Elisabeth Welch: Soft Lights and Sweet Music

Book Description

In Elisabeth Welch: Soft Lights and Sweet Music, author Stephen Bourne celebrates the stage, screen, and radio career of this sophisticated African American actress and singer, who always defied categorization. Spanning almost a century of popular music, Welch did not fit the definition of jazz, torch, pop, or ballad singer but defined her art quite simply as telling a story in song. Whenever she sang, she demonstrated that she had no peer in the art of interpreting songs by the likes of Cole Porter, No'l Coward, Irving Berlin, and Jerome Kern. Her story is a fascinating one that brings readers insight about the life and times of this musical legend.

Customer Reviews:

Elisabeth Welch, A Very Great Artist.......2005-12-09

Stephen Bourne is an expert on black performers working in the UK and his biography of the great Elisabeth Welch is definitive.She was another American born performer who found her greatest success is London becoming a great lady of stage, screen, and television with wonderful recordings made at intervals during all of the years of a very long career. The listings compiled in the back are very valuable for those who want a list of Elisabeth Welch's many credits in all media of show business as well as a complete discography. I was blessed to have seen Elisabeth Welch perform when she was part eighty. She was still very beautiful and stopped the show with her peerless singing. This book is a fitting tribute to a very great artist.

Customer Reviews:

Poorly Indexed. Lots of Information on Non-Disney Shows.......2005-09-08

This is one of those books that I bought sight unseen over the internet. I don't think I would have bought it if I had a chance to have looked at it first.

This is one of those encyclopedia books that give you the name of a show, its air date and what seems like the TV Guide description of what was in the show. I figured that it would begin with the Disneyland TV series and branch out to the Wonderful World of Disney that I watched in the 70s. Well, it kind of does that and kind of not. It includes a chapter on Disney Specials (organized alphabetically by the name of the show). Then it has a chapter about repeating series, then the Mickey Mouse Club, then a chapter about Zorro, etc. The Disneyland shows are in there and so are the Wonderful World of Disney shows, but again, they are listed alphabetically by the title of each show. So, you wind up having a show from the 90's listed next to a show from the 50's. I suppose its one way of doing things, but its not what I expected. I thought I'd get to see which episode was shown on day one and then the rest in a chronological approach. It will be very difficult to identify the episodes that I saw growing up because of the way the shows are organized.

Indexing was a disappointment, but what I really don't understand is the inclusion of what appears to be ABC's complete line-up from the time Eisner took over Disney until the book was published. I really didn't expect to see complete information about the "Golden Girls" series in a book called "The Wonderful World of Disney." Further the last 100 to 150 pages is just a listing of production people (like you would see shown in the credits of an episode - in small print) for each of the episodes mentioned in the book. If you knock out the ABC 90s lineup and the production credits, you've knocked out about 1/2 of the book.

Substantively, the Disney-program related stuff is kind of weak -- like I said, sort of a TV Guide synopsis -- but there are little bits of trivia listed for numerous episodes and that's nice. Again, however, indexing makes the book suffer. For example, the movie Johnny Tremain was broken down into segments when shown on TV with each episode having a different title, "e.g., The Shot Heard Round the Word" and "The Boston Tea Party." Well, the Boston episode is found in the B's and the Shot episode is way over in the S's. This organization didn't make a lot of sense to me. Also there is some information that is just wrong. For example, it lists the Shaggy D.A. (from the mid 70s) as being shown in a colorized format in a TV episode. Of course, the movie was filmed in Color.

I haven't spent a whole lot of time with the book, and there appears to be some good information in it (there are a number of pages or regular historical prose dealing with Walt's getting into TV, the Mickey Mouse Club and Zorro) but overall, the book is disappointing.

