Starstruck: Photographs from a Fan [Paperback]

Gary Lee Boas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2006

"Remarkable...compulsively absorbing."— Ken Johnson, The New York Times

"Starstruck unexpectedly celebrates the beauty of the amateur-one whose vocation is not driven by a hunger for money, but by love. The book is a breath of fresh air."—Warren Beatty

“…wildly entertaining…An obligatory purchase for all pop culture collections.”—Library Journal

This pop culture classic unearths candid photos of the most famous superstars of the 60s and 70s alongside forgotten and cult personalities, captured through the lens of a monumentally obsessed fan. Gary Boas’ tales of his interactions with the stars add to this fascinating document of a bygone era.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In what is certainly one of the most fetching and unique illustrated books of the season, Boas, the fan's fan, assembles 500 color photographsDtaken between 1965 and 1980 and culled from his collection of 60,000Dthat document his staggering predilection for finding and photographically nicking celebrities. Beginning when he was 15, Boas would trek, Brownie Bullseye camera in hand, from his Lancaster, PA, home to Philadelphia and New York City, where he would hunker down for hours and hours outside theater alleys, restaurants, and hotels hoping to snatch a photograph and an autograph from a star. The photographs are delightfully quirkyDsometimes blurry and complete with satanic red-dot eyesDand display a warmth both in the faded hues and the seemingly accessible countenances of the stars themselves. The assemblage is catholic in taste, encompassing such reclusive luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Greta Garbo as well as porn star Marilyn Chambers. Boas's running commentary provides insight into his motivations, tricks-of-the-trade, and fellow autograph comrades and also yields some wonderful anecdotes. This wildly entertaining book will endure many page-flipping rampages with its pliable and sturdy flexibound binding. An obligatory purchase for all pop culture collections.DBarry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

Check it out Starstruck fans! You can read more about Gary Boas and Starstuck at dilettantepress.com or in the following magazines/newspapers out now: VMJ (Video Music Journal)

November 1999 Flaunt

November 1999 AP Wire Service

December 1999 Paper

December 1999 Detour

December 1999 Vogue

December 1999 USA Today Weekend

December 1999 US Magazine

January 2000 Harper's Bazaar

January 2000 Surface

January 2000 In Style

February 2000 many more articles and TV Talk show interviews with Gary to come in February and March. We'll keep you posted. Dilettante Press

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Dilettante; First Edition edition (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966427254
• ISBN-13: 978-0966427257
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #918,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Starstruck over Starstruck, March 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Starstruck: Photographs from a Fan (Paperback)

I love this book! Infact I could not put it down until I had turned every single page and looked at every single picture and read every single "Starstruck" Story. It's a facinating look at the world of celebrity in the 70's and one obssessed fan's photographic and anecdotal record of it all. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is in here. From Liz Taylor to JFK Jr. to Warren Beatty to Richard Nixon. The scope is unbelievable....and the stories, the little glimpses of what life and "stargazing" was like back then really make the book exceptional...seeing Barry Manilow when he was Bette Midler's piano player in the New York bath houses....staking out Gretta Garbo and dancing with Ginger Rodgers...this is the "must have" coffee table book of the century- anyone who picks it up will not be able to put it down. I bought three and gave them away- definitely a hot gift item. And every page is in color! A great pick, I absolutely recommend it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Extraordinary Life, April 12, 2000

By 

Jackie Decker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starstruck: Photographs from a Fan (Paperback)

Like a wildlife photographer patiently waiting for hours in the freezing cold for the first sighting of a rare breed of animal, so has Gary Boas patiently waited for sightings of the most elusive of stars, resulting in once-in-a-lifetime photographs depicting an era where glamour was expected of our most beloved and inspiring movie and stage stars. What separates Gary from the rest of us is his dogged determination to do whatever it takes to meet a celebrity and take the photograph. At first glance, you might think the photos in the book are the work of a "kid with a cheap camera", and you probably wouldn't be far from wrong. Many of the early pictures were taken with a brownie camera when Gary was a teenager. But as he grew older, so did his photographic talent grow. That talent, and the relationships that developed over time with Hollywood and New York celebrities, is what makes Gary and his work so intriguing. You cannot truly appreciate the photographs unless you read the introduction to the book and Gary's biography, and then move on to Gary's personal memories that accompany many of the photographs. That is when you begin to understand that this is the work of an ordinary man living an extraordinary life. Each time I read the book I enjoy it more than the last. This book is a rare piece of celebrity history, and is one that I won't be loaning out to anyone any time soon. This one is mine to keep. Thanks, Gary.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even an idiot will understand Boas' genius!, March 2, 2000

By 

Mark B. W. Lombard - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starstruck: Photographs from a Fan (Paperback)

Small-town photographer passionately tracking some of the most beautiful, talented and influential celebrities back in the days of Studio 54! Photographs are sometimes fuzzy, but most have this profoundly artistic quality about them. Anecdotes are at once poignant and hilarious (read the one about Geraldine Page)! Even an idiot would appreciate Boas' genius--he is leading a life that most of us mere mortals can only dream about! Can't wait for further volumes!