Bloodsuckers: Vampires at the Movies

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Bloodsuckers: Vampires at the Movies
Scott Nance
Manufacturer: Movie Publisher Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1556983174

Customer Reviews:

More to Runyan than just a nice comic read.......2007-08-31

In a way, the reviews that talk about how colorful and how much fun it is to read these stories are shortchanging the book.

As a great actor will act "against part", ie play tragedy as if it were comedy and vice versa ... so will a great author. Look at Shakespeare. A well performed "Romeo and Juliet" is a laugh a minute, except for the fact that characters you care about keep dying or living hopelessly.

Runyan is like that. Under each of these very funny stories is a lost soul surviving in a lost civilization. Even more to the point, I read these stories and I know these people ... I see myself and my friends in here, surviving inches above the gutter, ignoring the despair that lurks so near.

This is colorful, brilliant comedy and, like all great comedy, has great tragedy at its heart.

Hilarious.......2007-02-13

I first encountered Mr. Runyon in 1966 as a senior in high school, whose library happened to have a collection of his stories. I picked it up during free period and started reading "Blood Pressure." Five minutes into the story, I started laughing and could not stop. Mrs. Smith, the librarian, must have thought I was insane. Over the years I have managed to collect most of Runyon's stories, and they are all funny as hell.

This book contains some of Runyon's best stories, and I heartily recommend it. But my favorite story is still "Blood Pressure."

Runyon writes in the first person, but he never identifies himself in his stories -- he's just a nameless character who describes what's going on around him. Moreover, he writes almost universally in the present tense, in the parlance of the gangster/gambler and lower-class, hanger-on life forms that inhabited New York City in the 1920s. This writing style, which has become known as "Runyonese," is addictive and greatly adds to the humor.

Runyon was a highly paid writer in his time, but today is hardly known outside of his signature story, "Guys and Dolls." This is a real pity, because his humor is truly timeless.

An American original .......2004-10-14

I am sitting around one night years ago and my sister comes into the room and hands me these short stories and says ' you gotta read em' cause they got characters in them like Little Augie and Nibsy and ' the Walking Encyclopedia of Baseball Knowledge' and ' Posey' and 'Itchie Samiof ' and all the guys we know from Richman's gambling joint. So I sit down and I begin to read and its like these people on the page are the very spitting image very spitting of those we are meeting every day just on our corner . And these characters are very much like those my Uncles Jack and Reddy are inviting in the house all the time to play pinochle only even more funny and almost as nasty .So I say this book comes out of American life and is the genuine article although someone else tells me a lot of these guys most of been reading Damon Runyan and so started acting and talking like his characters just to make it seem that they are bigshots which is of course what they all are-when they are not broke which is most of the time.
Well this has not been a very successful effort at parody or paraphrase or whatever is, but it is a way of saying you will really really enjoy reading about ' Nicely Nicely' and 'Nathan Detroit ' and all the other Runyan characters. Ring Lardner may have been a smarter guy but old Damon Runyan why he could almost make colloquial as good as old JD Salinger would a little later from a bit further uptown.
Try it , try it you'll really really like it.

MORE RUNYON PLEASE !.......2003-10-08

Damon Runyans writing is very amusing. He is sort of the American P.G. Woodhouse without all the spondulucks. His shorts also remind me of Roald Dahls in their twisted endings.
I wish someone would hunt up and publish all his newspaper columns and war correspondence.
Read his stories and you will be amazed at how often you recognize his plots in film. He was one of the great American writers and belongs in the same sentence as Twain Hemmingway Steinbeck and London.

Pleasant, leisure reading.......2001-07-24

This is an excellent night-stand book. A collection of short stories,typical Damon Runyan. Most of its short stories can be read in twenty minutes or less. Some I found uninteresting, others delightful. My favorites are the "Lemon Drop Kid" and the baby sitting bank robber. A fun book for teen-agers also.W. Dannenmaier

A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life

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A good book on an unpleasant man
The man behind the songs
A Wonderful Biography
A wonderful view of Frank Loesser and Broadway's Magic Era

A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life
Susan Loesser
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1556113641

Book Description

Composer, lyricist and driving force behind such songs and stage productions as "Heart and Soul," "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Guys and Dolls and The Most Happy Fella, Frank Loesser left an indelible mark on American music. In this rich and revealing biography, his daughter profiles this prolific musical mastermind, piecing together her own memories with those of singers, songwriters, producers, friends and family members. The result is an accurate account of what it was like to know Frank Loesser: a very funny man with a fiery temper whose ferocious commitment to his art drove singers out of their minds - and to their best. This comprehensive account of Loesser's life and career includes photos, drawings, lyrics and an index.

