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Summary: Pop-Culture Almanac
Review: A must for anyone who is even slightly interested in American pop culture. This book is loaded with facts about all kinds of events all over the country. One of the cool things for me (when I first read this book) was realizing how many spots I've drivin past over the last few years without realizing that some historical event took place there. For instance: there is a Hollywood Video in LA that I've actually rented from that used to be the bank that Patty Hearst and her posse ripped off. It is a very easy-to-read-guide to all those cool events we've witnessed on TV over the last few years. And, no matter where you live in the country, you are bound to find an event that took place near you.
GET IT!
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Summary: Who would have ever guessed?
Review: Admittedly one of my favorite activities centers around checking out bizarre landmarks: cemeteries, death sites, scandal sites. I was passively checking out the general travel section at the local mega bookstore when I came across this goodie. The title got me hooked. I knew this was something I was just going to love and I wasn't disappointed.
This book covers the range of 'unusual' tourist attractions. Many involve long forgotten stories that hit the front pages years ago and are but faded memories and some of the stories involve incidences that I honestly would have never thought about. Regardless of whether I had past knowledge of some of these places or if they were new to me, I learned a lot from Mr. Epting's entertaining narratives. And of course, knowledge usually prompts more questions.
One of the neatest aspects of this book is that it is not geographically restricted to one area nor does it devote itself to one rigid classification (i.e., celebrity death, scandals).
And while this book seems to cover virtually everything, its companion book Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here (which refers to a beauty shop MM frequented in the '40's) dishes out even more.
And if you are wondering, I have also checked out some of these places.
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Summary: "you had to be there..."
Review: Ever notice when you're telling a joke and people just aren't getting it you say, "well, i guess you just had to be there." looks like this author was, literally. and thanks to this book, you can be, too. the where is practically every pop culture landmark you can think of in the u.s. (and some you may have forgotten). area 51, the brady bunch house, the manson ranch, all places that you can actually go and see for yourself (of course, some places have less access than others). each listing comes with a street address, some even provide phone numbers and driving directions. but the beauty of this book is in the details, the bits of info that accompany the listings. like the fact that the lizzie borden death house has been turned into a bed and breakfast where guests can view the murder scene and sleep in lizzie's room, her parent's bedroom, or the guest room where her mother was killed. it's sad to note that some of the places that are part of our collective history are no longer there. it makes you realize the transitory nature of our culture. whether you visit the places in the book or not, i think you feel richer for having taken the journey with the author. his love of pop culture is infectious.
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Summary: Great look back.
Review: The book is everything the reviewers say it is. It does, however, contain many more descriptions than it does photos. A little more balance would be nice, but it's still tops!
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Summary: An indespensable road trip guidebook
Review: This book contains locations and descriptions for a huge range of American pop culture events: from famous births and deaths to infamous crimes.
The directions to the locations are clear and consise, especially since the locations themselves are sometimes a little vague (buildings are no longer there, or stretches of roads do not have clear identifying markers) making it actually useful to use on a road trip.
Even if you can't drive cross country, though, you'll enjoy paging through it and reading about so many important events in 20th century history. This book really gives you a sense of how many exciting, important, and tragic things have really happened all over this great big country of ours!
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Summary: Fun browsing
Review: This book is a lot of fun and one that you might want to take with you if you ever visit Sunset Blvd. (many events happened there!). It lists the locations of cultural landmarks and many entries have a photograph, but not all. Chapters are divided by "History and Tragedy," "Crime, Murder & Assassination," "Celebrity Deaths," "Movies," "Music," "Sports," etc. Landmarks such as the subway grating where Marilyn Monroe posed, Manson Family murder sites, the spot where Zsa Zsa slapped the policeman and Hugh Grant picked up a prostitute are all here. Some entries leave you yearning for more information - for example, it would be interesting to know what became of some of the famous celebrity houses and who lives there now. This information is sometimes noted but often it is not. Photos for ALL of the sites would have been nice too but many do not have photos. Lots of fun though and hopefully this will be a book that will be updated.
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Summary: A blast, but with one major flaw
Review: This book is great from start to finish -- provides locations and history for all kinds of disparate pop culture stuff. The one major problem with the book is that the writer desperately needs a copy editor. He mixes up some details and spells names, places and titles wrong all over the place. There are points where he spells the same person's name two or three different ways on one page. Considering all the research he seems to have done, this is kind of bonehead stuff. Still, if you can look past that, this book is a lot of fun.
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Summary: Fascinating!
Review: This book reminds me of the Book of Lists that were popular in the 70s. I could always pick those books up and find some tidbit I had missed in previous readings. This book highlights events you know happened, but may not know where they happened. I particulary liked items such as the fact that there is now a Virgin Megastore where the old Schwab's drug store was in Los Angeles. (Where, in fact, the author tells us that Lana Turner was NOT discovered!) A great summertime read. (Or any other time of year, for that matter!)
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Summary: What a long strange trip...
Review: This is an excellent book if you love all sorts of american history, pop culture, tv, movies, rock and roll, travel, trivia, etc. (Like we do.) It's coming on our road trip this summer--in fact it's guiding our road trip this summer because it tells you exactly where these things happened. (Like our nearby Woodstock and Watkins Glen concerts.) It's laid out very clearly, it includes tons of photos, weird little tidbits of info we never knew and it's a load of fun to browse through. I got it for my husband but now it's mine--he can get his own.
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