Sunday Nights are for families!.......2005-03-23

This book is a comprehensive history of Disney on television, with "The Wonderful World of Disney" anthology show as the centerpiece. As a kid I grew up watching Uncle Walt every Sunday night, on "The Wonderful World of Disney". Back then we were not bombarded with 24 hour cable, satellite, vcr, dvd, video games,... We had 4 channels to choose from, and even those rarely had anything watchable for kids. And as a result no kid missed Sunday nights with Walt Disney. He always had something exciting on, adventure, historical stories, action, cartoons, animal fare, you name it! I sat in front of the tube mesmerized with my dinner on a TV tray, the only night my mom let me eat in front of the TV. Parents could always trust Walt Disney to give us wholesome entertainment. Now we have grown up, and the old television series is gone but not forgotten as long as you have this book.

There are hundreds of books on Disney's animated fare, but scant few have been written on their wonderful treasure trove of live action films, much less their material created specifically for television. There are books on specific shows, but none yet that bring them all together like this. Bill Cotter has done what no one else has attempted, to create a list of every single episode for every television show ever made: it's actors, plotline, trivia, air dates and rerun dates for every single show Disney ever made up to the date of publication. And he has done a fine job when you consider there are hundreds of episodes, aired 52 weeks a year, for 29 years. He takes the time to tell you if the episode was theatrically released first or televised first, overseas or domestic, if it was a feature that was edited not a movie or edited from a movie for TV, and even if it aired or released in a different name. He even lets you know what Disney did with the episode in the European market.

This book has been a wonderful resource to assist me in finding old episodes that I can't remember the name for but vividly remember the story, confirming that the child actors are the famous persons I see in the movies now, or checking to see which video I want to track down next. Very comprehensive at 628 pages. Not a ton of pictures, but some good ones. Some books on Disney use too many pictures as a crutch for lacking content, but not this one. The back of the book has a massive appendix with tons of information on every episode, such as the writer, director, producer, actors, original story material source, screenplay writer, composers, visual effects, and so on... basically the entire credits for every episode are listed here.

But it doesn't end there, he lists every episode of Mickey Mouse Club, the New Mickey Mouse Club and their respective serials; Zorro; Specials; and special releases of themovies to TV. Also has obscure limited series forgotten by time like Small & Frye, Zorro and Son, Meet Me at Disneyland, Gun Shy, or Wildside. The only source I can find for the many specials, series, and films of the Disney Channel. Saturday Mornings and Disney Afternoons animation is here like DuckTales, Wuzzles, Gummi Bears, Winnie the Pooh, Chp 'n Dale's Rescue Rangers, Tale Spin, Bonkers, Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Timon & Pumba, Gargoyles, and all the rest. And the "non-Disney" labeled stuff they made like Blossom, Home Improvement, Golden Girls, Nurses, Empty Nest, Boy Meets World, The Torkelsons, Dinosaurs, and all the other syndicated series from Touchstone Television. It even lists the unaired episodes!

The author of this book chose to include other shows that are so-called "not Disney", the Touchstone shows like the "Golden Girls". You have to remember that Disney Studios bought ABC Television, and prior to that was producing television medium at the Florida studio for the networks that did not have the Disney name plastered all over it, but was still made by the Disney company. They were just trying to be completist, and you get more information as a consumer at no extra cost. I myself am not interested in many of those Touchstone shows so I simply skipped that part of the book, no harm done there. Frankly, there is no other book at this time that lists every single episode of the legacy of Walt in his Wonderful World of Disney show. Trust me, this book is a treat for any Disney TV fan.

A reviewer felt like some of the descriptions of each episode were too short, but there were 29 years of episodes on 3 different networks for the anthology show alone to cover in the book, and I feel that under the circumstances they did very well with a paragraph or two on each episode. The book is already 628 pages long, and is much bigger than a large dictionary. Any more and it would honestly be unmanagable.

Since it is a history book first and foremost, the shows are listed from the oldest shows to the newest. Then within each show, such as Zorro, they list the episodes in the order they were aired. The exception is "The Wonderful World of Disney" which is done alphabetically, since so many of those episodes played multiple times over the years, or were mutli-part episodes, but most of all because the fans remember them by name but not neccesarily by air date. It really does make it easier this way. It lists episodes by the title name, which in a multi-part show like "Johnny Tremain" can get confusing at first. But the book usually tells you in one listing the names of the other parts of the story so you can track them down. For example on page 97 it begins with the main title Davy Crockett, then lists the 5 episode names of the original series so you can look them up by name. Then it list the 5 episodes from the 1988 remake series. It does the same with Elfego Baca, Gallagher, and other shows and even movies that were renamed as episodes after editing. The layout of the book takes a little extra effort to understand at first, but over time I have come to appreicate it very much and frankly would not change it.