Customer Reviews:

A good book on an unpleasant man.......2004-07-12

Frank Loesser, who wrote "Guys and Dolls," "Where's Charley," "Greenwillow" and the newly produced musical of twentieth Century Mexico, "Senor Discretion Himself," had two intriguing wives and a life filled with smart business decisions and personal unhappiness. His daughter, Susan, has written an affectionate memoir of her old man which opens up the tarp in a pretty bizarre pup-tent. Loesser's blue language is startling, and his temper and amour-propre make me dislike him intensely. Other glimpses of his personality depend, I suppose, on how much the reader can swallow. Here's that's always subjective. His sketches and doodles are cute, but not worth reprinting here as though they were fine art. The descriptions of her father's hand-made furniture have more mystery to them, one wonders what kind of person would make such strange contraptions. However, he couldn't have been that bad if his daughter, apparently the salt of the earth, and his widow, the cabaret songstress Jo Sullivan, give vivid testimonial to his time on earth. A remarkable fella indeed, even if a kind of creep.

The man behind the songs.......2003-01-03

Susan Loesser's biography of her father, Frank, does what it set out to do: Tell us about the man behind the songs. Unfortunately, that man wasn't as appealing as his music. I was disappointed to find out how Mr. Loesser treated his family and those he worked with. It seems that those who are most talented are often prima donnas personally, and Frank Loesser certainly fit that mold. HIs violent temper, condescending attitudes toward those who didn't meet his standards, and complete failure as a father comprised the dark side of Mr. Loesser. And that sailor's tongue! Hats off to the author for not glossing over these facts. She's frank (no pun intended) in expressing her disappointment with certain traits of her father.

However, there was a very bright side to Frank Loesser, and the book focuses primarily on this side of his life. His astounding command of the language in his lyrics and his entertaining personal letters highlight the brilliant talents that made him the household name he is.

Of particular note are the details surrounding his vision of such shows as Guys and Dolls, and his various friendships (with people such as John Steinbeck) and his conflicts (his disagreements with Frank Sinatra were entertaining to read). It's also fun to hear the fascinating personal anecdotes shared by Susan Loesser.

Early on, I found myself bored with the details of the Loesser family, but soon warmed up to the book, enjoying it greatly. Frank gave us some wonderful lyrics and music, and despite his personal shortcomings, his story is, as the title says, remarkable.

A Wonderful Biography.......2001-08-19

I highly recommend this well written, thoughtful, highly personal biography by Frank Loesser's daughter. If at all possible it is a good idea, I feel, to be playing through the "Frank Loesser Songbook" on your piano during the period you are reading this biography, as the combination of playing Frank Loesser's music on the piano in conjunction with reading his daughter's explanations of how the music came to be, is powerful to say the least. I had not realized until I read this book how important Frank Loesser is to Broadway. I now understand that Loesser is up there with Rogers/Hammerstein and Sondheim. Frank Loesser was larger than life. In my opinion we all owe a debt of gratitude to his daughter for writing a book about him that will live on to be the definitive, and only, book about this important man's amazing, interesting life.

A wonderful view of Frank Loesser and Broadway's Magic Era.......2000-10-02

This book shines from the Broadway History bookshelf. What appears as a modest portrait of Frank Loesser by his daughter, turns out to be a delightful history of Broadway. The beautifully researched stories of his productions are priceless. The lyrics, which lavishly illustrate Loesser's wonderful use of the language, are perfectly scattered throughout. The stories of the man himself, the era in which he worked, and the people who were part of his creative world, reveal the complexities and changing scene of Broadway production. Driven and demanding, he alienated Sinatra and slapped a leading lady; yet he meticulously crafted legendary shows like Guys and Dolls, and Most Happy Fella. Susan Loesser brings great warmth, an enormous amount of research and, obviously, a first-person sensibility to the story of this brilliant, funny, difficult, irascible, demanding, creative, and driven man. Frank Loesser told his casts "Loud is Better". This book is not loud, but it is wonderful.

