Rating: 
Summary: It is worth it.
Review: ALL RIGHT!!! Here it is! Of the 5 decades(6 now) of Batman comics, this has thee best and most important of them! I, for one, have always wanted to see some reprints of the mysteries Batman comics of the 30's and the thrill-packed fun adventures of the 60's, and "Dark Knight Detective" stories of the 70's. This book has the best of them! It sincerely captures the molasses-thick eerie atmosphere of the Batman comics as well as important additions to the mythos and a good overview of all the Batman characters.This book has the fun, wholesome kind of Batman comics I remember reading and being amazed by as a kid. For maximum enjoyment, I read the comics in the order I wanted (they are printed in chronological order). Also, the book includes a great introduction by Dick Giordano, a foreword, endnotes, and bios of the many artists and writers, with pics of classic Batman covers in the margins. This book is like a DVD! It is a must have for Bat-fans (unless you own every Batman comic ever made).
Rating:
Summary: The Title Doesn't Lie
Review: ALL RIGHT!!! Here it is! Of the 5 decades(6 now) of Batman comics, this has thee best and most important of them! I, for one, have always wanted to see some reprints of the mysteries Batman comics of the 30's and the thrill-packed fun adventures of the 60's, and "Dark Knight Detective" stories of the 70's. This book has the best of them! It sincerely captures the molasses-thick eerie atmosphere of the Batman comics as well as important additions to the mythos and a good overview of all the Batman characters. This book has the fun, wholesome kind of Batman comics I remember reading and being amazed by as a kid. For maximum enjoyment, I read the comics in the order I wanted (they are printed in chronological order). Also, the book includes a great introduction by Dick Giordano, a foreword, endnotes, and bios of the many artists and writers, with pics of classic Batman covers in the margins. This book is like a DVD! It is a must have for Bat-fans (unless you own every Batman comic ever made).
Rating:
Summary: Good overview of Batman across the years
Review: Batman is a character with a long history and career. The flavor of the character has changed over the years from grim to goofy and back to grim. He is at times a detective, at times a superhero and at times a science fiction hero. This book, "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" does an admirable job of pulling the best of each incarnation of Batman and presenting them in a single volume. Each story is a well-chosen and enjoyable read. Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Dick Sprang, Neal Adams, Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers are Dick Giordano are all represented. Each of these creators touched Batman in a permanent way. Noticeably absent are Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One) and Alan Moore/Brian Bolland (The Killing Joke). In the introduction, it is stated that these famous Batman creators are well-represented in other reprint collections and thus were not included in this volume. It is nice to know that they were acknowledged. Those who were introduced to Batman by the movies and the accompanying 90's rebirth may be disappointed by this volume. It does cover the Batman character as a whole, and not only one phase (Grim and Gritty). Also, the Joker has a companion volume, "The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told," so there are few Joker stories included.
Rating:
Summary: Good overview of Batman across the years
Review: Batman is a character with a long history and career. The flavor of the character has changed over the years from grim to goofy and back to grim. He is at times a detective, at times a superhero and at times a science fiction hero. This book, "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" does an admirable job of pulling the best of each incarnation of Batman and presenting them in a single volume. Each story is a well-chosen and enjoyable read. Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Dick Sprang, Neal Adams, Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers are Dick Giordano are all represented. Each of these creators touched Batman in a permanent way. Noticeably absent are Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One) and Alan Moore/Brian Bolland (The Killing Joke). In the introduction, it is stated that these famous Batman creators are well-represented in other reprint collections and thus were not included in this volume. It is nice to know that they were acknowledged. Those who were introduced to Batman by the movies and the accompanying 90's rebirth may be disappointed by this volume. It does cover the Batman character as a whole, and not only one phase (Grim and Gritty). Also, the Joker has a companion volume, "The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told," so there are few Joker stories included.
Rating: 
Summary: Gotham Chronicles
Review: Batman is one of comic books most dark and complex super heroes. His comic book adventures have thrilled readers for more than 60 years. From the fertle minds of creator Bob Kane and the likes of Bill Finger, Gardner Fox, those early Bat Tales are the stuff of legend. Some of the best stories from the begining, right through to the mid 1980's, are represented in The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told. Compiled by the editors at DC Comics, the book features the work of not only those I mentioned, but the talent of Len Wein, Steve Engleheart, Joe Staton, Alex Toth, Denny O'Niel, Walter Simonson, and Dick Sprang, among others. For those of you, who are saying "Who are they", if you are a fan of Batman, you must read this book. Even those new to the world of the caped crusader should read this. All of you will enjoy these decades spanning stories. As with any collection like this, there is always a rotten apple in the bunch (Bat-Mite's NY Adventure). I never liked that Bat-Mite concept Other than that miss step, the stories deserve the "Greatest" monicker. The 352 page book has an introduction from the late great Dick Giordano, a forward from Mike Gold, afternotes by Robert Greenberger, and bigraphies of all of the talent in the book by Mark Waid. All of these participants have first hand knowledge about our hero. This is a fun book of Batman tales from the past.
