I pretty much thought I had read all the best books concerning starting a new magazine or getting work within the industry. Then, I found The Magazine From Cover To Cover.

This book will grab you in such a manner as does your favorite magazine.

Interested in magazine historical trends? Read chapters 3 and 4.

Why are magazines important? Or, better yet, how can attitudes be changed by magazines? Re-read chapters 3 and 4, then go on to read chapters 11 and 12 BEFORE you screw up!

This book probably does a better job than most others in showing why magazines have been important; how they can lead a revolution in society; what layout design and what editorial tone should be taken to appeal to your audience; and, especially, why doing that which gains notoriety may not be wise ethically, morally or financially.

This is a terrific book with the look and feel and dynamic spirit of a magazine.

Verry comprehansive and useful. It was the first book about magazines I've read. I have read 5 books about publishing and starting magazine. It is the best. I publish magazine "Education and Career" a tousands miles away from USA /Bulgaria/ and use this book like bible. Tanks to autors.

This book outlines the magazine publishing process from A to Z. For example, it discusses the pros and cons of subscription vs. newsstand sales, marketing, pricing, and even staff salaries. Business plans are outlined and commented on by various sources. Relatively recent magazines to "mainstream/suburban" American culture like VIBE are discussed with the respect they truly deserve. Even the quality of print paper is discussed (i.e. Rolling Stone's page quality/texture and size vs. VIBE's recent move to glossy pages). "The Magazine From Cover To Cover" is hands down, the most contemporary and authoritative guide to the magazine industry that I have come across. Look out for my 'zine, Pop Life coming to a media outlet near you, thanks to this book, and of course...Amazon!

C.H.R.

This book is about as funny as watching the show! The way beavis and butt-head are so stupid sometimes in the book crack me up. They even have a list of funny words like Tungsten, cocky, sextet, and so on. If you are a diehard fan of Beavis and Butt-head such as moo-ah you MUST buy this book!

This is one book that does not live up to its name This is a very funny book- If you think Beavis and Butthead are funny-- If you don't like Beavis & Butthead you probably won't like this book

This book sucks is so great. For any Beavis and Butthead fan it is the must have collectors item. It has many detailed photos of, their town, the house, old B&B and many more pieces of impotant(huh-huh) background. My personal favorite which still makes me laugh is the list of words.

Now in its eighth edition, How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Ben in the Military, collaboratively written by Lt. Col. Richard S. Johnson and Debra Johnson Knox, is a direct, easy-to-use, "reader friendly", how-to-guide packed with tips, tricks, and techniques for finding anyone with an American military connection, whether they are active duty, reserve, or retired. From steps anyone can take to verify claims of a military background, to locating veterans for a reunion, How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Ben in the Military is packed with practical, useable information, directories, Internet sources, and much, much more. To put it simply but accurately, How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Ben in the Military is an excellent and useful resource.

I have run the website Sgt. Mom's Place (recently partnered with Maingate.com) for approximately 4 years now and this book has been an excellent resource for me!! I constantly get requests to help someone find a lost friend or relative, others wanting the records for their father or relative from WWII, etc. I have used this book countless times to give these visitors the information needed to help them in their search. My thanks to the authors!! I will continue to buy the updated versions too so I can keep up to date on everything!

Like any large Government organization, the military has it's own ways of doing things. And to complicate matters, the way you may find a person in the Navy is not always the same, for example, for the Army or Air Force.

Richard and Debra Johnson provide all the goodies on how to find or get information on servicemembers...retired or active.

There is a wealth of information you can get and this book provides tips and tricks you may not even know about.

So if you're looking for a long lost relative, friend or would like to see your grandfathers service record from WWII, here is the resource book you NEED to do it all correctly! Includes addresses, fees, sample forms and other invaluable information!

