Hi! What are yours ratings about these Seinfeld related books? Which ones are worth having?
The Real Seinfeld : As Told by the Real Costanza Sein Language Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing The Seinfeld Universe : The Entire Domain Seinfeld: The Totally Unauthorized Tribute (Not That There's Anything Wrong with That)
H.E.
I've read Seinlanguage which is a good account of Jerry's stand-up material. I've got the unauthorized tribute which is a great episode guide.
H.E. Pennypacker wrote in message news:[email]...
I've purchased, read, and reviewed nearly all of the Seinfeld related books.
They're in the FAQ, but I'll save you the trouble.
Here ya go.
"The Seinfeld Companion" (1993, from the publishers of Entertainment Weekly, written by Bruce Fretts) is essentially a Seinfeld dictionary, cataloging many catch phrases and symbolic images from the first few seasons. The drawback is it was published too long ago. It only goes up to 'The Pilot'. Maybe they're working on a 2nd volume?
"Seinlanguage" (1993, written by Jerry Seinfeld) is essentially a collection of Jerry's comedy bits. I own it, but I don't really like it. The material is very humorous, but it just doesn't sound the same in my head when I'm reading it. It's gotta come out of Jerry's mouth to be funny, but again, that's just my personal opinion.
"Much Ado About Nothing" (1993, ECW Press, written by Josh Levine), is a standard, run of the mill biography. Some good information about Jerry's formative years and his career but the main drawback is the fact that it was written 6 years ago and so much has happened since then; it's dated material.
"The Seinfeld Universe" (1996/1998 written by Greg Gattuso) is also not 'official', but it's a great source of info on the actors personal lives, and how they came to wind up on this show. Some insider info and some juicy tidbits make it worth buying. Greg released an updated version of the book early in 98 with additional final season stuff. If you have a choice, get the newer one, but if you already have the original, there's not really enough extra to warrant purchasing the update (unless, like me, you've gotta have 'em all!)
"The Real Seinfeld" (1998 Worldwide Literary Services, written by Mike Costanza and Greg Lawrence), as an attempt to cash in on the Seinfeld name is annoying but accepted, but as an attempt to further chronicle parts of Jerry's life before show business, it's one of the best sources available. Mike Costanza was a good friend of Jerry's when they were younger and, in addition to giving Jason Alexander's character his name, Jerry and Larry David have also imbued George with many characteristics and idiosynchracies from Mike's life.
"Seinfeld Scripts" (1998, written by Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Larry Charles, Peter Mehlman) Perhaps the only 'official' Seinfeld book available (put out by Castle Rock Entertainment), it's simply a compilation of the complete scripts to the first 17 Seinfeld episodes. These are the shooting scripts, not taken verbatim from the show, so some lines are different. Great for the hardcore fans who like to read along. Also great for trivia buffs (you can pick up more detail from reading than from watching).
"Letters from a Nut" (1997, Avon Books, written by Ted L. Nancy) Jerry wrote the intro for the book. He said he found the letters and shared them with some friends who loved them, so he put them in a book. Nobody knows who Ted Nancy is, but the book is also very comical. It's essentially a book of letters containing outrageous requests or comments written to legitimate corporations, followed by completely serious responses from those companies that 'took the bait'. I've seen "More Letters from a Nut" on bookstore shelves, but haven't purchased it yet. Once bought and read, it will be reviewed here as well, although I have the strong feeling that it's simply more of the same.
"More Letters from a Nut" (1998, written by Ted L. Nancy, Introduced by Jerry Seinfeld) Bought and read, just as funny as the first. Jerry's intro delves further into the "Who is Nancy" question, but other than that, consider it "Letters Part II".
There's also a 'book on tape' available from Amazon.com called "Writing - Seinfeld Style" (1996, Davenport Productions, written/recorded by Peter Mehlman) which, although I haven't purchased it yet, sounds like a primer on how to write a more sophisticated sitcom.
