Joe Murphy on Orson Welles
Hi Everyone-
Hope all is well with you this week. Our gift buyer, Christina Tompkins, and I went to New York for the Gift Show last week, and we found some great new gifts for the fall. You'll be hearing from her as the season approaches, but suffice it to say we found a little something for everyone. It was a great show and a delightful trip to New York (I fit in a quick visit to the new MoMA -- nifty!).
Let me mention an eagerly awaited (for me at least) new Buyer's Choice: the second volume of British actor/writer Simon Callow's definitive biography of Orson Welles. The first volume, Orson Welles: The Road to Xanadu, originally published back in 1995 and newly reissued in paperback, detailed the rise of this ambitious young prodigy, including his time with the Federal Theatre Project, his legendary and occasionally uneasy partnership with John Houseman, his infamous productions of the play The Cradle Will Rock and the radio "play" The War of the Worlds, and, finally, the creation of his undisputed masterpiece, Citizen Kane.
The second volume, just published, is Orson Welles: Hello Americans, and it covers the crucial period from the premeire of Kane to 1947 and MacBeth. Perhaps the most oddly fascinating aspect of this amazing genius is the most tragic one: that Welles essentially became Charles Foster Kane, never again demonstrating quite the level of promise he showed in Kane's making and before. Callow focuses on this crucial period, which included one of the moments most lamented by cinema buffs: RKO studio taking The Magnificent Ambersons away from Welles for re-editing (perhaps a better word would be desecration). It's an incredibly important period in the life of one of cinema's (and theatre's) greatest artists, and Callow's biography is sure to prove the definitive life of Welles. The new volume is featured as a Buyer's Choice, 20% off at all stores. Come in and get a jump on the fall season with this well-wrought and always intriguing portrait of a genius.
And don't forget: the Harcourt Brace-Mariner-W.W. Norton buy-two get-one-free sale continues. All titles from these great literary publishers are included--just buy two and receive a third (or equal or lesser value) free! Stop by any of our stores -- the front tables are stuffed to the gills with a wide selection of major titles that are part of the sale!
See you in the stores,
Joe Murphy
Head Book Buyer
Hope all is well with you this week. Our gift buyer, Christina Tompkins, and I went to New York for the Gift Show last week, and we found some great new gifts for the fall. You'll be hearing from her as the season approaches, but suffice it to say we found a little something for everyone. It was a great show and a delightful trip to New York (I fit in a quick visit to the new MoMA -- nifty!).
Let me mention an eagerly awaited (for me at least) new Buyer's Choice: the second volume of British actor/writer Simon Callow's definitive biography of Orson Welles. The first volume, Orson Welles: The Road to Xanadu, originally published back in 1995 and newly reissued in paperback, detailed the rise of this ambitious young prodigy, including his time with the Federal Theatre Project, his legendary and occasionally uneasy partnership with John Houseman, his infamous productions of the play The Cradle Will Rock and the radio "play" The War of the Worlds, and, finally, the creation of his undisputed masterpiece, Citizen Kane.
The second volume, just published, is Orson Welles: Hello Americans, and it covers the crucial period from the premeire of Kane to 1947 and MacBeth. Perhaps the most oddly fascinating aspect of this amazing genius is the most tragic one: that Welles essentially became Charles Foster Kane, never again demonstrating quite the level of promise he showed in Kane's making and before. Callow focuses on this crucial period, which included one of the moments most lamented by cinema buffs: RKO studio taking The Magnificent Ambersons away from Welles for re-editing (perhaps a better word would be desecration). It's an incredibly important period in the life of one of cinema's (and theatre's) greatest artists, and Callow's biography is sure to prove the definitive life of Welles. The new volume is featured as a Buyer's Choice, 20% off at all stores. Come in and get a jump on the fall season with this well-wrought and always intriguing portrait of a genius.And don't forget: the Harcourt Brace-Mariner-W.W. Norton buy-two get-one-free sale continues. All titles from these great literary publishers are included--just buy two and receive a third (or equal or lesser value) free! Stop by any of our stores -- the front tables are stuffed to the gills with a wide selection of major titles that are part of the sale!See you in the stores,
Joe Murphy
Head Book Buyer
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