Rating:
Summary: It is worth it.
Review: I was just reading this last night and became very interested. I read all night long, admiring the fine work. One of my favorites was the one with Powerman. That was a good ending to a great story. I am in the middle of the one where the Scarecrow takes over Batman. Wow, can you say that is a good story or what. Batman truly was the greatest superhero of all time, and he still is. He has kept the magic alive after all of this time. If you are looking at this item, buy it, for it is a very good price, and a very good book.
Rating:
Summary: A good collection for fans of the older Batman stuff
Review: I'm more into the older Batman stuff, so this book mostly worked for me. I admit some of the old Batman stories could be a bit dumb, but we're talking about a guy dressed in a bat costume fighting crime. The newer stories may reflect the dark atmosphere that a good Batman story should have, but they take themselves too seriously. The darker, horror-inspired 1939-40 ones in this anthology, about the vampires and the giants are great entertainment even if the artwork is bad. There is a lot of good artwork in this book though. Of course, in the late '50s and early '60s, during the aftermath of lunatic Frederic Wertham's inquisition against comic books, Batman got too cheesy for his own good. But most of that era is left out of this book, with the exception of "The First Batman." That story is too short and hasty to be effective and Sheldon Moldoff was probably the weakest Batman artist ever, but at least it was better than most of the stories from that time. The one about the guys in gorilla suits is surprisingly not bad either. Batman slowly picked up again in the mid sixties, and by the seventies the best Batman stories were being produced. Most of the Batman stuff after that doesn't really interest me (though I like some of the "otherworlds" stories). I'm more into old comics. Maybe that's why I enjoyed this collection. Some needless filler here, but mostly effective comic book stories.
Rating:
Summary: A good collection for fans of the older Batman stuff
Review: I'm more into the older Batman stuff, so this book mostly worked for me. I admit some of the old Batman stories could be a bit dumb, but we're talking about a guy dressed in a bat costume fighting crime. The newer stories may reflect the dark atmosphere that a good Batman story should have, but they take themselves too seriously. The darker, horror-inspired 1939-40 ones in this anthology, about the vampires and the giants are great entertainment even if the artwork is bad. There is a lot of good artwork in this book though. Of course, in the late '50s and early '60s, during the aftermath of lunatic Frederic Wertham's inquisition against comic books, Batman got too cheesy for his own good. But most of that era is left out of this book, with the exception of "The First Batman." That story is too short and hasty to be effective and Sheldon Moldoff was probably the weakest Batman artist ever, but at least it was better than most of the stories from that time. The one about the guys in gorilla suits is surprisingly not bad either. Batman slowly picked up again in the mid sixties, and by the seventies the best Batman stories were being produced. Most of the Batman stuff after that doesn't really interest me (though I like some of the "otherworlds" stories). I'm more into old comics. Maybe that's why I enjoyed this collection. Some needless filler here, but mostly effective comic book stories.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth it
Review: It's not the Batman that's worth reading. This features a killing, machine gun-wielding Batman of the '30s. A goofy, time travelling Batman from the '50s and they dominate the book. A few redeeming 1970's stories don't make it worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I thought
Review: One of the first, bigger books of comics called "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" didn't impress me. For instance, the art, coloring, shading, graphics for the whole comic collection wasn't at all awe-inspiring, although suitable for the date it was produced, but pencilers did good. I thought that Bob Kane should have taken more time to scrutinize some of the Batman stories that were produced through the 1970s-1980s. Comic books like regular BATMAN stories from the 40s & 50s bored me. But we do learn some of the events that took place in Batman's era. Some of the later stories like "To Kill A Legend" and "The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne" are exciting with a more dark knight feel for the comics. People who love to read books on Batman like "Cataclysm" or just regular Gotham Knights comics, be aware: there is a dramatic change in the plot, graphics, and the dark knight type appeal. It's a more introductory comic book set on the Batman that may not appeal to modern-day Batman fans.
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