Movie Books: Drama

AFFLICTION
by Russell Banks. Nick Nolte cover. Condition Gently pre-read 1996 HarperPerennial Trade Paperback, 16th printing. Pale tanning to page edges. Not crisp. Content: Affliction transmutes Banks's painful past into fiction. His divorced protagonist, Wade Whitehouse, 41, is imprisoned by fate in Lawford, New Hampshire, a hell frozen over. He digs wells for chump change, lives in a trailer, drinks, and alienates his daughter by dragging her to a miserable Halloween costume party. In two weeks' time, Wade demolishes his pitiable hopes of family happiness, drawn into a rigorously plausible series of disastrous deaths. In flashbacks to his Dad-abused youth, we see how Wade wound up such a Dostoyevskian clown. Banks has a mind of winter: when Wade sees his dead parent, the scene unfolds with the cold logic of ice-crystal formation. The story is narrated by Wade's kid brother, the family's sole escapee to college, in a cool, distanced way. Both brothers contain aspects of Banks, but each breaks free of autobiography. This is one haunting novel. The 1997 movie was directed by Paul Schrader and starred Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn, Willem Dafoe and Mary Beth Hurt. [1 copy available]
$ 2.79 + $ 3.09 media shipping

ALL THE KING'S MEN (Pulitzer Prize)
by Robert Penn Warren. Condition Gently pre-read 1951 Bantam paperback, first printing. Top edge appears to have been trimmed - either during binding or, for some unknown reason, later on. Binder's glue string down spine with moderate tanning to page edges. Content: This landmark book is a loosely fictionalized account of Governor Huey Long of Louisiana, one of the nation's most astounding politicians. The book tells the story of Willie Stark, a southern-fried politician who builds support by appealing to the common man and playing dirty politics with the best of the back-room deal-makers. Though Stark quickly sheds his idealism, his right-hand man, Jack Burden -- who narrates the story -- retains it and proves to be a thorn in the new governor's side. Stark becomes a successful leader, but at a very high price, one that eventually costs him his life. The award-winning book is a play of politics, society and personal affairs, all wrapped in the cloak of history. There have been two movies made of this book, the first and best one, IMHO, was the 1949 version directed by Robert Rossen. It starred Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, John Derek, Mercedes McCambridge, and Anne Seymour. Academy Award to Crawford. The second movie was the 2006 movie directed by Steven Zaillian and starring Sean Penn (much too young for the part, IMHO), Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson, James Gandolfini, Kevin Dunn, and Frederic Forrest. [1 copy available]
$ 2.79 + $ 3.09 media shipping

ALL THE PRETTY HORSES (The Border Trilogy, Book 1) (National Book Award)
by Cormac McCarthy. Condition NEW 1993 Vintage International Trade Paperback, reprint. Pale tanning to page edges. Content: This book tells of young John Grady Cole, the last of a long line of Texas ranchers. Across the border Mexico beckons - beutiful and desolate, rugged and cruelly civilized. With two companions, he sets off on an idyllic, sometimes comic adventure, to a palce where dreams are paid for in blood. This book could also easily be classified as a modern Western. The 2000 movie was directed by Billy Bob Thornton and starred Matt Damon, Henry Thomas, Penélope Cruz, J.D. Young, Laura Poe, Lucas Black, Sam Shepard, and the always-wonderful Ruben Blades. [1 copy available]
$ 1.79 + $ 3.09 media shipping

AT PLAY IN THE FIELDS OF THE LORD
by the great Peter Matthiessen. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1972 Bantam paperback, second printing. Light shelfwear hinge crease with small edgewear. Interior clean & tight. Content: Set in the South American jungle, this thriller follows the clash between two misplaced gringos--one who has come to convert the Indians to Christianity, and one who has been hired to kill them. Martin and Hazel Quarrier are small-town fundamentalist missionaries sent to the jungles of South America to convert the Indians. Their remote mission was previously run by the Catholics, before the natives murdered them all. They are sent by the pompous Leslie Huben, who runs the missionary effort in the area but who seems more concerned about competing with his Catholic 'rivals' than in the Indians themselves. Hazel is terrified of the Indians while Martin is fascinated. Soon American pilot Lewis Moon joins the Indian tribe but is attracted by Leslie's young wife, Andy. Can the interaction of these characters and cultures, and the advancing bulldozers of civilization, avoid disaster? The 1991 movie starred the wonderful Tom Berenger, John Lithgow, Daryl Hannah, Aidan Quinn, Tom Waits, & Kathy Bates. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 2.89 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

BEACHES
by Iris Rainer Dart. Condition: Gently pre-read 1990 Bantam paperback, reprint. Spine crease with light edgewear. Interior clean. Content: Is this, or is it not, the mother of all tear-jerkers? Loudmouthed, redheaded Cee Cee Bloom has her sights set on Hollywood. Bertie White, quiet and conservative, dreams of getting married and having children. In 1951, their childhood worlds collide in Atlantic City. Keeping in touch as pen pals, they reunite over the years ... always near the ocean. Powerful and moving, this novel follows Cee Cee and Bertie's extraordinary friendship over the course of thirty years as they transform from adolescents into adults. The 1988 hugely successful movie was directed by Garry Marshall and starred Bette Midler (and she sings, too), Barbara Hershey, the spendid John Heard, James Read, Lanie Kazan, and and the wonderful Mayim Bialik as young CeeCee. It's funny; it's sad. Stock tissues when watching. [1 copy available]
$ 1.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

BELIZAIRE THE CAJUN: A Novel
by Glen Pitre. Edited by Dean Shapiro. B&W movie stills illustrate. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1988 Pelican Publishing (Gretna) Trade Paperback, first printing. Edgewear with a shelfwear hinge crease. Interior clean & tight. Content: This is a story of the Acadians who settled in Louisiana after England exiled them from their Canadian home. Set in the Cajun Country of Louisiana's Vermilion Parish during the 1850s, this historical novel recounts the exploits of Belizaire Breaux, a Cajun herbalist and traiteur (faith healer) who defies the vigilante cattle barons that are terrorizing the region. The 1987 movie was directed by Glen Pitre and starred Armand Assante, Michael Schoeffling, the wonderful Will Patton, and Gail Youngs. [1 copy available]
$ 4.79 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY (Pulitzer Prize & first winner Natinal Medal for Literature)
by Thornton Wilder. Condition: UNREAD 1968 Washington Square Press paperback, 42nd printing. Name inside front cover & small edgewear, fore edge front cover. Interior clean & tight with moderate tanning to page edges. Content: In this Pulitzer Prize winner, a bridge collapses in eighteenth-century Peru; five die. Who were they? In the answer to that question lie numerous cosmic ironies, which are related in a melancholy narrative of great power, simplicity and beauty. An interesting look at colonial Peru. The 1944 movie, directed by Rowland Lee, screenplay by Wilder, starred Lynn Bari, Akim Tamiroff, Louis Calhern, &Donald Woods. AMC or TMC runs this movie from time to time and I have tried to watch it, but I always fall asleep. [1 copy available]
$ 2.79 + $ 2.89 media shipping [Email for shipping charges on international orders.]

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN: Story To Screenplay
story by Annie Proulx. Screenplay by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. Condition: NEW 2005 Scribner Trade Paperback, 4th printing. B&W movie stills section. Content: Annie Proulx has written some of the most original and brilliant short stories in contemporary literature, and for many readers and reviewers, "Brokeback Mountain" is her masterpiece. It was originally published in The New Yorker and won the National Magazine Award. It also won an O. Henry Prize. Included in this volume is Annie Proulx's haunting story about the difficult, dangerous love affair between a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy. Also included is the celebrated screenplay for the major motion picture Brokeback Mountain, written by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. All three writers have contributed essays on the process of adapting this critically acclaimed story for film. [Put away any prejudice and see the movie! Spectacular performances from the late Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.] The movie was directed by Ang Lee and also stars Randy Quaid, Valerie Planche, David Trimble (III), and Michelle Williams. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 10.79 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

CATHOLICS: A Novel AND The Conflict (DVD Movie of the Book) 2 for 1
by Brian Moore. Condition: Gently pre-read 1972 McClelland & Stewart (Toronto) slim hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket). The interior has no problems, but the DJ does have problems: repaired nics top edge with tanning to the edges and rubbings to the gilt lettering. Content: On a remote isle off the Kerry coast, a group of monks has decided to take a stand against its masters in Rome - contrary to modem edicts, the brethren have chosen to retain the old traditions and ceremonies of worship. Their ancient practices do not go unnoticed however, and as they start to attract crowds of curious tourists pilgrims even - someone has to stop them. But when Father James Kinsella arrives with strict orders from the Vatican, he does not find, as he anticipates, a community united in defiance, but one riven by dogma and doubt. In this masterly evocation of an island brotherhood, Brian Moore explores the subtle boundaries that shift between duty and faith, between obedience and dissent. The 1973 made-for-TV movie is called The Conflict and was directed by Jack Gold and starred a very young Martin Sheen, Trevor Howard, Cyril Cusack, and Sir Michael Gambon ("Dumbledore"). It is a thought provoking take on the Catholic Church proclaiming that Mass would be said in a country's native language and no long in Latin. This is a digitally remastered DVD. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 14.59 + $ 3.19 shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE CHRISTMAS SHOES
by Donna VanLiere. Wrap-around cover art by Anne Twomey. Condition: NEW 2001 St. Martin's small hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), third printing. Content: Based on a song ("The Christmas Shoes") by NewSong, this book introduces us to Robert Layton, an ambitious lawyer who sacrifices his youthful idealism to become a partner and specialize in bankruptcy law. His ambition backfires, though, when his wife, Kate, announces that she wants a divorce from her often absent husband, throwing family life into chaos right before the holidays. Meanwhile, on the other side of the tracks, another couple anticipates impending tragedy as young mechanic Robert Andrews tries to prepare his family for the coming death of his attractive wife, Maggie, from ovarian cancer. The two families' lives critically intersect when Layton goes Christmas shopping and encounters Andrews's young son, Nathan, trying to buy a pair of shoes for his mother as a going-away present. When the hard-hearted lawyer sees that the boy is short of cash, he ponies up for the purchase. The transformation that follows makes for a heartwarming story, and VanLiere writes some affecting family scenes that contrast the material poverty of the Andrewses with the spiritual poverty of the Laytons. This was made into a CBS TV movie (2002) starring Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams, Max Morrow, Maria del Mar, Hugh Thompson, and Dorian Harewood. Directed by Andy Wolk. Viewers give the movie 5 stars and the book 4 stars. [1 copy available]
$ 3.49 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

