Product Description

Ron Howard: From Mayberry to the Moon… and Beyond, the first full-length biography of Ron Howard, takes an in-depth look at the Oklahoma boy who gained national fame as a child star, then grew up to be one of Hollywood's most admired directors. Although many show biz kids founder as they approach adulthood, Ron Howard had the advantage of brains, common sense, and two down-to-earth parents who kept him from having an inflated view of his own accomplishments. He also had a longstanding goal: to trade the glare of the spotlight for a quieter but equally creative life behind the camera. This biography tracks his career from 1960, when he debuted as six-year-old Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show through 2002, when he accepted his Academy Award® as Best Director for A Beautiful Mind.

Author Beverly Gray, an entertainment industry veteran, has spoken to teachers, friends, and professional colleagues from all phases of Howard's career. She has also combed the archives to gain further insight into this very private man whose accomplishments have brought pleasure to so many. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Ron Howard: From Mayberry to the Moon...And Beyond
Great quality, good shipping time, etc. I needed this biography for a school reading, and it arrived on time, so no problems. Very pleased with purchase. This was my first purchase on Amazon, but it was made very easy, and I plan to use it in the future.

Captures the personality of Ron Howard Beautifully
Beveryly Gray is truly a wonderful biographer.She captures the tone and warmth of Ron Howard throughout the book.Beverly also puts you "in the know" for the locales, such as Greenwich, Connecticut, where Ron Howard moved to partially shield his children from the "glamorous temptations of the film industry."This is a book for people who want to take a walk with Howard and really get to know what drives him.It's warm, friendly, and low-key, just like its subject.And a great read!Well done, Beverly! Oh, by the way, did I mention Beverly also teaches film at UCLA Extension.A wonderful, warm person in her own right.

Ron Howard-From Child Star to Innovative Director
One of the advantages of an "unauthorized" biography is that it should offer a more creative and exciting challenges to the biographer and a much greater illumination to the reader.
There is always the danger when a biography is authorized that a conflict of interest may arise and the truth may be compromised.

Beverly Gray's unauthorized biography Ron Howard From Mayberry to the Moon..and Beyond is a "putting the record straight" kind of a book, wherein some of the myths that have been prevalent in the press for so many years are explored and set aside.

Many of us have grown up with Ron Howard the child actor Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show, and then as Richie Cunningham of Happy Days.
Today, Ron Howard is a well known Hollywood film director and producer, who directed such films as: Through the Magic Pyramid, Night Shift, Cocoon, Willow, Parenthood, Backdraft, Far and Away, The Paper, Apollo 13, Ransom, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Academy award winner, A Beautiful Mind.

Gray practically begins her story from the cradle. Howard was born of parents, who themselves were actors, and at eighteen months he captured his first acting role as a crying baby, thanks to the efforts of his father.
Throughout his life, his parents, Rance and Jean Howard, played a tremendous role in shaping his life, and at the tender age of five years his father had imparted in him professionalism and basic acting techniques that have remained with him throughout his career.

As we read Howard's "unauthorized" biography, we are amazed at the extensive research that must have gone into the writing of this book, most of which was gleaned from Howard's interviews with the media over the years, as well as the author's interviews with many of his associates.
One advantage of writing Howard's biography in the prime of his life is that almost everyone is still around from his youth and his filmmaking career.

Practically no stone is left unturned, as we trudge along with the author from Howard's early childhood until his present day directing achievements.
We learn of his successes as well as his failures, and very often we are privy to some little known facts about him.
As an example, Howard was in awe by director George Lucas's talents and counter culture approach to filmmaking, as was in evidence in the film American Graffiti, where Howard had been asked to improvise scenes with other actors.

Movie buffs will surely appreciate the four appendices included at the end of the book that provide a timeline for the actor, filmography as an actor, filmography as a director and producer, and his major awards and honors.

One deficiency I found with the book, and one that is very prevalent in many biographies, is the creation of a narrative pattern that relies on the chronological tick of events; the day- by -day or year- by- year pattern should have been re-imagined. If the author had made Howard's story more innovative, it would have been more attractive to its readers.

