Frank Sinatra: A Celebration [Hardcover]

Derek Jewell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1986

Frank Sinatra's work has crossed decades and generations. From the early song hits right up to his recent death, the Chairman of the Board reinterpreted classics to make them his own. His acting career was equally successful, Jewell looks at the fascination of Sinatra, including his four marriages, his close association with the fabled Rat Pack, and his political allegiances from Jack and Bobby up to Ron and Nancy.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Unlike other photo essays, which manage to bury their subjects under heaps of praise, these handsomely packaged picture books keep their stars in focus with a mixture of colorful biography, shrewd analysis, and eccentric opinion. Jewell, a British music critic, traces Sinatra's history along with his ownhow the singer affected him over the years. The subjective viewpoint grates a bit, but the strong opinions are always tart and provocative. As a coda, Perry contributes an incisive essay on Sinatra's films, and the filmography and discography are smartly annotated with trivia and critical minutiae. On the minus side, this is the umpteenth Sinatra picture book, and it pales in comparison to John Rockwell's Sinatra (LJ 11/1/84). Not only does Schickel's James Cagney not have the cluttered look of the Sinatra book, but Schickel, unlike Jewell, had the opportunity to interview his subject for the book. Schickel, a film historian, goes well beyond the necessary biographical information and critical evaluation to an all-out meditation on the Cagney image, the gangster genre, and American film archetypes. Recommended. Christopher Schemering, formerly with Arlington Cty . , P.L., Va.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T) (January 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316463043
• ISBN-13: 978-0316463041
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,074,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Come up for AIR, January 7, 2003

By 

Victoria (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frank Sinatra: Paperback Book (Applause Legends) (Paperback)

Derek Jewell's style of writing may be appealing to some, but to me he leaves much to be desired.
Pros:
-Almost no detail was overlooked
-1/4 of the book is an index
-useful for book reports
-well arranged
Cons:
-Written in a breathy style where there is no good place to stop
-hard to concentrate on, hard to keep reading
-facts were boring
-could have used more opinions or quotes
-hard to pick out information for projects
-small print

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, November 19, 2009

By 

Palavering (Tequesta, Florida) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Frank Sinatra: Paperback Book (Applause Legends) (Kindle Edition)

This is an interesting way to spend some idle time. The reader learns some new things about this famous singer/actor's life. At times it is poignant.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AMERICA'S SINGER OF THE CENTURY, November 28, 2000

By 

ALAIN ROBERT (ST-HUBERT,QUEBEC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frank Sinatra: Paperback Book (Applause Legends) (Paperback)

FRANK SINATRA was one of the greatest entertainer of the previous century.While he made many movies, it's the singer that will be remembered best.The skinny guy who caused riots at the PARAMOUNT theater had a legendary career spanning more than fifty years.The story of his ascension is well documented;it's interesting to hear of the way his three arrangers each worked with him in a different way in his great CAPITOL days ,who with the new compact editions will remain big sellers for many years to come.While DEREK JEWELL talks about the controversy always associated with FRANK, he manages to keep in perspective the important facts and let aside the gossip which can get unpleasant ,since we all know FRANK was not an angel.It might not be the best book about him (there are so many available now),but it does the job accurately.Anyway,the legacy of THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD are the records.We are now fortunate us music lovers to choose in the collection what we like best about him ,and there are many treasures.