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Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant
Review: A brilliant piece of writing. I truly enjoyed this book.March has created a vivid world with a minimal amount of words and a very interesting style of poetry. I don't know that I've ever read an extended poem (for lack of a better word, it doesn't really qualify as an epic) that had me so involved and so interested in the story being told. The illustrations are amazing in this edition of the book as well. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderfull Read!
Review: I bought the book after seeing the Manhattan Theatre Company's production of the musical version (which was fantastic). It was good to read the original source material, and see how the play was shaped, based on March's words.
Rating:
Summary: Chaotic and delicious
Review: Like many people, I picked up this book after seeing one of the two musicals in New York based on it last year (the LaChiusa one on Broadway, in my case). I thought both shows were highly enjoyable, and was pleased to learn that a good deal of their success could be attributed directly to the source material. March's poem (if it can indeed be called that) itself provides a brief but memorable glimpse into the darkest corners of a dangerous era.The story, such as it is, concerns the unhealthy relationship between two vaudeville performers, Queenie and Burrs, which comes to a head when they throw the party of the title. Among the guests are a number of people who have lived the high life for so long that they are no longer able to put their emotions in perspective -- they hurt each other and are hurt, but appear unable to learn from their mistakes. Naturally, the party ends with a mistake that is completely irrevocable and devastating. The piece would be compelling even without Art Spiegelman's perfect illustrations. With them, this is a book that shouldn't be missed.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful narrative, but I can do without the illustrations
Review: My interest in THE WILD PARTY started with the flop American-International Picture of 1975, a Merchant & Ivory production, with James Coco, Perry King and Raquel Welch. THE HERBERT HOOVER DRAG "stayed with me" for years, to the extent that I expect to perforate a Pianola roll of this music, using the soundtrack of the out-of-print Embassy VHS tape for the source. Few reviewers have probably seen the original 1928 book, which I have, in my player roll Studio, here in Maine. Thus, I can compare the 1999 revival version with what was sold (quietly, or under the table) in the late 'Twenties. The illustrations destroy my images of the narrative, since they remind me of a 'Forties "noir" film and not a 'Twenties apartment, which the author vividly describes, in his engaging minimalist poetic epic (or whatever this prose is called). The few pen-and-ink illustrations show Burrs as a James Coco type, physically ... and the text for Black (the Perry King character, in the film: Dale Sword) sounds not unlike a thumbnail bio for him, as well. Far better to have drawn from images of old MacFadden magazines (the sleazy publications of that day) or stills from silent movies, for the modern illustrations. The 1928 book has only a few drawings, and - perhaps - for good reason. As with radio, in the days of drama (before television), the theater of the mind conveys the major impressions. Sans serif type and the lack of "word clusters", plus spaces, which pepper the original volume, are also a downer, for me. The power of the raw story is heightened by the dignity of the Garamond (or whatever) typeface, in the 1928 book. Having said the above, this book is better than none, so I would recommend it. Only 750 copies were printed, of the first edition, by Pascal Convici (mine being #459). As with the other reviewers, I kept being drawn back to the narrative, repeatedly. No pictures were necessary! Regards, Douglas Henderson
ARTCRAFT Music Rolls...
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Marriage of Style and Substance
Review: The menacing illustrations are good in and of themselves... the sometimes doggerlic, pulpy, but horribly compelling poem of fast living and decadence is good in and of itself... but when you encounter them together they produce a reading experience that transcends the sum of its parts. Brilliantly evokes a romanticized vision of the lost vice dens of the jazz age.
Rating:
Summary: wild and wonderful
Review: The wild party is a brilliant poem that pre-empts the beats' sense of rhythm and love for the low-down and dirty elements of modern life. Even though it was written six decades ago, it is fantastically modern. With a pulsuating, driving style that includes violence, humour and excitement, The Wild Party grips the reader from beginning to end. Spielgelman's illustrations, although nice and evocative, do not match the pure intensity of the writing. Well done to Spielgelman for finding this 'lost classic' and re-publishing it (although on the spine his name gets top billing which seem a little self-centred seeing as the books power lies entirely in the words, not the pictures. Indeed the writing is so bitingly vivid that the pictures are unneeded). I have read this book over a hundred times and it never fails to quicken my pulse and ressurect my love for poetry.
Rating:
Summary: Hard poetry in crisp accessible language with a clean story.
Review: This was a brilliant work from days gone past. Oddly, the story could happen as easily today as it did when written, the only difference being that the censored content of yesterday would be praiseworthy subtlty today. As the backcover quotation reads, it made William S. Boroughs "want to be a writer." It made me wonder why I can't find his second book. It should be noted that the illustrations by Art Spielgelman clearly add to the aura of the consuming experiece. I highly recommend this book that can be read in under an hour. Give it to poetry haters. They can access the work thouugh the tough sexy voice and may enjoy poetry as might have been impossible before.
Rating:
Summary: The party we all wish we could have been at
Review: This wonderful narration of one truly wild party sparks the imagination of unforgettable nights. It is written in a style that lends itself to being read aloud, as the dramatic content is high. Art Speigelman's illustrations make this night one book to remember, and add to the collection. This book will remind everyone of the night that they let their hair down and partied like the never had before, only to have to face the consequences.
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