Norm Goldman-Travel Writer and Editor Bookpleasures

Ron Howard:From Mayberry to the Moon...and Beyond
I found Ms. Gray's study of Ron Howard to be a highly creative and attention-grabbing presentation of a man with a constantly developing and fascinating career and personality, ranging from his child-actor beginnings through his current reputation as a successful director in many genres.The book brought to life his early years in the Andy Griffith television series and "The Music Man."The author's treatment of his recent film, "A Beautiful Mind," is especially moving and insightful and tied together Howard's consistency and creative exploration in all of his work.His ever-present optimism, human decency, energetic habit of taking on new challenges, and loyal respect for others in his life and his work is presented in a very appreciative and in-depth way.

Opie to Richie to the Moon
Did you ever want to be Opie when you were a kid?I did.The thing about Opie was that even when he got into trouble, and he did get into trouble, everybody still liked him.Beverly Gray, in Ron Howard From Mayberry to the Moon, presents a good case that the same is true of Mr. Howard. Everybody in the motion picture business likes him, that is if you exclude a few pretentious critics (and even they probably like him, just not always his happy endings). Nice guys do NOT always finish last.

Howard did not cooperate with this biography because "he felt himself to be in midcareer and not ready to participate in a long range assessment of his accomplishment." OK, fair enough.Keep that in mind while you are reading, but do read it.

From Opie to Richie to director, this is a detailed portrait of a man whom everyone agrees is a real mensch and who is wildly successful.It is also fascinating, and adds to Howard's charm, to realize who loyal he is to his family and friends, yet how honestly he treats them when casting projects.Simply put, if he feels they are right for a part, they get it; if not, they don't.That takes quite a bit of respect and love - from the actor and the director.

Gray's extensive interviews bring out some interesting bits of trivia about Howard.Her prose flows nicely and her organization is excellent.Maybe in another forty years or so, she can write an update - next time with Ron Howard's input. ... Read more

Product Description
The Ironclad was a revolutionary weapon of war. Although iron was used for protection in the Far East during the 16th century, it was the 19th century and the American Civil War that heralded the first modern armored self-propelled warships. With the parallel pressures of civil war and the industrial revolution, technology advanced at a breakneck speed. It was the South who first utilized ironclads as they attempted to protect their ports from the Northern blockade. Impressed with their superior resistance to fire and their ability to ram vulnerable wooden ships, the North began to develop its own rival fleet of ironclads. Eventually these two products of this first modern arms race dueled at the battle of Hampton Roads in a clash that would change the face of naval warfare.

Fully illustrated with cutting-edge digital artwork, rare photographs and first-person perspective gun sight views, this book allows the reader to discover the revolutionary and radically different designs of the two rival Ironclads - the CSS Virginia and USS Monitor - through an analysis of each ship's weaponry, ammunition and steerage. Compare the contrasting training of the crews and re-live the horrors of the battle at sea in a war which split a nation, communities and even families. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Offers Good Technical Look at these Famous Warships
Up front, readers should be aware that the title of this new volume in Osprey's Duel series, Confederate Ironclad vs Union Ironclad: Hampton Roads 1862, is misleading. While the bulk of the volume does focus on the battle between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia on March 9, 1862, the author does cover other ironclad vs. ironclad actions, albeit in much less detail. Since Osprey has previously covered the battle in a campaign series volume, some readers might be wary about purchasing what may appear to be redundant coverage. In fact, this volume takes a more in-depth look at the technology and the crews than the campaign volume on Hampton Roads, offering an altogether different take on the famous battle. Overall, it is a good volume in the series and well worth adding to any Civil War library.

Easily the best part of this volume is the 18-page section on design and development of the Virginia and the Monitor. The author has a knack for teasing out new facts even about these two well-known warships and offers a very solid overview of both their strengths and weaknesses. The full-page cutaway diagrams of each ship, detailing interior features, are superb. The author follows up with a section on technical specifications that provide additional information and color plates on the cannons on each warship and their ammunition. The section on combatants does not include any profiles as in other Duel-series volumes, but it does provide an insightful look into the composition of the crews on each ship. In the section on the strategic situation, the author lays out the North's need to mount a blockade to starve the South into submission and the Confederacy's solution of building ironclads to break the blockade. Although the author alludes to the fact that virtually all Confederate ironclads (except for the CSS Stonewall, which is not mentioned in this book) were too deep-draft to operate effectively in shallow river channels but too unseaworthy to operate at sea, he doesn't quite connect the dots here that the Confederacy was investing enormous effort into ships which really couldn't accomplish the mission. While the Virginia was capable of sinking some wooden Union warships in a river, the Confederate ironclads would have had much more difficult engaging Union blockaders off Charleston or other ports, since the Union ships could withdraw out to sea where the ironclads could not follow. At best, the Confederate ironclads might have forced the Union to maintain a looser, offshore blockade but they simply could not hunt down and destroy large parts of the Union fleet.

The section on combat is only 14-pages long (only 7 pages of text) and focuses squarely on the Monitor vs. Virginia action. Two color battle scenes also complement this section. The author does make good points about the Virginia's lack of maneuverability and the Monitor's poor visibility, but much of this has appeared in other books as well. After a brief analysis of the battle, the author switches to look at the development of other ironclads by both navies and subsequent battles in 1863-64. Brief descriptions are provided on the battle on June 17, 1863 between the USS Weehawken and the CSS Atlanta and the August 5, 1864 action in Mobile Bay between the USS Chickasaw and the CSS Tennessee, along with one more color plate. The author should have provided greater detail on these other ironclad battles, in order to round out an overall assessment of the duel between these opposing weapon systems. Towards the end, the author begins to digress a bit, covering the U.S. Navy's post-war neglect of its monitor fleet but essentially failing to off any conclusions about the outcome of the ironclad vs ironclad duel. It is fairly clear however, that the Confederacy got far less from its investment in building ironclad warships that the Union did. It is also clear that monitor type vessels armed with 15-in guns had superior firepower and operational mobility compared to the Confederate deep-draft casemated ironclads. Indeed, the Confederate ironclads were little more than an evolved form of floating battery, while the monitors were the basis for a completely new type of warship. Overall, a good volume, but it could have used a bit sharper assessment of the duel's outcome.

... Read more

Product Description
A detailed biography of Ron Howard, whose acting career began when he was just two years old, grew into television and film success, and led to superstardom as a director of feature films. ... Read more

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The mayhem-loving mutant faces occult intrigue against Abdul Alhazred, while fallout from the Acts of Vengeance brings him face to facelessness with the ninjas of Deathwatch! Wolverine does it again, and he does it the best! Guest-starring Ghost Rider! Collects Marvel Comics Presents #62-71. ... Read more

Product Description
In his first book of poetry, Ron Howard invites you on a journey of discovery, a search for meaning that spans eighteen years in the life of a young man who is seeking to find his place in a world he does not understand. Join him as he seeks to find the answers to love and relationships, friends and family, and his purpose in life.The author invites you to share in his pain, his sorrow, and his joy. In doing so, you can experience life through another's eyes and maybe gain a new perspective in your own life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ron Howard's Quest

Ron's poetry is meticulously written in meter and rhyme, but it is in reading the entire book that its meaning is found.His book is a continuum of questions about life's journey, the world, society, the universe, love, God, and all that comes into his mind and heart as he travels onward seeking answers.

Ron is not content with the world as it is, but seeks both to define and change it for a world where love is the perfect key to happiness.

As he describes through his poetic words his lack of hope, pain, loss, or despair of finding that love in his environment, he takes the reader step by step into his life on a philosopher's internal journey to find the key,

In the final chapters of the book, peace seems to settle over his spirit as his questions are answered and life becomes meaningful for him.This is a beautiful quest for love and fulfillment expressed in poetry.


... Read more

Product Description
Presents the life and career of Ron Howard who gained fame as a young actor starring in television shows and went on to become a film director and producer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Ron Howard Child Star & Hollywood Director
Ron Howard had a very interesting childhood with being Opie Taylor in a very famous TV series, The Andy Griffith Show, and then moving on to more interesting times with his debut on "Love and the Happy Days."It was a pilot episode which was then named Happy Days.On Happy Days he played Richie Cunningham.During the six years he was doing Happy Days, he married his high school sweetheart.He left Happy Days because he wanted
to pursue his dream of directing.The reason for wanting to be a director was because when acting ifhe didn't like the script he would have to live with it.If he was a director he could change what he didn't like. The first movie he directed was Grand Theft Auto, he also acted in this movie.As time went on he had several films that didn't go so well in the box office, so when he directed Apollo 13 he worked very hard to make it a success. He showed the world what a great director he really was.

