Sophia Loren: A Biography
Average customer rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
  • Very informative
  • A tragedy!
  • The essentials
  • fleshy with filmography
Sophia Loren: A Biography
Warren G. Harris
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Actors & ActressesActors & Actresses | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
EntertainersEntertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Two Women Two Women
  2. The Eloquent Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis : A Portrait in Her Own Words (With a One-Hour DVD Insert from A&E Biography) The Eloquent Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis : A Portrait in Her Own Words (With a One-Hour DVD Insert from A&E Biography)
  3. Easy Italian Reader (Easy Reader) Easy Italian Reader (Easy Reader)

ASIN: 0684802732

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Very informative.......2006-04-26

I am only a sophomore in High School but I did read this book for a biography project I had to do and it was very informative for a biography paper. It had its moments of boredom but overall i dont consider it a "Bad" book like some have in the past. There are not that many things written on Sophia that can be compared. So overall I think it was a pretty good book and packed full of in formation. Its a biography what more do you want and wild crazy fantasy romance story?

1 out of 5 stars A tragedy!.......2003-11-21

This bio is a tragedy. Poor written, no history, just jive, gossips. An insult to Sophia Loren and to all her fans as well.
This horrible book, maybe the worst biography ever written, is a bad collage of information, a lack of journalistic bearing.
Mr. Harris' personality takes center stage even if the book is about Sophia. Barbed comments abound which instead of shedding light on the book's subject matter, seem to be included to ridicule its subject. Urgh...!!!

3 out of 5 stars The essentials.......2002-10-30

There aren't many Sophia Loren biographies out there, and so fans often can't afford to be picky. So Warren G. Harris's "Sophia Loren" is an interesting read, if a somewhat plain vanilla one. Good photos, some amusing anecdotes and a basic summary of Sophia's life are what readers will find.

It traces her life from a scrawny illegitimate baby (whom a wet nurse described as looking like a rat, and who was later nicknamed "Toothpick"), whose mother was abandoned by her father, leaving her alone with two children. But Sophia Scicolone (later Sophia Lazzaro, and then Sophia Loren) rapidly bloomed into a beautiful woman, becoming a beauty contest champ and then an actress. Despite a string of flops and a controversial relationship with a divorced man, Sophia became one of the most beautiful and women in the world, and the first Oscar winner of a performance in a foreign-language film.

The best description of this book is "adequate." It's not amazingly written, researched or presented. Rather it presents the basics of Sophia's life up the 1990s, which seems to have been a fairly straightforward, open one. There isn't really much that is new in this, but what is there is usually presented in an entertaining manner. Between the "battle of the bosoms" and Frank Sinatra teaching Sophia some obscene questions in English, we hear some funny events as well as a few bittersweet ones. And unlike many biographies, this one gives detailed summaries of her various movies.

Sophia herself is presented as a warm and sweet person, who cabled flowers to Clark Gable's widow and befriended nearly every costar (entrancing a few as well). The pictures are not well-chosen, as there aren't as many as there could have been, and quite a few seem to focus on Sophia in various stages of undress (ranging from her see-through prostitute gown to her merry widow to her topless dance number in "It's Him -- Yes Yes!"). Carlos Ponti, her husband, is a nebulous figure -- we don't learn much about him. Sophia's family and friends are better defined, such as her never-say-die mother Romilda, her commitmentphobe father, and the extremely emotional Cary Grant.

It's not outstanding, but it's a big plus for fans of the amazing Sophia Loren. For the basics on her life, this is a good place to start.

2 out of 5 stars fleshy with filmography.......1999-05-15

If you are looking for an in depth expose of a magnificent film legend - you've come to the wrong place. This book is really spare with the good jive but incredibly detailed in the film jive.
Sophia Style
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Bella Bella Bella!!!
  • Classic Beauty is something one is born with...
  • Beautiful Sophia Through The Years!
  • Style + content
Sophia Style
Deirdre Donohue
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Actors & ActressesActors & Actresses | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
EntertainersEntertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
WomenWomen | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment BooksLook Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Reference BooksLook Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories
  2. Biography - Sophia Loren: Actress Italian Style Biography - Sophia Loren: Actress Italian Style
  3. Italian Chic: The Italian Approach to Elegance Italian Chic: The Italian Approach to Elegance
  4. Sophia Loren's Recipes Memories Sophia Loren's Recipes Memories
  5. Sophia Loren: A Biography Sophia Loren: A Biography

