This is a fascinating story told in the words of a great collection of people who "were there." Former wives, dealers, PR types, executives, many from the '40s and '50s offer candid insights and memories that illustrate the complexity, and at times the profound sadness, of Bill Harrah's life.

Casino cheating (by owners, employees, and customers!), evolution of gambling machines, promotional stunts, big name entertainment, and the famed auto collection are covered extensively.

My only reservation (a minor one) is that Harrah's subsidized some of the production costs of the book which probably had some editorial impact. For example, embarassing or critical material is typically played down. (No interviews here of disgruntled competitors or former employees) Please do not let this comment keep you from reading "Every Light", it is great!

This oral history about William Harrah is excellent. I believe the manner in which Kling interviewed all of the people gives you a inside edge to understanding more how the gaming business was run in the early years, and how Harrah help to create a successful industry. This book is definitly worth reading!

Although the liner notes describing portions of Act 4 in the boxed set I received were a little amiss, it would be hard to see how the performance itself could be improved. Paul Scofield is absolutely extraordinary as Lear as is Alec McGowen as Glouster and Kenneth Branagh as the Fool. Five stars isn't enough! It's rare that a story like this, which can become quite complex if one isn't familiar with the action, can literally jump off the recording and present us with visual images all along the way. Every actor deserves the highest praise for his/her performance!

This excellent book provides a unique look into the history of chess by examining the lives and careers of its prominent players. Although the text essentially ends with Fischer, it is a worthwhile read. The author's style is engaging, and his choice to include only a representative game or two at the end of each master's chapter makes the book flow nicely as a story, rather than a manual on chess tactics or strategy. If you are interested in learning about the characters who played a role in defining this great game, Hartston's book is for you.

This is the first book on chess which I have read and it has spurred me to become an avid chess player. The lives of every famous chess player from Philidor to Kasparov is chronicled in this scholarly writing. Complete with their games and excellent photos , this book is a must-read for all who want to know about the greatest players in the history of chess. Brillant and painstaking research on their lives and their eccentricies.

For more than 20 years, I relied on Schickel for guidance when determining which films to see; also, for gaining a better understanding of the films I had seen. In this volume, he provides interviews with eight great directors: Hitchcock, Capra, Minimill, Cukor, Hawks, Wellman, Vidor, and Walsh. In recent weeks, I have also read Robert J. Emery's two The Directors (Take One and Take Two) and Bogdanovich's Who the Devil Made It which also offer interviews and conversations with various great directors. Don't worry about duplications; that is, what Cukor, Hawks, Hitchcock, Walsh, and Wellman have to say. Bogdanovich, Emery, and Schickel have different questions to ask, different nuances of film making to explore, and approach the directors from quite different perspectives. The responses they obtain from the same directors differ. For that reason, I strongly urge fellow film buffs to purchase all of these volumes. The order in which they are read is unimportant.

What differentiates Schickel from Bogdanovich and Emery is the fact that, for many years, he wrote film reviews for Time magazine and thus had an immense audience with which to share his opinions about more than a thousand films. Also, he is the author of more than 20 books about film making which include biographies of Marlon Brando, Cary Brando, and James Cagney. Over the years, he has earned and richly deserves his reputation as one of the most thoughtful and knowledgeable of film authorities. In this volume, he interacts with eight of the greatest film directors. At no time does he seem intimidated by them nor does he ever disrupt the flow of information exchanged with self-serving observations. He guides each director into subject areas which are probably of great interest to most film buffs but he also allows each director to ramble, digress, etc. when reminiscing or when sharing specific opinions about films and actors with whom they were associated. Sure, there is some delicious gossip. And yes, some insights not otherwise available. However, for the most part, Schickel sets up various subjects and then allows each director (many of them a personal friend) to proceed wherever he may wish, at whatever pace he may prefer. His brilliant orchestration of responses ensures their scope and depth. That is to say, he did not merely turn on the recorder and then let each of the eight take it from there. On his reader's behalf, Schickel remains actively involved, indeed engaged in the exchange of information but at no time is intrusive. Within its genre, this is indeed a "classic."

This film critic's survey of eight of Hollywood's finest directors and their works uses the interview process to explore the work of American filmmakers over the last decades. Hitchcock, Capra, Cuckor and others share their achievements in a revealing set of interviews covering special challenges and observations.

I live in England but, do you know, I've never followed the activities of the royal family. It's not always something special when you've grown up with it all your life, and they've done much to let themselves down in the past 20 years, the poor souls. So I've never followed Prince William and, really, know nothing about him. That is, I didn't until I read this book. I was at O'Hare airport in Chicago, flying back to England, when I saw it in at the bookstall. Something made me take it off the shelf - I've no idea to this day why - and it caught my interest as I flicked idly through the pages. I immediately liked the writing style - it's very descriptive, but not too much: it's artfully done. Why, for just a few bucks I got to learn more, much more than I ever thought I'd want to know about William. But I enjoyed it! It's quite a rollercoaster story, and an amusing though pretty accurate insight into British life and culture, written by one who should know - The author biography says that Mr Buskin "is a British journalist". It shows. (It also says that another of his books, about Princess Diana, was a New York Times bestseller. That must be one heck of a book - I'm already looking out for a copy.) I think Buskin must be a pretty savvy guy, and he certainly writes a witty line reminiscent of the British Carry On films. For example, I think he had tongue firmly in cheek when he wrote: "And so the stage was set: His naughtiness was about to evolve into Dreamboat Willy."