The book "Ron Howard Child Star & Hollywood Director," on a scale of one to five is a three.The book didn't really have a captivating mood or keep your interest throughout the entire book.In my opinion it was slow and ponderous.Even in the parts that were more interesting, the author was slow to get to her point, I didn't like that about the book.What I enjoyed in the book was how his family was the number one thing in Howard's
life.The main focus of this book shows how " Ron Howard has proved that a child star can grow up to find adult happiness and success."

Ron Howard Child Star & Hollywood Director
Ron Howard had a very interesting childhood with being Opie Taylor in a very famous TV series, The Andy
Griffith Show, and then moving on to more interesting times with his debut on "Love and the Happy Days."It was
a pilot episode which was then named Happy Days.On Happy Days he played Richie Cunningham.During the
six years he was doing Happy Days, he married his high school sweetheart.He left Happy Days because he wanted
to pursue his dream of directing.The reason for wanting to be a director was because when acting ifhe didn't like
the script he would have to live with it.If he was a director he could change what he didn't like. The first movie
he directed was Grand Theft Auto, he also acted in this movie.As time went on he had several films that didn't go
so well in the box office, so when he directed Apollo 13 he worked very hard to make it a success. He showed the
world what a great director he really was.

The book "Ron Howard Child Star & Hollywood Director," on a scale of one to five is a three.The
book didn't really have a captivating mood or keep your interest throughout the entire book.In my opinion it was
slow and ponderous.Even in the parts that were more interesting, the author was slow to get to her point, I didn't
like that about the book.What I enjoyed in the book was how his family was the number one thing in Howard's
life.The main focus of this book shows how " Ron Howard has proved that a child star can grow up to find adult
happiness and success."

Ron Howard Child Star & Hollywood Director
Ron Howard had a very interesting childhood with being Opie Taylor in a very famous TV series, The Andy
Griffith Show, and then moving on to more interesting times with his debut on "Love and the Happy Days."It was
a pilot episode which was then named Happy Days.On Happy Days he played Richie Cunningham.During the
six years he was doing Happy Days, he married his high school sweetheart.He left Happy Days because he wanted
to pursue his dream of directing.The reason for wanting to be a director was because when acting ifhe didn't like
the script he would have to live with it.If he was a director he could change what he didn't like. The first movie
he directed was Grand Theft Auto, he also acted in this movie.As time went on he had several films that didn't go
so well in the box office, so when he directed Apollo 13 he worked very hard to make it a success. He showed the
world what a great director he really was.

The book "Ron Howard Child Star & Hollywood Director," on a scale of one to five is a three.The
book didn't really have a captivating mood or keep your interest throughout the entire book.In my opinion it was
slow and ponderous.Even in the parts that were more interesting, the author was slow to get to her point, I didn't
like that about the book.What I enjoyed in the book was how his family was the number one thing in Howard's
life.The main focus of this book shows how " Ron Howard has proved that a child star can grow up to find adult
happiness and success."

Ron Howard: Child Star & Hollywood Director
Ron Howard has always been a symbol of something good coming from an era of "Drug freaks and acid heads." I'm his same age and I lived in that same time when the clamps or thumb screws, as we called them, were put on us--the younger brothers and sisters--by our parents. We always felt that we were stymied as a direct result of the exiled hippy generation.

I remember hearing the words of Cruchev. He said, 'American children were nothing but spoiled brats.' Ron Howard, from Opie Taylor to the director of Apollo 13, has been a wonderful sample of the many good qualities that have come from our generation.

Ron Howard's example and accomplishments was one of the main reasons I purchased the book. The other reason was the Author: Barbara Kramer.

Barbara Kramer has a style that allows a young reader to read at a rapid pace,while at the same time, enabling the reader to comprehend the contents of the book.

As an adult reader, and author, I read the book with great enthusiasim. I'm actually a slow reader but I finished this book in one hour and enjoyed every minute of it.

If there is one thing I dislike, it's a biography that is slow and ponderous. I think young readers feel the same. "Ron Howard: Child Star & Hollywood Director," picks up on all the interesting points of his life. I was particularly interested in how Family was number one to the Howards. They wanted to make sure Ron had a normal childhood. I also liked how Ron got along with people of the older generation, like Betty Davis and John Wayne. In my opinion that was how the "Generation Gap" was really bridged, by people like Ron Howard.

