Customer Reviews

Antiques Roadshow Behind the Scenes: An Insider's Guide to PBS's #1 Weekly Show

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Antiques Roadshow Behind the Scenes is a fun and fascinating look at the no. 1 PBS weekly show, written by the program's longtime executive producer, Marsha Bemko.

Packed with quick hits called "Marsha's Musings," Bemko shares insights on the personalities and logistical demands that go into making ARS, but that's only the beginning. The book combines valuable "how to" tips for collectors with tales of wrap-party hi-jinks and appraisers' favorite recollections from 13 years of cross-country travels.

The show's history is honestly reviewed, warts and all, including the infamous "watermelon sword" episode in which two appraisers concocted a scenario to inflate the value of a Confederate weapon. The fraud resulted in a strict code of conduct for all ARS appraisers.

Hundreds of color photos feature happy (or shocked) collectors and treasures brought to the show, and profile the team in front of and behind the cameras. Bemko also recalls her favorite appraisal stories, and first on her list is Lark Mason being overcome with emotion as he views a carved marble lion from China (valued at more than $100,000).

But her fondest reminiscences are reserved for "ordinary people collecting what they love without really knowing, or caring, what the pieces may be worth." And that, in a nutshell, sums up the appeal of this book, and the continued success of Antiques Roadshow. It's not just the appraisers or the objects, but the curious collectors -- whether shy or outrageous -- that draw us to the show.

This will make an ideal gift for the antique lover on your Christmas list, no matter what their collecting passion.

I'm a true devotee of the show who has watched it since its first host, and this is my second and favorite _Antiques Roadshow_ read. The other is their Primer, which is more about how to collect antiques and may thus have a wider appeal; this book, written by the show's executive producer, is for fans who want to know more about the show itself.

Accompanied by mostly color photos and occasional sidebars, information includes how the show first came to America (it was inspired by one in Britain), an intriguing and shocking controversy from the first season, silly things people have brought to be appraised, how the show is set up in each town it visits, and information about and advice from the show's favorite appraisers. My favorite section is the last chapter, which contains updates on what happened to some of the antiques that appeared on the show. While _Antiques Roadshow_ does occasionally have these types of updates available on their official website, I wish this section were longer.

_Antiques Roadshow_ is a vast production, especially considering that
its set is created in each town it visits! It visited my state recently, and (not having any interesting antiques) I was tempted to get in their ticket raffle just to see how it all works! I didn't, but thankfully this book explains it all, without having to stand in line for hours! If you enjoy the show from the trunk opening with the catchy theme song playing in the background to the ending with the often-humorous feedback booth, you'll enjoy finding out all about its intricate workings and the people who work so enthusiastically to bring it to us.

My wife and I have been fans of PBS's series Antiques Roadshow for years now, so I was quite glad when this book fell into my hands. Written by Marsha Bemko, the executive producer of the Roadshow, the book gives the reader a real behind-the-scenes look at the show. It is well-produced with a lot of interesting pictures, a history of the show, plus plenty of facts and explanation and just plain digressions. Indeed, the hardest thing about reviewing this book is trying to give a nice, tight description of it, it contains so much!

Well, as a diehard fan of the show, I can say that I really enjoyed reading this book, and that I think that every other fan will like it as well. Do yourself a favor, and get this book!

You could tell Marsha Bemco did not write "Antiques Roadshow Behind The Scenes" as an afterthought. It is very well thought out, has a very nice layout and is very well written. This book goes into incredible detail what goes on to prepare for each show on PBS. There are some great stories about particular items on shows you may have already seen if you are a Roadshow fan. It is amazing to see how the show has progressed from a show that almost never made it on the air to the phenomenon of what it is today. It even goes into the technical aspects of the show's editing process and how tight the schedule is to produce each and every show. This book is for true fans of the show and is not for everybody, but most people will find it interesting. It is a book you can just pick up, open it to a page and read a little tidbit about the show, put it down and open it to a different section of the book at a later date, eventually finding out you've read the entire book that way. As a matter of fact if I had read it from cover to cover I probably would not like it as much. It would make a good gift for someone really into the show!

I've never read a production book for any TV show or movie but I was impressed by the detail the author and show producer (Marsha Bemko) gives for one of my favorite PBS shows: Antiques Roadshow. Not only are there interesting stories about some of the items, short bios on some of the more popular appraisers, but also how the show has evolved. Marsha describes in detail how this show is produced but what I found the most interesting is the show's editing process. The editors are an incredibly discerning group of people when they choose what to show on TV. It's not just the most valuable items that make it on air, sometimes they're passed up completely because there's no sense of 'discovery.' Marsha uses that word a lot in this book because it's very important for us, the viewers. The owners want to learn about their items, their significance to history, their condition, but most of all, I want the appraiser to tell me a story. That's exactly what the editors for this show do, and I now appreciate their efforts to make sure what the appaisers say on tape is fact. Because those facts are indeed, checked. I'm glad Marsha also included a segment on "what not to bring" to the show which, I think, they should advertise to all would-be attendeees. Their reasons are obvious but apparently, not to the majority of the public. This is a great coffee table book for Antique's Roadshow fans and it would also be a nice gift for those interested in or studying TV production.

Antiques Roadshow is one of my favorites; I love the stories, the history, the antiques, and the appraisers! So I eagerly snapped up this copy of Antiques Roadshow Behind the Scenes when it became available through Amazon Vine's program, and read it within a day. While it didn't really reveal too much I didn't already know, I can say it has added to my overall enjoyment of the television show to know what all goes into producing just one episode.

Written by producer Marsha Bemko, Behind the Scenes explores...well, behind the scenes of the long running PBS show. We get the details of how sites are chosen, how equipment is moved, and how tickets are obtained. Quite frankly, some of this was not all that exciting, but I did come away with the understanding that what I actually see on my screen is only a tiny bit of what the appraisers and producers actually encounter in a typical shooting day. Bemko gives us the reasons people and items are chosen (it's got to be good tv!) and how the appraisers approach her as to why they should have a segment taped. I especially enjoyed knowing what tips the appraisers gave for getting on air, and what happened to some of the big ticket items after the show aired. I also am alive with curiosity over the items discussed within the book that never made it to air--I want to know more about them! And naturally, the interviews with the appraisers were intriguing and fun. Got to love those Keno brothers!

This book is a wealth of information for all lovers of the television show, and just a plain fun look at what goes on behind the scenes. I can highly recommend it for those who love antiques and especially, Antiques Roadshow! Now if only I can find something valuable lying around my house that will make those appraisers sit up and take notice...

This is an interesting book if you are a fan of the PBS Antiques Roadshow. If you're not a fan of the show, you probably won't find much to interest you. This is a paperback book with color photos.

The book describes:
-How the show was brought to the US.
-The process for getting tickets to the show.
-Items to bring such as things with an interesting history.
-Items not to bring such as Hummels, bibles and Department 56.
-How items are selected to be appraised on air.
-How they choose cities/locations.
- A typical taping day.
-Behind the scenes stories.
-How the appraisers got in the business and their backgrounds.
-Some of the infamous stories of fakes, etc. (The story of the Civil War watermelon sword is particularly interesting and seedy.)
-Whatever happened to some of the items that were appraised. There are some amazing stories of people selling their items for a lot of money.
-There is a reference section in the back that lists various books, websites and associations that may be helpful in helping you find information on your item. The book refers readers to the PBS AR website for information on contacting the appraisers from the show.

Fans of ARS - of which I am one - will want this book no matter what the reviews say. Its aimed at the fans. It's fun in parts and superfluous in other parts. (Too much time spent on how to get tickets.). Author Bemko is not a great writer and she is more of chatterer. A lot of the text looks like it was written for an ARS blog.

Probably the most useful section is that on "what not to bring to the Antique Roadshow". I am a collector of certain collectibles and spend a lot of time answering queries asking "is this valuable?". My specialty is old records and most of what people are saving has little monetary valuable. If people would read just this section of Bemko's book it would serve a purpose.

There is also a small "reference" section at the end listing some books (obviously the Kovels' and Rinker books and web sites for some specific organizations. This is a very subjective list as no musical items are there or are stamps. And a "google" search will serve you better than this list.

The book is slim - 178 pages - and the type is LARGE (I though I got the special "large print edition", but I think it was just a way to fill up space. There is a lot of white space here. There are sidebars with "Marsha's Musings" which are often just repeating something already in the test. There are maybe 50 photos of items from the show or scenes from the show.

The "fun part" for regulars is the little bit of "gossip" Bemko shares. I particularly enjoyed knowing the history of the show before it got to PBS. Not only was the ORIGINAL American to import the show in it for - as he says - the money, but he actually did make money by getting the lifetime US rights to the show. And you'll find out how Monty Hall hosted the pilot show, that, according to Bemko, will "never been seen".

So, yes, if you watch ARS, get this book. You'll have a fun read. Then pass it on to another ARS fan. It certainly won't serve as a reference but a fun read.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

Wow, I am such a die-hard Roadshow fan that I thought I would find any book about Roadshow -especially behind the scenes- riveting. Not so much, apparently. Actually this is a fantastic book in places, when it deals with appraisers,the antiques,the shows,the fans, and the helpful tips. Which you'd think would pretty much make up the entire book. Again, not so much. Where it bogs down is the endless page after page after page of minute details dealing with the ticket process, the selection and especially the editing of the televised appraisals. Waaaay too much info there, I thought. I wanted much less of the editing work and Picker work and much more on the appraisers and the items brought in. Maybe a little sordid gossip. I don't really care about how they choose music for the outside interviews or where Ms. Bemko's chair is in relation to her window (made that one up.) Also Ms. Bemko is not much of a storyteller. To be honest, I doubt she'd make the cut for a televised appraisal if she brought an item in and had to tell about it. One fascinating story she tells about a season wrap party basically went like this " there was a party, an appraiser dressed like me, I was embarrassed and hid my face so I don't really know what he said or did, but everyone said it was funny." Woo-hoo! ( Okay, I was hoping for a "Keno twins with the antique bong" party story.) So that's the bad stuff about the book. The good stuff is it's about freakin' Roadshow! And it does give info on the items, the appraisers, the attendees, and has some useful tips. It just needed a lot more. Oddly enough, this book which dealt so much with editing info could really have used an alert editor!

This book is a lot of fun. It goes into good but not overwhelming detail about everything a fan would want to know about the show. It's chock full of photos and background sidebars about various objects that have appeared over the years. The early and middle parts, which cover the history of the show and examples of appraisals, are excellent. However, it loses steam a bit toward the end, where there's less detail and fewer photos of items -- it starts to feel a bit rushed. On the other hand, the appendices, which include a lengthy bibliography and a list of web sites for further research on antiques, collectibles, and related associations, are great.

One thing to be aware of: one section mentions an appraisal of a nude photo of Marilyn Monroe that generated a lot of angry phone calls and had to be edited for reruns. The infamous photo is included. It's tasteful, but good to know about when reading this otherwise family-friendly book.