Tag Archives: books

The Ambersons Were Magnificent in Their Day and Place

Posted on November 9, 2019 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Major Amberson had “made a fortune” in 1873, when other people were losing fortunes, and the magnificence of the Ambersons began then. Magnificence, like the size of a fortune, is always comparative, as even Magnificent Lorenzo … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books Publishing and Writing, History | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Rana Foroohar’s “Makers and Takers”

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: This is a terrific journalistic account of how our economy and our financial life have come to their current awful states. (Full disclosure: I knew the author a wee bit back in my magazine days, and I liked and respected her.) Foroohar’s book … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Politics and Economics | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Books Journal: “Too Big to Fail”

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: With “Too Big to Fail,” New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin was obviously inspired by “Barbarians at the Gates,” Burroughs and Helyar’s tale of 1980s financial misbehavior, as well as (perhaps) by the Washington D.C.-based novels of David … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

“The Un-Civil War: BLACKS vs. NIGGERS: Confronting the Subculture Within African-American Communities” by Taleeb Starkes

Posted on September 26, 2015 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: This book is like a companion piece to Chris Rock’s famous “I love black people but I hate niggers” standup routine, and despite its obvious shortcomings I enjoyed it a lot. Today’s “black people” matrix can be so … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Politics and Economics | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

An Interview With Brian Kellow, Part 1

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: Yesterday I raved about Brian Kellow’s new book about the legendary Hollywood agent Sue Mengers. It’s a smart and fun biography, an informative joyride through the life of a colorful and fascinating character who peaked during the 1970s, one … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Interviews, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Brian Kellow’s “Can I Go Now? The Life of Sue Mengers, Hollywood’s First Superagent”

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: Like Robert Evans (who produced “The Godfather” and ran Paramount), Sue Mengers was one of the great behind-the-scenes figures of ’70s Hollywood. The agent (first at Creative Management Associates, then at ICM) for many of the era’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Five Books About The Opera Business

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: The Toughest Show On Earth: My Rise And Reign At the Metropolitan Opera Joseph Volpe and Charles Michener Volpe was the Met’s General Manager from 1990 to 2006. In retrospect his tenure may have been conservative, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Music | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Moi on Book Publishing

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: Steve Sailer was kind enough to highlight a comment I made on his blog about the demographics of the American book publishing world from 1985ish to 2001ish, a stretch when I was professionally covering the field. (I … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Book Journal 2: Anarchism and Anthropology

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: “Two Cheers for Anarchism: Six Easy Pieces on Autonomy, Dignity, and Meaningful Work and Play” by James C. Scott. I love the work of the Yale prof James C. Scott and consider him in a class with … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Politics and Economics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Linkage

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: An interesting look at the sugar-baby / sugar-daddy phenomenon as it’s playing out in the Bay Area. Australian male escorts are doing well for themselves. Lloyd Fonveille shares some smart thoughts about Westerns and manhood. “Pulp Fiction”: … Continue reading →

Posted in Linkathons | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments