Hilary Duff: Total Hilary, Metamorphosis, Lizzie McGuire and More!

Book Description

With a hit television series, two upcoming feature films, and a new album, Hilary Duff is one of Hollywood's fastest-rising stars. Everything Duff's fans want to know about Hilary will be here: her career in TV (Lizzie McGuire), movies (The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Cheaper by the Dozen), and music (Metamorphosis); how she got along with her male costars; who she dated and upcoming project. All this will be told with lots of fan photos and in-the-know essays on every topic.

Customer Reviews:

Hilary Duff: Total Hilary, Metamorphosis, Lizzie McGuire and More!.......2006-01-31

This is a great book. The only things is that I don't have the Hilary Duff 2004 Calendar. If you please can order this item to me, I apreciate that. Thanks. Ruben from Orlando, FL 32811 Lady Bell Dr.

Wow, this book is good.......2004-12-12

It took me an hour to read it, yep, it's that short and that easy to read. Maybe if I was younger this would be more difficult, but it has lots of great facts about hil, and not to mention, tones of great photos, mind you, I could live without the one with her and Aaron, seeming as I now despise the guy. This book is well-written, you even get questions and answers and a test at the end of the book, with a neat way of finding out the answers, it's out of 10, I got 9, so maybe I'm not as big a know it all about Hilary as I thought, but I did only get one wrong, so I settle... wink! Anyway, any Hilary fan should own it no matter how small the book is(80 pages), it's still a good read and worth the price.

LOVED IT!!!!!! LOVED IT!!!!!! LOVED IT!!!!!.......2004-10-11

This book is like her whole life.Whenever I bought this book I knew NOTHING about her but after I read it's like i've known her my whole life! I loved it!!!

Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2004-07-16

This is a great book that all Hilary Duff fans should have!!!!! It gives you information about everything. It's only 80 pages but still is a great book. This is one of the best ones out there.

Amazing Hilary Duff Biography.......2004-01-14

As someone who has read numerous biographies about Hilary Duff, I will tell you right now that this is one of the best. Boone has outdone herself in putting together a beautiful 80-page book featuring not only large, color photos of Hilary, but also tons of information about her, her family, friends, career, up-coming projects, her music, her charity work, etc. There is also a cute quiz for readers in the back, where they can test their Hilary knowledge, and also quotes from the teen queen herself, and from her many celebrity fans, including Roger Ebert.

This is a must have book for all Hilary Duff fans. Whether you are 5 or 50 you will be pleased with everything that it has to offer. Two thumbs up to Mary Boone for creating a biography that is much like a work of art.

Erika Sorocco

Book Description

Striptease is the history of unapologetic fun aimed not at the head, not at the heart or even the stomach, but south of all three. Beginning with the birth of the striptease in the mid-19th century and culminating with its garish heyday in the 1950s, this book charts the evolution of the infamous bump and grind, which is, at its simplest, a pretty girl in a pretty dress ... and then not.

The only fully illustrated book available on the subject, Striptease tells the history of this provocative form of stagecraft from its birth in vaudeville and burlesque through the "take it all off" attitude for which the term "striptease" was coined. Along the way, the book highlights such performers as Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Maud Allen, Gypsy Rose Lee, Tempest Storm, and Blaze Starr. The witty and well-informed text is illustrated with an array of titillating images, including never-before-published ephemera and illicitly photographed performances in progress. Whether revealing ankles or breasts, playing peek-a-boo or going the full monty, Striptease pays tribute to the women who made a vocation of their sex appeal and shimmied their way into American culture.

Customer Reviews:

A Lumpy Bump.......2007-01-30

I have to agree with the other reviewers who have said this book is cobbled together from too many other books on the subject. I saw too much emphasis on the history of modern dance (Ruth St. Denis?!?) and not enough on the history of the real strippers.