This is a great resource for info on theatrical releases and featurettes too since most aired on the show sooner or later. I strongly reccommend this book to any Disney fan or historian. It is one of the most valuable reference books in my Disney collection of over 100 books.

Sadly the original Disney anthology shows have seen almost no attention from the studio by way of DVD release, and most episodes on VHS were printed in the 1980's. There are a number of episodes from the show still available "used" on VHS, simply do a search at Amazon under, "The Wonderful World of Disney". And if you use this book like I did you can find almost half of the Disney episodes ever made were released on VHS back in the '80s under their original episode titles. Buy them while you still can. I highly reccommend this hugely important reference to Disney television.

Great addition to Disney lovers' book shelf.......2000-03-03

The labour the author has put into this comprehensive work of reference is clearly reflected in its 400 pages. Being both a lover of Disney in general, and a movie critic in particular, I keep this work within reach to check names as they appear on the credits or in case I want to find the title to a certain episode. On the downside, I really missed the general names index, but maybe that's just the librarian inside of me, for I realize that an index like that would take up a second volume (but a second volume I would buy!).

Great for Disney fans.......1999-08-09

It contains a lot of Disney TV series. Tell Bill to release a new edition featuring Disney's Hercules

Average customer rating:
Endplays And Coups (Test Your Bridge Technique)
David Bird , and Tim Bourke
Manufacturer: Master Point Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1894154770

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Endplays : eliminations, squeezes, coups;: Clearly revealing the innermost secrets of bridge scientifically classified for quick reference,
George Sturgis Coffin
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Endplays Eliminations, Squeezes, Coups
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A classic must on endplays

Endplays in Bridge: Eliminations, Squeezes and Coups
George Coffin
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Customer Reviews:

A classic must on endplays.......2005-06-06

A top book, but not for beginners. Coffin's terminology sounds weird today, and most examples in the book are rather rare, but if you are a champion-level player you will find the information there useful.

Endplays: Third master edition of eliminations, squeezes, coups, clearly revealing the innermost secrets of bridge scientifically classified for quick reference

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Endplays: Third master edition of eliminations, squeezes, coups, clearly revealing the innermost secrets of bridge scientifically classified for quick reference
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Manufacturer: The Ad Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Endplays;: Eliminations, squeezes, coups, clearly revealing the innermost secrets of bridge scientifically classified for quick reference,

Average customer rating:

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ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

ENDPLAYS : THRID MASTER EDTION OF ELIMINATIONS SQUEEZES COUPS CLEARLY REVEALING THE INNERMOST SECRETS OF BRIDGE SCIENTIFICALLY CLASSIFED FOR QUICK REFERENCE

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Endplays and Coups
David Bird
Manufacturer: Master Point Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K7LW28

Book Description

Weblogs--frequently updated, independently produced, and curiously addictive--have become some of the most popular sites on the Web today. The Weblog Handbook is the first book to explain how weblogs work and explore their impact on the media landscape.

There is no formula for creating a superb weblog--but there are lessons to be drawn from maintaining one. In The Weblog Handbook, Rebecca Blood draws on her experience as an early participant in the weblog community to share what she has learned in three years of "living online."

With a clear and engaging voice, Rebecca explains how to choose among the available tools, even walking the beginner through the process of creating their first weblog. Along the way she answers commonly asked questions concerning weblog etiquette, how to attract readers, and the qualities that make a weblog stand out, alerting the novice to considerations--and pitfalls--they didn't know to ask about.

For students of digital culture, The Weblog Handbook provides an account of the history of the movement, an explanation of the "weblog method", and a thoughtful examination of weblogs and journalism.