Denis Johnson is that rare and wonderful thing: a lyrical writer with a brain. This is a collection of non-fiction essays he has published over the last 20 years, and it should win him many new fans who aren't familiar with his acclaimed fiction and poetry. The title, "Seek", is well chosen. Johnson presents himself as a seeker after truth, both physical and metaphysical. He brings with him an open mind, an open heart and genuine humility. "The Civil War in Hell" shows his visit to the heart of darkness of the Liberian civil war, where he views along with other journalists a videotape of the torture of the nations former dictator. The funny "Down Hard Six Times", an account of his honeymoon/gold-prospecting trip to Alaska is both a cautionary tale and a celebration of wilderness. The amazing "Hippies" is an exorciating satire of a drug-addled gathering of aging flower-children over Independence Day. He writes an amazinglyly sympathetic account of a Kenneth Copeland "Bikers for Jesus" rally: Johnson, who defines himself as a Christian, finds genuine religiosity among the weirdness. "Three Deserts" has some of the best writing about the American west I have ever encountered (Johnson lives full-time in northern Idaho.) The high point of the book for me is the stunning "The Militia in Me." Here Johnson gets past the hysteria about "right-wing militias" and, without minimizing their anti-semitism and extremism, sees them as within the well-established tradition of American anti-government, pro-freedom orneriness. In many ways, the West really is a different country and Johnson is well-aware of this, more so than many a provincial Eastern writer. This is a terrific book. Buy it immediately.

As the great author and prophet Copernicus again notes, human beings are pattern-seekers. They opt to give up richness of possibility in trade for predictability and familiarity. Even though none of these patterns ever fits any better than Cinderella's slipper fit her stepsisters. Human beings seek rigid, simple patterns that defy and impoverish their dynamic, multifaceted capacity. The one pattern that human beings have locked themselves into is the simple, rigid pattern of "God," even though there are many other patterns to use, including many that better accommodate their fluid, complexity. What "God" this may be is unclear, since they all seem to talk about the same one and since there have been at least 2,500 Gods concocted and documented during human history. Denis Johnson takes us to some of the margins of human society, where the only common theme is a desperate, fruitless, and vicious seeking -- the harshness and the brutality backed up by this ubiquitous "God." If we want to see the inadequacy of this pattern and start looking for better ones -- more congruent with our design and potential -- Denis Johnson's book might be one that begins to open our eyes.

After the slightness of THE NAME OF THE WORLD, and the somewhat scattered ALREADY DEAD, Johnson returns to the form that made JESUS' SON such a classic in this collection of articles. The standout is hands-down the last piece on his f**cked-up experiences in Liberia. Also good are the glimpses you get into Johnson's personal life, including his marriage and subsequent honeymoon in the wilds of Alaska, where they try to pan for the gold from which they plan to fashion their wedding rings; the highly disorganized hippie festival he goes to; the bikers for Jesus; his short piece on his brief stint as a Boy Scout. If you're already a Johnson fan, SEEK is cause for celebration.

This is a beautifully designed and printed book based on the exhibition 'American Modern' at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 172 illustrations (142 are large color photos mostly one to a page) focus on objects rather than the wider visual aspects of streamline design such as architecture, transport, engineering. I like the idea of everyday items being used, here you can study, for instance, Lurelle Guild's 1937 Electrolux vacuum cleaner, Norman Bel Geddes' 1940 Patriot radio, Russel Wright's 1937 American Modern dinnerware or the stunning candleholders Wilbert Orme designed in 1938, there are four shown in four separate arrangements and I would really like to have a set!

Author Stewart Johnson explains, in an essay at the start of the book, how a small group of American designers, several of them émigrés from Europe, abandoned the ornamentation of Art Deco in favor of simple clean lines, using new materials and manufacturing techniques. Furniture designer Paul Frankl was one of this group and he became an active promoter of the new style. He tied it all down to six characteristics
1Simplicity.
2Plain surfaces.
3Unbroken lines.
4Accentuation of structural necessity.
5Dramatisation of the intrinsic beauty of materials.
6Elimination of meaningless and distracting motives of the past.
Johnson adds one other point that Frankl would not have mentioned at the time: Streamlining. This was the idea that made the style American.

The back of the book has several pages of designer biographies, a useful glossary (Aluminum to Vitrolite and I now know what Monel Metal is) bibliography and index. Joe Coscia Jr, of the Metropolitan's photo studio, should be congratulated on his wonderful photography of the exhibits, they leap right off the page.

As this book only covers objects you might want to read about other areas of Streamline design, have a look at 'The Machine Age in America' by Richard Guy Wilson, Dianne Pilgrim and Dickran Tashjian. I think this can be considered the standard work on the subject. Another book that I like is Martin Greif's 'Depression Modern: Thirties Style in America', it has some excellent architectural (especially interior) photos that I have not seen in other books. Want to know more? Scan over my Listmania Streamline books selection.