DA (The Play) ["Da"]
by Hugh Leonard. Barnard Hughes cover. Content: UNREAD, but sure not perfect, 1978 Arheneum hard cover & DJ (in mylar jacket), revised, Book Club Edition. Problems: DJ shows much edge wear with a "repaired" tear-crease back DJ bottom edge. Interior clean & tight. Content: Dublin, the 1960s. After Da's funeral, Charlie returns to his childhood home only to find his father's ghost stubbornly unwilling to leave the house. As the events of Charlie's youth and Da's troubled relationship with Mother are replayed, we discover the darkly comic, bittersweet relationship that existed between father and son. A beguiling play about a son's need to come to terms with his father and himself. The 1978 play cast ncluded Barnard Hughes and Brian Murray. The wonderful 1988 movie was directed by Matt Clark, with the screenplay by Leonard, and starred Barnard Hughes, Martin Sheen, William Hickey, and Hugh O'Conor. Catch it if you can! [1 copy available]
$ 3.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE ENGLISH GOVERNESS AND THE SIAMESE COURT: The True Story Behind The King And I
by Anna Leonowens. Condition: Gently pre-read (to page 72) 1999 TOR paperback, first printing. Edge wear with light diagonal crease top front cover corner. Interior clean & tight. Content: Anna Leonownes' memoir of her six year as a governess in the Royal Palace of Bangkok was the inspiration for the beloved Broadway musical The King and I, as well as two award-winning films. First published in 1870, Leonowens' memoir is the true story of a proper English governess who is hired by the King of Siam to tutor his many children. A delightful portrait of an unlikely friendship between two headstrong personalities, it is also a revealing peak at two very different cultures. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 3.00 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF: A Choreopoem (The Play)
by Ntozake Shange. Wonderful cover art - no credit given. Condition: NEW 1989 Collier soft cover, first printing. Content: Reviewer: "shange uses the arts of poetry, music and dance to create a spectacular rainbow of beauty,sorrow , joy and pain brought to the reader in a sometimes funny , sometimes serious manner in "laugh but don't laugh" imagery she creates. it's a celebration of life, struggle and woman" From its inception in California in 1974 to its highly acclaimed critical success at Joseph Papp's Public Theater and on Broadway, the Obie Award-winning play reveals what it is to be of color and female in the twentieth century. Here is the complete text, with stage directions, of a unique dramatic prose poem written in vivid and powerful language that resonates with unusual beauty in its fierce message to the world. There is a movie of the book "in production" and due out in 2011. No other info right now. [2 copies available]
$ 8.29 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

FOUR SCREENPLAYS OF INGMAR BERGMAN
translated from the Swedish by Lars Malmstrom and David Kushner. Three B&W movie stills & photos section. Condition: Gently pre-read 1960 Simon & Schuster hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), second printing. While the book is in very good condition, the DJ shows significant edge wear and one medium chip top edge. Content: Reviewer: The four screenplays are: Smiles of a Summer Night; The Seventh Seal; Wild Strawberries; and The Magician. Reviewer: "What strikes me most about Bergman's screenplays is the tremendous literary value of them, aside from their being an invaluable supplementary resource to the films. Reading the screenplays, one learns to catch the more subtle pieces of the films, sees the parts that were meant to be emphasized, the parts left out, and can examine closer the dialogue and events to extract their meanings. The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries, of course, are universally regarded as milestones and alone make the book a worthy purchase; but I find most refreshing the addition of the Magician, an overlooked favorite of mine that has always seemed to me a great precursor to Tarkovsky. Even if you don't have the films or haven't seen them, however, Bergman's screenplays stand well enough on their own and deserve to be in any library of literature." [1 copy available]
$ 6.29 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

GIANT
by Edna Ferber. Condition UNREAD 1970 Fawcett Crest paperback, first printing. Tiny edgewear with moderate tanning to interior page edges. Content: It is almost impossible to discuss this book without discussing the great move made from it. Reviewer: "Ferber painstickingly tells the story of Texas, from its very beginnings to the oil boom. Altogether, the book spans about three decades, from the years after WW1 to the industrial boom of the 1950's, but several interludes give you an insight about the history of the state. One can only be surprised, how true the movie is to the novel. Although some scene settings have been changed to fit with the length of the movie, the film captures almost every single dialogue contained in the book. One can arguably say, that Ferber needs many pages to deal with a single problem (and she has already dealt with this one in other works like "Show Boat"), racism, but hey, it has taken a long time and it will take some time until this problem is finally solved. The novel (and the film) do not always portray a sunny side of the Texian population of that period, but somehow the whole story got a landmark of the state and Dimtri Tiomkin's music for the movie is a kind of a Texian hymn. In my mind, this is one of the true highlights of 20TH century literature. The 1956 movie (directed by George Stevens) starred Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, and a host of new comers (Sal Mineo, Dennis Hopper) and older character actors. This is a movie that still holds up today. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping

THE GOOD EARTH (Pulitzer Prize winner)
by Pearl Buck. Condition UNREAD c. 1987 Pocket paperback, reprint. Moderate tanning to white cover edges with light tanning to interior page edges. Interior clean & tight. Content: "This 1932 Pulitzer Prize winning novel is still a standout today. Deceptive in its simplicity, it is a story built around a flawed human being and a teetering socio-economic system, as well as one that is layered with profound themes. This is the story of peasant Wang Lung - of the family he founded that would one day become a powerful dynasty; of the gods he implored, sometimes with humility, sometimes with anger; and, above all, of the earth that sustained him. [1 copy available]
$ 1.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

GOOD MORNING, MISS DOVE
by Frances Gray Patton. B&W illustrations by Garrett Price. Condition Good only, 1956 Pocket Books paperback, first printing. Heavy rubbings along back cover hinge with diagonal crease & edgewear top front cover corner. The interior is clean & tight, with moderate to heavy tanning to interior pages. Interior quote from Jennifer Jones (movie Miss Dove). Content: This is the warm, wonderful story of an extraordinary schoolteacher and her impact on a small town. "The story is well-written, depicting a dedicated teacher who truly cares about her children but is not sentimental about them. Instead, she instills values and behaviors that will serve them well all through their lives. Her own behavior is impeccable, and she is a moral touchstone to the entire town and the several generations whom she has taught." The 1955 movie of the same name starred Jennifer Jones (as Miss Dove), Robert Stack, Marshall Thompson, Biff Elliot, and the great Jerry Paris. Dramatic and funny at the same time. It's not on video, but you can catch it on AMC or TCM occasionally. Both the book and the movie are worth the effort. [1 copy available]
$ 10.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

GOOD WILL HUNTING: A Screenplay
by Matt Damon & Ben Affleck. Intro by Gus Van Sant. B&W movie stills illustrate. Condition NEW 1997 Hyperion/Miramax Trade Paperback, 6th printing. Very slight "lift" to front cover fore edge. Content: The story of an angry genius who works as a janitor at MIT, his friends, his therapist, and how he turns his life around. As director Gus Van Sant observes in the introduction to Matt Damon's and Ben Affleck's screenplay Good Will Hunting, the two young actors somewhat resemble the characters they play in the film: they're best friends, and Affleck (who plays Chuckie) habitually chauffeurs Damon (Will), who doesn't drive. Van Sant says we can see how badly Damon drives by watching the film's last scene, in which he is actually driving the car with the camera mounted on it. But Damon and company write better than he drives; this script contains some of the boldest, best monologues since Pulp Fiction. Van Sant and cast member Robin Williams helped the young actors tame the tigers in their cranial tanks, trimming the script into a precision instrument. Though the stills from the film are not perfectly matched to their places in the script, this story remains as much a joy to read as it is towatch on the big screen. Academy Awards for Damon & Affleck and Robin Williams. The 1997 also starred the wonderful Minnie Driver. [1 copy available]
$ 6.79 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE HOURS (Movie Edition)
by Michael Cunningham. Pulitzer Prize. Movie cover of Streep, Moore, and Kidman. Condition UNREAD 2002 Piccador/Farrar, Straus Trade Paperback, first printing. Content: The author of "Flesh and Blood" draws inventively on the life and work of Virginia Woolf to tell the story of a group of contemporary characters struggling with the conflicting claims of love and inheritance, hope and despair. The story of how the novel "Mrs. Dalloway" affects three generations of women, all of whom, in one way or another, have had to deal with suicide in their lives. The 2002 movie was directed by Stephen Daldry and starred Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman (Academy Award). [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

HOWARDS END
by E. M. Forster. Movie still cover art. Condition Gently pre-read 1992 Signet paperback, 6th printing. Spine creases with small edgewear. Interior clean with light tanning to page edges. Good reading copy. Content: Like all of Forster's work, this book concerns itself with class, nationality, economic status, and how each of these affects personal relationships. It follows the intertwined fortunes of the Schlegel sisters, Margaret and Helen, and the Wilcox family over the course of several years. The Schlegels are intellectuals, devotees of art and literature. The Wilcoxes, on the other hand, can't be bothered with the life of the mind or the heart, leading, instead, outer lives of "telegrams and anger" that foster "such virtues as neatness, decision, and obedience, virtues of the second rank, no doubt, but they have formed our civilization." Helen, after a brief flirtation with one of the Wilcox sons, has developed an antipathy for the family; Margaret, however, forms a brief but intense friendship with Mrs. Wilcox, which is cut short by the older woman's death. When her family discovers a scrap of paper requesting that Henry give their home, Howards End, to Margaret, it precipitates a spiritual crisis among them that will take years to resolve. The 1992 movie was directed by James Ivory and starred Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Emmma Thompson, and Helena Bonham-Carter. Academy Award for the screenplay. [1 copy available]
$ 1.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority hipping available.

