Pericyclic Reactions - A Textbook: Reactions, Applications and Theory

Book Description

Based on twelve years of teaching a graduate course, this long awaited textbook presents Diels-Alder reactions, electrocyclic reactions, sigmatropic rearrangements plus many more topics in a highly didactic way. Throughout the focus is on the important facts and aspects, with both classical and new examples explained in detail.
The only up-to-date work of its kind on the market, this is an invaluable tool for students and lecturers in chemistry, organic chemists, and libraries.
With a foreword by Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann.

Pericyclic Reactions (Oxford Chemistry Primers, 67)

Average customer rating:

Understanding Pericyclic Reactions

Pericyclic Reactions (Oxford Chemistry Primers, 67)
Ian Fleming
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books

Stereochemistry | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0198503075

Book Description

Pericyclic reaction - the third type of organic reaction mechanism along with ionic and radical reactions - include some of the most powerful synthetically useful reactions, like the Diels - Alder reaction, 1,3- dipolar cycloadditions, the Alder ene reaction, Claisen rearrangements, the 2,3-Wittig rearrangement, diimide reduction, sulfoxide elimination and many others. These reactions are characterised by having cyclic transition structures, and also have highly predictable stereochemical features. Every organic chemist must be able to recognise the various types of pericyclic reaction and know something of their mechanisms and the factors that affect how well they work in organic synthesis. This book identifies the four main classes of pericyclic reaction, and discusses the main characteristics of the most important class, cycloadditions - providing a working knowledge, based on real examples, of their scope, patterns of reactivity, and stereochemistry. Then it explains the main features using ideas based in molecular orbital theory, but ( as in the companion book by A. J. Kirby on Stereoelectronic Effects ) without mathematics. It presents the Woodward - Hoffmann rules in the form of two all-encompassing rules, one for thermal reactions and its opposite for photochemical reactions. These rules are explained in detail and carefully illustrated, so that you will be able to predict the stereochemical outcome for any pericyclic reaction. The remaining chapters use this theoretical framework to show how the rules work with the other three classes of pericyclic reactions - electrocyclic reactions, sigmatropic rearrangements and group transfer reactions. By the end of the book, you will be able to recognise any pericyclic reaction and predict with confidence whether it is allowed, and with what stereochemistry, and you will have a working knowledge of the range of pericyclic reactions available to the synthetic organic chemist.

Customer Reviews:

Understanding Pericyclic Reactions.......2002-03-09

If you want to learn pericyclic chemistry (with no mathematics), this book is the right choice. For understanding the text, is only necesary to have a little background in order to get an idea about the subject of the boook (most organic chemistry books, for example: John McMurry or T. R. W. Graham Solomons classic texts, have a chapter about this kind of reactions and reviewing them will be enough).
Fleming's writing style is so easy to asimilate, and the book really "teaches" you the basic principles: mechanisms, Woodward-Hoffmann rules, stereochemistry prediction (and tells you "why" it is like this), exceptions and their possible explanations.
There are examples all over the text, but the most important thing....It has end-of-chapter problems, and "their answers" too (so you can check if you have done it well).

After trying it, I got some skills about this kind of reactions and they allow me to face some "Advanced Organic Chemistry" books, without "feeling scared of them" any more.

Average customer rating:
Experimental and Theoretical Aspects of Cation Radical Pericyclic Reactions
Kurt Thomas Lorenz
Manufacturer: Univ of Texas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RSQWES

Average customer rating:
Mechanistic Aspects of Cation Radical Pericyclic Reactions: Bronsted Acid Versus Cation Radical Catalysis, Cyclobutane Versus Diels Alder Periselecdtivity, the Vinylcyclobutane Rearrangement, and Diene Triplets from Back Electron Transfer
Daniel Wesley Reynolds
Manufacturer: Univ of Texas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S5HOII

Average customer rating:
Natural Products Synthesis through Pericyclic Reactions (Acs Monograph)
Giovanni Desimoni , Gianfranco Tacconi , Achille Barco , and Gian Piero Pollini
Manufacturer: An American Chemical Society Publication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General & Reference | Chemistry | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Organic | Chemistry | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Organic | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
Synthesis | Organic | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0841207577