Feuer and Martin Present Guys & Dolls: A Musical Fable of Broadway/Vocal Score/Hl00447926 (Score)

Average customer rating:

Song copy of Guys and Dolls
Looking for Guys and Dolls? Not here!
Better Than Nothing
Guys and Dolls Vocal Selections unimpressive
Guys and Dolls Vocal Selections Unimpressive

Feuer and Martin Present Guys & Dolls: A Musical Fable of Broadway/Vocal Score/Hl00447926 (Score)
Frank Loesser
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0881882089

Product Description

Table of contents A Bushel And A Peck Adelaide's Lament Follow The Fold Fugue For Tinhorns Guys And Dolls Havana I'll Know I've Never Been In Love Before If I Were A Bell Luck Be A Lady Marry The Man Today More I Cannot Wish You My Time Of Day Runyonland Sit Down You're Rockin' The Boat Sue Me Take Back Your Mink The Oldest Established

Customer Reviews:

Song copy of Guys and Dolls.......2007-01-19

All the songs from the show clearly set out in simple format. Melodies, harmonies and lyrics to remind you of the performance at the theatre.

Looking for Guys and Dolls? Not here!.......2006-09-04

This is, by far, the worst vocal selections I've ever bought! And I've bought a lot of bad ones! I was in this show two years ago and had a fantastic time(I played Nicely-Nicely)! So I didn't hesitate to order the music, but when it arrived I found the selections chopped beyond recognition! And not only are they chopped, but they're also simplified! This book should be marked "Easy Piano!" If you're looking for a good rendition of this music, spend the extra $20 and buy the score!

Better Than Nothing.......2004-01-16

I found this songbook to be most unimpressive as far as faithful recreations of the songs and only worthwhile to get if there's no alternative. Not only are the arrangements not true to the original harmonies, but whole verses and introductions are left out, and the keys are drastically changed (sosmetimes as much as a fourth lower), which gives the wrong impressions as to the how the song should sound, and the type of voice suited to the song. According to the keys in this songbook, the role of Sarah Brown was sung by an alto when in reality it's a soprano role. Also, I question the leaving out of "Marry the Man Today", one of the best songs in the show. The photos of the different productions at the beginning of the book are nice, but they don't make up for its musical shortcomings.

Guys and Dolls Vocal Selections unimpressive.......2002-12-29

One would expect to find fantastic arrangements of the highlights found in this fantastic work of musical theatre, but instead, with this sheetmusic release from Hal Leonard, fans of Guys and Dolls are left with poor incomplete and at times obsolete versions of the songs. One key example of this is the Nathan and Adelaide duet 'Sue Me'. The lyrics and majority of the music is than that found in the original and revival versions of Guys and Dolls. Seeing as though this is one of my favorite songs in the musical, I was completely shocked and agrivated by this.

Another key song that is incomplete and vastly different from the stage and movie versions is 'Guys and Dolls'; the familiar introduction "Whats playing at the Roxy?.." is not to be found, and whole versus are cut. Yes, this is a vocal selections book, and not the complete score, but one would hope and assume that the selections that are in the book are complete and final (by way of lyrics, etc). The photographs (some never before seen) that accompany the first section of the book however, are fantastic in giving insites into the variations in each production (1950, 1955 and 1992) and prove to salvage some of the disapointments that are found throughout. All in all however, this is a good buy for the general fan of the show, who enjoy the memorable tunes, but is not a purist in regards to the traditional lyrics or music sequences- Sadly, this publication just does not do the right amount of justice to the wonderful memorable Guys and Dolls music written by Frank Loesser.

Guys and Dolls Vocal Selections Unimpressive.......2002-12-29

The lyrics and majority of the music is than that found in the original and revival versions of Guys and Dolls. Seeing as though this is one of my favorite songs in the musical, I was completely shocked and agrivated by this. Another key song that is incomplete and vastly different from the stage and movie versions is 'Guys and Dolls'; the familiar introduction "Whats playing at the Roxy?.." is not to be found, and whole versus are cut. Yes, this is a vocal selections book, and not the complete score, but one would hope and assume that the selections that are in the book are complete and final (by way of lyrics, etc). The photographs (some of which never before seen) that accompany the first section of the book however, are fantastic in giving insites into the variations in each production (1950, 1955 and 1992) and prove to salvage some of the disapointments that are found throughout. All in all however, this is a good buy for the general fan of the show, who enjoy the memorable tunes, but is not a purist in regards to the traditional lyrics or music sequences-