If you're gonna bump it, bump it with a trumpet.......2006-01-11

If you walk up to a random person on the street and simply say the word, "striptease" to them, they're going to conjure up a wide variety of conflicting images. Some of the more tawdry amongst them will instantly connect the word with strippers, probably because the word "strip" is in both terms. Others will equate striptease with something archaic. An ancient form of entertainment now banished from contemporary respectable life. Still others might be on the ball enough to understand that "striptease" is a burlesque art that is going through a revival like never before and, with the publication of books like, "Striptease: From Gaslight To Spotlight" scholars everywhere are starting to banish some of the myths previously associated with this form of dance. Author Jessica Glasscock, costume scholar and current employee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, has written a history of striptease that does away with the myths surrounding it, the incorrect terms that swamp it, and manages to give it its due. For the laymen amongst us (like myself) the book is not a titillating romp with sexy pictures (though in this respect it does not lack) but rather a thoughtful history that will introduce ignorant schmucks to what striptease really was and is. If you're looking for a classier version of Playboy for your coffee table, look elsewhere. If you want a fabulous encapsulation of this history for the average joe, stop here.

The book offers a full history of the roots of striptease, giving quite a lot of attention to the shifting morals of early America and climaxing with the death of striptease and its subsequent rebirth. After a quick introduction and explanation that the striptease heyday in America was in the 1950s, we zip back in time to the 1860s. At that time there were Victorian mores to deal with and female performers at that appeared on the stage were sometimes referred to as "skirt dancers". Which is to say, if they showed so much as a glimpse of their "nether limbs" they earned themselves that term. We see the heyday of the concert saloons, the birth of the American dime museum, and, of course, burlesque. The book spends an awful lot of time giving a very detailed and in-depth history to striptease. The truly ridiculous tableau vivants appear, fooling people into equating nudity with classical nudes (and giving striptease artists an artistic excuse for years to come). In comes Orientalism and when the Little Egypt scandal hits the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 all hell breaks loose. Striptease is born in the wake of such artists as Isadore Duncan and even Sarah Bernhardt. Add in the marketing of Ziegfeld and the entrepreneurial spirit of the Minsky brother and before you know it women are doing complicated and truly amusing routines upon the stage. They're training white pigeons to cover them tactfully. They're employing exploding couches and staged special effects. But when Playboy came around and striptease artists gave way to the less talented and not amusing in the least strippers, the heyday was over. Killed with a mighty blow. Today, there's a resurgence in the art, but whether this is mere nostalgia for a new generation or the start of a whole new trend, it will depend on today's jaded audiences to attest.

The heroes of this book turn out to be the great Ziegfeld, his common-law wife Anna Held, Gypsy Rose Lee, the Minsky brothers, and the countless women who knew how to perform in the purest sense of the term. Glasscock effortlessly makes the very real distinctions between the merely charmless (not to say disempowering) stripping and the witty, fun, and altogether amusing striptease. There's no getting around the fact that it all boils down to women taking of their clothes, but there's a world of different between a headlining performer dancing a complicated routine in a very natural (often less than ideal) body and a breast-implanted gal with a pole who has to interact with her audience in a degrading way, get them to buy her drinks, and makes money only through the club and not on her own terms. If you cannot see the difference then this is not the book for you.

"Striptease" is obviously very well-researched though I was disappointed to find that there wasn't a collection of Source Notes in the back. The accompanying Bibliography is certainly very fine and I was delighted to find the New York Public Library's Library For the Performing Arts specifically thanked by Ms. Glasscock, but I sometimes wished I could see where precisely she had culled a particularly interesting quote or statement. Nonetheless, Glasscock makes an excellent use of the materials she has on hand. The photographs, reproduced flyers, posters, movie stills, and paintings break up the never-tedious text perfectly. For the newbie striptease enthusiast, Glasscock's book is a necessary read. It is also a far more intelligent take on a now classic (and deeply amusing) artform than most of the literature out there.

It's interesting to read reviews of this book on Amazon.com. On that site, supposed striptease "experts" lament the fact that Glasscock makes short work of current performers and, in their eyes, spotlights the wrong ones. Due to the fact that figuring out who the currently best in the business is is completely figurative, not to mention personal, such criticisms aren't exactly noteworthy. Besides, this is not a book about the neo-striptease movement. There are only four pages of written text discussing it, after all. This is a historical and well-researched title, taking into account how dances of the past fit into the current striptease movement. If you want to know the current headliners I'm sure there are plenty of nice up-to-date websites where you can spout off your opinions. If you want something with history and scholarly insight, "Striptease" is your best bet.

