pdfebookbot.net

From Covering the 1890s to the mid-1910s, this work focuses on the period during which filmmaking progressed from the early flickering moving images that lasted only a matter of seconds to multiple-reel, feature films running more than an hour. By offering an international perspective and encompassing not only the production aspects of early motion pictures but also their distribution, exhibition, and reception, this work fills a gap in the reference literature on film. Contributed by Abel, a film professor at the University of Michigan, and a team of nearly 140 scholars, the alphabetically arranged entries include key figures; technical innovations; film companies; kinds of films (Comedy, Newsreels, Polar expedition films); aspects of film production (Costume, Lighting, Sound effects); historical overviews of early cinema in specific countries; film publications; and related social and cultural institutions, practices, and concerns. Of the more than 950 entries, approximately 560 treat inventors, directors, producers, scriptwriters, actors and actresses, and other people involved in filmmaking. Most entries for individuals are relatively brief (between 100 to 200 words), but particularly significant figures, such as Charles Chaplin and Thomas Edison, receive treatments ranging from 450 to 1,000 words. Articles in other categories, for instance, those on specific film genres and national cinemas, often span several pages. Especially notable are the essays on individual countries, which reflect how quickly the technologies for making and showing motion pictures spread to diverse locations throughout the world, such as Cuba, New Zealand, and Vietnam. All entries are signed, and many provide bibliographic references. Additional features include an extensive general bibliography of sources pertaining to early cinema and 132 black-and-white photographs and other illustrations. Liberal use of cross-references, a thematic guide that arranges article headings into broad subject categories, and a commendably detailed index (which is essential for locating information on individual films since there are no entries for film titles) facilitate access. Scholarly but not pedantic, this encyclopedia will be a valuable resource in larger academic and public libraries and other institutions that are developing comprehensive collections related to film studies. Unfortunately, its substantial price may prohibit its purchase in many instances. Marie EllisCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Review 'A unique reference that will be welcomed by serious students of film history. It is a fascinating story and this reference will help students and other interested readers explore its full scope.' - Against the Grain 'This definitive new encyclopedia provides an essential reference tool...This work represents a long-awaited accumulation of knowledge on the international emergence of cinema. Highly recommended for all reference collections.' - Choice 'It's a great pleasure to report that such an Encyclopedia has now been published, and that the job has been uncommonly well done ... both for the newcomer and for the specialist, the Encyclopedia of Early Cinema is highly recommended ... this is a book that deserves a place on virtually any film enthusiast's bookshelf.' - Nineteenth Century Theatre & Film

Review ""Using history, real carny language, stories from former sideshow workers and owners, and from Nickell's own archives, Secrets of the Sideshows is a wealth of information for circus fans or anyone who's wondered how those seemingly-impossible illusions are created."" -- Algona Upper Desmoines (IA), Brookings (SD) Register, Lake Country (WI), Marco I "Using history, real carny language, stories from former sideshow workers and owners, and from Nickell's own archives, Secrets of the Sideshows is a wealth of information for circus fans or anyone who's wondered how those seemingly-impossible illusions are created." -- Brookings (SD) Register ""Nickell offers first a history of sideshows... then presents a comprehensive analysis of sideshow performers, skills, and illusions.... Recommended."" -- Choice "An illustrated book for large popular-culture collections. Recommended for all levels." -- Choice ""To find out how it's done, and other carnival minutiae, browse Nickell's comprehensive Secrets of the Sideshows."" -- Entertainment Weekly ""A widely researched and splendidly illustrated history of the bizarre world of the exhibited abnormal and the demonstrated impossible."" -- Foreword Magazine "If there's a more incredibly thorough ­or more thoroughly incredible bookout there on the past, present and future of the midway, I don't know it. Blessed are all we rubes that Joe Nickell's Secrets of the Sideshows is outin the world." -- James Taylor, author of James Taylor's Shocked and Amazed: On & Off theMidw "A book that gives you the straight lowdown on the acts and the people behindthem. A clear-eyed look into a vanishing bit of Americana. Intriguing andunique." -- Joe R. Lansdale, Edgar Award winning author of The Bottoms and Freezer Burn "The author, lifting up the back flap of the tent show, reveals, informs, and presents a range of human oddities from the 'real' to the 'created.'" -- Linking Ring "Ever since I saw Penn and Teller 'eat' fire and pontificate on the circus sideshow, I have been curious to learn more about it, not only the history and culture of the sideshow, but the secrets themselves! Nickell delivers brilliantly." -- Michael Shermer, author of Why People Believe Weird Things "Simultaneously provides an insider's glimpse of that world on the skirts of the main event and an excursion into a vanishing feature of North American life." -- PsycCritiques "An enjoyable read.... Nickell has encyclopedic knowledge of sideshow history" -- Roanoke (VA) Times "Nickell takes us inside the world of fire-eaters, sword-swallowers, jugglers, snake-handlers, and magicians to explain the illusions and oddities we may have puzzled over but never fully understood." -- Robert A. Baker, author of They Call It Hypnosis "To be sure, he gives plenty of secrets away here, most of them open secrets, but the book works best as a tribute to the imagination of the performers and organizers of the exhibits which were meant to provoke and satisfy that admirable old human characteristic, curiosity.... If you want the lowdown on sideshows, step right up, ladies and gentlemen, Joe Nickell presents the best show on the midway." -- Times of Acadiana "An exciting experience of the mostly American phenomenon of carnys, sideshows, freaks, and carnivals." -- UFO Aktuellt "For an entertaining book on a rapidly fading culture that was once a thriving part of old America, be sure and pick up "The Secret of the Sideshows."" -- Jarrid Deaton, The Floyd County Times About the Author Joe Nickell, senior research fellow of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), writes the "Investigative Files" column for Skeptical Inquirer magazine.

