Customer Reviews

The West Wing: Inside Bartlet's White House

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a guide book to the hit show the West Wing. It was written by Keith Topping who has authored several other show guides including Buffy, Angel and Roswell. This covers seasons 1-3 of the show.

I like this book and the author's style of writing. It does not contain in depth episode synopsis or analysis so those looking for that would have to look elsewhere. This book is meant for those who have seen the episodes and want more in depth knowledge. It covers
**cast/ brief bios

**episode list
**episode analysis which includes in its section
------american history
------political references
------donna comments
------logic problems (continuity errors)
------quotes
**a very brief internet intro to west wing

All in all, this book is fun for fans and those familiar with the episodes. It did not have any pictures which I felt was a lack and the reason it drops a star. Overall a worthwhile purchase

It's journalistic insofar as bits embarrassing to the principals of the show are included. But it's clearly meant for the hardcore fan; about five to six pages on each episode, up through "The Women of Qumar." Each episode has cast and crew details is broken down into categories such as American History X, Sex and Drugs and Rock'n' Roll, A View from the Hill and Logic, Let Me Introduce You to This Window.
For major Wingnuts such as myself, we've heard some, if not most, of this stuff before. But it is nice to have it all in such a tidy, portable package.
My personal favorite category is Cast and Crew Comments, such as from our man Benjamin in re: the hate mail following the Zoe/Charlie kiss in "Six Meetings Before Lunch":
"Frankly, the most surprising thing is that these people were watching our show and not 'WWF Smackdown.' "
Well worth the cover price, in my opinion.

I found this book completely by accident and couldn't believe the amount of information and research that had clearly gone into it. As a dedicated West Wing fan I sometimes struggle to keep up with the constant flow of dialogue and information that spews out of the characters mouths - this guy's done my job (and my thinking) for me. Good, coherent reviews and a very thorough job all round. Highly recommended to fellow fans.

I was so excited to find this book and I often read the chapters on each episode just after seeing the episode on DVD. A lot of the sections are interesting, background summaries on the characters, favorite quotes and moments, topics covered in the particular episode, but there are a couple of things I'm not quite happy with. This mainly focuses on the mistake section cleverly entitled "Logic, Let Me Introduce You to This Window." The section is usually correct, but several times, "flaws" are called into question that aren't really flaws. I'll just give a couple of examples: the book might mention a country or something that is not real, such as the Reykjavik Sympony Orchestra in Episode 31. Well, this is a make-believe world and the book also mentions that fact. Not everything here matches the real world, so we can't say it is a "mistake". Another example is when the book notes that Toby (a Jew) has a Christmas card on his wall. Just because you are Jewish doesn't mean someone won't send you a Christmas or Holiday card (particularly if you work at the White House).

Bringing the same nitpicking skill and attention to detail Mr. Topping has used in writing episode guides for cult hit favourites Buffy, Angel and Roswell, Inside Bartlet's White House: An Unauthorised and Unofficial Guide to The West Wing is a superb book that deals with every aspect of the show, from the real-life politics that it deals with, to the little continuity errors that inevitably creep in to any series (as well as a few horrible clangers).

Buy it now... Go on... Click that button...

This companion to the hugely popular television show provides good context and background for viewers (like me) of the show. It would have gotten five stars, but there is more focus on the actors' histories, and some details were left out, otherwise, not bad. I'd recommend the "script" book and the larger West Wing book. The lines in "A Proportional Response", ironically, apply to the current situation in Iraq. Check out the lines: "...death of an American, any American, and we come back with total disaster..." and you'll see what I mean.

If you are a fan of The West Wing this is a most read book. Much more informative then the offical compenduem

This book possesses all the narrative charm and warmth of a PowerPoint presentation. Unreadable, unfocused and often ungrammatical, this tedious collection of the most trivial of trivialities is recommended only for truly hardcore Wingnuts.

I refer the hono[u]rable reader to the review I gave awhile ago.