Spider-Man Confidential: From Comic Icon to Hollywood Hero

Book Description

For four decades, Spider-Man has enthralled fans of his comic books and television show. Now, step inside the story behind the superheros growing empire, which is as fascinating as any of his adventures. Entertainment writer Edward Gross tells all in this first unauthorized history of the Spider-Man (a.k.a.webslinger), his creator, and the movie that will catapult him into the public eye. Gross shows how Stan Lees frustration as a comic book artist spawned the creation of a revolutionary comic book hero as he follows Spider-Mans popularity through the 60s and 70s. He provides Spider-Mans fans with a riveting biography of the superhero, a rogues gallery of archenemies, and a behind-the-scenes episode guide to all five television series. Spider-Man is back and this fact-filled, fully illustrated book will become the perfect resource for his millions of fans.

Customer Reviews:

Spiderman, Behind the Scenes..........2003-07-20

This is a great book on all the politics and ego clashes that have gone into making all the various Spiderman incarnations throughout the years, on TV, the cartoons and the films. The one down side of it all is - no pictures. Then, too, it is also billed as an unauthorized bio so it would be fitting that Marvel Comics would not permit any artwork to be used (see the DC Comics approved Les Daniels histories if you want the watered down histories of comic book characters). Particularly of note is why Steve Ditko left drawing Spiderman in the first place (according to the book, he didn't like Stan Lee), why the great Spiderman cartoon of the 1990's was cancelled (network idiocy, according to series writer John Semper), and why James Cameron never got around to making the Spiderman movie (after Titanic was made, he felt he was too big for it). This is a no-holds barred look at the Spiderman franchise, all it's good incarnations and it's bad (like the awful Nicholas Hammond TV show and the last terrible Spidey cartoon, Spiderman Unlimited). It isn't a comprehensive book, but it is a valuable resource for those of us who always wondered why such a great character never received (until recently) a good screen treatment. In the past, according to the book, Marvel Comics was mostly just interested in making a buck on Spiderman, could have cared less how he had been portrayed. These days, since they're owned by Toy Biz, they have an interest, at least - to sell more Spiderman toys. The fact that so many pin-headed executive types have been involved with the character over the years makes you grateful that the character has been as creative as he has. Spidey's greatest villain is not the Green Goblin, it's all those network execs that have kept trying to dumb him down for televison or improve on an already good idea.

So, you want to know more about SPIDERMAN.......2002-10-09

This is another book that capitalizes in the SPIDERMAN HYPE
after the movie, it is mostly a summarized review of the
comics, the Cartoons and the TV series that were made before
the movie.

If you are a new fan of SPIDERMAN and you need to know how
does the story in the comics differs from the one in the
movie, you need to buy this book; but remember that there
is going to be lots of spoilers.

The cartoons descriptions is Okay, including a very rare
summarization of a Japanese Animated version of spiderman
with weird storylines (please skip the chapter, the japanese
transformed SPIDERMAN into a POWER RANGER), unfortunately
there is no pictures to know how these animation looked like;
obviusly there is no reference pictures of the other animations.

About the old TV series, it is mostly a behind the scenes of
the production, with an episode guide and some politics of
the showbiz.

Now we get to the Movie, the book details the long process
since the movie was tried to be produced until today, please
note that there is big reference about the previous script
which had DR. OCTOPUS as the villain instead of the GREEN
GOBLIN.

Book Description

The Vampire Watcher's Handbook presents a wealth of information on the lore and history of vampires, covers all the various major traditions of this much-discussed revenant. From how to dis-tinquish a 'real' vampire from a 'wannabee' (which helps avoid those embarrassing staking mistakes), to effective means of escap-ing unscathed the clutches of a ravenous creature of the night, this is a comprehensive look at the ways and means of the Undead. The Vampire Watcher's Handbook is 'reprinted' from a turn-of-the-century compendium of the craft, complete with the annota-tions of the book's original owner (whose name and fate remain unknown). For those who wish to pursue a career path as the scourge of the vampires, it includes lists of necessary equipment and essential knowledge for hunting and retiring all the various types of bloodsucking fiends (stakes and holy water not pro-vided). But it also includes many useful tips for those for whom bird watching and trainspotting have lost their charm and who now wish to observe in their natural habitat this most compelling of unnatural creatures, without ending up on the dinner menu.