I saw the exhibition at The Met and this book captures the objects perfectly! It also serves as a great reference to the greatest period in American industrial design: 1925 to 1940.

This is a great book for anyone interested in or appreciative of modern design and aesthetics. The book itself is beautiful, and all the color reproductions inside are sleek, clean, and inspiring. The author has the works divided by interesting categories such as "Streamlined," "Geometries," and "Penthouse," groupings that really help illuminate different design tendencies during this period. A beautiful publication!

I bought this book for my third grader and the vocabulary is a good level. My child already knows many of the words but is learning new ones from this book. However, parents should be made aware that they might consider some of the content inappropriate for their children. I personally do not care to enlighten my child on the concept of the 60s hippie culture and all that that entails. Fortunately for me, I glanced ahead while reading aloud and saw the word cohabitation so I was able to avoid a discussion of shacking up. The characters also flippantly use the name of the Christian diety, as in "Oh, my ...." As I said, it is a great concept but read WITH your child if you object to the moral values discussed above.

I am a 7th grader of a middle school, and this is what I think of this outstanding book. This book had a very interesting way of teaching... Instead of a textbook, this book was made into a chapter book with several excellent stories about adventures with three kids and a gargantuan, black cat. The stories were well put together and the advanced words fitted in perfectly. I shared my ideas with my family, and we bought more books of the same series. I think younger kids should just read the book for the stories if the words are a bit too complicated for them to remember, but I'm sure that they will enjoy it. Readers will no longer be oblivious about grammer. As a matter of fact, they might even excel in the field of grammer and writing. Anyway, to me, the words in the book were extremely easy to understand, because they were so well placed, that the context clues made the definitions very clear and obvious. There was also a glossary in the back that gave the definitions to the bold-faced words. Unfortunately, the glossary did not have definitions to all of the words, but if you have a dictionary, you should have no problem. Overall, this was a fantastic book leaving me craving for more.

I bought this tape for my elementary age niece and two nephews. They have played this tape for weeks every night at bed time. They even fight over who gets to listen to it in the car. All of their vocabulary had sky rocketed. They are using "big" words properly and have no problem correcting the adults when we use them wrong. The way the new words are weaved into the stories give the kids the handle to truly understand what the word is, and what the correct usage is for any given situation. My sister and I are so impressed with this tape. We wish there were more of these.

It's past time that someone put some thought and effort into a book of this nature. We've had "Science Fiction TV" guides before, and they've uniformly been written by authors whose axes could be heard grinding away throughout as they slagged shows they disliked and drooled over shows they (often unaccountably) were fans of. Mark Phillips and Frank Garcia have done a good job of research and writing here, with few and minor mistakes. The chapter on "Battlestar Galactica," which is accurate and contains a good deal of information, much of it from new interviews done especially for this book, is worth the price of admission alone. If you're a fan of science fiction on TV, this book, in spite of its price, should be on your bookshelf. Very highly recommended.

This book represents the pinnacle in terms of a blend of behind-the-scenes insights and anecdotes combined with basic reference data. The multitude of interviews that went into the text give the material a depth that the more common coverage of sci-fi shows rarely attains. Like other books by McFarland, it's pricey, but I can think of none that give the reader better value for their dollar.

What makes this guide especially fascinating are the numerous candid in-depth interviews with the producers and writers of these shows, giving much insight into the creative process and the trials and tribulations of creating innovative television shows. There are countless behind-the-scenes anecdotes that have, I am sure, never seen print before. I thought I knew a lot about certain shows, but this book contained info that was new to me; and even reading the articles about shows I never watched (and the entries on each show are long and detailed) I could scarcely put the book down. This book serves as a reference, but it is more than that; it has a wealth of fascinating insights into the television industry itself.

Hilarious - I haven't watched the "Brady Bunch" in years, but I was a bit startled by the way it all came back after reading a few questions. Why do I remember this stuff? Why does the author? As absurd as it is, the memories of such a dumb TV show are great fun.

It is amazing how much fun information that the author has packed in this book!