IMITATION OF LIFE
by Fannie Hurst. Lana Turner cover. B&W movie stills illustrate. Condition UNREAD 1990 Da Capo Trade Paperback, first printing. Tiny edge wear. Content: A bestseller in 1933, and subsequently adapted into two beloved and controversial films, Imitation of Life has played a vital role in ongoing conversations about race, femininity, and the American Dream. Bea Pullman, a white single mother, and her African American maid, Delilah Johnston, also a single mother, raise their daughters together and become business partners. Combining Bea's business savvy with Delilah's irresistible southern recipes, they build an Aunt Jemima-like waffle business and an international restaurant empire. Yet their public success brings them little happiness. Bea is torn between her responsibilities as a businesswoman and a mother; Delilah is devastated when her light-skinned daughter, Peola, moves away to pass as white. Imitation of Life struck a chord in the 1930s, and it continues to resonate powerfully today. The 1934 version was directed by John M. Stahl and starred Claudette Colbert, Louise Beavers, and Alan Hale. The 1959 version (my favorite) was directed by Douglas Sirk and starred Lana Turner, Sandra Dee, John Gavin, Juanita Moore, and Susan Kohner. Not a Kleenex-free zone. [1 copy available]
$ 12.79 + $ 3.09 media shipping. International shipping available - please use the drop-down menu.

IMITATION OF LIFE
by Fannie Hurst. Lana Turner cover. Lana Turner B&W movie still front cover. Condition Good only, 1959 Permabooks paperback, secondn printing. Edge wear with slight roll and tanning to pages. Content: A bestseller in 1933, and subsequently adapted into two beloved and controversial films, Imitation of Life has played a vital role in ongoing conversations about race, femininity, and the American Dream. Bea Pullman, a white single mother, and her African American maid, Delilah Johnston, also a single mother, raise their daughters together and become business partners. Combining Bea's business savvy with Delilah's irresistible southern recipes, they build an Aunt Jemima-like waffle business and an international restaurant empire. Yet their public success brings them little happiness. Bea is torn between her responsibilities as a businesswoman and a mother; Delilah is devastated when her light-skinned daughter, Peola, moves away to pass as white. Imitation of Life struck a chord in the 1930s, and it continues to resonate powerfully today. The 1934 version was directed by John M. Stahl and starred Claudette Colbert, Louise Beavers, and Alan Hale. The 1959 version (my favorite) was directed by Douglas Sirk and starred Lana Turner, Sandra Dee, John Gavin, Juanita Moore, and Susan Kohner. Not a Kleenex-free zone. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

THE INFORMER: A Novel
by Liam O'Flaherty. Preface by Denis Donoghue. Condition UNREAD 1980 Harvest soft cover, third printing. Light edge wear. No tanning. Content: A tale of temptation, betrayal, and reprisal, this powerful novel is set in the aftermath of the Irish Civil War. It tells of Gypo Nolan, who informs on a wanted comrade. The source of the 1935 Academy Award-winning film directed by John Ford. Academy awards for John Ford (Director), Dudley Nichols (Screenplay - he refused the award), Max Steiner (Music), and Victor McLaglen (Best Actor) - yup, THAT John Wayne side kick Victor McLaglen. Also starred Heather Angel, Preston Foster, Una O'Connor, Donald Meek, and Francis Ford. This is a very powerful movie that still holds up today. If you can't find it at Blockbuster (and I couldn't), Netflix has it. One of those essential films, IMHO. [1 copy available]
$ 3.29 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

I REMEMBER MAMA [AKA Mama's Bank Account] (Movie Adaptation of Play)
by Kathryn Forbes. Adaped into RKO movie based on the stage version by John Van Druten. Irene Dunne movie cover. Condition Good only, 1947 Bantam paperback, first printing. This is an older, delicate book with multiple problems: peeling bottom spine, creases front cover, edgewear, moderate taning to page edges, and a "loose" but still attached title page. A book to put on your shelf or to display but not up to constant handling. Content: The 1948 movie shows the ups and downs of a Norwegian immigrant family, in circa 1910 San Francisco centers around Mama and her detailed, pennywise household budget. We follow the Hansens' small joys, sorrows, and aspirations, with the boisterous antics of Uncle Chris as counterpoint. Directed by George Stevens, the movie starred Irene Dunne (as Mama), Barbara Bel Geddes (for younger readers, she was Miss Ellie on "Dallas"), Oskar Homolka, Philip Dorn, Cedric Hardwicke, Rudy Vallee, Edgar Bergen, and Tommy Ivo. One of the great classics not to be missed. [1 copy available]
$ 9.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN [El beso de la mujer arana]
by Manuel Puig. Movie stills back cover. Translated from the Spanish by Thomas Colchie. Condition NEW 1980 Vintage paperback, no printing given. Very light edge wear. Content: The book mostly consisting of dialogue between two men in an Argentine jail cell, the novel traces the development of their unlikely friendship. Molina is a middle-aged homosexual who passes the long hours in prison by acting out scenes from his favorite movies. Valentin is a young socialist revolutionary, who initially berates Molina for his effeminacy and his lack of political conviction. Sharing the hardships of a six-month prison term, the two eventually forge a strong relationship that becomes sexual. In an ironic role reversal at the end of the novel, Molina dies as a result of his involvement in politics while Valentin escapes the pain of torture by retreating into a dream world. The 1985 movie was directed by Hector Babenco and starred William Hurt, Raul Julia, and Sonia Braga. Fabulous! [1 copy available]
$ 2.49 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

KRAMER VS. KRAMER
by Avery Corman. 8 pages B&W movie stills. Condition UNREAD 1978 Signet paperback edition, 8th printing. Tiny edgewear with light tanning to cover and interior page edges. Pale, think binder's glue string down spine. Content: One of the most influential books/movies of its day, it was tyical of what the American family was going through at the time. Mom walks out on the family to "find herself" and Dad has to learn to take care of his young son on his own - juggling work and child care. When Mom walks back into their lives seeking a divorce and custody of the young son, the action and tear ducts pick up. Winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor, and Screenplay, Kramer vs. Kramer remains as powerfully moving today as it was when released in 1979, simply because its drama will remain relevant for couples of any generation. Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Justin Henry, and Jane Alexander. [1 copy available]
$ 2.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE (Movie Edition)
by Steven Pressfield. Movie still front cover. Condition NEW 2000 HarperTorch paperback, first printing. Content: Elderly Hardison L. Greaves describes a memorable golf match he witnessed as a child in the 1930s to a medical student who is nearing burn-out. In the match, golf-great Bobby Jones plays Walter Hagen; to generate local support, World War I hero Rannulph Junah is asked to participate. He declines at first, but then his companion, Bagger Vance, offers to caddy for him. It becomes apparent that Vance is more than a companion; he is the man's mentor and spiritual advisor. Although looked upon with disdain by the golfers and spectators, Vance, who is black, counsels Junah to look for his Authentic Swing. The symbolism is apparent; Junah finds not only his golf swing, but also himself. Pressfield's story will be of interest to students. Its mysticism promotes thought, and golf references are simple enough for nonplayers. This one of my favorite movies! This 2000 film, directed by Robert Redford, starred Will Smith, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron (who steals the movie, IMHO), the great Bruce McGill, Joel Gretsch, and J. Michael Moncrief as the young Hardy Greaves. Redford knows how to spin a story. The movie is a bit different from the book, but close enough. Don't miss the book or the movie. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

LEGENDS OF THE FALL (Movie Edition)
by Jim Harrison. Pitt, Hopkins, Quinn movie still front cover. Condition UNREAD 1994 Delta Trade paperback, 16th printing. Light rubbings hinges. Interior clean & tight with light tanning to page edges. Content: The publication of this magnificent trilogy of short novels — Legends Of The Fall, Revenge, and The Man Who Gave Up His Name — confirmed Jim Harrison's reputation as one of the finest American writers of his generation. These absorbing novellas explore the theme of revenge and the actions to which people resort when their lives or goals are threatened, adding up to an extraordinary vision of the twentieth-century man. Reviewer: "While the movie's most notable qualities are a breath of story and an epic scope, the book is beautiful for its economy of words and distant style. Written in the third person, as opposed to the film's heavy handed first person, the perspective is all knowing, yet reveals few details. The author brings the characters to life to some degree, but what is amazing is that they are interesting given their one dimensionality. The story, short as it is, contains much less of the deep intertwined relations of the movie, but I believe that makes it much improved over the screen version. While everyone focuses on the title story, the other two that are included are also enjoyable. As a read, each of the stories is quite quick and complete." [1 copy available]
$ 3.49 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