Customer Reviews:

it's just okay.......2006-05-01

It's a neat book and fun to read, but the grammatical and style inconsistencies, albeit slight, are somewhat distracting. Also comes across as maybe a little too "dumbed down."

Good to have if you ever visit Transylvania.......2005-08-09

This book has a lot of information in easy to read format. The blood stains and tears make it a lot more realistic. Is it The Vampire Encyclopedia, or The Vampire Book? Well, no. But it is a nice handbook to have if you want to get straight to the point (say, if you're being attacked by vampires and you need information quickly).

Kill me.......2004-06-29

Firstly, the information in this book is just plain offensive. Truely. It is the most incorrectly marketed information I have seen about this subject thus far. The only reason I would give one star would be for the design of the actual book.

Great Vampire Info.......2004-04-15

I bought this book and The Vampire Slayers' Field Guide to the Undead, and I'm in Vampire-killing heaven. Both books complement each other perfectly. This book has lots of stuff about the history of Vamps, and the Slayers' Guide has lots of info and art about the different kinds of Vamps you never heard about. The Vampire Watcher's Handbook is more of a learned scholarly-type book, whereas the Slayers' Guide is more pop culture-ish. They're both much better than the Vampire Encyclopedia (dry and boring, ho hum). So buy them both! You won't be disappointed.

All Books should be this cool!.......2004-02-07

If you enjoy Vampires this book is for you. Even if you don't, this book is worth buying for its awesome design and detail. It actually has the feel and look of an old notebook with rips, tears, stains and blood splatters where they should be. Its Vampire info is top notch with little details even the most informed vampire fan will find facinating. A truly beautiful book about the most horrible...vampires.

Customer Reviews:

Best book on Ventriloquist history.......2000-03-28

This is the definitive history on ventriloquism and vent history. Goes clear back to the beginnings of ventriloquism and brings it clear up to the present day. Also talks about the famous ventriloquists of the past and up through the current performers (As of the printing of the book). Valentine Vox has surely researched this subject well, and has made this book very enjoyable to read. A must for the serious ventriloquist! A best buy!

The complete history of ventriloquism, "Fantastic".......1997-10-06

The true history of ventriloquism, covering over 2000 years."'no ventriloquist should be without a copy".

Amazon.com

George Orwell envisioned Big Brother as an outgrowth of a looming totalitarian state, but in this timely survey Robert O'Harrow Jr. portrays a surveillance society that's less centralized and more a joint public/private venture. Indeed, the most frightening aspect of the Washington Post reporter's thoroughly researched and naggingly disquieting chronicle lies in the matter-of-fact nature of information hunters and gatherers and the insatiable systems they've concocted. Here is a world where data is gathered by relatively unheralded organizations that smooth the way for commercial entities to find the good customers and avoid dicey ones. Government of course too has an interest in the data that's been mined. Information is power, especially when trying to find the bad guys. The mutually compatible skills and needs shared by private and public snoopers were fusing prior to the attacks of 9/11, but the process has since gone into hyperdrive. O'Harrow weaves together vignettes to record the development of the "security-industrial complex," taking pains to personalize his chronicle of a movement that's remained (perhaps purposefully) faceless. Recognizing the appeal of state-of-the-art systems that can track down a murderer/rapist with heretofore unimaginable speed, the author recognizes, too, that the same devices can mistakenly destroy reputations and cast a pall over a free society. In a post-9/11 world where homeland security often trumps personal liberty, this work is an eye-opener for those who take their privacy for granted. --Steven Stolder

Book Description

In No Place to Hide, award-winning Washington Post reporter Robert O'Harrow, Jr., pulls back the curtain on an unsettling trend: the emergence of a data-driven surveillance society intent on giving us the conveniences and services we crave, like cell phones, discount cards, and electronic toll passes, while watching us more closely than ever before. He shows that since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, the information industry giants have been enlisted as private intelligence services for homeland security. And at a time when companies routinely collect billions of details about nearly every American adult, No Place to Hide shines a bright light on the sorry state of information security, revealing how people can lose control of their privacy and identities at any moment.

Now with a new afterword that details the latest security breaches and the government's failing efforts to stop them, O'Harrow shows us that, in this new world of high-tech domestic intelligence, there is literally no place to hide.