ASIN: 1586631268

Book Description

Celebrate the unforgettable style of one of the world's most beautiful women. With an image both elusive and enduring, Sophia Loren--now in her mid-sixties--remains glamorous, sexy, poised, gifted with a remarkable physical presence, and yet surprisingly down-to-earth. Sumptuously illustrated with well over a hundred photographs, this fascinating "stylography" examines the many facets of the unique style of this international superstar. Through a study of her many film roles, her public appearances, the choices she has made in both her personal and professional lives, and through the words of those who have known and worked with her, uncover the many layers of Sophia Loren's mystique. Despite the various personae she has taken on--the force of nature, the Earth Mother, the siren, the diva, and the icon--Sophia Loren has consistently remained true to herself. Perhaps this is the secret as to why she has captivated men and women around the globe for decades.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Bella Bella Bella!!!.......2006-02-16

Now around 70, Sophia Loren is still the world's most beautiful woman. Her exquisite poised classic charm is the one of a kind that only comes every few centuries. This book celebrates the distinctive beauty and style that has stayed alluring for half a century. Loren is a stand out still. In a world that only sees beauty as a physical expression ... Loren and her contemporaries (Catherine Deneuve, Sophie Marceau, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, etc)tell us that it is much much more. There is a priceless asset in poise, character, dignity, class, that no amount of plastic surgery can compensate for. Beauty is not about not making mistakes but it is about having the kind of self-respect to come out of it a stronger, better person. For all her childhood ostracism of being illigetimate in Catholic Italy during its facist phase, Loren has blossomed and risen above her early roots. One has to admire that despite an international sophisticated glamorous acting career ... Loren has managed to stay married for close to 50 years to her one and only spouse, and took her role as a mother seriously to her two sons. Rather than delegate motherhood to nannies and assistants, Loren made her family, in particular her children, a top priority. You have to respect that and see that beauty truly is what beauty does.

5 out of 5 stars Classic Beauty is something one is born with..........2003-06-25

...Grace, Dignity and Humility is what separates one from everyone else. My own words after meeting and
observing the Legendary Icon through the years. "Sophia Style" captures many wonderful, minute flashes of her
incredible life experiences, along with the many era's that have made her who she is today. "Sophia Style" quite
adequately displays her Grace, Dignity, Humility, Class and Awesome Exotic Beauty. Beauty that exudes
deep from within, through the awesome one of a kind exotic Mediterranean bone structure. And beyond the
ageless olive complection and voluptuous features, casting a bright aura far ahead of her. She may be, for the
most part, reserved and to herself, but rises to the occasion of most gracious hospitality without hesitation. She
has no enemies and lives outside the hullabaloo of Hollywood amidst horse ranches in a tree shrouded Garden of
Eden she calls "La Concordia."

In just observing her relationship and interaction with her son Edoardo, I have learned what it is like to not only
truly be a parent, but a spiritual partner who actively participates in my children's lives.

I received "Sophia Style" a couple of years ago, after first meeting her some decades ago. In dealing with a
devastation within my own life, it was her words, wisdom and character that got me through when my own family
failed me. Sometimes I kept her book near me to remind me to keep rising above it all. It was acting with Grace,
Dignity and Humility that was inspired by her, that kept me from making incredibly horrible rash decisions.

At her Lifetime Achievement Awards in 1994, I insisted that she work again. She grasped me with both
hands in an incredible, yet most gracious way. And worked again she has, with five films since, including one
written and directed by Edoardo. And of course this book by Deirdre Donahue. Hopefully, there'll be many
more films, books and other treasures
to follow. Viva La Bella Donna!!

Affezionatissimo,
Guiseppe (Peppi) Turco

5 out of 5 stars Beautiful Sophia Through The Years!.......2002-09-27

Sophia Loren is so incredibly beautiful that Deirdre Donohue almost had to create this book in order to celebrate it! From her humble Italian beginnings to her mature beauty of today, there are photographs of her through it all, plus text to tell about her colorful life. My favorite photos are: Diva (p. 70) intersection of image (p. 88), at the Oscars (p. 96) and 1964 color photo (p. 109). If you love Sophia, do not miss "Sophia Style"!