Average customer rating:
Guys, Dolls, and Curveballs: Runyon on Baseball

Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Essays & Writings | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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Guys and Dolls: The Stories of Damon Runyon

All Those Mornings...at the Post: The Twentieth Century in Sports from Famed Washington Post Columnist

Damon Runyon: A Life

Ring Around the Bases: The Complete Baseball Stories of Ring Lardner

Red Smith on Baseball: The Game's Greatest Writer on the Game's Greatest Years

ASIN: 0786715405

Book Description

Guys, Dolls, and Curveballs is a delightful collection of ballpark dispatches from one of the game’s most unique chroniclers—Damon Runyon, the legendary reporter and creator of such mythic gangster icons as Nathan Detroit and the Lemon Drop Kid. Best known as the bard of Broadway for turning two-bit hustlers and deadbeat horseplayers of Jazz Age New York City into literary legend, Runyon was first and foremost a newspaperman. After arriving in New York from Colorado in 1911, Runyon went to work for Hearst News Service as a baseball beat writer. It was at the ballpark that he honed his legendary skills for finding the story where no one else bothered to look.

A master wordsmith, Runyon covered giants of the era such as Ty Cobb, and a Boston Red Sox pitcher named Babe Ruth. In addition, he brought an influential style to observing the rituals and rhythms of the ballpark, wryly commenting on everything from the gamblers and bookies doing business to the particular style of hat worn by a woman in the crowd. Editor Jim Reisler collects Runyon’s writings on every facet of the game, making this a unique and indispensable look at our beloved pastime.

Guys and Dolls of Broadway: Stories by Damon Runyon

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All Lovers of New York - Buy This Tape!!

Guys and Dolls of Broadway: Stories by Damon Runyon
Damon Runyon , and Jerry Orbah
Manufacturer: DH Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

Customer Reviews:

All Lovers of New York - Buy This Tape!!.......2001-03-25

Jerry Orbach's reading is superb, his low, slightly gruff voice captures the ambience, the cadence of Runyon's New York. The characters come alive and one is transported back to the demi- monde of Runyonesque characters that once peopled a New York that no longer is.

Book Description

A new title in the series The Making of The Great Broadway Musicals. What is the appeal of a great Broadway musical? Much of the magic of Gypsy, My Fair Lady, West Side Story and Cabaret can be traced back to the making of the original Broadway productions the text/story, the composers/music, the directors, the set designs, the actors and actresses. Guys and Dolls remains one of the most popular of all the great Broadway musicals and continues to be performed around the world. This series highlights the details that make it great--a comprehensive, fact-filled, well-researched analysis of how Guys and Dolls made it to the stage and stayed on the stage.

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Guys and Dolls
Damon Runyon
Manufacturer: Amereon Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Guys and Dolls
Damon Runyon
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0141188332

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Guys and Dolls

Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000H7WM0C

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A Bushel and a Peck (Guys and Dolls)
Frank Loesser
Manufacturer: Edwin H Morris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Sheet music

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000S9A346

Product Description

From the musical fable of Broadway "Guys and Dolls"

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Demons and Devils oh my.

Monstrous Compendium: Outer Planes Appendix (AD&D/Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Accessory MC8)
James Lafountain
Manufacturer: TSR Hobbies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1560760559

Customer Reviews:

Demons and Devils oh my........2001-04-24

This is a 2nd Edition D&D compendium of extraplanar monsters from the fiends of the lower planes to the angelic but powerful minions of the higher planes and plenty of just plain wierd critters from the odd bits of the D&D universe. Demons and Devils are renamed Tanari and Baatezu but the descriptions of them and their society are the best you are going to get in any D&D product. In 2nd edition all outer planar creatures were removed from the core compendiums, until this came out and then they were reintroduced a little with the last release of the monstrous compendium, this however is the only source to in depth cover them and their hierarchies providing a solid framework to guide in using the creatures.

Highly recommended for anyong using 2nd edition rules or those using 3rd who want information on planar creatures beyond their combat stats.

Amazon.com

Suitable for most any IT professional who wants to build better software, Software Requirements: Styles and Techniques offers a surprisingly readable textbook-style treatment of software engineering's numerous attempts to get it right with defining requirements. Surveying nearly every conceivable style of defining requirements, yet remaining thoroughly practical, this book can let your organization do more with its requirements documents, which is a good step to creating software that succeeds better with your users.