Great book. my wife is next in line to read it after she's through my oldest son wants to check it out. ... Read more

Product Description
Ron Howard was born with show business in his veins. His father is an actor, director, and writer. His mother was an actress. Little Ronny was performing in front of the camera since he was eighteen months old. To him, it has always been just a game, something he did for fun. But, where many child stars are unable to transition their careers from child to teen to adult, Ron Howard has been successful every step of the way. ... Read more

Product Description
The Da Vinci Code Illustrated Screenplay goes behind the scenes of one of the most highly anticipated movies of all time, created by Academy Award–winning filmmakers Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Akiva Goldsman.Offering unprecedented access to the tightly guarded “closed set,” and a view of the filmmaking process that has never been seen publicly, screenwriter Goldsman provides a backstage look at the incredible journey to bring Dan Brown’s record-setting novel to the big screen.Goldsman’s richly rendered screenplay is included here in its entirety.It offers a fascinating new way to experience the story—and includes a number of moments (and even full scenes) that do not appear in the final cut of the movie.

Lavishly illustrated with 275 images of the actors and filmmakers—from both the movie set and the film itself—this behind-the-scenes features include:

• Filming in the Louvre in the dead of night, and re-creating a 400-foot section of the museum’s Grand Gallery on a soundstage—down to the precise architectural details, and complete with 120 oil-painting masterpieces

•The full digital and soundstage re-creation of the Church of Saint-Sulpice

•The transformation of Lincolnshire’s Lincoln Cathedral into London’s Westminster Abbey, and the reproduction of Sir Isaac Newton’s enormous tomb

• Handwritten notes on pages from Ron Howard’s script

•The evolution of script dialogue as it progressed from an early draft of the screenplay to final shooting form

• Dozens of never-before-seen storyboards that were used to block out scenes before filming commenced

For any fan of the filmmaking process, and of the extraordinary movie and novel, this exquisitely produced book will be an invaluable companion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

The book and the movie are farcical !!!
The author wants to fish out the contents of recent suspicions of the role and `function' manifestations of Judas.
Their observations may sound alien and dissimilar to many media discussions that have been going on in North America, and became more energetic during Easter.
I feel they brushed the whole debate aside.
The momentum given to the arguments whether there was a `conspiracy' between Jesus and Judas is the works of the media - the newspapers, radios, and the TV - based on analysis allegedly emanating from ancient Coptic manuscripts (third or fourth century) - named Gospel of Judas.
Analyzing, chemically, the ink of the manuscript remains controversial to me.
Was such action heretical?
I do not know but I believe this will lead to nowhere.
By rushing the information, which the National Geographic Society in Washington has uncovered, the media is trying to confuse our minds, like saying `there are more beautiful photographs of women than there are photographs of beautiful women'.
The American novelist James Cooper - has written, "" If the newspapers (media) are useful in overthrowing tyrants, it is only to establish a tyranny of their own"".
Cooper pronounced those words in the mid 1800's when there was abundant news but little resources of intelligence to verify.
Stunt news was then predominant.
And still is.
Anything that attracts attention, a public figure, whatever he did, is news.
Our century cannot be different from prior centuries when it comes to people trying to find proves and rationales for certain recorded actions and reactions that have taken place in previous times.
The quest for discovering new venues will never stop as long as the progress in chemistry and technology continues on such quick pace.
The point, though, is how the media is transmitting this data, and when.
For example: during the rule of the Bourbons in France, French gatherings in the royal court were very much similar to `séances' where learned individuals, for instance, persons of high ranking families (mainly ladies), tried to rationalize the spiritualistic messages delivered by the distinguished Bishops, and Cardinals who had been appointed by the Pope.
Such debates had notably been conducted in the short lull periods of peace times, when Europeans were not fighting each other and the material were printed by mass communication available during that era, but with restricted distribution.
In their space of relaxation, rich and well fed and triumphant individuals tended towards exaggeration, so they extended their conversations to philosophize subjects such as `it's impossible to believe there is a God', or those who wished to demonstrate the degree of their `learning capabilities', so to speak, talked of how sceptical they were about the existence of God but never professed true atheism.
Some agnostics were doubtful and noncommittal about the whole subject of religion and wanted to be showy about their `enormous knowledge' and their `abilities' to discover new subjects for discussion.
Some even equated such séances with Freemasonry.
Still, printed material on these meetings remained restricted.
Renowned individuals like Verdi, Brahms, Tchaicovsky, Talleyrain, and Robespierre were famous agnostics.
Interestingly, in their lives they were peculiar kind of men, of no fixed occupation, vagabonds (but many of their works, whether good or bad, will remain ageless) and in their eloquent mother language parlance, they pretended to have acquired the luxury of `discovering' better, bright and distinct ideas with a supernatural attributes to even doubt the existence of God.
And the media ran after them, propagated their views, and unearthed their personal memoirs and their mysterious and private exchange of intimated correspondence, much to the chagrin of the Church.
Nowadays, the term `Conspiracy Theory' is having the greatest ascendancy. Like agnosticism, and scepticism in the old days.
The media is treating `Conspiracy Theorists' like window-dressing articles of a new fashion, a means of improving appearance and giving artificial and false impression.
The media, to a group of conspirators, attributes any `action with a bang' to sinister design they have all performed together such as acts prohibited by law, or by means against the law.
But because human imagination is infinite, some media fat cats are going back in history to touch base with our Religion (Christianity)- and this book is not an exception and its related movie.
They are giving us the mental image of events that we always believed and perceived as real, as not anymore acceptable to the senses unless verified.
Think of it guys.
Isn't it strange that on Easter Sunday this year (2006) there have been more media talks about Judas than Christ?
As far as I am concerned, these persons are loquacious, and very forceful in their trivial discussions that one might be led to pursue their pattern of offensive and garrulous thesis, supported by deft cameras and skilful writers.
Many buy their books, which are becoming `best sellers', amid the sad division of our Church, and would agree with them on face value.