I'm not claiming that "Striptease: From Gaslight To Spotlight" is the only book on the subject you should seek out. Just the same, if you want a single go-to source for a rough history of dance leading up to and encompassing the striptease movement, you could not ask for a better book than this. Amusing, intriguing, and often more intelligent than it has any right to be, "Striptease" is the ideal gift for the burlesque curious or the striptease scholarly.

Oh you pretty things!.......2004-07-27

Living in New York city, I've wandered into, been invited to, and sometimes even sought out new Burlesque performances--and I've always enjoyed the way the performers orbit somewhere between the not-necessarily exclusive worlds of kitsch and homage. Therefore, I was delighted to run across Striptease. It's a beautifully illustrated book, filled with pictures from the late nineteenth century to the present. (Well, not exactly the present. It stops just short of modern strip, so it's safe enough to leave on the coffee table when mom comes to visit.) Just flipping through the pages, it's a marvel to see the beautiful women, some anonymous and others more famous such as Tempest Storm and Lili St. Cyr, who had the looks, the charisma, the act, or all three to make NOT taking it all off something to see.
I also enjoyed the read. The text doesn't seem exhaustive, but I don't think it's intended to be. The book is a rollicking overview of the history of a less-than-legal "art form" with a few larger than life characters, but at the same time there's enough historical meat (and no, I'm not talking about the girls) for anyone who wants seriously connect the dots...or pop the balloons as the case my be. And being a fan of Victorian lit, I liked the way the author connected their tastes and morals with regard art and fashion to the slow emergence of the acceptance of the body-or more specifically, its display in public. Unlike the Amazon Book Description, I think the author makes a compelling argument for the connection of high art and modern dance to striptease-nothing happens in a vacuum. And the book proves to be a nice overview of how thesalacious, the serious, and the kitschy can, if not spring from the same well, at least reach par over time.
I recommend strip tease for anyone interested in the history of this not-so-modern phenomenon, anyone who is interested in the new burlesque and would like a quick course in its history, or anyone searching for something a little racy for dad next father's day.

same old thing..........2004-03-19

same photos and same words I have seen in every other burlesque book. It's all just filched from the 5-6 vintage burlesque books you can buy used.

Don't publishers fact check these books?.......2004-01-07

It amazes me that this book got printed. I collect many historical books about burlesque and vaudeville and follow the actual neo burlesque movement very closely. This author not only merely copied every book I have but she didn't bother to fact check many things. It also seems as though the author is living in denial about who the tops names in neo burlesque are, because the names she chooses to list along side people like Lili St. Cyr and Tempest Storm are names that are so far from these legends it's ridiculous! Are these performers relatives of the author or what? She actually mentions Dita Von Teese and Catherine D'Lish, the biggest names in the movement and says that they are Velvet Hammer Girls, along with many other omissions and incorrect facts that every burlesque afficinado knows! Catherine D'Lish can easily be credited as a pioneer in the resurgence with three Miss Exotic World titles won before 1995, and the author mentions other Miss Exotic World winners from the past two years, but dismisses Miss Delish as being a stripper with a side job! It's absurd. I cannot help but wonder how this woman could actually get a book deal if she didn't bother to research the two highest profile dancers(and three time headliners of Teaseorama, the only burlesque convention in the world!) on the circuit who happened to be the only ones with complete websites that have information on them! How could she screw up that? I wonder if she has ever even seen an actual burlesque show?
This book goes on in my burlesque book collection as a laugh.
For authentic history, try vintage books or wait til an expert on the feild decides to write, because this woman hasn't a clue.

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Striptease: From Gaslight to Spotlight
Jessica Glasscock
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OJ0P34

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Character Law and Campaign Law (Rolemaster Advanced Fantasy Role Playing, 2nd ed, No. 1300)

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Character Law and Campaign Law (Rolemaster Advanced Fantasy Role Playing, 2nd ed, No. 1300)
Peter C. Fenlon , and S. Coleman Charlton
Manufacturer: Iron Crown Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1558060936

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Character Law and Campaign Law
Charlton and Fenton
Manufacturer: Iron Crow Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QRFR1Y

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Character Law and Campaign Law

Manufacturer: Iron Crow Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HNPO8S

Download Description

Based on the highly successful Utterly Confused format, this guide introduces beginners, in a unique conversational style and format, to the basic pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary needed for effective communication.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Primer with Detailed Examples.......2006-05-14

I was very impressed with this book and give it an A. Ferri's writing style is easy to read.