As O'Harrow writes, "This book is all about you and your personal information -- and the story isn't pretty."

Download Description

"In No Place to Hide, award-winning Washington Post reporter Robert O'Harrow, Jr., lays out in unnerving detail the post-9/11 marriage of private data and technology companies and government anti-terror initiatives to create something entirely new: a security-industrial complex. Drawing on his years of investigation, O'Harrow shows how the government now depends on burgeoning private reservoirs of information about almost every aspect of our lives to promote homeland security and fight the war on terror. Consider the following: When you use your cell phone, the phone company knows where you are and when. If you use a discount card, your grocery and prescription purchases are recorded, profiled, and analyzed. Many new cars have built-in devices that enable companies to track from afar details about your movements. Software and information companies can even generate graphical link-analysis charts illustrating exactly how each person in a room is related to every other -- through jobs, roommates, family, and the like. Almost anyone can buy a dossier on you, including almost everything it takes to commit identity theft, for less than fifty dollars. It may sound like science fiction, but it's the routine activity of the nation's fast-growing information industry and, more and more, its new partner the U.S. government. With unrivaled access, O'Harrow tells the inside stories of key players in this new world, from software inventors to counterintelligence officials. He reveals how the government is creating a national intelligence infrastructure with the help of private companies. And he examines the impact of this new security system on our traditional notions of civil liberties, autonomy, and privacy, and the ways it threatens to undermine some of our society's most cherished values, even while offering us a sense of security. This eye-opening examination takes readers behind the walls of secrecy and shows how we are rushing toward a surveillance society with few rules to guide and protect us. In this new world of high-tech domestic intelligence, there is literally no place to hide. "

Customer Reviews:

Very thorough.......2007-05-11

This book is the result of a very thorough and detailed investigation. Some of the chapters are more exciting than you'd expect from a book like this. For some other chapters you need a little interest in politics.

Gives you an overview of the current situation.......2007-03-27

Robert O'Harrow writes about what data can be collected on individuals, who collects it and who uses it. In a nutshell, data is collected by the various parts of the government (CIA, NSA, etc) and private businesses. Some of the private businesses sell the collected data further, and some of this is also used by law enforcement (including PIs and 'bounty hunters'). This latter issue can be of concern if you think you might one day have to deal with an disgruntled ex-spouse, ex-employee (or a current employees ex-) or have a relative who might be searched by bounty hunters.

If you have an understanding of the technical aspects of what can be done with information technology, the book probably would not surprise you much at all. However, you might still find it interesting (I know I did) for providing a clearer picture of the extent of data gathering. The only drawback with the book is that, overall, it can be a bit tedious to read.

In any case this book is a good 'companion' to a book of privacy called "How to be invisible" by J.J. Luna. Together with the information in Luna's book, it helps provide an answer to the question "why should I need to be invisible?"

While Robert O'Harrow does not write about what you can do to minimize the data gathered about you, he helps provide a motivation for you to take necessary steps so that that data can not be used to connect your actual name with your actual residence. How to do this (legally) is discussed in J.J. Luna's book.

How to Be Invisible: The Essential Guide to Protecting Your Personal Privacy, Your Assets, and Your Life (Revised Edition)

[Later addition: I happened to find a website that sells a DVD titled "Privacy is dead", containing a presentation by Steven Rambam (a P.I.). Steven's presentation is about the amount of information available on each person in the U.S. and how easily this can be retrieved. I have not viewed the DVD so I do not know how 'good' it is, but if you are interested, you can find it with a search engine. Recommendation: check the Wikipedia article on the speaker before buying the DVD.]

