A Dreadful Man - The Story of Hollywood's Most Original Cad, George Sanders [Paperback]

Brian Aherne (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (January 1, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425047156
• ISBN-13: 978-0425047156
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,168,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It, October 30, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Dreadful Man (Hardcover)

I read this book in 1979, saving what I assumed was the least interesting of my biography purchases for last. You guessed it - I couldn't put the book down and I was upset when it ended, so I promptly re-read it again. I loved the original correspondence that Mr. Aherne included in the book. Later when I read '54 Charing Cross Road', I was again reminded of 'A Dreadful Man' and became even more determined to find more books like these. Mr. Aherne quotes in this book the biography that George Sanders wrote in the 60's, which launched a personal 17 year search. I searched out of state and out of country. At Powell's Books in Oregon they said it was very hard to find. In England (1995) I spent an entire day in the Charing Cross District seaching the used book stores. They all knew of the book, but said they couldn't keep a copy on the shelves long. During that time I kept re-reading 'A Dreadful Man' every couple of years, and hoping for the best. Then several months ago I FOUND IT on the AMAZON list, listed as out-of-print, but available. Lucky me - I ordered and received my own copy. I have not been disappointed. It was even better than I had hoped for. I am sad to see for the rest of you, that AMAZON no longer has it listed under George Sanders as being available. THANK YOU AMAZON for having it this summer! "A Dreadful Man" is one book that I won't loan out to my friends. Biography and letter writing fans will enjoy it.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A page-turner, June 14, 2003

By 

tzefirah "tzefirah" (Media, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreadful Man (Hardcover)

Benita Hume was a charming correspondent. Her letters bring her 2nd husband George Sanders to life in a way that a more objective observer probably never could. Who else would tell you that Sanders could play the guitar behind his back, or that he was an amateur electrician who routinely rewired his friends' houses? He had so many gifts, it's endlessly fascinating to me that he ended his life because he was bored.

This may not be a typical biography, but it's one of the best that I've read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'THE' book on Sanders, June 16, 2009

By 

K. Stawpert "Kathy108" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Dreadful Man - The Story of Hollywood's Most Original Cad, George Sanders (Paperback)

This is THE book to get about sanders. Great photos and very sensitivley written. Ahern paints a picture of a very intricate, talented and complex man, an extremely rare individual who at times was a VERY difficult person. The book includes many letters of correspondence between Ahern, Sanders and Bentia. it is also a VERY sad book (in my oppinion) to read. In his later life Sanders was falling appart at the seams and unfortunaly those closest to him did not take the opportunity to threw him a lifeline and regretted not doing so for the rest of their lives. Whether he could have been saved is questionable.... we will never know.