Average customer rating:
Organic Photochemistry and Pericyclic Reactions
M.G. Arora
Manufacturer: Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 8170418607

Average customer rating:
Overlap Determinant Method in the Theory of Pericyclic Reactions (Eso Monographs)
R. Ponec
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Organic | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Physical & Theoretical | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
General & Reference | Chemistry | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Organic | Chemistry | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Physical & Theoretical | Chemistry | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 3540591893

Book Description

The author summarizes the development and the applications of overlap determinant method in various fields of pericyclic reactivity. The greatest advantage of this new method lies in its remarkable simplicity and flexibility owing to which it opens an interesting possibility of the systematic investigation of important mechanistic problems of pericyclic reactivity which were so far beyond the scope of other existing techniques.

Pericyclic Reactions (Chapman and Hall Chemistry Textbook Series)

Average customer rating:

Pericyclic Reactions (Chapman and Hall Chemistry Textbook Series)
G. Gill
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Pericyclic Reactions (Organic Chemistry, a Series of Monographs, 35)

Average customer rating:

Pericyclic Reactions (Organic Chemistry, a Series of Monographs, 35)
A. P. Marchand , and Roland E. Lehr
Manufacturer: Academic Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Average customer rating:

Photochemistry and Pericyclic Reactions
Jaya Singh
Manufacturer: New Age International (P) Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 8122416942

Book Description

The research papers in this book were presented as part of the Fourth International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements. The purpose of the conference was to present current knowledge of the sources, pathways, behavior and effects of trace elements in soils, waters, plants and animals. Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements in Coal and Coal Combustion Byproducts is for a variety of readers, including public health and environmental professionals, industrial hygienists, consultants, waste management professionals, and academicians. It may also prove valuable to scientists conducting research on coal and coal combustion byproducts.

Coal Combustion Byproducts and Environmental Issues

Average customer rating:

Coal Combustion Byproducts and Environmental Issues

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Medicine | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0387258655

Book Description

Coal Combustion Byproducts and Environmental Issues addresses the major implications and critical issues surrounding coal combustion products and their impact upon the environment. It provides essential information for scientists conducting research on coal and coal combustion products, but also serves as a valuable reference for a wide variety of researchers and other professionals in the energy industry and in the fields of public health, engineering, and environmental sciences. The ultimate goal of this volume is to benefit both our economy and our environment as humanity enters the second half of the fossil fuel era.

Coal Fired Power Plant Trace Element Study - Volume I - A Three Station Comparison

Average customer rating:

Coal Fired Power Plant Trace Element Study - Volume I - A Three Station Comparison
Radian Corporation
Manufacturer: Environmental Protection Agency Region VIII
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KNT31Y

Coal Fired Power Plant Trace Element Study - Volume II - Stations I, II, & III

Average customer rating:

Coal Fired Power Plant Trace Element Study - Volume II - Stations I, II, & III
Radian Corporation
Manufacturer: Environmental Protection Agency Region VIII
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KNR23A

Environmental Aspects of Trace Elements in Coal (Energy & Environment)

Average customer rating:

Environmental Aspects of Trace Elements in Coal (Energy & Environment)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Engineering | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0792336666

Book Description

The trace elements in coal play an important role in its mining, treatment and usage. This book is a unique blend of relevant information on the 24 trace elements of environmental interest. Major emphasis is on background matters (content, geology, modes of occurrence) and to practical aspects (beneficiation, combustion, effects in emission control systems). Other topics dealt with in detail are the transport and dispersion of plumes, deposition from the atmosphere around a power station, leaching from coal ash, and mineland reclamation. In contrast to other publications, this book is an up-to-date, balanced account of the overall situation.
Audience: Coal scientists and technologists involved in the environmental aspects of coal production and use, and regulatory bodies.