Must read.......2007-01-06

This is a must read for anyone with any concern for personal privacy

Begin to consider .......2006-09-06

The title says it all: you cannot remain anonymous or hidden any more, anyone with the will or intent can find out a wealth of information about you, and resistance is futile. O'Harrow goes through a laundry list of means that are utilized to capture and share information about you, all without your knowledge or consent. There are companies that exist solely for the purpose of gathering and selling personal information. That's capitalism at work for you (or is it against you?). A fact of life in the information age is that things that make life much easier and simpler for us are also the primary sources for diminishing our privacy. This double-edged sword really does cut both ways, since it is a price we pay for ease, convenience and protection. The irony is that we have struggled and fought for our freedom, yet are not able to survive today without the protections afforded by these measures. It is frightening to think that we can be tracked by satellite when we use GPS in our cars or when we use a credit card at a store. Our grocers know our buying habits because we use their store's discount cards in order to save ourselves money. Phone records indicate whom we called and at what time. Just try to live today without credit cards or a phone! It is difficult to ascertain O'Harrow's purpose for writing this book because he leaves many conclusions to us. Does he take some perverse pleasure in making us feel powerless? Or perhaps he is alerting us to information collecting methods so that we take precautionary measures? We can take precautions, yet if our identity is stolen, laws are designed to protect credit card companies, not us. Only as a majority would we be able to reverse this trend and return to anonymity, though what would be the repercussions of this? Whatever the purpose for the book, it is reasonably informative and at the very least should spur us to contemplate this topical and pervasive issue.

Balanced But . . ........2006-04-13

If I could write as well as:

It Can Happen Here, and It Already Is Happening, February 13, 2005
Reviewer: Steve Koss (New York, NY United States)

I would write the same review.

I just want to add the author does not really spell out how this new information age can be misused, especially for those who do not see the value of civil liberties in more classical setting (road blocks for drunks, moranda (sp?) rights etc.

He also describes the power and potential, at the same time limits of these new technologies to find terrorists who live on very modest spending - leaving it to the reader to try to figure out which it is - but as this technology evolves this may change anyway.

I wonder when the FBI could not act on information from their own Minneapolis office was giving them and with porous ports, and with terrorist simply sent back to Canada to try to enter again just how effective this will be.

No Place to Hide a Novel of the Vietnam War

Average customer rating:

My wife enjoyed this book as much as I did.
Good Book for a Non-Vietnam Vet
Good Book for a Non-Vietnam Vet
Master Rotorhead-the real thing!
A realistic gritty account of a fight already lost.

No Place to Hide a Novel of the Vietnam War
Gerry Carroll
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

War | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

ASIN: 0671865110

Customer Reviews:

My wife enjoyed this book as much as I did........1999-07-21

Of his three books, this was perhaps the best. He obviously had researched it well and put together a most exciting story line. About the author: Gerry saw combat with HC-7 during Viet Nam flying combat support from the decks of the CVA's deployed to the Tonkin Gulf. Their mission was search and rescue (SAR). They flew the "Big Mothers" off the coast of North Viet Nam primarily in support of strike operations from the carriers. He served his country proudly, with distinction and was most certainly a Vietnam veteran.

Good Book for a Non-Vietnam Vet.......1999-04-05

I enjoyed this book a lot. It seemed to be well thought out with lots of interesting characters. The book has one flaw. The author is presented as a Vietnam vet. He is not. He was a Navy chopper pilot and performed a rescue in combat.........in Grenada. Carroll never set foot in Vietnam. The impression that he was comes from Clancy's Foreward. Looks like old Tom got it wrong. I dont blame Mr. Carroll for not refuting this assertion since he died before this book hit the streets. Still, the record must be set straight......

Good Book for a Non-Vietnam Vet.......1999-04-05

Master Rotorhead-the real thing!.......1999-01-26

Harrowing and authentic. These guys did the walk man. From the Mexicn Village to the air control conversations with the E2--Carroll wrote from experience.I don't think Clancy or Griffin, or for that matter, Dale Brown ever knew what it was to "cumshaw" a hand pump or adjust their "Gigline" From the A7 cat shoot to the emergency auto-ro in the huey it is all NATOPS. Refreshing to read good action adventure by a guy that knows. We are all the loosers from this multi-tallented mans early passing.

A realistic gritty account of a fight already lost........1998-12-09

I found this novel to be surprisingly gripping and accurate. The characters moulded by Carroll were not over the top as one so often sees in this type of tale.

The story trots along and keeps your interest throughout. I did find myself getting some of the characters muddled at times, but all sorted itself out in time.

Whether or not readers were 'out of nappies' during the Vietnam War, I feel they will enjoy this work a great deal.

Average customer rating:

Great Book

No Place to Hide: Facing Shame So We Can Find Self-Respect
Michael Nichols
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

Cat's Eye

The Immoralist (Penguin Classics)

Facing Shame: Families in Recovery

The Lost Art of Listening: How Learning to Listen Can Improve Relationships

ASIN: 0671681818

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2003-04-23

I found Michael Nichols book No Place To Hide amazing. Never have I found so much information presented so well on the topic of shame. It covers many areas and ties together the various traits and aspects of the process of shame. The book gave me insight into my behavior and a way to understand the nature of shame so that I may move beyond its cycles. I highly recommend this reading.

Cold Silence: When There's No Place Left To Hide, All You Can Do is Run

Average customer rating:

Cold Silence: When There's No Place Left To Hide, All You Can Do is Run

Manufacturer: Danielle Girard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739430157

Average customer rating:

Gripping and believable espionage !

No Place to Hide
Ted Allbeury
Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton General Division
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0450057739

Customer Reviews:

Gripping and believable espionage !.......1999-08-12

An excellent story, of a MI6 former agent, looking to restart his life after a disastous mission. The hero searches for freedom from, not only his inner demons, but the harrasment from his former employers. An excellent story, of how a MI6 agent, taught "never to fear any man" from his father copes with life, after seeing how his superiours treat him. Very believable, and if you enjoy suspence and espionage, this is a must read, or hear ! Dj

NO PLACE TO HIDE (Sweet Valley High Super Thrillers)

Average customer rating:

No Place to hide!
Seriously Wonderful!
the kind of story that will live in your memory forever!!!!

NO PLACE TO HIDE (Sweet Valley High Super Thrillers)
Francine Pascal
Manufacturer: Sweet Valley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Adventure & Thrillers | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Love & Romance | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0553275542
Release Date: 1988-11-01

Customer Reviews:

No Place to hide!.......2003-10-14

This book is awesome.Once I started to read it I couldn't put it down.If your a svh fan,read this super thiller.

Seriously Wonderful!.......2003-09-16

I LOVED this book! I couldnt put it down! Oh, its not thrilling, but its certainly exciting! You dont have to be a die hard Sweet Valley fan to enjoy this one!

the kind of story that will live in your memory forever!!!!.......2002-04-25

this is my favorite svh book so far! you will never guess what happens.... if you dont read it youll miss out on a great story!

No Place to Hide: Crises and Conflicts Inside Biafra

Average customer rating:

No Place to Hide: Crises and Conflicts Inside Biafra
Benard Odogwu , and Bernard Odogwu
Manufacturer: Fourth Dimension Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

Nigeria | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

West Africa | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 978156198X

No Place To Hide In America: or The American Misadventures of a Honky White Boy Puerto Rican Mulatto Negro Cracker Syrian Uncle Tom Bastard from Africa

Average customer rating:

No Place To Hide In America: or The American Misadventures of a Honky White Boy Puerto Rican Mulatto Negro Cracker Syrian Uncle Tom Bastard from Africa
Denys Blell , and Robert D. Kreisher
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Discrimination & Racism | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 059534061X

Book Description

Can we live in America without being defined by race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion? In No Place to Hide, authors Denys Blell and Bob Kreisher share the true stories of one immigrant's struggle to remain a man with no race or ethnicity in a race-obsessed American higher education system.

After immigrating to the United States, Samir Dyfan pursues a career in higher education and quickly finds that having no particular racial, ethnic or religious identity gives him a unique perspective regarding diversity initiatives. Throughout his career, Samir concludes that the actions of colleagues are often based on self-interest and greed, rather than the principles of inclusiveness, fairness, and justice. As a result, he experiences strange and disturbing situations and relationships. Samir often finds himself alone, trying to navigate his own way to the safety, equality, and inclusiveness he came to the United States to find.

Will Samir find inclusiveness or segregation as he experiences the dark side of diversity politics? Find out as Blell and Kreisher offer this unique perspective about diversity issues within one of America's most noble institutions.

No Place to Hide ; The Judas Factor ; Children of Tender Years ; The Seeds of Treason ; The Crossing

Average customer rating:

No Place to Hide ; The Judas Factor ; Children of Tender Years ; The Seeds of Treason ; The Crossing
Ted Allbeury
Manufacturer: Methuen Publishing Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0413609804

Average customer rating:

NO PLACE TO HIDE
David Bradley
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000E318C2

Product Description

What atomic bomb can do to ships, water, land or humans is told with clear implications by young doctor assigned to watch for radioactive contamination during & after Bikini tests.

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