pratt is too polite and notaggressive enough to point out the poor quality of transfer or problem ofthe source materials. It would be nice if he can add a rating summary atthe end of each title ( give 1-5 star rating for the 4 parts mentionedabove ). Adding picture of DVD cover would make the presentation moreattractive but it may require too much work. I will be happy if he can addrating for each review especially on quality of transfer. Most collectorslike myself, know exactly what movies to get, and we can find out bonusfeatures information on the back of DVD box or product listing on webpages. What we do not know and eager to find out is the quality of videoand audio. I admire and appreciate Mr. Pratt's dedication to make this bookavailable for us. Thanks. ... Read more

Product Description
This authoritative, single-volume reference provides key information not available in other guides, covering more than 3,000 of the most important films ever made--from classics to cult hits and "sleepers" to foreign films. Includes comprehensive reviews, cast listings, creative credits, awards, production info, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Perhaps the best movie guide of them all...
Many of the reviews in this book are actually from an earlier encyclopedia called the Motion Picture Guide, perhaps the most comprehensive and best written source for pre-1990's films ever published.TV Guide adopted the same database for their online film review database and updated editions of The Movie Guide have been published for years as The Virgin Film Guide (avail. from Amazon.uk)This guide favors quality over quantity and so you get long, detailed, informed reviews of Sunrise, Das Boot, Mala Noche, Drugstore Cowboy, Blue Velvet, The Bicycle Thief, La Dolce Vita, etc. instead of thousands of thumbnail sketches of mediocre films you will have no interest in ever seeing.This is, as a previous review noted, along with Katz' Film Encyclopedia one of the few, truly essential books that every film lover should own.

Essential Reference for Film Lovers
This volume, along with Katz's, The Film Encyclopedia, are the foundation of celluloid information.The two will be sufficient for most viewers. Saw a movie and what to know more?Planning to rent a video and what to know more?Look here. Not all movies are reviewed, but almost every important film, some sleepers, some low-budget gems, and some you may hate but are important within film history.Our 1995 edition is worn out, and I wish we had a 'cover' for this one; that's how often we refer to this. We have also use it to build our own film library, now numbering over 500. Directors, actors, Academy Awards, obscure information and the source - whether book, play or original screenplay are all included. Now, if they had only included "The Reivers" and "Sometimes a Great Notion!"

Essential Reference for Film Lovers
Saw a movie and what to know more?Planning to rent a video and what to know more?Look here. Not all movies are reviewed, but almost every important film, some sleepers, some low-budget gems, and some you may hate but are important within film history.Our 1995 edition is worn out, and I wish we had a 'cover' for this one; that's how often we refer to this. We have also use it to build our own film library, now numbering over 500. Directors, actors, Academy Awards, obscure information and the source - whether book, play or original screenplay are all included. Now, if they had only included "The Reivers" and "Sometimes a Great Notion!"

Great guide for the discerning movie fan
This is hands down the single best reference for films from the 1930s on.Detailed reviews of works that are deserving of them, with sharp analysis that puts films in their proper historical context. ... Read more

Product Description
Roger Ebert: "Pratt's book is the best on the subject. He’s a movie lover who is also an unrelenting perfectionist when reviewing the technical qualities of discs." With over 7,000 reviews in a sprawling 2 volumes (over 1,300 pages), Doug Pratt's DVD is the one collection of DVD reviews you need to own, written by one of the most prolific and wide-ranging media critics working today! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Just Saving Up To Purchase . . . Revised
I have been reading Doug Pratt's video reviews for years.His newsletters have been an incredible resource, steering me toward movies or television programs on video that I might not have tried without his recommendation.His reviews not only include criticism of content but bonus materials and audio/visual quality.While there may be a lot of free reviews online, I have found many reviewers do not take the time to fully inspect bonus features on video nor are their appraisals of technical features (e.g., picture and sound) trust-worthy.Pratt's efforts should be praised.

His critical writing is also excellent.While my tastes do not exactly fall in line with his, I have always enjoyed reading his work.With the appropriate subject matter, Mr. Pratt can make draw connections in film or filmmaking itself to life.I wish I could make that sound less pretentious because Pratt's work is not pretentious.He is a grounded critic who understands that video can be valued in many ways (e.g., purely for entertainment's sake or, when it aspires to, for opening a viewer's mind).He also covers an incredible range of viewing from Hollywood blockbusters to family fare to documentaries to whatever one can imagine has been released on DVD.Plus, the man has a very good sense of humor.

The only thing that has stopped me from purchasing this work is the price.I was hoping my wife was going to order this for me, but I will have to be less subtle when the next gift-giving holiday comes around.I am looking forward to having his writing collected in these volumes.Highly recommended.

NOTE: I finally just up and ordered the set, and my recommendation stands.Terrific set, though an index might have been helpful.I know this is an expensive purchase, but I swear that if someone posted a link above to Pratt's remarks on Steven Soderbergh's TRAFFIC, these volumes might just fly out of the warehouse.

... Read more

Product Description
First published in YR 190 (1982 AD), this reproduction of the unusual calendar introduced by the French Revolution won awards for the graphics by David Lindroth.

We found a bunch in the basement and--since the French Revolutionary Calendar is the same every year, we decided to offer these first editions for sale again. We gaurantee it is the most unusual calendar you've ever seen.

In 1792 the French revolutionaries had a better idea: an entirely new calendar, free of unreason, superstition, and tyranny! This is an authentic reproduction of that calendar, designed during the revolution and in use for 13 years thereafter.

There are 12 equal months of thirty days, each divided into three "weeks" of ten days each. (At last you'll be able to get something done by the end of the week. . . before your regular four-day weekend!) The FRC is perpetual, so you won't have to buy a new one every year. And, best of all, each year has an extra "intercalary" period of five days at the end of the year to bring the total number of days to 365. These are holidays from time. They have no day names, so you don't have to account for them.

There's an introduction to explain the novel story of the FRC and the history of calendars in general. And, yes, you'll find a correlation to the Gregorian calendar--so you can keep track of the rest of the world! ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Devota, Monégasque Dialect, Télé Monte Carlo, Léo Ferré, Association Des Guides et Scouts de Monaco, Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, Monaco Yacht Show, Princess Grace Irish Library, List of Fish on Stamps of Monaco, Louis Notari Library. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 37. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Devota -Tradition holds that she was a Corsican woman born around 283 AD at Mariana. A young virgin, she had decided to devote herself fully to the service of God. By order of the prefect Barbarus, she was imprisoned and tortured for her faith. Her mouth was crushed, and her body was dragged through rocks and brambles. She was martyred at Mariana by being racked or stoned to death. After her death, the governor of the province ordered for her body to be burnt to prevent its veneration. However, it was saved from the flames by Christians. Her body was placed on a boat bound for Africa. Gratianus (Graziano), the boat's pilot; Benedict (Benenato), a priest; and Apollinaris, his deacon; believed it would receive proper Christian burial there. However, a storm overtook the boat and a dove flew out from the mouth of the saint. The dove guided the boat to present-day Les Gaumates, today part of the Principality of Monaco, where a chapel dedicated to Saint George already stood. Her mutilated body was discovered by fishermen. In her honor a chapel was built, which stands in Monaco still. Traditionally, flowers are said to bloom before their season on January 27, the saint's feast day. The Saint-Devote chapel is first mentioned about 1070, belonging to the abbey of Saint-Pons. The chapel was rebuilt and expanded several times. It became a priory in the 13th century and in 1536 was acquired by Hono...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=8392594 ... Read more