Ferri wrote this book near the end of the biggest 3 year drops in the U.S. stock market since the Great Depression. Many investors were wiped out from jumping on the tech stock bubble of the late 90's.

Ferri does a great job of explaining the advantages of index funds and the theory of asset allocation. He offers several ways for investors to judge what their "real" risk tolerance is with regards to selecting the proper stock to bond asset allocation.

I enjoyed the later sections of the book where Ferri broke down his recommendations by age groups (from young people to retirees). He offers specific asset allocations and specific funds to achieve these asset allocations.

Ferri is also brave enough to publish his estimate of future returns of the major asset classes.

If more investors had followed Ferri's asset allocation advice in the late 1990's, they would not have suffered the loss of most of their retirement investments.

All-in-all, a good book for serious investors who manage their own portfolios. I would suggest companion books to supplement this book including The Richest Man in Babylon, Bogle on Mutual Funds, The Millionaire Next Door, The 4 Pillars of Investing, A Random Walk Down Wall Street, Index Mutual Funds: How to Simplify Your Life and Beat the Pros, and the Coffeehouse Investor.

Message to Boomers: Save or Bust !.......2003-07-11

Americans are saving no more for retirement than they did twenty years ago. Bad advice from the brokerage community, the financial media, and mutual fund companies compound the difficulty of developing a sound strategy for accumulating sufficient wealth to achieve financial independence. All this is at a time when workers have more retirement options available to them. This book is written for people who want to do their own financial planning. Each of the chapters summarizes and list key points for easy back reference. Given the obstacles investors face from outside advisors and the author's conviction that the projected benefits from Social Security are "destined" to be reduced, the importance of financial planning is compelling.

Ferri's investment advice is straightforward: Save consistently. Diversify. Keep investment costs low. Use market tracking index funds. Many of Ferri's ideas can be found in other recently written books on the subject, but as a stand alone introduction, this is a good place to start. Some readers will take the author's suggestion and begin with the third and final part of the book where advice is given for readers at different stages of their investment lives. But it is in the earlier sections of the book the author builds his case for developing realistic return expectations, reducing risk by using different kinds of assets like foreign stocks and real estate, and keeping costs down. It is also in these sections that Ferri is especially hard, I think unfairly, on stockbrokers who are dismissed as undereducated and mercenary, but these traits are more representative of individuals than a profession. His criticism of the mutual fund industry is more objective with respect to hidden costs and strategies for inflating performance for public consumption. These criticisms echo the periodic comments of industry gadfly John Bogle whose book on mutual funds is recommended in an Appendix.

Not every investor - my guess is only a small minority - will have the discipline to learn to manage their own financial affairs without some outside guidance. However, sound information covering a broad range of topics of the kind Ferri has compiled in this book will greatly improve an investor's chances for success with or without outside help.

Great Resource for Do-It-Yourself Investors.......2003-05-17

As a fee-only financial planner, I really enjoyed this latest book by Rick Ferri. It provides a straightforward approach whereby anyone can construct a low-cost portfolio to build and preserve wealth. The book would be valuable to anyone who wants to understand why markets behave as they do, and to fashion a plan to invest in uncertain times. The author includes useful advice about how much money one needs to accumulate for retirement, and how much income can be withdrawn safely. Mr. Ferri offers plenty of technical information to support his ideas, but it is presented in an easy to read style. I particularly liked the guidelines for setting realistic expectations for investment returns in the future, and the practical advice for successful investing at different phases of life. Many of my clients are do-it-yourself investors who are looking for some guidance. This book provides it - and I plan to recommend it to clients as an educational resource.

Protecting Your Wealth in Good Times and Bad

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Protecting Your Wealth in Good Times and Bad
Richard A. Ferri
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OG5KZA

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