History & Criticism Books

The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths, and the Movies

Matt Hurwitz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Complete X-Files is a declassified look at all nine seasons of the American Peabody and Emmy Award-winning science fiction television series created by Chris Carter. Delve into the mystery and myth of X-Files with in-depth looks at its entire television run, the first X-Files film, and the upcoming cinematic sequel. X-Files creator and producer Chris Carter takes us into the never-before-seen archives with explanations of unsolved plots, discussions of the FBI's paranormal investigations, scene by scene breakdowns of popular episodes, and insider information on both the previous and upcoming X-Files films. Discover the mystery behind Mulder's alien abduction, Scully's secret objectives, the designs of the shadowy "Cancer Man," and the full truth about the Mytharc episodes. Includes many bells and whistles, such as gatefolds, alien and monster charts, alien and monster cards, movie posters, a secret dossier, Mulder and Scully booklets , and more! The Complete X-Files will captivate fans and sciencefiction audiences, proving that nothing is what it seems and that "the truth is out there."

We Interrupt This Broadcast with 3 CDs: The Events That Stopped Our Lives...from the Hindenburg Explosion to the Virginia Tech Shooting

Joe Garner

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

As Good as the First 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book; I pre-ordered it months ago & forgot about it until Amazon shipped it to me. I treasured the first edition of this book because of my love of history and news. It is a rare ability to have the audio tracks of the news events that shaped our world and lives.

This 10th anniversary edition does not disappoint. The first two discs are virtually the same as the 1st edition. There is a 3rd disk, which picks up where the 1st edition left off: Princess Diana's death. Included in this volume are the events from President Clinton's impeachment to Virginia Tech. Most of the events in the books took place before my time; a few of them created my lifelong love of politics & news and remind me of being a young teen. The newest ones I remember clearly as an adult and won't ever forget. I will cherish this book. It is a must-have for history buffs.

Editorial Review:

This edition features 3 audio CDs with actual broadcasts and includes a new afterword from NBC's Brian Williams.

"Altogether, the book and CDs are a keeper, offering both valuable history lessons and a dramatic record of the definitive moments for generations of Americans." -Publishers Weekly

"The CDs deliver an exciting, engaging exercise. The events are all hugely memorable. The bits of historic sound are powerfully evocative."
-Baltimore Sun

"Garner has done a masterful job of collecting these moments, and with the accompanying CDs, one can listen over and over to the moments that shaped this century." -Booklist

House and Philosophy: Everybody Lies (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)

Henry Jacoby

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Editorial Review:

An unauthorized look at the philosophical issues raised by one of today's most popular television shows: House

House is one of the top three television dramas on the air, pulling in more than 19 million viewers for each episode. This latest book in the popular Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series takes a deeper look at the characters and issues raised in this Emmy Award-winning medical drama, offering entertaining answers to the fascinating ethical questions viewers have about Dr. Gregory House and his medical team.

Henry Jacoby (Goldsboro, NC) teaches philosophy at East Carolina University. He has published articles primarily on the philosophy of mind and was a contributor to South Park and Philosophy
(978-1-4051-6160-2).

Coffee at Luke's: An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gabfest (Smart Pop series)

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Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

(Semi-)Scholarly Analysis of Star's Hollow 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I loved reading the essays, which analyzed everything from Emily (wow, most psychiatrists wouldn't take on that job) to the massive amounts of food consumed on the show. While I disagreed with the point made by a few of the essays, I think that the book points out the many subtleties that make Gilmore Girls a fan classic.
Did you ever notice the significance of Lorelai becoming a maid after leaving home? Emily fires maids every day, doesn't consider them human, and in season 6 calls them criminals who get their children to rob you. She said that to Rory, the child of a former maid. Little gems like that make this book a must-read. Plus, it gives you an excuse to break out the much-watched DVDs again.

Editorial Review:

The quirky world of Stars Hollow and the incredible relationship of the Gilmore Girls—mother Lorelai and daughter Rory are best friends—continues to engage viewers after seven seasons, with its lightning-fast dialogue, dry wit, and unusual take on family relations. In this satirical yet sensitive collection of essays, leading writers weigh in on how this unique show has successfully broken the teenage-sitcom mold and gained viewers of all ages. Addressing questions such as What are the risks of having your mother be your best friend? How is Gilmore Girls anti-family, at least in the traditional sense? and What’s a male viewer to do when he finds both mother and daughter attractive? this anthology also looks at how the characters are shaped by the pop culture they consume and how prevalent a feeling of class consciousness is within the series.

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

Neil Postman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 126 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Judge a book by its cover 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Just today I logged on to one of the biggest news channels' website (CNN) and on the front page under "Popular News" was the following headline: "Is that Miley Cyrus flashing her bra on the Web?" I had just finished my second reading of this book and it seemed like a stark reminder of what Neil Postman was talking about over 20 years ago, how television has drastically changed our culture and redefined everything in our society from news to politics, education and even religion. I don't know of any book written during my lifetime that is more socially relevant and whose message is more important to be read and understood by the general public.

In Chapter 6, "The Age of Show Business", Postman writes, "To say television is entertaining is merely banal. Such a fact is hardly threatening to a culture, not even worth writing a book about. It may even be a reason for rejoicing. Life, as we like to say, is not a highway strewn with flowers. The sight of a few blossoms here and there may make our journey more endurable." He goes on to point out that the problem is not that there are entertaining shows on television, but that in order to accommodate itself to the demands of television, *everything* must be presented as entertainment. In order to generate ratings, advertisers and ultimately revenue, no subject is too serious to be presented in any way other than the one that attracts the most viewers. When the local news reports about a murder, it has no relevant meaning to our lives and it's not told so much to inform us of the tragedy of a murder but because it is the most exciting and what people want to see. News producers have a motto for this, "If it bleeds it leads."

Probably the most alarming example Postman cites is how television has changed politics and political discourse. This is where the transformation from a word-based media to an image-based media is felt the most strongly. Politicians have realized that the content of what they say is now largely irrelevant compared to how they appear, how they present themselves. Postman uses the example that when Ted Kennedy made a run for the presidency, Richard Nixon offered him the following advice: "Lose twenty pounds." Nixon had been in politics most of his adult life and knew the name of the game well, that one's ideas, beliefs, actions and words are now almost completely irrelevant in a world where nearly everyone has started getting their information from television only. Before Mike Huckabee entered this political race, he lost over a hundred pounds. If you look at photographs of presidents throughout our history, you notice that most of them certainly never got anywhere in life because of their looks and some of them are downright ugly men. Political races are now completely decided in the arena of television and their coverage of it has become absurd and embarassing. This is the change that Postman has tried to point out, that a literate culture that depends on the printed word for information and communication creates a vastly different culture from one that depends on images, ten second soundbites and information that has no context or relevance to anyone's life, like what Miley Cyrus or Paris Hilton is up to.

It has been over twenty years since Neil Postman wrote this but his ideas are even more relevant today. This book should be read and understood by everyone but it mostly falls on deaf ears. I think it was Mark Twain who said that the man who doesn't read has no advantage over the man who can't read. Television is now an integral part of life not only in America but in Europe, China and pretty much any other developed nation. This would not be a problem but, as Postman points out, one of the nasty side effects of television is that it has degraded literacy rates, so that every year we hear that people are reading less and less. People and specifically children spend an alarming amount of their free time watching television and to get them to read you practically have to force it upon them. Once in a while a book like Harry Potter will become a hit but for many children and even adults that was the only book they purchased or even attempted to read in an entire year. We hear that children in this country are performing worse every year in school but the finger is never pointed at the obvious culprit because we hear about this on TV.

Editorial Review:

Originally published in 1985, Neil Postman’s groundbreaking polemic about the corrosive effects of television on our politics and public discourse has been hailed as a twenty-first-century book published in the twentieth century. Now, with television joined by more sophisticated electronic media—from the Internet to cell phones to DVDs—it has taken on even greater significance. Amusing Ourselves to Death is a prophetic look at what happens when politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment. It is also a blueprint for regaining controlof our media, so that they can serve our highest goals.

The House That Hugh Laurie Built: An Unauthorized Biography and Episode Guide

Paul Challen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

House Background 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book gives the reader a reasonable introduction to the main characters on the hit show House, MD, although most of the information contained in the biographical sections of the book is likely available on Wikipedia. The episode guides are interesting reading, but need some work, and the number of errors seem to increase with the seasons. Perhaps some of this can be explained by a difference between what actually aired and what was scripted, but the details are error prone often containing multiple misquotes and outright incorrect information such as the wrong medication or condition. The "Booboos" sections of the episodes often directly contradict multiple medical references such as the current edition of the Merck Manual and others. In the episode differential sections, the flows of the episodes are also sometimes misordered or incomplete. The Exam Room section details are also incorrect some of the time, at least when compared to the DVD/aired version of the episodes.

Still, I enjoyed reading the book and picked up a few details I had missed when first watching the episodes. Also, some of the conclusions drawn were definitely food for thought.

Editorial Review:

Golden Globe award–winning actor Hugh Laurie and his critically acclaimed television show House are at the heart of this compelling biography. From his childhood struggles to live up to his Olympian father’s accomplishments and his Cambridge education to his comedic career with Emma Thompson and personal struggle with depression, Laurie’s past and present are revealed in illuminating detail. Not just a biography, this is a one-stop shop for all things House that features full episode guides and analyses, actor biographies, interviews with Canadian creator and executive producer David Shore, production bloopers, and medical mistakes that only a sleuth like Dr. House could expose.

The Office and Philosophy: Scenes from the Unexamined Life (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Just when you thought paper couldn't be more exciting, this book comes your way! This book--jammed full of paper--unites philosophy with one of the best shows ever: The Office. Addressing both the current American incarnation and the original British version, The Office and Philosophy brings these two wonders of civilization together for a frolic through the mundane yet curiously edifying worlds of Scranton's Dunder-Mifflin and Slough's Wernham-Hogg.