5 out of 5 stars Style + content.......2001-09-08

Wow! Stylish photography and unseen glimpses of an exceptional beauty with a thesis that holds it all together. Recommended as a gift, a read, an adornment...it will propel the uninitiated into the video store for a reassessment of the great Loren!
Sophia Living and Loving: Her Own Story
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Awesome Grit, Italian Style
  • Photos Are Scorchers!
  • Must-read for anyone, who wants to feel a touch of humanity
Sophia Living and Loving: Her Own Story
A. E. Hotchner
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Performing ArtsPerforming Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books | Dance | General | Reference | Theater
GeneralGeneral | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Sophia Loren: A Biography Sophia Loren: A Biography
  2. Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories
  3. Two Women Two Women
  4. It Started in Naples It Started in Naples

ASIN: 0688034284

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Awesome Grit, Italian Style.......2006-09-04

Not very many movie stars, I think, have ever sold tickets to male and female alike: but Sophia Loren did, and probably still could. Even fewer female movie stars who first came to public notice for the "abundanza" of their chests, have, I think, managed to turn into real actresses right in front of our eyes. And only one, I think, has managed to win an Academy Award for a film in a foreign language, following on a career of films in that foreign language, Italian, while never tasting a great English language success. That one, "certo," is Sophia Loren, still very much on the scene for one thing and another. Quite a few years ago, she collaborated with A.E. Hotchner on this book, and it's still one of the best.

Her Oscar, of course, came for her powerhouse performance in "Two Women," a role that well-illustrated how she could move from sexpot to actress. How many glamorous leading ladies-- who happened to be married to their producers, no less-- would take the role of a mother older than themselves, in a film in which they had originally intended to play the daughter? And play it without makeup, in a wardrobe Gina Lollobrigida wouldn't use for rags?

This is only the half of it, for, in order to be able to give that performance, Loren had to dig back to her hungry childhood during World War II. Few of us would want to.

But one of the interesting things about this book is Loren's honesty. She was, as many people know, born illegitimate and very poor in Naples; during the war, her entire village slept in a single rat-infested railway tunnel and scavenged for food. She gives us a good look here at the grit and stamina that got her out of Pozzuoli and into pictures.

In fact, she seems to be a woman of awesome grit, capable of hanging on for years until she got that slippery producer, Carlo Ponti to the altar. Then, she was capable of spending her two pregnancies isolated in her bed: it's what she had to do to have her children.

There's more in the book, of course, such as her affair with Cary Grant and the choice she had to make between him and Carlo Ponti. Many sources agree that she was one of the great loves of Grant's life, and he never quite got over her loss.

For many years, Rome's cinema elite rebuffed her. The Catholic Church preached against her. And she actually faced criminal prosecutions for adultery and public sinning.

But let's not forget that the same woman who gave us "Two Women," also gave us a series of sparkling sex comedies, and the scintillating "Houseboat" with Cary Grant. Her striptease in "Yesterday Today and Tomorrow," for which she prepped with the exotic dancers from Paris's famous Crazy Horse Saloon, absolutely sizzled, yet still had an undercurrent of humor in it,from Mastroianni's command to "do a striptease, with just the refrigerator light on." That unbuttoned Neopolitan humor continued through "Marriage Italian Style," and "A Special Day," and could continue still, should Loren ever decide to go back to film. An actress with as little vanity as Loren could work forever.

How many stars, after all, would quote this remark of Cary Grant's on their first meeting? "How do you do, Miss Lolloloren, or is it Lorenigida? Ah, you Italian actress, I can never get your names straight?

But I think the rest of the world has long since managed to.

This book is a fine piece of work from Hotchner. The woman who said of herself," my mouth is too large, my nose is too long, and my chin and lips are too broad," couldn't have been an easy subject.