Trace Contaminants from Coal (Pollution technology review)

Average customer rating:

Trace Contaminants from Coal (Pollution technology review)

Manufacturer: Noyes Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Trace Element Measurement at the Coal-fired Steam Plant

Average customer rating:

Trace Element Measurement at the Coal-fired Steam Plant
W.S. Lyon
Manufacturer: CRC Press Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Applied | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Trace Elements in Coal : Occurance and Distribution

Average customer rating:

Trace Elements in Coal : Occurance and Distribution
H. J.; Ruch, R. R.; Miller, W. G.; Cahill, R. A.; Dreher, G. B.; Kuhn, J. K. Gluskoter
Manufacturer: Illinois State Geological Survey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KNVBJ6

Trace Elements in Coal and Coal Combustion Residues (Advances in Trace Substances Research)

Average customer rating:

Trace Elements in Coal and Coal Combustion Residues (Advances in Trace Substances Research)
Robert F. Keefer , and Kenneth S. Sajwan
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Oil & Energy | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0873718909

Book Description

Trace Elements in Coal and Coal Combustion Residues focuses on trace metal chemistry of coal and coal combustion residues. Special emphasis is placed on management of coal combustion residues in electric power plants and the influence of coal and associated residues on soils, plants, water, and animals. Topics covered include a brief summary of research sponsored by Electric Power Research Institute, environmental pollution from coal combustion plants in low-rainfall regions, accumulation of trace elements in freshwater mussels near a power plant, testing to evaluate fossil fuel wastes by chemicals and isotopes, transport of metals from coal piles and ash impoundments, leachability and toxicity of metals in fly ash, and plant absorption of chemicals from ash. The book will be a useful reference for environmental and reclamation consultants, environmental engineers, toxicologists, environmental regulatory personnel, officials with electric power utilities and water treatment plants, and soil scientists.

Average customer rating:

Trace Elements in Coal, Vol. 1
Vlado Valkovic
Manufacturer: Crc Pr I Llc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

The International Conference on Atomic and Molecular Data and their Applications is a forum for interaction of AM (Atomic and Molecular) data producers and users and for information exchange on AM data needs and availability, AM data activities and databases worldwide. These include applications in magnetic and internal fusion, industrial plasma processing, astrophysics, lighting, medical radiation hysics and atmospheric physics.

Atomic and Molecular Processes in Fusion Edge Plasmas

Average customer rating:

Authoritative, detailed account of atomic physics for fusion

Atomic and Molecular Processes in Fusion Edge Plasmas

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Nuclear | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Applied | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0306450437

Book Description

This well-illustrated resource provides vital cross-section information for the atomic and molecular collision processes taking place in the boundary region of magnetically confined fusion plasmas and in other laboratory and astrophysical low-temperature plasmas. The expertly assessed information in this noteworthy volume includes the most recent experimental and theoretical results presented in a convenient format. Coverage includes the processes of electron-impact excitation and ionization of plasma edge atoms, electron-ion recombination, dissociative collision processes involving electrons and much more.

Customer Reviews:

Authoritative, detailed account of atomic physics for fusion.......1997-11-18

The edge region of magnetically confined, thermonuclear fusion plasmas constitutes the physical interface between the hot, fully ionized core and the material walls of the containment vessel. The physical conditions of the edge plasma define the boundary conditions for the overall core plasma dynamics and the characteristics of the transmitted energy and particle fluxes to the walls. Control of the physical conditions in the plasma edge is essential for achieving the desired thermonuclear performance (burn characteristics, energy confinement mode, plasma purity, etc.) and for satisfying the fusion reactor engineering design criteria (tolerable power loads on plasma-facing materials, power and particle exhaust, impurity control, etc.). Atomic and molecular collision processes in the relatively cold plasma edge region, as well as plasma-wall interaction processes, play a decisive role in determining the physical conditions of the boundary plasma. The knowledge of quantitative characteristics of these processes is one of the key elements in understanding the plasma edge properties and behaviour and in establishing control over the plasma edge conditions. The aim of the present volume is to provide a comprehensive review and quantitative information on the most important gas-phase atomic and molecular processes in the edge plasmas of toroidal fusion devices, particularly tokamaks with divertors. The book contains 16 chapters, each introducing the reader to the basic physics of a particular class of processes, briefly reviewing the current research as well as providing an extensive, up-to-date quantitative overview, including cross sections and reaction rates. The selection of the interacting species is guided by their abundance in the edge plasmas of presently operating large fusion devices, also taking into account the likely plasma edge composition of next-generation fusion reactors. The quantitative information is presented in a form which facilitates its direct use in plasma edge modelling and/or plasma diagnostics. The elementary processes covered in this volume are: radiative processes of, - and spectroscopic data for, the fusion edge species; electron-impact elastic and inelastic (excitation, ionization, recombination) collision processes with plasma edge hydrogen and impurity atoms and ions; electron-molecule (including molecular ion) collision processes involving excitation, ionization and recombination through both the direct and dissociative channels; elastic momentum transfer processes among hydrogen and helium ions, neutrals and isotopes; excitation, ionization and charge exchange processes in ion-atom (molecule) collisions; and particle and reactive ion-molecule collision processes. Separate chapters provide information on the electron-impact processes involving vibrationally excited hydrogen molecules and molecular ions including their isotope versions; energy and angular distributions of secondary electrons produced in electron-impact ionization, and the collision processes involving hydrocarbons. The plasma impurities for which the electron-impact and heavy-particle impact collision information is provided in the book include: He, Be, B, C, O, Ne, Si, and the metallic impurities from the medium- and high-Z range: Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Mo, and W. All chapters are comprehensive, self-contained and written by active and prominent experts in the field of their topic. This is the first book that specifically addresses the atomic and molecular processes in fusion edge plasmas in a complete manner and provides extensive up-to-date quantitative information on their collisional characteristics. The information in this book is valuable not only for understanding the influence of atomic and molecular processes on the behavior of fusion edge plasmas, but also for actual physics research on edge plasmas, such as modelling and diagnostics. To the broader topic of magnetic confinement the physical processes discussed in this book derive their importance from the strong and diverse thermodynamic forces and the relatively large volume fraction characterizing the plasma edge. It is hoped that this publication will enable the fusion research community to further the integration of atomic and molecular physics considerations into magnetic confinement analysis.

Atomic Multielectron Processes (Springer Series on Atomic, Optical, and Plasma Physics)

Average customer rating:

Atomic Multielectron Processes (Springer Series on Atomic, Optical, and Plasma Physics)
Viatcheslav Shevelko , and Hiro Tawara
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Nuclear | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Molecular Physics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Engineering | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
ASIN: 3540642358

Book Description

Atomic Multielectron Processes is the first comprehensive collection of the data (mostly cross sections and methods) devoted to the multielectron transitions in atoms and ions induced by single collisions with charged particles and photons. The book covers the fundamental ranges of atomic physics which helps understanding the nature of many particle transitions.

Atomic Processes in Plasmas (AIP Conference Proceedings / Atomic Processes in Plasmas)

Average customer rating:

Atomic Processes in Plasmas (AIP Conference Proceedings / Atomic Processes in Plasmas)

Manufacturer: American Institute of Physics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Atomic Processes in Plasmas (AIP Conference Proceedings / Atomic Processes in Plasmas)

Manufacturer: American Institute of Physics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Astrophysics & Space Science | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1563965526

Average customer rating:

Atomic Processes in Plasmas (AIP Conference Proceedings / Atomic Processes in Plasmas)

Manufacturer: American Institute of Physics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0883189399

Average customer rating:

Atomic Processes in Plasmas (AIP Conference Proceedings / Atomic Processes in Plasmas)

Manufacturer: American Institute of Physics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0883187698

Atomic Processes in Plasmas (AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 322)

Average customer rating:

Atomic Processes in Plasmas (AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 322)

Manufacturer: American Institute of Physics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

full of 'funnies' yet annoying

Starts falling apart after the first chapter

Reader in San Francisco

Buy it, you'll like it.

Weird and wacky and very funny!

Escape from Film School: A Novel
Richard Walter
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television Writing (Plume)

The Whole Picture: Strategies for Screenwriting Success in the New Hollywood

Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434: The Industry's Premier Teacher Reveals the Secrets of the Successful Screenplay

Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters: Storytelling Secrets From the Greatest Mind in Western Civilization

ASIN: 0312205376

Book Description

Escape from Film Schooltells the sprightly tale of a young man who makes it in Hollywood without ever leaving film school.

