Overrated/Underrated [Paperback]

Editors of American Heritage Magazine (Editor), Editors of American Heritage Magazine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001

One hundred of America's favorite writers re-evaluate the overpraised and applaud the unappreciated in this fun and impossible-to-put-down collection of highly opinionated essays.

What began as one of American Heritage's most popular annual features is collected now in this beautifully illustrated, endlessly entertaining book. One hundred inspired, irreverent, illuminating pieces take a fresh look at the people, places and things we take for great-and for granted. Dozens of America's most celebrated writers muse on the subjects they know best: Liz Smith on the Most Overrated and Underrated Love Affairs; Art Spiegelman on Comic Strips; Lawrence Block on Fictional Private Eyes, and Christopher Buckley on the most Overrated and Underrated Kennedys, to name just a few. Their wizened analysis, leavened with liberal dollops of humor, is sure to inspire thought and lively conversation, whether you agree or disagree, for example, that Barbara Streisand is the most overrated singer or that the peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich is the most underrated American dish.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Is Robert E. Lee getting a free ride? Is Donna Reed the unsung sex symbol of her era? Is it high time someone spoke up for the humble peanut butter and jelly sandwich? And does anyone have the lonely courage to finally call Moby Dick a great crashing bore? There are inflated reputations in every field of American history - and neglected ones, too. In 100 inspired, irreverent, illuminating essays, experts from every field give the overpraised their comeuppance and rescue the unappreciated from obscurity.

Who's Up? Who's Down? What's In? What's Out?

CALEB CARR on Secretaries of Defense DONALD E. WESTLAKE on Criminals GARY GIDDINS on Musicians JOHN KENNETH GALBRAITH on Economists MOIRA HODGSON on Regional Foods DAVID OBST on 60s Counterculture Heroes WALTER ISAACSON on Autobiographies STEPHEN BRILL on Trials LAWRENCE BLOCK on Mystery Writers BRUCE MCCALL on Decades RICHARD BROOKHISHER on Presidents AUTHUR SCHLESINGER, JR. on National Turning Points CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY on Kennedy's LAURA HILLENBRAND on Racehorses DALE DEGROFF on Cocktails JOHN LUKACS on Ideas DOUGLAS BRINKLEY on Environmental Programs GARY CROSS on Toys PAT WILLARD on Pies JAN MORRIS on Cities

About the Author

American Heritage is a monthly magazine dedicated to covering the history of the United States for a mainstream readership.  For a magazine that has lasted one-fourth as long as the United States, its way of covering history has changed a lot over the years. Today there are mentions of television shows and Web sites, as well as short pieces on items the history buff can find on eBay. Each issue is still an eclectic collection of articles on the people, places, and events from the entire history of the United States.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579121632
• ISBN-13: 978-1579121631
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,364,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for Thought, November 29, 2003

By 

William Holmes "semloh2287" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Overrated/Underrated (Paperback)

From time to time, American Heritage magazine asks a group of authors to name the person or thing that is most overrated and most underrated in each author's field of expertise. "Overrated/Underrated" assembles three years worth of answers to those questions, and the result is a quick and enjoyable read.

Almost everyone has heard of the famous aviatrix Amelia Earhart, but far fewer know of Harriet Quimby, a flamboyant beauty who was the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel. When someone asks "who is the most famous sex symbol of the twentieth century?", Marilyn Monroe is a safe bet for the answer--but what about Donna Reed, named by one author as the most underrated sex symbol of her time? And what about Robert E. Lee--was he the great strategist that history makes him out to be, or was he really "the original Teflon general"?

Overrated/Underrated pillories many icons and offers substitutes to replace them--as a result, it's bound to irritate readers, but that's half the fun. And since each article is fairly short, the book can easily be interrupted and put aside (thus making it ideal for airplane travel).

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Concept But Lots of White Space on Pages, August 18, 2008

By 

Mediaman "TVviewer" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Overrated/Underrated (Paperback)

This great concept (which is clever when published in magazine form) has not been expanded at all in book form. Instead the book is just made up of old magazine clips, some of which are only a few sentences long. That leaves an awful lot of white space on the pages!

In many of the cases the writers could not truly answer the question of what's the most overrated and underrated, so they "cheat" by naming the same thing to both categories, naming multiple winners or (in one case) not naming anything at all! Why didn't the publisher push to have the magazine pieces expanded and better explained? Or created some new pieces that were more introspective.

As is it reads like little magazine clippings, which are sometimes clever but always leave you wanting more.

5.0 out of 5 stars Examining Past Glories Deserved & Otherwise!, March 21, 2006

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Overrated/Underrated (Paperback)

This delightful book from American Heritage is a real treat, educating, entertaining and challenging the reader all at the same time. The book's sub-title, "100 experts topple the icons and champion the slighted," aptly summarizes the book's contents as authors, columnists, editors and what-not take on various subjects and tell us why it was given too much credit or not enough.

Why, for instance, was Marilyn Monroe the most overrated Sex Symbol and Donna Reed, the most underrated. Donna Reed!?! Why is meatloaf such an overrated Traditional Dish and the lowly peanut butter and jelly sandwich underrated? Why is the most underrated Rock Band Creedence Clearwater? And who is the most overrated Rock Band? Wait for it! The Beatles! Read this book and learn why!

More serious topics such as Founding Fathers, Presidents, Medical Breakthroughs and Events of the 20th Century get their comeuppenace as well in pithy, humorous and thoughtful comments from the likes of John Kenneth Galbraith, Caleb Carr, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. and Tom Wicker.

Whether you read this book from cover to cover or jump in at random, you will enjoy it no end. It's a hoot!