5 out of 5 stars Photos Are Scorchers!.......2005-10-24

I'm not usually attracted to Italian women but Sophia Loren is in a class all by herself. Coming into fame in an era in which most movie stars were peroxide blondes (and to tell the truth it hasn't really changed all that much in Hollywood-worse even-women are not only still majority blonde but flat-backed stick figures!), this sensuous woman's dark and exotic beauty sent young American men's "you know whats" throbbing!
It is ashame this book is out of print. I used to sneak it away from my mother's shelf and run off to look at the photos. The classic wet shot of Sophia from "Boy On A Dolphin" plus several topless shots from her early days as well as pictures of Sophia in gater belts and stockings (circa late-60's/early-70's) and much shots of her showing off those gorgeously full boobs of hers! I was 12 and I "discovered" my manhood from those photos. The woman is in her 70's now and in her latest film appearance, "Ready To Wear" ("Pret-a-Porter"), she was still beautiful, sexy and alluring. She had it all over her co-stars, Julia Roberts and Kim Basinger. Thank you Ms. Loren.

5 out of 5 stars Must-read for anyone, who wants to feel a touch of humanity.......2000-03-26

Numerous books have been published about Sophia Loren, since this one came out in late 70's. Many of them are very good, but this particular book is still the best for couple of reasons. First of all, it is a 100% autobiography, written by one of the most amazing, and not just most beautiful, women in the world. Loren's character is reflected on every page, as she narrates her life, starting with her family background all the way to talking about her own children. Secondly, she writes with candor that would surely shock a reader, who is used to reading polished and often pretentious autobiographies of Hollywood stars. Loren, the writer, does not shy away from admitting to being the uggliest girl in town, while growing up; to feeling such human emotions as rage, fear, jealousy, hate at various stages of her life...Yet, after you finish reading this book, you will be amazed at the fact that Loren's greatest emotions have invariably been that of a compassionate, forgiving, and loving woman.
Goddesses of the Silver Screen: Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Betty Gable, Jane Mansfield, Brigitte Bardot, Rita Hayworth, Ann-Margret (The Docubook Series)
Average customer rating: 1 out of 5 stars
  • Don't waste your money.
Goddesses of the Silver Screen: Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Betty Gable, Jane Mansfield, Brigitte Bardot, Rita Hayworth, Ann-Margret (The Docubook Series)
Request Audiobooks
Manufacturer: Request Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Actors & ActressesActors & Actresses | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
WomenWomen | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Monroe, MarilynMonroe, Marilyn | ( M ) | People, A-Z | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Biographies & MemoirsBiographies & Memoirs | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
GeneralGeneral | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1933299606
Release Date: 2005-05-01

Product Description

Some called women like Bridget Bardot, Jayne Mansfield, Ann Margaret, Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, and Marilyn Monroe, actresses…history has come to call them by another name—Goddesses. They were the women who lit up the dark of America’s movie houses and adorned the glowing marquees of Hollywood - the illustrious Goddesses of the Silver Screen. Discover the truth behind their relationships and their careers…learn the most intimate details of their love lives and heartaches…revel in their fame and fortune…share in the secret of their passion for the spotlight…listen to the untold stories of their affairs, illnesses, rejections and private fantasies, as revealed by their friends, family, and the glaring light of fame.

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money........2006-02-18

Limited general information and sometimes wrong (such as Brigitte's Bardot's "real" name). It mostly consists of listening to the stars' movie trailers which is very uninteresting since they were developed to be shown on screen not radio. Especially silly is listening to Brigitte Bardot's since most of her films shown in the US were dubbed, so you not only are not seeing her but not even hearing her own voice. This is of no value.
Sophia Loren's Recipes Memories
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Sophia Loren's Recipes Memories
    Sophia Loren
    Manufacturer: Gremese
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
    MemoirsMemoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
    ItalianItalian | European | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes
    2. It Started in Naples It Started in Naples
    3. Houseboat Houseboat

    ASIN: 8873015824

    Book Description

    Sophia Loren is more than a beloved movie star, she's a cook. In this volume she offers a hundred or so Italian recipes arranged by course - antipasti through desserts. Stunning photos and all sorts of Sophia memorabilia accompany this book filled with reminiscences of family, home, and work. Sophia's repertoire is tempting and Sophia's introductory notes and other asides leave no doubt that the author is a serious, passionate cook.
    Forever, Sophia: An Intimate Portrait
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Forever, Sophia: An Intimate Portrait
      Alan Levy
      Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