What a farce!

A real look at the inside track on filmmaking
This is a very well put together and informative book that is not only exciting to read but opens the door to a lot of information and provides a "behind the scenes" look into many elements of the filmmaking process that people might not necessarily be aware of.As a former movie executive and now a professor in a film school, I found it a very realistic reflection of the movie business and use it in my courses.

A greatbehind the scenes companion to the movie
Always have wanted to try to write a screenplay for one of my many favorite books - This book shows us that writing a screenplay is harder than it looks, getting the right information out without over-writing. The photos and storyboard are outstanding - taking you through the process of visualizing the characters and events. This is an excellent addition to all who loved the book, and now see its journey onto the big screen. A must for those interested in writing, illustrating, and pulling together cast and crew and locations of an already great storycreating a great movie.

IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS THE BOOK......

Da Vinci Code aficionados and movie buffs will find a must-have with this lavishly illustrated volume commemorating the making of the film.First off, it's a generous size, 8 ½ by 10 ½" so the 275 images are quite compelling.

It's also interesting to note in Dan Brown's foreword how an author might feel about having his or her book made into a movie: "...a bit like sending a child off to boarding school in a foreign land.You know your child will be changed by the experience, and all you can do is hope you recognize her upon her return."

Needless to say he was quite pleased and considered watching the filming quite an adventure, as will those who peruse this book.

The cast as the world now knows is remarkable, and for this viewer could not have been better chosen.Why all the press discussion of Tom Hanks' hair when there is so much more to explore is quite beyond me.He is, of course, a fine actor and in excellent company with Ian McKellan and Alfred Molina.

Storyboards included in the text are especially revealing as readers are allowed to see how many of the scenes were visualized, in addition there are the wonderful shots of filming of and at the Louvre.All who have spent time in that museum will be delighted to pay a return visit to it via Pinewood Studios where the production designer built a 400 foot section of the Grand Gallery.

There's so much to be discovered in this volume - how a script is presented when lines are spoken in four different languages or that a 12 line car chase resulted in numerous filming days or how Newton's tomb was fully recreated.

If Brown's novel and the movie are on your A-List, you'll love this book!

- Gail Cooke

The Epitome of Excessive PR
Just when you thought you had endured all the hype and universally conflicted opinion about Dan Brown, his controversial book, and the so-so movie version of 'The Da Vinci Code', up pops yet another souvenir of the secret codex. This time we are given the screenplay adaptation by Akiva Goldsman in its entirety (a feature that explains why so much of the novel's story was crammed into the crowded dialogue of the main characters) along with comments from Dan Brown, Director Ron Howard, and notes by Brian Grazer and John Calley.

But it seems the real purpose of publishing this book is to further hype the film, and the book is actually very handsome to peruse. Included are a generous number of photographs of not only the sets and actors, but also the digitally reconstructed venues that were verboten to the cameras.There are views of the Louvre that are breathtaking and recreated interiors of many of the cathedrals that play such a prominent role in the film.That is the enjoyable part of the book.

