or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

The Seinfeld Scripts: The First and Second Seasons [Paperback]

Jerry Seinfeld , Larry David
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

List Price: $18.99
Price: $14.17 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $4.82 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 17 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it tomorrow, May 23? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  
Paperback $14.17  
Image
Save on Popular Books This Summer
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more.

Book Description

April 30, 1998
Jerry. George. Elaine. Kramer.

We've followed their misadventures for nearly ten years on Thursday nights. Here, finally, are the scripts of the first two seasons that will take you back to the beginning of Seinfeld.

Featuring the first 17 episodes ever aired, The Seinfeld Scripts contains all the great lines that have kept us laughing for years: the pilot episode, "The Seinfeld Chronicles," where it all began; George introduces his importer/exporter altar ego Art Vanderlay in "The Stakeout"; Kramer becomes obsessed with cantaloupe in "The Ex-Girlfriend"; Jerry and George meet Elaine's dad in "The Jacket"; is Jerry responsible for a poor Polish woman's death when he makes "The Pony Remark"?; Jerry and Elaine decide to become intimate again in "The Deal"; what will George do when he is banned from the executive bathroom in "The Revenge"?; and Jerry, George, and Elaine wait for a table in "The Chinese Restaurant."

It's all here: the award-winning writing of Seinfeld, "the defining sitcom of our age". Created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld.

Elaine: My roommate has Lyme disease.
Jerry: Lyme disease? I thought she had Epstein-Barr syndrome?
Elaine: She has this in addition to Epstein-Barr. It's like Epstein-Barr with a twist of Lyme disease.


George: She calls me up at my office she says, "We have to talk."
Jerry: The four worst words in the English language.


Kramer: What a body. Yeeaaah...that's for me.
Jerry: Yeah and you're just what she's looking for, too--a stranger, leering through a pair of binoculars ten floors up.


Frequently Bought Together

The Seinfeld Scripts: The First and Second Seasons + Writing Television Sitcoms (revised) + The TV Writer's Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts
Price for all three: $44.77

Buy the selected items together


Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

TEASER

INT. NIGHTCLUB--NIGHT A

Opening credits over the following:

Jerry

Do you know what this is all about? Do you.know why we're here? To be out. This is out. Out is one of the single most enjoyable experiences of life. People--you know how many people come home at night--"We should go out?" This is what they're talking about. This whole thing--we're all out, no one is home.

Not one person here is home. We're all out. There are people trying to find us. They don't know where we are. "Did you-I can't find them, where did he go? I don't know. He didn't tell me where he was going. He must have gone out." You want to go out. You get ready, you pick out the clothes, right? You take the shower, get all ready. Get the cash, get your friends, the car, the spot, the reservations, when you stand around, what do you do? You go, "We gotta be getting back." Once you're out, you want to get back. You want to go to sleep, you want to get up, you want to go out again tomorrow, right? Wherever you are in life, it's my feeling, you've gotta go.End opening credits.

ACT I

SCENE A

FADE IN:

EXT. COFFEE SHOP--ESTABLISHING SHOT--DAY (STOCK)

INT. COFFEE SHOP--LATE AFTERNOON (DAY I)

A typical New York City coffee shop. It's not rush hour, but there's activity and we hear that unmistakable din. Jerry and a longtime friend, George, are sitting at a table. George, slightly insecure, has an opinion on everything. He lives life at a higher intensity level than Jerry.

Jerry

See, now to me, that button" is in the worst possible spot. The second button literafly makes or breaks the shirt. Look at it, it's too high, it's in no-man's-land. You look like you live with your mother.

George

Are you through?

Jerry

You do, of course, try on when you buy.

George

Yes, it was purple, I liked it. I don't recall considering the button.

Jerry

Oh, you don't recall.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 544 pages
  • Publisher: It Books; 1 edition (April 30, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060953039
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060953034
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #561,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
(17)
4.6 out of 5 stars
I wasnt sure of a book made up purely of scripts but this is great. Alan Tomlins casst@compuserve.com  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement
Any Seinfed fan (or student or lover of comedy) MUST own this book. Joel L. Gandelman  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Seinfeld secret? Great WRITING=Great Comedy September 9, 2001
Format:Paperback
Here's the book that partly answers why Seinfeld (and I Love Lucy and All in the Family and Married With Children and The Simpsons) is so funny: Great sit-com comedy doesn't just happen because you get a talented performer. It also depends HEAVILY on the writing guiding the performance.