      Acting & AuditioningActing & Auditioning | Theater | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
      BiographiesBiographies | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books | Actors & Actresses | Directors
      GeneralGeneral | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
      ASIN: 0312298838
      Sofia: Su Propia Historia/Sophia : Who Walks That Way
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Sofia: Su Propia Historia/Sophia : Who Walks That Way
        A. E. Hotchner
        Manufacturer: Javier Vergara-Argentina
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
        SpanishSpanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Biografías y memorias | Libros en español | Formats | Books
        No-FicciónNo-Ficción | Libros en español | Formats | Books | Automotriz | Ciencias Sociales | Crimen y Criminales | Educación | Estudios de la Mujer | Feriados | Filosofía | Gobierno | Hechos Verídicos | Planeamiento Urbano y Desarrollo | Política | Sucesos de Actualidad | Transportación
        ASIN: 9501500764
        Sophia Loren (Charnwood Library)
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Sophia Loren (Charnwood Library)
          Warren G. Harris
          Manufacturer: Charnwood
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

          Actors & ActressesActors & Actresses | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
          Biographies & MemoirsBiographies & Memoirs | Large Print | Formats | Books
          ASIN: 0708990274
          Sophia Loren in the camera eye
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Sophia Loren in the camera eye
            Sam Shaw
            Manufacturer: Hamlyn
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Unknown Binding

            Performing ArtsPerforming Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books | Dance | General | Reference | Theater
            GeneralGeneral | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
            ASIN: 0600341550
            Biography - Loren, Sophia (1934-): An article from: Contemporary Authors Online
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              Biography - Loren, Sophia (1934-): An article from: Contemporary Authors Online
              Gale Reference Team
              Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Digital
              ASIN: B0007SDH50
              Release Date: 2007-06-13

              Book Description

              Word count: 992.

              Three Connecticut Composers: Oliver Brownson, Alexander Gillet, and Solomon Chandler: The Collected Works (Music of the New American Nation - Sacred Music from 1780 to 1820 , Vol 2)
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Three Connecticut Composers: Oliver Brownson, Alexander Gillet, and Solomon Chandler: The Collected Works (Music of the New American Nation - Sacred Music from 1780 to 1820 , Vol 2)
                Karl Kroeger
                Manufacturer: Routledge
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Hardcover

                SongbooksSongbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
                GeneralGeneral | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
                ASIN: 081532779X

                Cardz Gamez Poker
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  Cardz Gamez Poker
                  Donald D. Eaton
                  Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback
                  ASIN: 1552125971
                  Release Date: 2006-07-06

                  Book Description

                  The author/developer of this book of 40 poker and 10 card games has designed the games to help fulfill a personal need of many people who enjoy the thrill and excitement of the uncertainty of the play of cards. Players are presented with an opportunity to have a variety of games and game options to choose from.

                  Be it one person playing solitaire or up to six players enjoying a social card game, all games play differently but retain the basic strategy of the play of cards.

                  The poker games will challenge the playing skills of any card player and for the novice poker player, the games could be a learning introduction to the basics of the play of poker.

                  Call of the Mall: The Geography of Shopping by the Author of Why We Buy
                  Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
                  • Somewhat engaging but not very informative
                  • Insider Tour of Malls
                  • Insider Tour of Malls
                  • Never be a naive shopper again!
                  • A retailing must have!
                  Call of the Mall: The Geography of Shopping by the Author of Why We Buy
                  Paco Underhill
                  Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback

                  GeneralGeneral | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                  GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                  RetailingRetailing | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                  Consumer BehaviorConsumer Behavior | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                  Human GeographyHuman Geography | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
                  GeneralGeneral | Finance | Accounting & Finance | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
                  Similar Items:
                  1. Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping
                  2. 1001 Ideas to Create Retail Excitement, Revised Edition (2003) 1001 Ideas to Create Retail Excitement, Revised Edition (2003)
                  3. How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market
                  4. Inspired Retail Space: Attract Customers, Build Branding, Increase Volume Inspired Retail Space: Attract Customers, Build Branding, Increase Volume
                  5. Retail Success! Retail Success!