When Stuart arrives in California in the Sixties, he is fleeing the draft and he quite literally stumbles into the University of Southern California's film school. Within a few weeks he is living out of his car and making student films with stolen equipment. Within a few years he is rubbing elbows with a young Mike Ovitz and other characters pulled straight from the pages of Variety. Blessed with a biting wit and a jaundiced eye, Stuart is a keen observer of the machinations, power plays, and absurdities of the movie biz. His account of his own circuitous progress--and that of his beautiful and ambitious wife, Veronica; his beautiful and ambitious girlfriend, Ginger; and his loyal daughter Rainbeaux--also offers an incisive and satirical look at this bizarre yet fascinating world. Like The Player, it is a dead-on, often hilarious, and occasionally poignant tale about survival and redemption in Hollywood.

Customer Reviews:

full of 'funnies' yet annoying.......2003-10-25

This story is about a Stuart Thomas who arrives in California during the 60's fleeing the Vietnam draft and lands up in the USC campus; a film school. He is saved from marshals who are trying to arrest him by the chairman of USC's cinema department. Now he has to enrol himself as a student here and starts living out of a car and waitresses to earn a living. ("the hardest part was rising every hour to plunk another dime in the meter."). Here he meets one of his classmates, Veronica Baldwin who later goes on to become his wife. She with his help creates a steamy porn film, `Extra Hot Sauce' which wins the first prize at the national student competition. They raise money from doctors for their production `Brutal Bad Ass Angels'. During the course of his life and career, he meets Ginger Kenton a student and then his girlfriend and divorces his wife. Both the women have a compelling effect on him. His daughter Raynebeaux is the apple of his eye whose fancies make him a creative hack writer.

In this book the author Richard Walter offers an ironical look at the film world and the book is full of `funnies'. The book revolves around American names and events which make it difficult for an outsider to connect with and understand and thus mars the `cuteness' of the book. The wit is interesting but becomes annoying after a while. It is also a poignant tale of a writer who tries to seek solace form various healers and therapists who are almost always on the verge of `enlightening' him when they say "that's all the time we have for today". Another of the persistent scenes is where Stuart keeps getting caught by cops for violations of some silly law and has his rights read n number of times to him.

The author's `hero' comes across as a bit of a obsessive compulsive when during his conversations he ends almost always with using names or words and then "and those are just all the Davids" and likewise.

The word play and the adjectives are interesting. He describes in a graph where Stuart is being taken to jail and he's told that some women give more attention to people who've been convicted (Boasts of such exploits, they assured me moreover, had encouraged firm breasted, pointy-nippled, long-haired, faded-denim-clad women in artsy-craftsy-clikny-clanky earrings and no panties cavalierly to drop their bell-bottoms.) the words are `staccatoed' and rhythmic.

The language is smooth and easy to understand but includes a lot of slang, which might put the reader off. The actions of the male protagonist, being in this near frustrating profession are predictable but the fun lies in the reactions, which are too unpredictable. The plot is extremely sad; almost nonexistent, but the quirkiness, the eccentricity carries the story till the end giving the reader stitches on the side.

The book cover, with a film roll designed on it and a picture of a man running out of the roll is catchy and `pick-me-up' kind.

The author Richard Walter, is a professor at UCLA where he heads the graduate program in film and television writing.

The book makes an intelligent and good read but is too casual to be called a novel.

Starts falling apart after the first chapter.......2002-01-22

The first chapter of this book was interesting, well-written, and basically did everything a first chapter is supposed to do: it made me want to keep reading. Unfortunately, the book becomes more and more a summation of the years gone by with lots of implausible plot turns, paper-thin characters (even by stereotype Hollywood standards), and repeated, stale jokes.

Reader in San Francisco.......2000-12-05

Being a professor at UCLA, I expected a lot more from Richard Walter. The sad truth is this book lacks a lot. There are some funny lines and quirky scenes but in the all I found it almost annoying. There are no characters I like nor any that are believable. The plot is flat and in the end I questioned what the book was even about. Maybe some people do care about the hollywood scene and what it's like to be a "writer," but I think even those folks are going to expect more from this novel than it offers.

Buy it, you'll like it........1999-11-09

This hilarious book gives us a sharp-eyed view of the screenwriter's lot from the halls of academia through the studio system, by brilliant writer who's seen it all.

Weird and wacky and very funny!.......1999-10-15

This is a very funny book. Walter explores Hollywood's absurd side and kept me laughing.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books