THE LILIES OF THE FIELD (Movie Edition)
by William E. Barrett. Condition UNREAD, but not perfect, 1963 Popular Library paperback, 3rd printing. Small edgewear with tanned (moderate) interior. Content: An unemployed construction worker (Homer Smith) heading out west stops at a remote farm in the desert to get water when his car overheats. The farm is being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns, headed by the strict mother superior (Mother Maria), who believes that Homer has been sent by God to build a much needed church in the desert. The 1963 movie was directed by Ralph Nelson and starred Sidney Poitier (Academy Award), Lilia Skala, Lisa Mann, Isa Crino, Francesca Jarvis, and Stanley Adams - with a cameo by the Director. One of the great movies and novels. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 1.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE LOVER: A Novel
by Marguerite Duras. Movie still cover art. Condition NEW 1995 HarperPerennial Trade Paperback, 9th printing. Content: Set in the prewar Indochina of Marguerite Duras's childhood, this is the haunting tale of a tumultuous affair between an adolescent French girl and her Chinese lover. In spare yet luminous prose, Duras evokes life on the margins of Saigon in the waning days of France's colonial empire, and its representation in the passionate relationship between two unforgettable outcasts. The 1992 movie was directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud and starred Jane March, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Frédérique Meininger, Arnaud Giovaninetti, and Melvil Poupaud. [1 copy available]
$ 2.19 + $ 2.94 media shipping

MADE FOR EACH OTHER (DVD)
by MGM / Selznick Studio. Condition NEW (shrink-wrapped) 2004 DVD release of the 1939 Black & White movie. Content: Produced in a time when films were both literally and figuratively black and white, this movie was unique in its effective blending of the comedic, the dramatic, and, as perhaps some would insensitively say, the melodramatic. Beautiful Carole Lombard and likeable James Stewart are Jane and John Mason, a couple who meet, fall madly in love, marry, and quickly have a baby. But while they--and the audience--are confident that they are meant for each other, life intercedes and the couple must meet with disapproving in-laws, job stress, financial challenges and, finally, a devastating illness. Lombard and Stewart--and the genuinely good people they portray--are utterly compelling and charming. Say yawningly what you will about tradition, but the Masons' is a path many, if not most, go down. And unlike the wonderful but wholly fantasy world of peer Preston Sturges, director John Cromwell's universe is, like real life, full of ups and downs. It's an accessible, sensitive portrayal. He gives the audience characters they want to see succeed, and to see stay together in the process. It may be a tale of triumph of the human spirit, but its ultimate sentiment--one that celebrates the kindness of strangers--is thoroughly sweet, though in no way saccharine. The movie was directed by John Cromwell and also stars Charles Coburn, Lucille Watson, and Eddie Quillan. [1 copy available]
$ 4.19 + $ 2.94 first class shipping

THE MAJESTIC (DVD)
directed by Frank Darabont. 152 minutes. Condition NEW (still shrink-wrapped) 2002 Warner DVD with remainder mark top back box cover. Content: This is an old-fashioned throwback replete with a 1950s B-script and halcyon values like patriotism, true love, and clean fun. Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey) is a Hollywood scriptwriter with a sexy gal, a screenplay under his belt, and his big break on the horizon. But when his name is mistakenly given to the House Un-American Activities Committee, Appleton's dreams of success in the biz quickly unravel. An ensuing car accident leaves him without a memory but a great opportunity--as a small town's Luke Trimble, war hero and all-around swell guy, with whom he happens to bear an uncanny physical resemblance. Of course, there's a beautiful woman (Sandra Sinclair) who waited for his return from the war, an endearing old dad (Martin Landau), and the magical Majestic movie house to renovate and reopen. As Appleton's memory eventually catches up to him, however, The Majestic veers off toward Mr. Smith Goes to Washington territory, complete with a monologue on the First Amendment. This is a beautiful, Capra-esque movie! Don't miss it. In addition to Carrey and Landau, there is a very talented supporting cast: Laurie Holden, David Ogden Stiers, James Whitmore, Allen Garfield, Jeffrey DeMunn, Bob Balaban, Hal Holbrook, and Karl Bury. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 5.19 + $ 3.09 first class shipping.

THE MAMBO KINGS PLAY SONGS OF LOVE
by Oscar Hijuelos. Cathleen Toelke cover art. Condition NEW 1989 HarperPerennial Trade Paperback, first printing. Perfect but for remainder mark. Content: Inspired by their heroes Xavier Cugat and Desi Arnaz, brothers Cesar and Nestor Castillo come to New York City from Cuba in 1949 with designs on becoming mambo stars. Eventually they do--performing with Arnaz on "I Love Lucy" in 1955 and recording 78s with their own band, the Mambo Kings. Hijuelos traces the lives of the flashy, guitar-strumming Cesar and the timid, lovelorn Nestor as they cruise the East Coast club circuit in a flamingo-pink bus. Enriching the story are the brothers' friends and family members--all driven by their own private dreams. The book won a Pulitzer Prize in 1990. Beautiful book and haunting movie. The 1992 movie was directed by Arne Glimcher and starred Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas, Cathy Moriarty, Maruschka Detmers, Pablo Calogero, & Desi Arnaz, Jr. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

MARAT SADE: The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis De Sade
by Peter Weiss. Translation by Geoffrey Skelton. Movie edition and cover art. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1967 Pocket paperback, no printing given. Light edgewear with moderate tanning to page edges. Content: Reviewer: "The Marquis de Sade is locked in the Charenton mental hospital and decides to put on a play. His overseers agree as long as he follows certain conditions. He writes and directs the other mental patients in a play based on the life of the Jean-Paul Marat. As the play progresses, the inmates become more and more possessed by the violence of the play and become extremely difficult to control. Finally, all chaos breaks loose. The 1967 movie of this play was directed by Peter Brook (who also wrote the Introduction) and starred Patrick Magee, Ian Richardson, Glenda Jackson, Freddie Jones, and Clifford Rose. The play was the winner of the 1965-66 season New York Drama Critics' Circle and Tony Award. [1 copy available]
$ 1.59 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available..

Frank Capra's MEET JOHN DOE (DVD)
by Digiview Production. Movie stills both covers. Condition: NEW (shrink-wrapped) 2004 Digiview DVD of the 1941 movie. Content: As a parting shot, fired reporter Ann Mitchell prints a fake letter from unemployed "John Doe," who threatens suicide in protest of social ills. The paper is forced to rehire Ann and hires John Willoughby to impersonate "Doe." Ann and her bosses cynically milk the story for all it's worth, until the made-up "John Doe" philosophy starts a whole political movement. At last everyone, even Ann, takes her creation seriously...but publisher D.B. Norton has a secret plan. The movie was directed, of course, by Frank Capra, and starred Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward ARnold, Spring Byington, Walter Brennen, James Gleeson, and Gene Lockhart - a great cast! [1 copy available]
$ 2.59 + $ 3.09 first class shipping...

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (Movie Novelization)
by Valentine Davies. Sepia-tone movie stills illustrate. Condition NEW 1992 Harvest Trade Paperback, first printing. Problem: edges are stamped "Not For Resale" and I have no idea why. Content: This is a true movie book - it is the complete novel illustrated with the wonderful 1947 movie which starred John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, Edmund Gwen (Academy Award for his "Kris Kringle"), and Natalie Wood. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (Movie Edition)
by Earl Mac Rauch. Minelli & De Niro movie cover. Condition UNREAD 1977 Pocket paperback, first printing. Light edgewear with light tanning to page edges. Content: Reviewer: "The day WWII ends, Jimmy, a selfish and smooth-talking musician, meets Francine, a lounge singer. From that moment on, their relationship grows into love as they struggle with their careers and aim for the top." The 1977 movie was directed by Martin Scorsese and starred Liza Minnelli, Robert De Niro, Lionel Stander, Mary Kay Place, and Clarence Clemons. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 2.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority hipping available.

THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA (Movie Edition/Complete Play)
by Tennessee Williams. Movie photos both covers. B&W movie stills section. Condition Acceptable condition only. 1964 Signet paperback, first printing. The cover shows edge wear with rubbings and creases. The interior pages havae notes and underlining with page tanning. The value of the book is in the movie stills. Content: This is the complete and unabridged play. Reviewer: "[This] is a Tennessee Williams play unlike any other. Set at a Mexican hotel in the early 1940's, the drama presents several character portraits of searing intensity. The minister Shannon -- tortured with self-loathing over his inability to control his sexual appetite -- has abandoned a tour bus he has been leading and has come to stay with an old friend, Maxine. Shannon is suffering a nervous breakdown, and it is only through the near-angelic presence of Hannah Jelkes, a visitor at Maxine's, that he is able to understand himself and the actions which have brought him to this state. While so many of Williams' characters (including Shannon) feel shamefully about love and sex, in Hannah Jelkes he has created a character entirely without shame. Hannah is Williams' ideal -- a person living living free of societal mores, who (like Blanche DuBois) is offended only by deliberate cruelty and unkindness. The third act, in particular, is transfiguring; had Williams written nothing else, this act alone would guarantee him his place among the greats." The 1961 Broadway play starred Bette Davis, James Farentino, Patrick O'Neal, and Margaret Leighton as Hannah. The 1964 movie was directed by John Huston and starred Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Debrah Kerr, Sue Lyon, and Skip Ward. Wonderful movie! Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 2.00 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
by Ernest Hemingway. Cover art by Kris Wiltse. Condition: NEW 1995 Scribner Trade Paperback, 8th printing. Content: This is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal -- a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly contemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss. Written in 1952, this hugely successful novella confirmed his power and presence in the literary world and played a large part in his winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature. There have been several movies made of this book, but the gold standard is the 1958 movie directed by John Sturges and starring Spencer Tracy and Felipe Pazos as The Boy. The 1990 TV movie starred Anthony Quinn Gary Cole, Patricia Clarkson, James McDaniel, and 2 Quinn children. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 3.00 + $3.09 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

ON GOLDEN POND: A Play
by Ernest Thompson. Movie artwork of cast front cover. 16 pages of B&W movie stills. Condition Good 1981 Signet paperback, 7th printing. Movie edition. Spine crease with slight roll. Content: The loons are back again on Golden Pond and so are Norman Thayer, a retired professor, and Ethel who have had a summer cottage there since early in their marriage. This summer their daughter Chelsea -- whom they haven't seen for years -- feels she must be there for Norman's birthday. She and her fiance are on their way to Europe the next day but will be back in a couple of weeks to pick up the fiance's son. When she returns Chelsea is married and her stepson has the relationship with her father that she always wanted. Will father and daughter be able to communicate at last? The 1982 movie was directed by Mark Rydell and the screenplay was written by Thompson. Stars Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon (where are you Doug?), and Dabney Colema made this a wonderful movie experience. Long overdue Academy Award for Henry Fonda. In the 1990s, a TV movie was made of the play and starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. Questions welcome. [1 set available]
$ 2.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

ONCE WERE WARRIORS (VHS Movie)
directed by Lee Tamahori. Movie stills both covers. 105 minutes run time. Condition: Used, but good, 1994 Communicado (New Zealand Film Commission) VHS movie. Most likely this is a former rental movie, although there are no overt signs. The tape itself is in excellent condition, but the box shows wear in the form of edgewear and rubbings along the hinges. Content: New Zealand filmmaker Lee Tamahori directed this brutal but powerful story drawn from the culture of poverty and alienation enveloping contemporary Maori life. Rena Owen plays the beleaguered mother of two boys--one of whom is already in prison while the other contemplates membership in a gang--and a daughter whose potential is being smothered at home. Temuera Morrison gives an outstanding and sometimes shocking performance as the violent head of the household, more adept at keeping up his social stature within his community of friends than holding down a job. The film pulls no punches, literally and figuratively, but despite the rough going, Tamahori gives us a rare and important insight into a disenfranchised people digging down deep to find their pride. [1 copy available]
$ 2.49 + $ 3.29 media shipping. .

A PERFECT WORLD (Movie Novelization)
by Dewey Gram. Based on the screenplay by John Lee Hancock. Movie still front cover. Condition: UNREAD 1993 Signet paperback, first printing. Content: After escaping from a Huntsville prison, convict Butch Haynes and his partner Terry Pugh kidnap a young boy, Philip Perry, and flee across Texas. As they travel together, Butch and Philip discover common bonds and suffer the abuses of the outside "Perfect World." In pursuit is Texas Ranger "Red" Garnett and criminologist Sally Gerber. Reviewer: This movie "touches you from the bottom of your heart. It is a story about a man and a boy. A man escapes from a prison with his partner who he does not like. After escaping, they kidnap a little boy. It is not a simple kidnapping story as people expect with violence and blood. This man, as he describes himself, is not a good guy, but not the worst either. The boy, living with his mom and two sisters, follows their family¡¯s religion, which forbids him from celebrating Halloween, celebrating Christmas, participating in parties, and pretty much any fun common for children of his age. The man gives the boy opportunities to play the games that he wants to, tells him what is wrong and what is right, and asks him to be independent and make his own choices." The 1993 movie was directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Eastwood, Kevin Costner, Laura Dern, T.J. Lowther, Bradley Whitford, and Ray McKinnon. [This is my favorite Kevin Costner movie.] [1 copy available]
$ 4.49 + $ 2.94 media shipping. .

PHILADELPHIA (Movie Novelization)
by Christopher Davis. Based on screenplay by Ron Nyswaner. Condition NEW 1993 Bantam Books hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket). Washington & hanks cover photo. Content: If you have not seen this movie, run - don't walk - to Blockbuster! This is 1 of 3 perfect movies I've ever seen. Andrew Beckett, a gay lawyer infected with AIDS, is fired from his conservative law firm in fear that they might contract AIDS from him. After Andrew is fired, in a last attempt for peace, he sues his former law firm with the help of a homophobic lawyer, Joe Miller. During the court battle, Miller sees that Beckett is no different than anyone else on the gritty streets of the city of brotherly love, sheds his homophobia and helps Beckett with his case before AIDS overcomes him. The 1993 movie was directed by Jonathan Demme and starred Denzel Washington, Tom hanks, Antonio Banderas, Jason Robards, Jr., Joanne Woodward, et al. Not to be missed! Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 5.79 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE PIANO (The Screenplay)
by Jane Campion. Movie still front cover. Illustrated with movie stills. Condition NEW 1994 Miramax-Hyperian Trade Paperback, first American edition, reprint. Tiny edgewwear. Interior clean & tight in sepia-tone (both movie stills and print). Content: As stated, the Academy Award-winning screenplay for the great movie, The Piano. The 1993 movie starred Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin, and Kerry Walker. Directed by Jane Campion. Academy Awards for Campion's screenplay, Holly Hunter, and Anna Paquin. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 6.79 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

PORTRAIT OF JENNIE
by Robert Nathan. Condition UNREAD, but not perfect, 1981 Laurel Leaf paperback, 6th printing. Although the interior is clean and tight (with light tanning to page edges), the cover has a very pale near-crease top front cover and tiny edgewear. Bookstore stamp inside front cover - why do they do that? Better than it sounds. Content: This story of strange young girl from out of the past who brings inspiration to an artist down on his luck exhibits the kind of full on romanticism one rarely encounters these days. This is a novel of pure mysticism, yet you needn't be a mystic to thoroughly enjoy it. One winter night in 1938, a down and out Eben is in Central Park, having been unsuccessful in selling his paintings. There, he encounters a very young girl named Jennie Appleton, who is mysteriously in the park by herself, playing hopscotch. Thus, begins Eben's acquaintance with Jennie. Eben sketches a picture of Jennie, which to his surprise, he is able to sell. Periodically, Jennie begins appearing in his life at odd times, always swathed in mystery as to her origins and always appearing somehow older than expected each time he sees her. Eben continues to sketch her, finding that he can sell those sketches with ease. Inspired by his muse, he paints her portrait, a masterpiece that eventually lands in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is puzzled, nonetheless, by the anomaly and mystery that surrounds Jennie, who has an air of being from another time. Yet, an unusual bond is developing between them, one that not even the vagaries of time can break. It is also one that becomes increasingly romantic over time, as Jennie quickly grows into womanhood. The fates, however, Eben finds, can be cruel. The 1948 movie was directed by William Dieterle and has an all-star cast: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Cecil Kellaway, and the wonderful David Wayne. If you liked Somewhere in Time, you'll love this one even more. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 13.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE
by James M. Cain. Movie still of Jack Nicholson & Jessica Lange cover. Condition: UNREAD, but only Good+ condition, Vintage paperback, movie edition. Small edgewear, pale shelfwear crease front cover at hinge, interior clean & tight bur tanning. Content: This is a short book--little more than a novella--but its searing characterization and depiction of tawdry greed and lust is branded into every reader's memory. Frank Chambers, a drifter, is dropped from the back of a truck at a rundown rural diner. When he spots Cora, the owner's wife, he instantly decides to stay. The sexy young woman, married to Nick, a violent and thuggish boor, is equally attracted to the younger man and sees him as her way out of her hopeless, boring life. They begin a clandestine affair and plot to kill Nick, beginning their own journey toward destruction. The 1946 movie with Lana Turner and John Garfield began the film noir genre (and a wonderful film it is). The c. 1981 movie with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange is a good movie, but not great. Take your pick. [1 copy available]
$ 2.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

A PRIVATE MATTER (DVD) [1992 TV Movie]
directed by Joan Micklin Silver. Condition: NEW (still shrink-wrapped) HBO DVD. Content: Before there was Roe V. Wade, there was Sherri Finkbine. Finkbine was known as Miss Sherri on the local Phoenix, Arizona, version of the franchised children's show, Romper Room. The Finkbine Case began in London, England in 1961, when her husband was chaperoning sixty-four high school students on a European tour. He obtained some Thalidomide and carried the remainder home. Finkbine took thirty-six of the pills in the early stages of her pregnancy. Neither she nor her husband was aware, until July 1962, that the pills contained Thalidomide. In 1962, when Finkbine was pregnant with her fifth child, she had been taking Thalidomide, a drug which if taken by a pregnant woman, causes the fetus(es) within her to become deformed while in utero. Finkbine's physician strongly recommended that she obtain a therapeutic abortion, the only type of abortion that was permitted in Arizona at the time. Finkbine contacted a friend at a local newspaper to tell the friend her story, so that other women who were taking Thalidomide would be warned. Following the paper's publication of Finkbine's story, her scheduled abortion was canceled. When Finkbine's physician asked for a court order to proceed with the abortion, Finkbine and her husband became public figures, receiving letters and phone calls in opposition to her requested abortion. A few letters included death threats, and the FBI was brought in to protect her. She finally obtained the abortion in Sweden (the fetus had no legs and only 1 arm and would not have long survived). Later she had healthy fifth child. She lost her job with PBS and her husband was fired from his teaching job over the abortion. Lovely, eh? This movie is the story of Sherri and her husband Bob. Still relevant. The 1992 movie was directed by Joan Micklin Silver and starred Sissy Spacek, Aidan Quinn, Estelle Parsons, Xander Berkeley, and Sheila McCarthy. [1 copy available]
$ 4.59 + $ 3.09 first class shipping.

RAINTREE COUNTY (Abridged Edition) (Movie Edition)
by Ross Lockridge, Jr. Elizabeth Taylor/Montgomery Clift movie poster cover art. Condition Good only, 1957 Dell paperback, second printing. This is the abridged edition. Hinge and spine crease with small edgewear. Interior pages moderately tanned. This is an old book and has problems that old book generally have. Content: The 1957 movie plot: Idealist John Wickliff Shawnessy (Montgomery Clift) drifts away from his high school sweetheart Nell Gaither (Eva Marie Saint) and enters into a passionate, but loveless, marriage with Susanna Drake (Elizabeth Taylor) a wealthy New Orleans belle. But John soon learns that Susanna's mother died in a lunatic asylum and it becomes apparent that Susanna has inherited her family's curse for she tricked him into marriage. Frustrated with life, John leaves home by enlisting in the Northern Army and fights in Tennessee and Georgia during the terrible and brutal Civil War where he does some soul searching for himself and explores his path in life to what may lay in store for him should he return home. An American tragedy. Directed by Edward Dmytryk. [FYI: The author, Lockridge, committed suicide 2 months after the book was published.] [1 copy available]
$ 3.59 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

A RAISIN IN THE SUN (Complete Play)
by Lorraine Hansberry. Movie stills (Sidney Poitier) front & back covers and insert. Condition UNREAD c. 1981 Signet paperback, 21st printing. Tiny edgewear. Interior clean & tight with moderate tanning to page edges. Content: Reviewer: "Hansberry creates the story of the Youngers, a struggling African-American family whose members deal with poverty, racism, and painful conflict among themselves as they reach for a better life. The Youngers are, in my opinion, one of the most unforgettable families in United States literature. Hansberry balances grim drama, comic moments, and redemptive love as the play unfolds." The play was first produced in New York in 1959 and starred Ruby Dee, Glynn Turman, Poitier, Louis Gossett, Jr., Diana Sands, & Ivan Dixon. The 1961 movie was directed by Daniel Petrie, screenplay by Lorraine Hansberry, and starred Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Ruby Dee, Louis Gossett, Jr., and Ivan Dixon. (This is my favorite version.) A TV movie on 1989 starred Danny Glover, Esther Rolle, & Josh Fielder. A new movie coming in 2007 will star Sean Combs, Sanaa Lathan, Audra MacDonald, and Phylicia Rashad. That one should be interesting. [1 copy available]
$ 4.59 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE READER: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club edition)
by Bernhard Schlink. Condition NEW 1997 Vintage International Trade Paperback, no printing given. Tiny edge wear. Content: Michael Berg, 15, is on his way home from high school in post-World War II Germany when he becomes ill and is befriended by a woman who takes him home. When he recovers from hepatitis many weeks later, he dutifully takes the 40-year-old Hanna flowers in appreciation, and the two become lovers. The relationship, at first purely physical, deepens when Hanna takes an interest in the young man's education, insisting that he study hard and attend classes. Soon, meetings take on a more meaningful routine in which after lovemaking Michael reads aloud from the German classics. There are hints of Hanna's darker side: one inexplicable moment of violence over a minor misunderstanding, and the fact that the boy knows nothing of her life other than that she collects tickets on the streetcar. Content with their arrangement, Michael is only too willing to overlook Hanna's secrets. She leaves the city abruptly and mysteriously, and he does not see her again until, as a law student, he sits in on her case when she is being tried as a Nazi criminal. The theme of good versus evil and the question of moral responsibility are eloquently presented in this spare coming-of-age story that's sure to inspire questions and passionate discussion. The 2008 movie was directed by Stephen Daldry and starred Kate Winslet (finally an Academy Award), Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, and Jeanette Hain. [1 copy available]
$ 4.00 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (Winner - Booker Prize)
by Kazuo Ishiguro. Hopkins & Thompson movie still cover art. Condition NEW 1993 Vintage International Trade Paperback, fifth printing. Light tanning to page edges. Content: This book is both a compelling psychological study and a portrait of a vanished social order. Stevens, an elderly butler who has spent 30 years in the service of Lord Darlington, ruminates on the past and inadvertently slackens his rigid grip on his emotions to confront the central issues of his life. Glacially reserved, snobbish and humorless, Stevens has devoted his life to his concept of duty and responsibility, hoping to reach the pinnacle of his profession through totally selfless dedication and a ruthless suppression of sentiment. Having made a virtue of stoic dignity, he is proud of his impassive response to his father's death and his "correct" behavior with the spunky former housekeeper, Miss Kenton. Ishiguro builds Stevens's character with precisely controlled details, creating irony as the butler unwittingly reveals his pathetic self-deception. In the poignant denouement, Stevens belatedly realizes that he has wasted his life in blind service to a foolish man [& Nazi sympathizer] and that he has never discovered "the key to human warmth." The 1993 movie was directed by James Ivory and starred Christopher Reeve, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, the great James Fox, John Haycraft, and Hugh Grant. [1 copy available]
$ 2.59 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE ROBE
by Lloyd C. Douglas. Intro by Andrew Greeley. Condition UNREAD, but not perfect, 1986 Houghton Mifflin Trade Paperback, 74th printing. Poor shelving has led to light edge wear with some creasing to several page bottom corners. Interior clean & tight. Content: A Roman soldier, Marcellus, wins Christ's robe as a gambling prize. He then sets forth on a quest to find the truth about the Nazarene's robe-a quest that reaches to the very roots and heart of Christianity and is set against the vividly limned background of ancient Rome. Here is a timeless story of adventure, faith, and romance, a tale of spiritual longing and ultimate redemption. The 1953 movie classic as directed by Henry Koster and starred Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Michael Rennie, and a great turn by Jay Robinson as the insane Caligula. Don't miss it. [1 copy available]
$ 8.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

SAYONARA
by James A. Michener. Condition Gently pre-read, if at all, c. 1980 Fawcett Crest paperback, no priting given. Tiny edgewear and pale water stain bottom fore edges. Interior clean & very tight. Content: One of the great romance books! A brilliant tale of love and war, SAYONARA tells the story of Major Lloyd Gruver, son of an army general stationed in Japan, dating a general's daughter, and happy with his life. He didn't understand the soldiers who fell in love with Japanese girls. Then he met Hana-ogi. After that nothing mattered anymore. Nothing but her. This book delves into the postwar prejudice against the Japanese by Americans and the difficulties and sometimes tragedies involved when American servicemen wished to marry a Japanese national. The excellent 1957 movie was directed by Josh Logan and starred Marlon Brando, Red Buttons (Academy Awarad), Miyoshi Umeki (Academy Award), Miko Taka, James Garner, and Ricardo Montalban. A true American classic. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

SCHINDLER'S LIST: A Novel (Movie edition)
by Thomas Keneally. B&W photos. Condition NEW 1993 Touchstone Trade Paperback, 8th printing. Content: A stunning novel based on the true story of how German war profiteer and prison camp Direktor Oskar Schindler came to save more Jews from the gas chambers than any o ther single person during World War II. In this milestone of Holocaust literature, Keneally uses the actual testimony of the Schindlerjuden - Schindler's Jews - to brilliantly protray the courage and cunning of a good man in the midst of unspeakable evil. The 1993 movie was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred the great Liam Neeson, Sir Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, and Norbert Weisser. [1 copy available]
$ 2.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS
by Harold Bell Wright. B&W photos of dramatization. Condition UNREAD, but not perfect, c. 1987 Shepherd of the Hills Historical Society hardcover (pictorial boards - no DJ issued), no printing given. Problem: Gift inscription on the loose end page. Otherwise perfect and very clean & tight. Light edge wear. Content: Reviewer: "My only knowledge of this book prior to reading it was that Branson, MO hosts an outdoor drama of this story. Since reading it and doing some research I learned that the author was the best selling author of the first quarter of the 20th century. Published in 1907 The Shepherd of the Hills is one of his most well known books. Set in the Ozarks where Wright lived for some years, the plot begins with an educated man visiting the area for unknown reasons. Quickly one learns that there is some mystery involved. Memorable characters come alive as the contrast between rural and urban cultures are explored. Using the visiting stranger as one who settles among the people, the author leads the reader to understand that developing integrity is the greater good rather than the typical successful urban stereotype. The book includes intertwined families, attempted hangings, romance, fights, revenue men, ghosts and secrets discovered. The physical landscape of the Ozarks is another character as it plays a part in the conflicts and resolutions. I was drawn into the story, getting a vivid image of the Ozarks at the time of the writing. I would recommend the book, especially to those interested in applied Christianity. While the author was not critically acclaimed by academia, he certainly was successful in communicating with the common people for whom buying books was still rare. The book needs to be considered by the time period of its writing, rather than current criticism. The author's life is as interesting as his book. More can be found about him on the Harold Bell Wright website." The 1941 movie was directed by Henry Hathaway and starred John Wayne, Harry Carey, Betty Field, Beulah Bondi, Ward Bond, Marjorie Main, and Fuzzy Knight. Worth renting or buying it! [1 copy available]
$ 3.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE: The Shooting Script
screenplay by Simon Beaufoy. Based on the novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup. Introduction by the director, Danny Boyle. Condition UNREAD, but not perfect, 2008 Newmarket Trade Paperback, no printing given. Light edge wear with tiny scrtches front cover that can only be seen in the right light. Interior perfect. Content: The official screenplay book tie-in to the acclaimed new film from director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty). Today is the biggest day in Jamal Malik's life. A penniless, eighteen-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, he's one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? But when the show breaks for the night, suddenly, he is arrested on suspicion of cheating. After all, how could an uneducated street kid possibly know so much? Determined to get to the bottom of Jamal's story, the jaded Police Inspector spends the night probing Jamal's incredible past, from his riveting tales of the slums where he and his brother, Salim, survived by their wits to his hair-raising encounters with local gangs to his heartbreak over Latika, the unforgettable girl he loved and lost. [1 copy available]
$ 2.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE SNOW GOOSE
by Paul Gallico. Somber color illustrations by Angela Barrett. Condition: NEW 2007 McClelland & Stewart (UK) hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ (in mylar jackaet), first printing. Content: A stunning new edition of a beloved children’s classic. On the desolate Essex marshes, a young girl, Fritha, comes to seek help from Philip Rhayader, a recluse who lives in an abandoned lighthouse. She carries in her arms a wounded snow goose that has been storm-tossed across the Atlantic from Canada. Fritha is frightened of Rhayader, but he is gentler than his appearance suggests and nurses the goose back to health. Over the following months and years, Fritha visits the lighthouse when the snow goose is there. And every summer, when it flies away, Thayader is left alone once more. The Snow Goose is set in the years running up to the evacuation of Dunkirk in the Second World War. Originally published in 1940 in the Saturday Evening Post, it was brought out in book form the following year by Knopf, Michael Joseph and M&S simultaneously. It won the prestigious O Henry prize that same year and has been continually in print ever since. The Snow Goose has inspired a number of musical scores and albums, has been made into two feature films and moved generations of readers. A new feature film will be released in the coming year. Beautifully written, with a powerful ending, and breathtakingly illustrated, this is an exquisite edition of Gallico’s masterpiece. [3 copies available]
$ 7.89 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Internaitonal shipping available on arrangement - email us.

STEPMOM (Movie novelization)
by Maggie Robb. Screenplay by Gigi Levangie, Jessie Nelson, Steven Rogers, Karen Leigh Hopkins, & Ron Bass. Movie stills front and back covers. Condition: UNREAD 1998 Time Warner paperback with tiny edgewear & light tanning to page edges. Content: The story of divorce, remarriage, children as victims, and finally resignation and reconcilliation. The 1998 movie stars Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, and Ed Harris. [1 copy available]
$ 2.25 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE STERILE CUCKOO
by John Nichols. Movie stills illustrate front and back covers. Condition: Good only 1971 Avon paperback, 10th printing. Pale creases top and bottom front cover corners. Heavy tanning to page edges. Content: Reviewer: "John Nichols' 1965 novel "The Sterile Cuckoo" is a universal tale about the pangs of first love during the important coming-of-age years of college. While the story is almost 40 years old, most readers should be able to relate to the awkward romance of protagonist Jerry Payne, an 18-year-old introvert, and the free-spirited and eccentric Pookie Adams, an extraordinarily complex, if not lovable character. Jerry fatefully meets Pookie one fternoon at an Oklahoma bus stop, and both eventually embark on a year-long romance during their underclassmen years at neighboring universities in the east. While much of the youthful slang is dated by today's standards, readers will recognize the multiple college roommates, impulsive road trips, sweaty make-out pits and trashed hotel rooms. The early years of college life have been almost perfectly recreated by Nichols, and several situations should immediately strike a chord in most readers who have lived on a college campus." The 1969 movie starred Liza Minnelli and Wendell Burton and lives up to it's billing as a "bittersweet love story." [1 copy available]
$ 2.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (The Play)
by Tennessee Williams. Marlon Brando cover with 8 pages of B&W movie and theatre stills. Condition: Very good, gently pre-read to page 80, 1951 Signet papearback, 49th printing. Tiny edge wear with pale spine crease. The interior is clean & tight with light tanning to page edges. Content: This is one of the most remarkable plays of our time. It created an immortal woman in the character of Blanche DuBois, the haggard and fragile southern beauty whose pathetic last grasp at happiness is cruelly destroyed. It gave us Stanley Kowalski, a sweat-shirted barbarian and crudely sensual brother-in-law who precipitated Blanche's tragedy. The 1951 movie was directed by Elia Kazan and shot to fame Marlon Brando as Stanley with the beautiful Vivien Leigh as the doomed Blanche. Also starring: Kim Hunter, Karl Malden, Nick Denis, Ann Dere, Rudy Bond, and Peg Hillias. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (The Play - Acting Edition)
by Tennessee Williams. B&W stage design with 1 B&W photo of the play. Condition: UNREAD c. 1990 Dramatists Play Service soft cover (stapled wraps), no year nor edition given. Content: This is one of the most remarkable plays of our time. It created an immortal woman in the character of Blanche DuBois, the haggard and fragile southern beauty whose pathetic last grasp at happiness is cruelly destroyed. It gave us Stanley Kowalski, a sweat-shirted barbarian and crudely sensual brother-in-law who precipitated Blanche's tragedy. The 1951 movie was directed by Elia Kazan and shot to fame Marlon Brando as Stanley with the beautiful Vivien Leigh as the doomed Blanche. Also starring: Kim Hunter, Karl Malden, Nick Denis, Ann Dere, Rudy Bond, and Peg Hillias. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THIS BOY'S LIFE: A Memoir [Winner Pen Faulkner Award]
by Tobias Wolff. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, c. 1992 Grove Press Trade Paperback, 5th printing. Light shelf war to 3-4 page corners - poor shelving. Content: Fiction writer Tobias Wolff electrified critics with his scarifying 1989 memoir, which many deemed as notable for its artful structure and finely wrought prose as for the events it describes. The story is pretty grim: Teenaged Wolff moves with his divorced mother from Florida to Utah to Washington State to escape her violent boyfriend. When she remarries, Wolff finds himself in a bitter battle of wills with his abusive stepfather, a contest in which the two prove to be more evenly matched than might have been supposed. Deception, disguise, and illusion are the weapons the young man learns to employ as he grows up--not bad training for a writer-to-be. Somber though this tale of family strife is, it is also darkly funny and so artistically satisfying that most readers come away exhilarated rather than depressed. The 1993 movie was directed by Michael Caton-Jones and starred Robert De Niro, Ellen Barkin, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, & Chris Cooper. [1 copy available]
$ 3.29 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

TIM
by Colleen McCullough. Condition: UNREAD 1982 Warner Books paperback, second printing. Tanning to white cover edges. Interior perfect. Content: Mary Horton is content with her comfortable, solitary existence . . . until she meets Tim. A beautiful young man with the mind of a child -- a gentle outcast in a cruel, unbending world -- he illuminates the darkness of Mary's days with his boyish innocence. And he will shatter the lonely, middle-aged spinster's respectable, ordered life with a forbidden promise of a very special love. The 1974 Australian movie was directed by Michael Pate and starred a beautiful, young (pre-drunken-mess) Mel Gibson and made him an instant sex symbol. It also stars the great Piper Laurie, Alwyn Kurts, Pat Evison, Peter Gwynne, and Brian Barry. Is this a great movie? Absolutely not, but it is one of the great romantic (chick-flics) movies of all times. [1 copy available]
$ 2.65 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY?
by Horace McCoy. Condition: Good+, 1966 Avon paperback, first printing. Edgewear with pale hinge crease. Moderate to dark tanning to page edges. Content: The Depression of the 1930s led many people to take desperate measures to survive. The marathon dance craze seemed a simple way to earn extra money, but the underside of the craze was a competition and violence previously unknown to most ballrooms - a dark side that this book portrays. The 1969 movie was directed by Sydney Pollack and starred Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susanna York, Gig Young (Academy Award), Red Buttons, Bonnie Bedelia, and Bruce Dern. Depressing but interesting. [1 copy available]
$ 1.29 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

Three Dramas of American Individualism: GOLDEN BOY, HIGH TOR, THE MAGNIFICIENT YANKEE
edited and with introductions by Joseph E. Mersand. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1968 ANTA-Washington Square Press paperback, second printing. Diagonal crease front cover from fore edge, light edge wear, and moderate tanning. Content: The complete plays of Golden Boy by Clifford Odets; High Tor by Maxwell Anderson; and The Magnificient Yankee by Emmet Lavery. Golden Boy was made into a movie in 1939 (directed by Rouben Mamoulian) giving a young William Holden his big chance. It also starred Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou, Lee J. Cobb, and Sam Levene. Wonderful! High Tor was rendered as a musical in 1956 "Ford Jubilee" episode and starred Bing Crosby, Nancy Olson, Julie Andrews, Hans Conreid, and Everett Sloane. The Magnificient Yankee (based on the life of Oliver Wendell Holmes) was produced as a movie in 1950 and was directed by John Sturges and starred Louis Calhern, Ann Harding, Eduard Franz, and Richard Anderson. [1 copy available]
$ 2.49 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