                  ASIN: 0743235924

                  Amazon.com

                  Paco Underhill has a genius for retail. As a follow-up to the bestseller Why We Buy, he has written an arch entertaining ethnography of the shopping mall. Energized by two dripping cinnabons, Underhill guides readers on a walking tour to encounter senior mall walkers, teen jean and hoodie shoppers, shoe fetishists, six second sales greeters, kiosk vendors and food court diners.

                  He nails our ambivalence about indoor shopping saying, "the mall, like television, is an easy American target for self-loathing. We look at the mall and wonder: is this the best we could do?" He gets the devil in the details with wonderful riffs about global malls, parking spaces, the "free" gift with cosmetics, retail tribalism (Nordstrom versus Ann Taylor, Pac Sun versus Abercrombie) and why CD and bookstores have returned to city streets. But Underhill doesn't whine. When he critiques multiplex theatres, raunchy bathrooms or the absence of coatrooms, he also offers witty suggestions. For example, how to turn a well-appointed restroom into a profit center.

                  Underhill is convinced that online shopping and fatigued boomer shoppers are leading to the "post-mall era." This kind of prediction makes The Call of the Mall a great read. It is a smart, observant meditation--one that suggests the past and the future of our shopping culture. --Barbara Mackoff

                  Book Description

                  Paco Underhill, the Margaret Mead of shopping and author of the huge international bestseller Why We Buy, now takes us to the mall, a place every American has experienced and has an opinion about. The result is a bright, ironic, funny, and shrewd portrait of the mall -- America's gift to personal consumption, its most powerful icon of global commercial muscle, the once new and now aging national town square, the place where we convene in our leisure time.

                  It's about the shopping mall as an exemplar of our commercial and social culture, the place where our young people have their first taste of social freedom and where the rest of us compare notes. Call of the Mall examines how we use the mall, what it means, why it works when it does, and why it sometimes doesn't.

                  Download Description

                  "The author of the international bestseller Why We Buy -- praised by The New York Times as ""a book that gives this underrated skill the respect it deserves"" -- now takes us to the mall, a place every American has experienced and has an opinion about. Paco Underhill, the Margaret Mead of shopping, has run hundreds of research assignments in malls across the country (and in Tokyo and European capitals). He has visited them, observed his fellow mall-ers, looked long and hard for his car in mammoth parking lots, chatted up the staffers, gone hunting for jeans with adolescent girls and anniversary shopping with guys. The result is a bright, ironic, funny, and shrewd portrait of the mall -- America's gift to personal consumption, its most powerful icon of global commercial muscle, the once new and now aging national town square, the place where we convene in our leisure time. Call of the Mall is about desire and buying lingerie, about why the same camel hair coat costs twice as much in the women's department as it does in the boys'. It's about why shoes, handbags, and cosmetics are clustered, why Cartier is next to cut-rate, and why the movie theater is hard to find. It's about the shopping mall as an exemplar of our commercial and social culture, the place where our young people have their first taste of social freedom, and where the rest of us compare notes. Call of the Mall examines how we use the mall, what it means, why it works when it does, and why it sometimes doesn't. Visiting the mall with Paco Underhill is a surprising and insightful tour through the American crossroads. Why We Buy changed the way we watch ourselves shop. Call of the Mall will deepen our understanding of how we live, work, play, and spend."

                  Customer Reviews:

                  3 out of 5 stars Somewhat engaging but not very informative .......2006-12-04

                  "The Call of the Mall" is a book that is sure to please the "minority" of Americans who do not favor the big box/stripmall/fashion mall culture of mainstream America. I am among that growing group of people seeking more sustainable, more humane geographical models of existing and getting along with one another. As an introduction to this notion, "Call of the Mall" is indeed "engaging" as another reviewed described it. However, it does not really address the underlying WHYS of the physical structure of modern America, nor does it propose realistic solutions.

