Mary Jane Alexander, I am a New York film critic and enthusiast.

Film historian and authority James Robert Parish has done it again! "The Encyclopedia of Ethnic Groups in Hollywood," like all of Mr. Parish's well-regarded books, is comprehensive, thoroughly accurate and immensely readable. The sheer research is astounding and Mr. Parish uncovers the many fascinating tidbits that enliven film history. This is a book that is a must not only for every film and media library, but also for the general reader and film fan who wants is interested in the careers, lives and place in film history of the many ethnic stars who have thrilled us on screen. Bravo.

Also recommended: The Hollywood Songsters; Hollywood Divaas; and Hollywood Bad Boys

This is a wonderfully concise, detailed, and helpful general reference source for anyone researching ethnicity in the major films, television shows and performers of the past century. The Encyclopedia of Ethnic Groups in Hollywood is easy to read, gives only the important highlights of each title and personality, and is well-indexed. The photographs in the book are nostalgic and illustrative. It's all in here -- the breakthroughs, the award winners, the important firsts, as well as other contributions that make Hollywood history and today's Hollywood unique.

The movies have always help guide and shape moviegoers into an an understanding of who they are, where they're from, and where they're going. But much of the vast American public has been virtually invisible on the screen -- which is why this book is so valuable. Our overlooked ethnic groups -- African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Jewish Americans, and Native Americans -- now have a wonderful reference source to help them understand who they are, where they're from, where they're going. This encyclopedia may be a bit pricey for average bookbuyers (where's the cheaper paperback edition?), but it will be criminal if every library in the country doesn't make it readily available.

Peter Bogdanovich has written a book that is for the movie enthusiast. I suspect the general reader may find some of the interviewees obscure, and the topics technical. I feel that is their loss. For the student of film or film history, this is a treasure trove of information, ideas, experiences, and feelings about films taken from interviews with some of the most distinguished directors in movie history. The author's selection is not encyclopedic, but the directors' experience spans from the earliest years of silent film to the present. These men are not just informative, but their strong and distinctive personalities show in each interview, giving the sense that one has actually met and understood many of them. Some of the interviews are brief, or even very idiosyncratic, but the best are delightfully personal. This is a long book, but affords many pleasant evenings of good conversation. It also makes one want to go back and see the films again!

This is an incredible book that contains Bogdanovich's various interviews with some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers. These are not detailed biographies however, they are an in-depth conversation about the filmmaker's films and his own feelings about them. While some go into the individual's past it is just so you can get an idea of the personality of the filmmaker. This is a must-have book. A good way to look at it is to read it through once and become familiar with all of the directors, some of whom may be new to you. Then as you view their films go back and read what they have to say. Though sometimes their comments are very brief, it's one of the few sources you'll find where the film-maker makes direct reference back to a film. And I don't know what it is about Bogdanovich but he always brings out gems of truth from those he interviews.

You can spend years going to film school, or you can read this book! Bogdanovich does a great job with this collection of interviews of great film directors. Not only does the book give you a good inside view of the craft of cinema, but it also acts as a history book of the film industry.

This book would be good for the serious indie director who has bet his/her credit cards on their dream or even the special person in your life who stays up until 4am watching the Turner Classic Movie channel.

There is something here for everyone as there is a wide range of directors who work in a wide range of styles. There isn't a genre that isn't touched in this book - from Hitchcock on Horror to Chuck Jones on cartoons. What's great is that Bogdanovich captures insight into directors that are no longer with us (like Fritz Lang who directed Metropolis). Since the directors tell their own stories, you don't get the Hollywood hype filter.

If you had to buy one book on film this year, this would be it!

This book does exactly what it promises by providing a biography of O'Brien's life and a review of her career to date. For any fan of M.B., this is an enjoyable read. What is especially interesting is that this is not a lurid tale of a former child star descending into an ever darkening pit of pain and confusion. It is the story of a survivor who might have transitioned into adult superstardom had it not been for the ever changing tastes of the viewing public and the disintegration of the studio system. I was glad to see that someone cared enough to present an honest and fair picture of Margaret's career and life while a good number of her co-stars were alive and able to be interviewed.

This book has everything about the wonderful little actress, Margaret O'Brien. Not only does it have a biographical section, but details every film she every made with a complete listing of cast, crew, synopis, a behind the scenes look at the making of the film and comments from costars and O'Brien herself. The author has put a lot of research into this book and it deserves to be read.

Neatly organized book on the greatest of all child stars. Includes complete listing of all television appearances - she did a ton of them!! MOB comments on all her film rolls which is fasinating. Also some very rare photos from MOB'S private collection. Author is close friend of MOB which adds authenticity to this book

This book contains some history, 8 palm changes of Wang Shu Jin's Baguazhang (presented by Mr. Pittman) and a little discussion on philosophy of art.

At first - this is not book for beginner who do not know the body mechanics of Bagua.

At second - there is nothing written about Bagua fighting. There are no applications of palm changes, nor combat principles of Bagua. IMO, this is the great disadvantage of the book.

But this book is not as bad as it seems for the firs view - it contains several training tips which could help you in understanding of Bagua.

Finally - there are better books on this subject, but also worst. My advice is: do not buy this book unless you are very interested on Wang Shu Jin's form.

Smith and Pittman have done a wonderful job in condensing vast knowledge in a short,concise and easy to refer book.Diligent practise of the presented forms answers many questions and insights which continue from where the text has left off,a natural way to learn and comprehend any Neijia system(from an eastern teaching point of veiw).It will not be helpful however to someone who is used to being "spoon-fed".Practise correctly and diligently and the system will reveal itself to you.

Robert Smith, in 94 pages, introduces us to philosophy, lineage, concepts and the internal power of bagua masters. There are no martial applications described in the book but there is an excellent presentation of a standard intermediate bagua form set. This type of set is usually done after learning to walk the circle with the eight mother palms. This book recommends walking the circle using the basic dragon palms.

This book is an easy, economical way to begin an exploration of Pagua without being ovewhelmed. It should be in everyone's Pakua library.

I enjoyed some of the writing vignettes, other than that, ya stretch, ya breathe, ya throw some punches. Nice.
If your only gonna buy one martial arts type book, buy another one.

A straight-forward guide, it provides coverage of the five elements and the twelve animals of Hsing-I and should be useful to beginners. Heaven knows, my copy has been well-used. The illustrations and descriptions of the movements are fairly easy to follow. It's not an in-depth coverage and does not claim to be, but it does present the basics and touches a bit on the history and philosophy behind the art.

Allen Pittman and Rober Smith offer a simple, insightful introduction to the internal art of Hsing-I Chuan. A short history and some general guidelines are followed by a complete forms section including 5 Elements and 12 Animals sets. The book is not meant to be comprehensive, and it achieves its goal of giving the reader a real sense of what the art is about. The only down side is in comparison to Robert Smith's orignial Hsing-I book, this one comes out a bit the lesser. It is missing the pictures of the old masters, and their chapter of invaluable advice. It is also missing the two-man exercises and applications. Hsing-I players will want to have this book, however, as it gives a valuable reference in terms of forms comparison, and offers some valuable advice on the goals of practice. The final piece of which is :"Therefore, in order to best perfect your Hsing-I skills, always work hard and remain humble."