Is Michael Scott in denial about death? Are Pam and Jim ever going to figure things out? Is David Brent an essentialist? Surprisingly, The Office can teach us about the mind, Aristotle, and humiliation. Even more surprisingly, paper companies can allow us to better understand business ethics. Don't believe it? Open this book, and behold its beautiful paper...


Join the philosophical fray as we explore the abstract world of philosophy through concrete scenes of the unexamined life in The Office. You may discover that Gareth Keenan is secretly a brilliant logician, that Dwight Schrute is better off deceiving himself, that David Brent is an example of hyperreality, and that Michael Scott is hopelessly lost (but you probably already knew that!).

Goodnight, John Boy: A Celebration of an American Family and the Values That Have Sustained Us Through Good Times and Bad

Earl Hamner, Ralph E. Giffin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

For eight wonderful years The Waltons, the story of a family living in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains during the Depression, entertained America and the world. Yet this television show was more than entertaining. Each episode combined wonderful stories and "teachable moments" in which adults and children alike learned the importance of honesty, hard work, respect, responsibility, self-sacrifice, and kindness. As is true in most families, the Waltons faced many challenges, occasionally stumbled along the way, but they struggled to live their lives within the framework of the values they believed and taught. Goodnight, John Boy is a memory book of The Waltons, the number-one television show of its time. Filled with behind-the-scenes anecdotes and profiles of people who appeared on the show, it introduces readers to the Hamner family members who later became characters on The Waltons, suggests events and locales that inspired many of the episodes, and traces Earl Hamner's life as a writer from Virginia to New York to Hollywood. Included is a description of each episode plus reminiscences, comments, and personal feelings from numerous people connected with the series—writers, actors, directors, producers, family, and fans. Heavily illustrated with publicity shots and personal photographs taken by cast, crew, and others, Goodnight, John Boy will be a welcomed book by millions of loyal fans. When The Waltons first aired in 1972, it was at the bottom of the Neilson ratings—by December it led the list. That dramatic leap came about because fans told their friends about it and wrote the CBS network to praise the show and to plead that the show not be cancelled. Thirty years later, Goodnight, John Boy is sure to touch the hearts of the show's fans again.

Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, as Told By Its Stars, Writers and Guests

James A. Miller, Tom Shales

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 139 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Live from New York 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a big sprawling nonfiction book told in highly readable "sound-bites" more than 25 years after the heyday of the ground-breaking television show Saturday Night Live. The author rounds up everyone involved (with the exception of the poor dead people like John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and Chris Farley). So you get an interesting then-and-now view. The participants put their work into perspective with the passing of time. One thing that impressed me was how much this show has influenced American pop culture. Also noteworthy: how incredibly pressured the job was. These people (notably Chevy Chase) ran roughshod over each other, and then had to put up with each other. This is what happens when you get a lot of creative types, big egos, and (yes) recreational drugs at the same table, and then put yourself on a killer schedule. Fans of the show will find this especially fascinating to read.

Editorial Review:

The New York Times bestselling oral history of Saturday Night Live that finally reveals what really went on backstage, on the set, in the writers' offices, and on the town, is now in paperback!

In their own words, a galaxy of stars--including Mike Myers, Chris Rock, Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, Adam Sandler, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Martin, Dana Carvey, Tina Fey, Molly Shannon, Al Franken, and other members of Saturday Night Live's extended family--recall a quarter-century's worth of great backstage stories, behind-the-scenes gossip, feuds, foibles, drugs, sex, struggles, and calamities. The result: a page-turner that reveals how and why SNL has become the longest-running television comedy of all time.

Ships of the Line (Star Trek)

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Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

They dared to risk it all in a skiff of reeds or leather, on a ship of wood or steel, knowing the only thing between them and certain death was their ship. To explore, to seek out what lay beyond the close and comfortable, every explorer had to embrace danger. And as they did so, what arose was a mystical bond, a passion for the ships that carried them. From the very first time humans dared to warp the fabric of space, escaping from the ashes of the third World War, they also created ships. These vessels have become the icons of mankind's desire to rise above the everyday, to seek out and make the unknown known. And these ships that travel the stellar seas have stirred the same passions as the ones that floated in the oceans.

While every captain has wished that their starship could be outfitted in the same manner as the sailing ship H.M.S. Beagle -- without weapons -- that proved

untenable. From the start, Starfleet realized that each vessel, due to the limited range of the early warp engines, must be able to stand alone against any

attack. Thus arose the idea, taken from the days of wooden sailing ships, that every Starfleet vessel must stand as a ship of the line. Through the actions of their captains and crews, countless starships have taken on that role. Here we remember some of those ships and their heroic crews.

In celebration of the fortieth anniversary of Star Trek, here for the very first time collected together are the spectacular images from the highly successful and acclaimed Star Trek: Ships of the Line calendars. Gloriously rendered, each of these illustrations was created exclusively for Pocket Books. With text by Michael Okuda (The Star Trek Encyclopedia), the story of each of these valiant starships comes to life.