Finally, Rebecca examines how the weblog community has grown and changed, the dangers confronting it, and the ways in which weblogs are affecting and affected by both online and offline culture.

Customer Reviews:

decent and wise counsel.......2007-02-25

Rebecca Blood loves her craft.

In a world moving as fast as the cyberworld is, a book written in 2002 and reviewed now in 2007 is bound to show its age. The Weblog Handbook does so.

Yet for sheer, innocent (but not inexpert), joyful description of a weblog community that discovered itself almost accidentally between 1999 and 2002, this delightful little book is both a period piece and a still-useful introduction to weblogging for novices.

Seven well-written chapters make the experience of reading this old-media production (ironies abound) a pleasure.

'What is a Weblog?' (chapter one, pp. 1-25) does what its title makes obvious. Along the way, the author utilizes her impeccably accessible prose to highlight the serendipitous, communal, and artistic-creative aspects of most blogs, or at least of those that set the movement afoot.

Blood's second chapter (her generous first-person style makes a reviewer who has never met her refer to her simply as 'Rebecca'; 'Why a Weblog?', pp. 27-37) dispenses wisdom regarding how the beast can take over the life of the beast-er. She indicates three motives for blogging: 'information sharing, reputation building, and personal expression', with careful attention to what the practice does for the writer as well as for the reader. The secret is to align what one already does with one's life as Daily Chronicler of Something.

Chapter three ('Creating and Maintaining Your Weblog', pp. 39-57) puts the 'p' in the first word of the author's subtitle. A newbie in the field will appreciate the absence of condescension as Blood introduces him to the nuts and bolts of his new hobby.

Every successful artist or otherwise public persona experiences that memorable moment when she understands who she is in her given role and why that is a natural place to be. According to Rebecca Blood, bloggers are no different (Chapter four, 'Finding Your Voice', pp. 59-76). Though she gives due attention to the blogger-audience dynamic from several angles, she is very much aware that a blogger who wants her craft to be an integral aspect of her life finds her voice (including the topic upon which she can write knowledgeably) and sticks with it.

Rebecca concludes 'Finding an Audience' (chapter five, pp. 77-99) with this judicious and provocative statement: 'If your objective in keeping a weblog is to gain a wide audience, I advise you to quite today. Webloggers who care about the size of their audience are always unhappy.'

By the time she has worked her way to that declaration, however, she has provided twenty pages of helpful guidance to, well, finding and building an audience. One gains the impression that here is a woman of balance, willing to help you do the thing you want to do but aware that it may turn out to be something other than that. Kudos to her for writing a professional manual that takes itself with appropriate levity.

Blood utilizes her sixth chapter to blend garden-variety journalistic ethics and etiquette with the peculiar idealism of the early weblogging community (chapter six, 'Weblog Community and Etiquette', pp. 101-125). Though she breaks her counsel into 'do not do' and 'do' categories, her approach is not rigid. Rather it is altruistic, idealistic, and communal. Even if those traits do not guarantee a better world, they are better than their alternatives. Blood capably guides the novice through the unspoken expectations that linger like minefields before the new weblogger who is clueless, belligerent, or some combination of the two. Reader beware.

Chapter seven ('Living Online', pp. 127-145), provides Blood with her clearest opportunity to disclose what the experience of doing what the title suggests has meant to this civil and entertaining author of 'Rebecca's Pocket'. As with so much of what she has written here, the basic principle is common sense, even if that uncommon virtue must now be applied to a recent and uncongealed new medium of public disclosure. Living online does not mean that the blogger or his friends, acquaintances, and even the defenseless objects of his drive-by observations do not preserve and need a private life. Blood offers sensible guidance for observing those limits and avoiding the unwelcome intrusions to which technology has added such unwelcome afterlife.

An afterword and several appendices complete a fine introduction to what in the hands of some must be regarded as a craft.

When entering theological seminary many years ago, I was urged to read Helmut Thielicke's A LITTLE EXERCISE FOR YOUNG THEOLOGIANS. That slim, heartfelt volume did not teach anyone how to be a good theologian, yet it punched above its weight by setting a course for decent progress by practitioners of a craft who would now be more aware of self and community than would have been the case had Thielicke kept his pen locked away.