But to actually read the script with its stilted, chewy, linguistically lazy dialogue is an activity probably best left unread.Goldsman seems a martyr to the words of Brown and every opportunity to make the book into a movie was met with decisions that actually made the film the weaker for them.

But for those who need to have pendants, sweatshirts, caps and trinkets - like leaving Disneyland - then this is a souvenir book that is certain to satisfy.Look at the pictures and read the comments, but forget the dialogue of the clunky screenplay!Grady Harp, May 06 ... Read more

Product Description
As Danny Ketch learns more about what it means to be Ghost Rider, including the legacies of Zarathos and Johnny Blaze, he fights the deadliest crew of villains this side of Hell! Watch as Ghost Rider goes the rounds with opponents such as Nightmare, Mephisto, Hobgoblin, Zodiak, and Blackout, and the debut of new villains Snow Blind, Reverend Styge, and Suicide! Plus, what is Danny's mom willing to do to see Barbara Ketch returned to life? Guest-starring Dr. Strange and Spider-Man! Collects Ghost Rider (1990) #11-20. ... Read more

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Recounts the life and career of the former Washington Bullets, now Wizards, basketball team forward Juwan Howard. ... Read more

Product Description
When celebrated photographer Arnold Newman began his career in 1938 in chain portrait studios in Philadelphia, Baltimore and West Palm Beach, he also immediately began to make abstract and documentary photography on his own, studying people and places impoverished by the Depression. In June of 1941, Beaumont Newhall of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and Alfred Stieglitz "discovered" him, and he was given an exhibit with Ben Rose at the A.D. Gallery that September. There Newman began to combine his independent work with the portraiture that had been his bread-and-butter, developing the approach for which he is best known, which came to be called "environmental portraiture," and which is so widely influential today that it might be the new standard practice. This style made Newman a distinctive contributor to publications like Life, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times Magazine, brought him into the collections of museums around the world, including The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the International Center of Photography in New York, and led to his recognition in photography histories and with awards including France's Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters. The photographs collected here were made before Newman achieved recognition as a pioneering portraitist, during the formative years from 1938 to 1942. They highlight the early stirrings of a great photographic master. ... Read more

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This inside story and history behind the film, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, includes the full screenplay, production notes, interviews, poetry, Irish ballads, features on Ireland, Boston, and Oklahoma, period literature and first-hand accounts of the Oklahoma Land Rush and Irish immigration to the U.S. 140 illustrations, 80 in color.

The Newmarket Pictorial Moviebooks, official companions to films, large format (8 3/8 x 10 7/8), heavily illustrated throughout, with color photographs, details on the making of the film, background on the filmmakers and cast. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A history lesson disguised
I found the story between the two characters to be most interesting.You were learning about that particular time period without even knowing it.The sceneary was breah taking and i highly recommend seeing the flick andreading the paperback. ... Read more

Product Description
Containing 80 pages of colour from Ron Howard's 80mm film, this book tells the story and the history behind the historical, romantic adventure, "Far and Away", set in Ireland, Oklahoma and Boston, Massachusetts, in the 1890s. To capture the experience of the Irish immigrants depicted in the film, the book includes sections of screenplay and illustrated features on Irish literature, poetry, music and history. ... Read more

Product Description
The Shooting Script of the new Russell Crowe movie - the true-life story of Nobel Prize winner John Forbes Nash Jr., a mathematical genius almost destroyed by paranoid schizophrenia Handsome and disconcertingly aloof, John Forbes Nash made a brilliant mathematical discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the hectic life he leads, working secretly for the Government, deciphering complex enemy code systems, turns out to be the delusions of advanced schizophrenia. Then begins a long and painful struggle with his demons, aided by the constancy of his wife, despite repeated rejection. Late in life he receives the Nobel prize - and is reaccepted into the academic community. Starring Oscar-winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator, The Insider, LA Confidential), A Beautiful Mind is directed by Ron Howard, best-known for Apollo 13. Other roles are played by Ed Harris (Pollock, Apollo 13, the 'Controller' in The Truman Show), British actor Paul Bettany (A Knight's Tale) and Judd Hirsh (Independence Day).This new title in the NHB Shooting Scripts series includes the complete screenplay, an introduction by director Ron Howard, production notes, stills and the complete credits. ... Read more