"You're a Super Yada, Yada, Yada Fan if..." (1998, written by Hugh Myrrh and Joe Kerr) This was a disappointing attempt to cash in on "Seinfeld-mania". I purchase each new Seinfeld related book as it is published because I'm interested in every aspect of my favorite TV show. Well, almost every aspect, as this book has shown me. The very first page starts out with, "Sorry trivia buffs, but tidbits like Kramer parking in purple 23 in episode 23 or his NYPD 331781-0404 mug shot number or Jerry's 555-8383 car phone number... ...didn't make the cut because this is not a book about trivia." So right off the bat, I considered this book a waste of money. What the hell. I paid for it, may as well read it, right? Mistake. It's supposedly a book of thought provoking questions designed to promote conversation and exploration of feelings and motivations, but I found it something less than entertaining. The book uses moments and lines from the show to create such questions as "Have you ever been lost in a parking garage?" and "What's the longest non-vomiting streak you've ever had?" Granted, these questions, when posed by the Seinfeld writers, resulted in some of the greatest sitcom episodes in TV history, but when asked around a coffee table by mere fans, they fall flat. Very flat. In addition to the questions, there are also (a few on every page) enough "You're a super yada yada yada fan if..." entries to fill out a 190 page book, but rather than being humorous, they're downright silly. Like Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck if..." only without the humor. Instead they serve only as reminders of specific moments within specific episodes. You're a super yada yada yada fan if... "12 cent royalty checks arrive from Japan", or "when stuck in airports you gamble on arrival times". Besides the 'dubious' content, the book is about 5"x6" and predominantly uses a monstrous font, giving it the appearance of a 25 page pamphlet that bulked itself up to a 190 page book. To conclude, if there are a dozen different books about Seinfeld, make this one the 12th one you purchase.
"How Well Do You Know Jerry. . . and His Friends?: A Trivia Book" (1998, Mass Market Paperback, written by Artie Mangravito) "This is not a book, it's a pamphlet containing a few hundred random Seinfeld trivia questions followed by a few hundred answers. My first reaction was to the cover, which features a sillhouette of Jerry and his co-stars. Talk about "unofficial", the author couldn't even use Jerry's face on the cover? Anyway, the book might have been passable if the questions had been arranged in some sort of logical order, either by subject or chronology, and enough questions were included to make the book worth $8. As it was published, it's very difficult to read and enjoy. NOTE: Do not attempt to use this book as the "final word" on any Seinfeld related discussion, as there are various mistakes strewn throughout the book. Main offender? Q: What is Jerry's address? A: 129 East 81st. St. Now, any fan worth his Snapple knows Jerry lives on West 81st St. The bottom line is this. Spend a few minutes with a search engine and the words "Seinfeld trivia" and you can do much better for free on the Internet than you can with this book."
"Jerry Seinfeld: the Entire Domain" (1998 Birch Lane Press, written by Kathleen Tracy) Perhaps the best biography to date, if in part because it's the most recent and even covers some post-TV show stuff. More oriented towards Jerry's professional life than his personal history, it almost seems at times to be a biography of the show, not the person. But there is plenty of info on Jerry's private life, his loves, his ambitions, etc. But the TV show is the reason to read this book. Tracy takes us through the entire 9 year run from conception to Finale, with lots of FAQworthy tidbits and includes an episode guide at the end.
"Seinoff" (1998 Harperperennial Library, written by Jerry Seinfeld, Michael Richards, and David Hume Kennerly) A photojournalists dream; to be the only photographer on the set during the week of the Final episode taping. This was Kennerly's assignment, and he completed it extremely well, capturing some of the quiet/secret moments fans rarely, if ever, get a glimpse of. Wall to wall black and white photos of the cast and crew, the sets and props, and this is only half of the book. Along with the photos are some of the best, most sensitive, most revealing quotes from Jerry, Michael, Jason and Julia that have ever appeared in print. This is only the 2nd 'coffee table book' that's worthy to sit on my coffee table. (Kramer wrote the first one.)
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Seinfeld FAQ http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/7217/faq.html
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*NOTE* I am not responsible for equipment damage due to reeeeally
dumb children with no parental supervision, and access to a hammer.I should probably read this sometime...as I've mentioned before, in an aunt-by-marriage's cousin relationship Mike Costanza and myself are related...