Rebecca Blood's little book does the same for aspiring bloggers. Perhaps all that one has with which to repay her are five well-earned stars.

A good general non-technical guide that is showing its age.......2006-01-17

Rebecca Blood of Rebecca's Pocket wrote this 200 page tome in 2002. I finished reading it in 2006. I would say about half of the information provided is dated or anachronistic. While her blog is full of interesting reading material for a technophile, the book needs a major overhaul.

Where is it useful? It's filled with practical advice as the title suggests. Most of that practical advice is more related to being a decent human being than it is to blogging. The Weblog Handbook is a good read if you are ethically challenged or prone to getting into flame wars with other citizens of the virtual reality we called the Net. It's a good read if you want to blog for the long term and aren't sure what sort of writing will make people come back to visit you again and again.

What isn't useful? Blogging is, like most new technology, a rapidly evolving animal, and this book should be updated annually to keep up with the state of the genre. Blogging is just now emerging as a serious alternative source of valuable information about the world. Also, if you're looking for advice that will help you pick the best tool to blog with, this book is not going to help at all. In fact, no book will help much with that. A single author blog, in my opinion, here in 2006, should be written and published, in every case, with WordPress. It's by far the most elegant tool out there.

The Weblog Handbook doesn't mention either it or Movable Type, which is what Rebecca's Pocket is based on.
If you need help figuring out how to blog in a civilized fashion, so that you will actually find and keep an audience, then The Weblog Handbook might need to go on your reading list. Other than that, I would say avoid this book unless it is re-released with more relevant information about the current state of blogging. Technology books have a very short shelf life.
Rebecca herself is a class act, and so is Rebecca's Pocket. However, a major overhaul of The Weblog Handbook is long overdue.

Update: Rebecca read my review and noted that she has hand coded the site up until six days ago. I never visited her during the hand coding days. Rebecca certainly practices what she preaches in the The Weblog Handbook and is a maven when it comes to dispensing sage advice regarding blogging etiquette.

I still believe that The Weblog handbook would be a more useful tome if it included a chapter or two on current blogging tools and if it was updated annually or every other year.

Nicely Done.......2005-10-08

Rebecca Blood's account of blogging, her story from the early days to the present, woven into a neatly structured account of what blogging is and how to go about it, is a pleasant read. The book is not technically deep nor philosophically profound, but well written and pitched at an appropriate level for the average starting web-logger.

One of the ways to measure the value of a book is to ask if the reading of it has changed the way one does things. The question is not so much "What did I learn?" but "What impact did this have on what I do?"

The answer, of course, is person bound; a book that has changed the way I behave may have no impact on someone else's actions. Rebecca Blood had a direct influence on my projects. For example, WikiDiction now has a space for linking to relevant quality blogs; added after finishing the chapter "Finding an Audience".

Nice work Rebecca.

Answers the Right Questions.......2005-09-12

Covers all the information a totally uninformed but interest person would need to know to get started. It is obvious that Rebecca Blood not only enjoys blogging but wants it to be the best it can be. Her chapter, "Living on Line" discusses practical advice such as not writing when one is angry and the ethics of being a part of an on-line community. It was satisfying, enjoyable, thought provoking and useful.

Makes me want to start my own weblog today!.......2005-08-22

I like Rebecca's Pocket and have been considering starting my own blog so I purchased this book. The best thing about this book is that Rebecca is obviously very enthusiastic aboout blogging, especially about what it can do for the confidence and writing abilities of the blogger. The book gives some practical questions potential bloggers need to ask themselves before starting a blog. The only reason this book isn't rated higher is that it is a little outdated - but it still has good information.

Did I end up starting a blog after reading a book? Not yet. I still haven't been able to answer for myself the question posed by Rebecca, "If you spend 8 hours + a day in front of the computer for work, are you willing to spend an additional few hours in front of a computer at home writing your blog?"

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