Any Seinfed fan (or student or lover of comedy) MUST own this book. My only regret is that it only gives you scripts for the first and second seasons (which, actually, many consider among the best). It shows you the solid comedic, consistently witty, and highly ironic foundations behind the cast's classic performances.

The good news: this book READS funny. Unless you just don't like reading drama/comedy in script form, you'll howl almost as much (since you are missing actual facial expressions, timing and body language) as you read these. Quite a few of these episodes were written by Seinfeld and collaborator (who how has a critically acclaimed HBO comedy series) Larry David. The many episodes include "The Jacket," "The Pony Remark," "The Deal," "The Chinese Restaurant," (one of my favorites) and "The Revenge."

According to published accounts, Seinfeld and David were absolutely adamant that there would be "no hugging" on THEIR show and that they would do the show their way or not do the show at all. They stuck to their guns. This book contains highly original sitcom comedy which holds up exceedingly well in script form. Keep the importance of solid writing in mind as you see former cast members from his show (or even Jerry himself or former cast members of other big hits) try to clone their earlier success: without a solid comedic foundation -- which is funny on paper -- all the talent in the world won't create a hit sitcom.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you watched Seinfeld regularly, you probably wished you could go back and review favorite episodes and see why they worked so well. I know I did. Sure, I COULD videotape episodes and rewatch them (and I often did) but I found this book provided additional advantages. I could linger over certain phrases, note how well the script flowed in certain sections and gain a deeper understanding of why certain bits were funny. Plus, it was much easier rereading certain sections of this book than it would have been to rewind a tape, find the section and replay it. When it comes to television shows and comedic writing, books definitely have their advantages over videotapes. On the other hand, if you like to see how the characters interact, their facial expressions and mannerisms, you may still want to have a tape of each show, using this book as an excellent supplement to the tapes. If you have tapes AND this book of Seinfeld, I'd say you'd have a mini-course in good comedy writing.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A really thick big book of award winning material! June 14, 2003
Format:Paperback
First of all, this is a great conversational piece worth leaving on the coffee table. It can break the ice with strangers coming around your place.

I bought it on Amazon, thinking it would be a small book with compact fonts. Infact it is a huge book with pictures of the show for each script and well indexed.

Any aspiring film makers and writers really should read this book, you get a better idea of what is funny when it comes to writing. After all, this show was a huge hit!!

Trivia: Several people in a North American university analyzed this book to find out a mathematical sum or equation for a good comedy joke.

You get the first two season's scripts (17 episodes).

The one thing that does hold it back, is the absence of any foreword or note from Jerry Seinfeld or Larry David. It is just a book of scripts!! But that's cool if you are the Seinfeld fan who just can't get enough!!

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it.
I bought this book as a present for my brother, who is a huge fan of the show (as I am too). He absolutely loved it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Alejandra
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read A+
For anyone interested in reading what scripts are available and would like to have it in hand, this is a good script to have. Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. Whitney
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellant
This was one of the best books I have recieved, it is a very good book for seinfeld lovers of all ages! Highly recommended
Published on June 16, 2008 by M. Kearney
5.0 out of 5 stars SEINFELD'S COMEDIC INSPIRATION
Yes, Seinfeld is always funny. Here's what he said about his comedic inspiration: "[Lois Nettleton] was married to Jean Shepherd. Read more
Published on January 24, 2006 by Eugene B. Bergmann
5.0 out of 5 stars Heh... Did I say...
What the hell am I saying? THIS IS A GOOD BOOK. This will be great along when season one of seinfeld comes out. This show is no drama, is no soap opera, has no continuous story. Read more
Published on March 11, 2004 by "utmoscot"
1.0 out of 5 stars the annoying stuff
this isn't not worth buying or even staring at. i mean if you read it you might be thinking right now... Read more
Published on February 11, 2004 by Carlos
5.0 out of 5 stars whats the deal with airline peanuts??????
Seinfeld is one of the funniest sitcoms ever. (Next to married with children)This show shows that life is really about nothing. Read more
Published on January 30, 2004 by newfound32
5.0 out of 5 stars Great memories
Cannot help but reminisce about those classic early episodes. Really fun to drop on the couch after a long day and read through the old scripts. Read more
Published on May 23, 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars Top quality comedy to be read over and over
I wasnt sure of a book made up purely of scripts but this is great. It brings back great episodes and classic conversations ( Kramer and his levels). Read more
Published on February 28, 1999 by Alan Tomlins casst@compuserve.com
5.0 out of 5 stars If you don't own it - you aren't a fan !
If you have seen the show (and loved it) you will also love the book. It features the scripts for the first and second season. Read more
Published on September 21, 1998
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 



So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category