Though everyone in software design knows about requirements, actual examples have usually remained shrouded in secrecy whether out of concern over client or intellectual property confidentiality. One considerable strength of this title is that the author has seen many good and bad requirements documents and has included here several complete samples for a Danish shipyard and two hospital systems.

The book begins by describing several dozen types of requirements styles, along with the advantages (and disadvantages) of each. Each requirements style differs by notation (text-based, graphical, or using Unified Modeling Language), level of audience (for nontechnical or technical users), focus (data, functional, performance, and usability), and whether it's used early or late in the project development cycle. While the author highlights those conventions that have worked best based on his extensive industry experience and research, each type of notational style gets due coverage. Sample requirements for a hotel-booking application anchor these early sections.

Not surprisingly, requirements are often hard to ascertain. The author's very thorough chapter on nearly 20 techniques to elicit requirements from users (using interviews, focus groups, and the like) is a real standout. Throughout this title, he offers plenty of advice on tracing requirements so that you can prove your software meets all user expectations. This text concludes with an extensive requirements document for a system used to track shipping repairs for a Danish shipyard, two systems for hospitals, and a membership database for a European political organization.

Reading Software Requirements will likely convince you that you can do better with your requirements documents. Though there is no one best way, certain types of requirements work for certain situations better than others. This text can help you choose. Certain to be mandatory reading for serious software analysts, this title can also benefit virtually anyone who works with software design documents. Its clear presentation style, remarkably devoid of jargon, helps make this book a great resource for a wide range of readers, whether or not they have a background in traditional software engineering. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Introduction to requirements, domain and product-level requirements, requirements for different project types, traditional, fast, and two-step approaches to defining requirements, types of data requirements (data models, dictionaries, data expressions, and virtual windows), types of functional requirements (including context diagrams, event and function lists, feature requirements, screens and prototypes, task descriptions, scenarios and use cases), functional details (including tables and decision tables), Unified Modeling Language diagrams used with requirements (including state, activity, class, collaboration, and sequence diagrams), requirements for product integration (for nontechnical and technical audiences), defining quality requirements, specifying accuracy, performance, and usability; security and maintainability requirements, product life cycle and requirements for each step (including contracts, proposals, design and programming, acceptance testing and delivery, requirements management, release planning, tracing and tool support), elicitation issues and techniques, stakeholders, working with focus groups, business goals and cost/benefit, domain-requirements tracing, checking and validation, real-world examples of techniques in action, case studies (and sample requirements) for a Danish shipyard database, two medical systems, a noise source location application, and a system to manage members of a political association.

Customer Reviews:

Good, but not great...........2007-02-07

I thought this book was fine, it really focuses on all aspects of software requirements. I would recommend it higher if you represent an IS department making a software purchase. I rate it a 3 for product management and program managers in a software development environment.

A very good book on requierements.......2004-04-22

Many books I read talk about requirement analysis living the previuos steps (exlicitation and documentation) to the reader.
This books presents, in a very pleasant way, the different forms we have to describe requirements in a SOW or a SRS.
It compares differents style and gives very good advices.
A must to have.

Excellent material.......2003-04-19

If you've ever worked/will work with getting requirements in a software project, you can't go wrong with this book. Taking you first through the basics, Lauesen then goes on to discuss the different techniques of specifying requirements under different conditions. Man, this is gonna save your bacon one of these days... :)

Original book,! Distinctive approach for requirements........2002-03-28

Very original book; a rich source of knowledge and reflection. The approach is quite distinctive; it combines industrial and academic experience. We feel from the examples presented in the book and their conceptualisation that the author went through a long and painful (but fruitful) learning process of requirements engineering.

The author presents various techniques and models, and he stresses that there is no RIGHT model for all situations. He also discusses practical issues/problems, with a balance between pragmatism and perfection. The book discusses the types of projects, contracts and appropriate requirement elicitation/engineering techniques to be considered.

One of the rare books, that discuss seriously Quality Requirements, not from the surface and not just by listing them from standards, but in details with practical examples, especially usability.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who deals with requirements! Practitioners, students and teachers.

Average customer rating:
Software Requirements Styles & Technique
Soren Lauesen
Manufacturer: ADDISON-WESLEY @
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N672IE

Average customer rating:
Software Requirements Styles and Techniques
Soren Lauesen
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OOYND2

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