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A date by date guide to Morgan and Peace silver dollars by two nationally reknowned experts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What Every Silver Dollar Buyer Should Know.
This book is most suitable for the investor willing to spend large sums for high grade Morgan and Peace dollars.The average collector probably will not get much useful information out of the book.
In the section on grading standards, only mint state grading standards were listed; and then several mint state standards were omitted, such as mint state MS-64, MS-66 and MS-68. Grades of MS-69 and MS-70 were listed, but if one did find a coin in those grades, the price would probably be way out of reach.
This book was written in 1984 and a lot of the specific coin information is outdated.A second updated edition would be useful for an investor. ... Read more

Product Description
Acclaimed filmmaker George Lucas re-invigorated the science-fiction genre more than 25 years ago with Star Wars, one of the greatest epics and cultural icons of its generation. He has enthralled audiences with his grand vision, mythic narratives, and groundbreaking visual effects ever since, and he remains a pivotal figure in American cinema: Star Wars: Episode II (2002) was the first film to be shot entirely with state-of-the-art digital cameras, and Star Wars: Episode III is set for release in 2005.

Marcus Hearn draws on exclusive interviews-as well as unprecedented access to the Lucasfilm archives-to craft a definitive look at more than four decades of the director's work. Lavishly illustrated, the book features many never and rarely seen images, including stills from Lucas's student films and behind-the-scenes photographs from the first Star Wars, the Indiana Jones adventures, and Star Wars: Episode III. Hearn delves deep into Lucas's achievements in the film industry as a director, writer, editor, and producer. Destined to be the classic illustrated survey of Lucas's career, the book is sure to fascinate not only die-hard fans but also general film and popular culture enthusiasts.AUTHOR BIO: Marcus Hearn is a writer, editor, and publisher specializing in film and popular culture. He is the author of the best-selling Star Wars: Attack of the Clones-The Illustrated Companion. He lives in London. Ron Howard is an actor, producer, and director whose film A Beautiful Mind (2001) won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

If u love star wars and more...
If u not only love star wars but want 2 know more about George buy this book!

The Cinema of George Lucas
This was a gift for a BIG Lucas fan in France.I looked through it and I was taken away by the pictures and history of his career.Great documentation.Our friend loved the book.Had to ship as it was 7lbs and would of put luggage over weight limit.

Excellent book about a great story teller
When I first found out about this book, I immediately came to Amazon and read the reviews listed with this one. I must whole heartedly agree with my fellow reviewers that this book is filled with a lot of never before seen photos and information about George Lucas that the public has never had access to before. It is graphically beautiful. When I first received my copy, I literally couldn't put it down for hours. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about the man behind the Star Wars saga.

Explore a mind far far away....
This guy has got it together -a great look inside the creative process and genius of the modern film maker. Absolute must have for a Star Wars fan or anyone wanting to learn more about the cause and effect this one man has had on the film industry, movie making, motion pictures and the technology to bring them to life- far beyond any one else has ever done before.....travel into hyperspace with this book.

Remarkable!
This book is filled with rare and beautiful images from the Lucas archive. If you're interested in George Lucas, there is no alternative. The story is pretty good, although a little limited. If you combined the images from this book with the detailed story in DROIDMAKER (subtitled- George Lucas and the Digital Revolution- which i just read straight through and LOVED), I think you'd have the perfect Lucas book. Still, i highly recommend this. ... Read more

Product Description
Ensign Deke Mallory is deployed to the Mediterranean at a crucial Cold War juncture, where the fledgling Navy fighter pilot falls for a winsome Spanish girl, and under the spell of a rogue Navy Ace whose mutinous plan to flame their MiG tormentors violates the President's major peace initiative.But the real threat to peace is lurking off-stage, in Bosnia-Hercegovina, where a fanatical ex-Nazi SS unit has gone-to-ground with an insidious ruse guaranteed to trigger the superpowers mutual assured destruction. Rising CIA analyst Terry Truman must bet his career if he confronts the President based on hunches, but only Deke Mallory's mettle can prevent Armageddon if he survives to launch the kind of legend he ll become. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Superb action thriller
Fun action thriller - I couldn't put it down.Its a very quick read, but thankfully there are 2 other books in this series!Would make a good movie. ... Read more