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DEADLINE ARTISTS

Name: DEADLINE ARTISTS
Author: John P. Avlon
ISBN: 978-1-59020-429-0

SCANDALS, TRAGEDIES, AND TRIUMPHS: MORE OF AMERICA'S GREATEST NEWSPAPER COLUMNS

edited by John P. Avlon ; Jesse Angelo ; Errol Louis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 4, 2012

Engaging eyewitness pieces—often very oddly grouped together—that nonetheless elicit admiration, wonder and gasps of...

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Three journalists present a sequel to their Deadline Artists: America’s Greatest Newspaper Columns (2011) with a motley collection of pieces dating back to the 19th century.

Avlon, Angelo and Louis divide their collection into three major topics (see subtitle), each of which they arrange chronologically. The editorial apparatus is light—some introductions, a bit of information about the background of some of the stories—but for the most part, the stories stand on their own. In the “Scandals” section are pieces about long-ago murders and other depravities (the execution of Mata Hari makes for grim reading), including the liberation of Dachau, the Zodiac killer, Watergate and Bernhard Goetz. Included with these tales are pieces about Dennis Rodman, Monica Lewinsky and Bernie Madoff. The “Tragedies” range from the death of Lincoln to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (reported here by Jack London), Franco’s atrocities, the RFK assassination and a George Will piece about the difficulty of being a Cubs’ fan. Among the “Triumphs” are numerous sports pieces—victories by Joe Louis and young Cassius Clay, a perfect game by Don Larson, the maturation of Joe Namath, a key home run by Kirk Gibson—along with the bombing of Nagasaki, the anniversary of the Normandy invasion and pieces about a favorite teacher, a battle with cancer and 9/11. If the pieces seem incongruously chosen and juxtaposed (a baseball game, the atom bomb—both triumphs?), it’s because they are. Moreover, columnists from New York and Washington, D.C., are heavily represented, and the definition of “column” itself seems generous—a number of the pieces are clearly feature articles.

Engaging eyewitness pieces—often very oddly grouped together—that nonetheless elicit admiration, wonder and gasps of surprise.

Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-59020-429-0

Page Count: 432

Publisher: Overlook

Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.