                  4 out of 5 stars Insider Tour of Malls.......2006-11-02

                  Underhill meanders through the mall voicing his observations aloud. It feels like an informal tour, but his knowledge of shoppers and retailers is based on the indepth study that has consumed his adult life.
                  Along the way, he entertains us with descriptions of avid women shoppers, men's discomfort in the mall setting and how teens and seniors interact with malls. The reader gains new insight into his/her own behavior while shopping and in the way the stores lure the buyer.
                  He touches on international malls, as well as the typical American mall. He exposes their flaws, suggests changes, and praises what works.
                  I kept feeling that there must be more to tell, as the effect is of a behind-the-scenes, but not all-the-secrets tour.

                  4 out of 5 stars Insider Tour of Malls.......2006-08-19

                  Underhill meanders through the mall voicing his observations aloud. It feels like an informal tour, but his knowledge of shoppers and retailers is based on the indepth study that has consumed his adult life.
                  Along the way, he entertains us with descriptions of avid women shoppers, men's discomfort in the mall setting and how teens and seniors interact with malls. The reader gains new insight into his/her own behavior while shopping and in the way the stores lure the buyer.
                  He touches on international malls, as well as the typical American mall. He exposes their flaws, suggests changes, and praises what works.
                  I kept feeling that there must be more to tell, as the effect is of a behind-the-scenes, but not all-the-secrets tour.

                  5 out of 5 stars Never be a naive shopper again!.......2006-07-19

                  I love this book. It opened my eyes to all the tricks of the trade: how stores lay out their merchandise to attract buyers, secret shoppers, shopping spies, etc. I now look for end-cap specials, pricing on the low shelves, perimeter shopping, etc. Did you know that stores hire shopping evaluators to follow customers around, recording what they touch, pick up, put in their baskets? I have now spotted several that I would have missed before. I also purchased Underhill's other book, Call of the Mall, although I wouldn't rate it quite as highly as this one. If you are at all interested in the subject of why people buy, then you need to read this book.

                  4 out of 5 stars A retailing must have!.......2006-07-17

                  Call of the Mall by Paco Underhill is an excellently written work that explores the geography of mall usage as well as a bit of a history of suburban and urban malls. First off, I was caught by the writing style as it was easy to follow and yet full of good information. Paco explores everything from mall security to food courts to discount jewelry stores being next to Tiffany's. He goes into analyzing the shopping habits of men, women, and teenage girls. He talks about the barrier between the mall and store and how to entice customers inside. All in all, this is a must have for any retail person.

                  I am into retail but from the web side of things and really enjoyed trying to make connections into that space. It is a little more limited in that aspect but still a good mental exercise. For instance, it is known that as people stay in the mall for a longer period of time they are more and more likely to buy things which is why you have the food court, rock climbing, and movie theatres. Imagine in the web world on ebay where you could have flash games that would allow you to stay and watch your auctions while killing time. Ebay could then put up other similar auctions to the ones you are watching...

                  Either way, this is a must have for retailers and a fun read for hobby anthropologists.

                  Books:

                  1. Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy: The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy
                  2. Star Wars Tie Fighter: A Pocket Manual (Star Wars/A Pop Up Book)
                  3. Star Wars Who's Who: A Pocket Guide to the Characters of the Star Wars Trilogy (Star Wars)
                  4. Steven Spielberg: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies)
                  5. Teach Science With Science Fiction Films: A Guide For Teachers And Library Media Specialists (Managing the 21st Century Library Media Center)
                  6. Television Technology Demystified: A Non-technical Guide
                  7. The Complete Films of Alfred Hitchcock (Film Books)
                  8. The Complete Spielberg
                  9. The Crucible: A Screenplay
                  10. The Dark Shadows Movie Book: Producer/Director Dan Curtis' Original Shooting Scripts from House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows

                  Books Index

                  Books Home

                  Recommended Books

                  1. Feng Shui Your Workspace for Dummies
                  2. The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness
                  3. Reader's Digest Remembering The 50's
                  4. Spirits of St. Louis: A Ghostly Guide to the Mound City's Unearthly Activities
                  5. SQL For Dummies
                  6. Thicker Than Water
                  7. The Rough Guide to Montreal 2
                  8. National Accounts/Comptes Nationaux, 1960-1991: Main Aggregates/Principaux Agregats
                  9. Streetsmart Guide to Valuing A Stock: The Savvy Investor's Key to Beating the Market
                  10. The Headmaster's Wife: A Gregor Demarkian Novel