Review 'An excellent easy to read compendium of both theory and practise. Clearly the writers are experts, making this a valuable reference publication. It's all in there; from definitions of mass, time and current, to setting up and running broadcast and recording studios.'Sound & Communications International From the Publisher Compiled by an international team of experts, the second edition was updated to keep on top of fast-moving areas such as digital audio and transmission technology. Much of the material has been revised, updated and expanded to cover the very latest techniques. This is a new paperback version. --This text refers to the edition.

Review 'David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery have written an excellent introduction to the history of the book. This concise volume covers the major aspects of book history to introduce the novice or to refresh the memory of the scholar... the book as a whole provides a starting place for further discussion and exploration into the history of literacy, the book, and ideas about reading and text.' - Millie Jackson, Libraries and the Cultural Record "the tracing of history, historiography, and competing views is engaging." --Journalism History About the Author David Finkelstein is Professor of Media and head of the Media Department at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh. Alistair McCleery is Professor of Literature and Communications at Napier University, Edinburgh. They are the editors of The Book History Reader (Routledge 2001).

Review 'The merit of this book is that it helps develop critical thinking by connecting theory and specific media policies and processes in their social and political context. In doing this it also draws on and makes clear much interseting empirical evidencs of the media research being conducted in different national contexts.' - European Journal of Communication

Review "Schechner's views are usually provocative, his incidental comments are often acute, and he has a commendable gift for making unexpected connections." -- British Journal of Aesthetics About the Author Richard Schechner (1938-). One of contemporary theatre's most celebrated directors, he is also a world-renowned artist and scholar. --This text refers to an alternate edition.

From the Publisher Kissing and telling .. You've heard about Sky Gilbert: he's loved by fans of his novels, plays, poetry, and columns; hated by the Toronto Sun and by some members of the gay community. His alter ego Jane, a drag queen, was charged with not wearing a seat belt in a cab, took the case to trial, and won: "The judge said I was a reasonable person." Gilbert's theatre, Buddies in Bad Times, was almost closed by The City of Toronto for sponsoring S/M workshops in 1990, and yet he was awarded the Pauline McGibbon Award for directing in 1985, has directed two plays at the Shaw Festival, and had his work performed across North America. The Religious Right has campaigned against him, yet some men argue that his work has changed their lives.So, what's Gilbert all about, what makes him tick? Is he a drag queen? An award-winning artist? A complete slut? Or, maybe, all three? Many are going to be angered by this book, many more will be entertained. One guarantee: everyone is going to be reading Ejaculations from the Charm Factory to see if their names are in it. And yes, they are. But there's also a whole lot more. From the Author Writer, filmmaker, actor, or drag queen extraordinaire, SKY GILBERT is one of North America's most controversial artistic forces. He was born in Norwich, Connecticut, but since 1965 Toronto has been his home. His hit plays include The Dressing Gown, Drag Queens on Trial, and The Birth of Casper G. Schmidt. He has received the Pauline McGibbon award for directing, and two Dora awards. His plays and films have been produced and screened across North America. In 1998 ECW published Gilbert's first full-length collection of poetry; he has also published Guilty and St. Stephen's, two critically acclaimed novels.

From Library Journal The latest entry in the crowded field of film history encyclopedias consists primarily of short biographical essays on stars of the past and present. In addition, there are entries for some producers, directors, cinematographers, et al., as well as for important films and film terms, e.g., "best boy." The information is generally accurate. The opinions expressed are conventional, which is fine for neophytes but tends to make rather boring reading for the knowledgeable. The book is probably most similar to Ephraim Katz's The Film Encyclopedia (LJ 11/1/79), but differs in that Katz's is international in scope and has no entries for individuals film titles. Halliwell's Filmgoer's Companion (Scribner, 1989. 9th ed.) is also international in scope, but even for Hollywood figures it features more entries than the Siegels' book; on the other hand, Halliwell's entries are shorter. Large libraries are already likely to own most of the Encyclopedia's information in some form or other. Other libraries seeking to expand their reference holdings in this area should consider this, especially since it has the added advantage of currency in the topics covered.- John Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, N.J.Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Sixteen years after the publication of the first edition, this encyclopedia offers representative entries on the American film industry, from the early, pre-Hollywood days to the present. Entries cover people, including actors, directors, producers, editors, cinematographers, and more; films; studios; genres (for example, Beach party movies, Screwball comedy); jobs (Best boy, Editor); and terms (Montage, Rough cut). Some entries feature a photograph, and many include see also references. The A-Z portion of the volume is followed by a selected bibliography. The index is the preferred approach to a name or group since many people are discussed within a category or theme, such as Child stars and Sheen family dynasty. In their introduction, the authors note that genuine stardom seldom lasts for more than five years, and in adding newer stars to this edition, they have chosen those who seem to have lasting appeal, among them Julianne Moore, Brad Pitt, and Will Smith. The standard of lasting appeal has also resulted in the addition of some early major figures who may be forgotten (the director Allen Dwan, for example). Although libraries that have both the first edition and other film titles may not consider this a necessary purchase, this up-to-date edition is easy to use and could be a welcome addition to the circulating as well as the reference collection. With the expansion of library video and DVD collections, it could also be used as a collection development tool. Patricia HoganCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the edition.

Review "endeavors to change readers' notions of film adapatations as inferior to their literary counterparts...Summing up: Recommended." -J.C. Tibbetts, University of Kansas, Choice Book Description This Companion offers a multi-disciplinary approach to literature on film and television. Writers are drawn from different backgrounds to consider broad topics, such as the issue of adaptation from novels and plays to the screen, canonical and popular literature, fantasy, genre and adaptations for children.

From Library Journal One would think that "moving" would be as natural as falling off a log, and yet when we stand in front of an audience, our hands grow large and heavy and our feet root to the floor. Marshall (physical acting, Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, London) and the contributors to the collection by Potter (theater, Marymount Manhattan Coll.) are well aware of this problem and take different approaches to solving it. Marshall tends to focus on the inner being and the actor's inner response. Concepts such as "finding the center," "discovering the rhythm," and "focusing your energy" are cited throughout, along with physical and practical exercises and activities that will help actors use their bodies effectively to communicate with the audience. As a collection, Potter's book offers a variety of viewpoint and focus. For example, Mary Fleischer's article is about stillness-how to be silent, respond, return to stillness, and so on-while Marianne Kubik discusses Meyerhold's system of training actors and body movement. Theresa Lee examines the Alexander Technique. In all, there are 23 articles and almost as many approaches to body movement. Interestingly, both books discuss the importance of the synthesis of body and mind, discipline and spontaneity, and knowledge and instinct. Both works are highly recommended for all library theater collections and large public libraries.Susan L. Peters, Univ. of Texas, Galveston Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review "Offers a variety of viewpoint and focus . . . 23 articles and almost as many approaches to body movement. Highly recommended." -- Library Journal