This book is great! It's a perfect book for parties, car trips, etc. There are questions for everyone at all levels of Brady knowledge. It's so much fun watching others in angst as they desperately try to remember the answer to a question, and even more fun watching someone rushing to answer a question when they swear they don't remember much about the show! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I didn't know what to to expect. What I got was something at once exhilirating (the written part) and disturbingly beautiful (the paintings and photos). You can't look at these pictures and not cringe at some while at the same time appreciating the painstaking (pardon the expression), and obviously loving work that went into them. The manifesto is a good read for anyone interested in Lavey's Satanism as well as revealing the artists' stance against and rejection of the consumer culture. An Apache, Satanist, and a radical artist rolled into one, the Reverand is certainly not for the squeamish.

This is a man who started creating his books with (...) raw, unapologetic rage, and a whole (...) load of creative genius. I personally have met with the author of this book, Rev. Steven Johnson Leyba and have attended his exhibitions. In no way can one easily sum up the power behind this man's words and ideas. Unspeakable? Maybe. Bold and intense? Definitely. Satanic? You bet (...).
This is a definite must read for any cynical, misanthropic, and/or Satanic individual.

As a foot note: I believed in, and was moved so much by, this man's writings that I collaborated with Rev. Steven Johnson Leyba to produce background music for his passage "I Don't Believe", contained on page 37 of this book (...)

Rev. Steven Johnson Leyba, an ordained Priest of the Church of Satan, now offers his highly evocative and caustic work to the masses. Included are artwork and writing truly exemplar of the Satanic philosophy -- that is, Satanism in action. Not just talk, but true action! Herein, you'll find work spanning five of his most prominent main books, plus rants and diatribes representing his disdain for mass-think, his ponderances on the history of his Native American culture, as well as his fetishes, reviewer comments on his work, interviews, photos, and more. This is the definitive work on Leyba ...

As a student filmmaker at Florida State University's School of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts, I have been exposed to numerous books written for the young screenwriter. No other book I have read both focuses entirely on the short screenplay and includes several complete examples of successful student scripts (all of them award-winning, including a recent Student Academy Award). Taking it a step further, the actual films described in the book are available as a supplement, so that students can compare the written word to what was actually captured during production-- fascinating! And unique. Claudia Johnson, a Screenwriter-in-Residence at FSU's film school, includes a clear and focused plan for the young writer that guides them through the creation of five films-- taken directly from the syllabus of her classes at FSU. Johnson's ideas and methods have been tested and have evolved over years of professional and teaching experience, and her words are among the most articulate and inspirational I have read in any book on film. Both informal and sincere, witty and focused, "Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect" will undoubtedly connect with thousands of students eager to learn the art of screenwriting. Claudia Johnson has been an unbelievable teacher to me during my journey through film school, and I am confident that her book will be the same to many more.

This wonderful little book is for you, the student of screenwriting. How do I know? I had the good fortune of being in Dr. Claudia Hunter Johnson's screenwriting class at Florida State University. We used the methods described in her book and they work! If you are disciplined enough to follow her process, you will amaze yourself. You will begin with Le Menu (your very own personal autobiography) and finish with a well-crafted script. Although you will not have her direct feedback, you will have the benefit of a script coach who has helped launch a thousand careers. Tom.

I stumbled on it recently when I was at the Samuel French bookstore on Sunset Blvd. In the heart of Hell-A (oops, scratch that - L.A. has no heart!) Anyway, there are tons of screenwriting books in that store. Tons. But I happened to pick this one up and start reading the Introduction. Very insightful. So I bought it (should've bought it here, though - it's cheaper), and I ended up devouring it pretty damn quickly. The writing is terrific - very conversational, accessible, smart, and at times bust-a-gut funny. But most impressive, the author sheds light on the importance of "connection" in the storytelling process. It made me think back about how many times in writing classes CONFLICT CONFLICT CONFLICT had been shoved down my throat. Okay, okay, I got it already! But, she points out, it's only half the story (the yin to the yang, or ya know, vice-versa...) - as she goes on to wonderfully illustrate and illuminate. Also, the sample student scripts are great additions. I especially got a big laugh out of "The Making of 'Killer Kite.'" I may have to spring for the companion video just to see how that film turned out.

Yeah, yeah, the book has "short screenplays" in the title, but the points she makes are applicable to scripts of any length. You can bet that even this jaded L.A. feature film writer will be incorporating a lot of her insights in his own creative process.

I'm looking forward to any follow-ups from this author, because she's finally brought something new - and important -- to the endless discussions (and how-to books) on screenwriting.