The author promises to let the reader know: " Why William was know as 'Billy the Basher,' How he coped with his parents' troubled marriage, What he does for fun and excitement, Why his former nanny is now his closest friend, and How he feels about being popular with girls all over the world." Richard Buskin does accomplished these things. However, if one has kept up with the Royal Family, then, one know everything in the book and much more. Princes William possesses many more nicknames than just 'Billy the Basher.'

Despite this, the book is well-written which one can not say about many of the books written about Prince William. This book can be appreciated by adults and not just gushing teenagers who are crazy over Prince William. It's easy reading and can be easily read in an hour.

Richard Buskin has written several books about the Royal Family - Diana in particular.

Prince William has had to grow up rapidly considering the events which have taken place in his life. As everyone knows, the world is on the verge of a new millennium, and for William, the twenty-first century king, it appears to be there for the taking. There are many picture of Prince William from infancy to the present; however, there are no new ones.

Since the death of his mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince William has grown into a mature young man, and whatever the future holds, the eyes of the world will certainly be on Prince William.

This is a paperback book which contains 159 pages and measures 4x63/4 inches.

richard ii chronicles the events that began the so-called war of the roses, the 14th century civil war between two branches of the royal family. it focuses on the usurpation of the crown by henry bolingbroke (later henry iv). in snatching the crown from his cousin richard, henry 'leapt over' the legitimate heir, his teenage nephew. thence began the internicine feud. historically, the play is pretty accurate. richard is portrayed as a feckless, flamboyant man who believed he had a divine right to rule and forgot that his earthly powers rested on the support of his followers, who he abused and neglected. the play does focus on richard's personality, and he gets a lot of nice lines, but it also focuses on the plotting and scheming that makes this period such an intersting one. richard ii is the first part of shakspeare's history tetralogy that continues in henry the iv, parts 1 and 2, and concludes in henry v. all are well worth reading.

Richard II, the weak and unwise King of England, is trapped amongst a group of flattering sycophants. He unwisely meditates in a fight between Mowbray and Henry Bolingbroke. He exiles Mowbray for life and Bolingbroke for ten, later reduced on behalf of John of Gaunt to six years. John of Gaunt dies and Richard II confiscates his lands and titles for the sake of putting down Owen Glendower (Historically Owain Glyn Dwr)'s invasion of england. Meanwhile, Bolingbroke brings troops against Richard, assisted by Northumberland. To find out the ending, you should read it yourself. This was the first complete play I read by Shakespeare. The Folger Guides are so helpful!

An excellent, comprehensive, and very readable text, written by a true expert on the subject. I highly reccomend it.

nothing to say just read i

Sams' argument has not been accepted by the 'academic establishment', but in my opinion the case which he makes in this book that "Edmund Ironside" is an early Shakespeare play, is very strong.

The idea that the author of the Shakespeare-folio suddenly started writing masterworks is at last proven to be nonsense. Eric Sams makes the case for Edmund Ironside being an early Shakespeare-play so masterly, that only the very stubborn (& the very stupid) can harbour any doubt after reading "Shakespeare's Lost Play". All the same, "Edmund Ironside" stinks, and should (I hope) never be performed on stage. But this monstrosity is fascinating reading-matter, written by a very young and unexperienced bard, who started, just like any other normal being, his professional career not simply by being the best, but at the bottom, by trying - and failing many times. It makes the author of Shakespeares works almost human! This book shouldn't be missed by any serious Shakespeare-student; Eric Sams shows how authorship can and should be proven - and how opponents should be silenced. That Sams apparently completed this study without the benefit of a computer opens new horizons for humanity!

I found this an uproarously funny collection of writng bloopers. Anyone who has a sense of humor, be it latent warped will chuckle, laugh out loud and remember similarities from his English Composition days. The comments from the Professor in the margin are perfection. I can almost visualize him in the wee hours of the morning grading such "slips" and adding his humorous remarks. For an example, "The odor of smoke could be smelt on my hands." The Professor's margin comment is " It could have been herring." Another favorite is, "Even though I set and think, My hopes for answers sink and sink. So with the hour drawing neigh I'll take my "F" And say good-bye." Dr. Betts' marginal comment is "The grade is "F", be not distraught. At least you didn't get a nought."

The illustrations are well done for the selected "slips".
"Slips" is a quick delightful read that left me happy and wanting to share this priceless little gem with friends . It is the perfect gift for all. .

This is a VERY funny book--564 student bloopers assembled over forty years by a Professor of English with a sense of humor.
Howlers like this one: "We do not believe in executing the insane because they won't learn a lesson from it." And this one: "After leaving the game he collapsed on the sidewalk and died without medical assistance."
This happy little book is very cleverly organized and most imaginatively illustrated. It makes a great gift book. It gets five stars for laughter. --Parkman Blake, Sacramento, California

McKellan's sceenplay for his movie of Richard III is a great read for anyone interested in how a script becomes a play or how a play becomes a movie. McKellan's side bar comments on how scenes were shot or decisions were made on what language to cut, change, or move are insightful and a lot of fun. Because the movie started as a stage production, the book addresses not only how to film Shakespeare, but also the changes that can or must be made when a play is filmed. Also worth nothing is McKellan's introduction, which contains the best explanation of blank verse (Shakespeare's verse form) that I have ever encountered. I recently repurchased this book through Amazon; I lent it to one of my college professors a few years ago and never saw it again. I can't think of many books that I'm willing to buy twice, so I give this book my wholehearted endorsement.

I use the word "collection," because readers will not only be treated to the screenplay, but also to Sir Ian McKellen's breezy, comfortable style of writing in his thorough introduction and annotations. For those familiar with his Official Homepage notes, Sir Ian captures you most willingly with his conversational tone and easy wit. (There are also plenty of well-captioned b/w photos to support "the script.") An excellent purchase.