THREE PRIESTS [DVD]
by Cinequest. Movie stills both covers. Condition: Like new, viewed once and enjoyed, 2009 Cinequest DVD of the 2008 movie. Buffed and cleaned. Content: Dustin and Joe are brothers who are as different as can be: one a confident ladies man and the other shy and insecure. Their parents, retired sheriff, Jake (Michael Parks) and his wife, Rachel (Olivia Hussey) have worked hard to carve out a quiet and safe life for themselves and their family. When Abby, the daughter of Jake's best friend Ben (Wes Studi), returns to town for the summer, their lives are disrupted and events set in motion that lead to unimaginable consequences. As brother is turned against brother in a fight for Abby's affection, the town is threatened by out of control wildfires, while Jake and his wife are forced to make a desperate decision that will determine the fate of themselves and their sons. Beautifully crafted and packed with powerful performances, Three Priests is a stark, intense and ultimately heart-wrenching story about loyalty and betrayal, fear and desire, envy and honor, and the fierceness of a mothers love. Directed by Jim Comas Cole, additional cast members are Alexander Martin, Julia Jones, Aaaron Duffey, James Parks, and Matt Oberholtzer. A bit of a downer - but worth it. [1 copy available]
$ 6.29 + $ 3.09 first class shipping.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
by Harper Lee. Condition: Very Good 1982 Time Warner paperback, 21st printing. Pale spine crease with light tanning to interior page edges. Content: Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up. The movie, starring Gregory Peck and created by Alan Pakula, Robert Mulligan and Horton Foote, is ranked number 34 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest American Films, created one of the great characters in film history - lawyer Atticus Finch. Read the book/see the movie/enjoy! [1 copy available]
$ 1.65 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

TO SIR WITH LOVE
by E. R. Braithwaite. Condition: NEW 1977 Jove paperback edition, 32nd printing. Tiny, tiny edgewear. Content: This novel traces the route of a rookie teacher who throws out stock lesson plans and really takes command of his unruly, adolescent students in a London school. Poitier is very good as a man struggling with the extent of his commitment to the job, and even more as a teacher whose commitment is to proffering life lessons instead of academics. The 1967 movie starred the great Sidney Poitier and then singing sensation, Lulu. Written and directed by novelist James Clavell. Both the book and the movie would be great gifts for the new teacher in your life. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

A TOWN LIKE ALICE (AKA The Legacy)
by E. R. Braithwaite. Cover art by Daniel Schwartz. Condition: NEW 1991 Ballantine paperback edition, 26th printing (c. 1998). Light tanning to page edges. Content: This novel tells of a young woman who miraculously survived a Japanese "death march" in World War II, and of an Australian soldier, also a prisoner of war, who offered to help her - even at the cost of his life. There are two movies made of this book. The 1956 movie (also known as Rape of Malaysia) was directed by Jack Lee and starred Virginia McKenna, Peter Finch, Kenji Takaki, and Tran Van Khe. The 1981 Australian mini-series is excellent and was directed by David Stevens and starred Helen Morse, Bryan Brown, Yuki Shimoda, & Richard Narita. IF you can find this version, it's certainly worth watching or buying. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE UGLY AMERICAN
by William J. Lederer & Eugene Burdick. Condition: Gently pre-read to abaout page 35, this is a 1958 Norton hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), Book Club Edition. While the book is in excellent condition, the DJ has small cuts up and down the front DJ fold with some edgewear to the top and bottom DJ edges. Content: The multi-million-copy bestseller that coined the phrase for tragic American blunders abroad. First published in 1958, The Ugly American became a runaway national bestseller for its slashing expos of American arrogance, incompetence, and corruption in Southeast Asia. Based on fact, the book's eye-opening stories and sketches drew a devastating picture of how the United States was losing the struggle with Communism in Asia. Combining gripping storytelling with an urgent call to action, the book prompted President Eisenhower to launch a study of our military aid program that led the way to much-needed reform. The 1963 movie was directed by George Englund and starred Marlon Brando, Eiji Okada, Sandra Church, Pat Hingle, Arthur Miller, Jocelyn Brando, and Philip Ober. Excellent - if you can find it. [1 copy available]
$ 3.89 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

WHERE THE HEART IS
by Billie Letts. Natalie iPortman, Ashley Judd movie cover. Condition: UNREAD 2000 Warner Books Trade Paperback, 28thh printing. Tiny edge wear with light tanning to page edges. Thin, short binder's glue string bottom spine. Content: Readers immersed in the offbeat world of Letts's lively, affecting first novel will forgive its occasional forced quirkiness. For 17-year-old Novalee Nation, seven months pregnant, the phrase "home is where your history begins" has a special meaning. Leaving behind a trail of foster homes in Tennessee trailer parks to live in a real house with her boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickens, Novalee instead finds herself abandoned in front of a Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, Okla. With nowhere to turn, she cleverly conceals herself within the store, keeping careful accounts until giving birth to the "Wal-Mart baby" turns her into a local celebrity. Happily, the community reaches out to Novalee and baby Americus. Sequoyah's one-woman welcoming committee, Sister Husband, takes them in; cultured librarian Forney Hull takes a shine to them; photographer Moses Whitecotton encourages Novalee's raw talent for photography by teaching her all he knows; Lexie Coop, who has a huge appetite for food, diet fads and the wrong men, befriends her; and legendary Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton gives her a job. Meanwhile, Willy Jack, an aspiring musician, gets a shot at the big time before hitting bottom and realizing what he's left behind. Letts's wacky characters are depicted with humor and hope, as well as an earnestness that rises above the story's uneven conceits, resulting in a heartfelt and gratifying read. The 2000 movie was directed by Matt Williams and starred Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Joan Cusack, Stockard Channing, and Dylan Bruno. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? [DVD]
written by Ernest Lehman, Edward Albee. Directed by Mike Nichols. Condition: NEW (shrink-wrapped) 1997 Warner DVD release of the 1996 movie. Content: A word of advice: If George (Richard Burton) and Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) ever ask you over for late-night cocktails--pass. On the other hand, if you have the opportunity to see Mike Nichols's scorching film version of Edward Albee's sensational play, don't miss it! Elegantly photographed in crisp black and white by the great Haskell Wexler, the play has been "opened up" for the screen by director Nichols without diluting its concentrated, claustrophobic power. Taylor has never been better or brasher as Martha, letting loose with all the fury of a drunken, frustrated academic's wife on one crazy Walpurgisnacht bender. Burton plays her husband, George, the ineffectual history prof married to the college president's daughter. And George Segal and Sandy Dennis are young, callow Nick and Honey, who have no idea what sort of mind-warping psychological games they're being drawn into. Among the most successful theatrical adaptations (artistically and popularly) ever brought to the screen. The entire principal cast was nominated for Oscars--and Taylor, Dennis, and cinematographer Wexler won. Excellent! [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 3.09 first class shipping.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP
by John Irving. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1979 Pocket paperback, fourth printing. Light edge wear with light rubbings along hinges. Content: "Garp was a natural storyteller," says the narrator of John Irving's incandescent novel, referring to the book's hero, the novelist Garp, who has much in common with Irving himself. "He could make things up one right after the other, and they seemed to fit." Irving packs wild characters and weird events into his classic--officially recognized as such in a Modern Library edition with a new introduction by the author--while amazingly maintaining the rough feel of realism in every scene and the pulse of life in every heart. Many novelists of his time might have populated a novel with a novelist protagonist whose life and books comment on each other and the novel we're reading. Transsexual football players, ball turret gunners lobotomized in battle, multiple adultery, unicycling bears, mad feminists who amputate their tongues in sympathy with the celebrated victim of a horrifying rape--Irving made them all people. Even the bear is a fitting character. How does he get away with his killer cocktail of slapstick and horror? Because it's simply what we all face daily, rearranged into soul-satisfying art. "Life is an X-rated soap opera," according to Garp, and who can contradict him? The 1982 movie was directed by George Roy Hill and starred Robin Williams, the divine John Lithgow, Glenn Close, Mary Beth Hurt, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, and Swoosie Kurtz. Part comedy; part tragedy; all enjoyable. [1 copy available]
$ 1.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN
by Dorothy Baker. Condition: Acceptable only. 1953 Signet paperback, second printing. Cover shows creases, rubbings, and edge wear. Interior clean but tanned. Fragile. Content: This novel, loosely based on the life of jazz great Bix Biederbecke, is one of the seminal tales of the gifted but tragically self-destructive artist. Rick Martin, the young man with a horn, is consumed by music but destroyed by bad booze, evil women and by his own impossible musical ambition. The excellent 1950 movie was directed by Michael Curtiz and starred Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day, Hoagy Carmichael, and Mary Beth Hughes. If you can find it, grab it. [1 copy available]
$ 2.00 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

Z (Political assassination in Greece)
by Vassilis Vassilikos. Translated from the Greek by Marilyn Calmann. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1976 Ballantine paperback, 5th printing. Edgewear with moderate tanning to pages. Content: The assassination of "Z," a leftist delegate to Greece's Parliament, sparks an exploration into the lives of the hired killers, bourgeois witnesses and political figures behind the killing. "A novel of inflamed and lunatic political passions, it is informed by the author's despairing knowledge of his countrymen and their national fate, and it has its basis in an actual case." The 1969 movie was directed by Costa-Gavras and starred Yves Montand, Irene Papas, Jean Louis Tritignant,and Charles Denner. Winner of the Jury Prize, Cannes. Fascinating book and even better movie. [1 copy available]
$ 3.39 + $ 2.94 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

ZORBA THE GREEK
by Nikos Kazantzakis. Translated by Carl Wildman. Condition: UNREAD 1996 Scribner Trade Paperback edition, 12th printing. Tiny edgewear bottom fron tcover corner. Content: This novel was originally published in Greek in 1946 as Vios kai politia tou Alexi Zormpa. The unnamed narrator is a scholarly, introspective writer who opens a coal mine on the fertile island of Crete. He is gradually drawn out of his ascetic shell by an elderly employee named Zorba, an ebullient man who revels in the social pleasures of eating, drinking, and dancing. The narrator's reentry into a life of experience is completed when his newfound lover, the village widow, is ritually murdered by a jealous mob. The 1964 movie was directed by Mihalis Kakogiannis and starred Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Irene Papas, Lila Kedrova and Yorgo Voyagis. [1 copy available]
$ 5.79 + $ 3.19 media shipping.